I smiled upon hearing this.
"That's a cute nickname. I'll call you that from now on." Xie Lian said with a smile. Honger looked shy whenever he was around my brother. He lowered his head to look away. I gave a small laugh. I looked around the pavilion. The sun was setting, and many lights filled the area. The highest peak was no different. It could be described as a bright, shining star in the night. a wonderful sight to come back to. These lights, which were lanterns, set off into the sky. I will never get tired of this sight. I would have liked to stay like this till the lanterns were no longer visible, but the joy was cut short when a familiar young man's voice cut through the air.
"Your Highness!" i turned to the side, and there, running our way, was that Zhu Shixiong. the same Shixiong who bullied Mu Qing before the parade and was about to hurt him in the cherry woods. The best I could, I schooled my expression.
"Zhu ShiXiong, what's the hurry?" brother asked. Zhu Shixiong looked past us for a moment before speaking to the both of us, ignoring what he saw.
"The Guoshi has been asking after you for a while now. He's at the Great Martial Hall waiting for the crown prince." i was taken aback a little, but i would think that the state preceptor wanted to talk to brother about Honger.
"Very well. Thank you, ShiXiong." Xie Lian said. I left with the boys and Chun to the Xianle Pavilion. After insuring the kids would be okay, I headed out to see the Xianle streets for a little while. The first thing I need to do is make sure no one will get in while I am away. My dresser is rather large and made of heavy wood, so it will be difficult to move. unless you are me. I have been lifting weights to build up muscle as a part of my own cultivation. Xie Lian doesn't know about this. For the most part, it's easy to move for me. I dropped it with a thud by accident. I froze with bare teeth. If someone heard, then I would need to explain why I just dropped my dresser while it takes about three well-built men to lift. I breathed as no one rushed to my room. I know the preceptors want either the boy to do something to stop the parade or the brother to prostrate before all of Xianle. Neither will happen. I went to my bedside and kneeled. The floor boards are loose and have some empty space. I lifted one. Each is about the width of a human thigh and about as long as one. Inside was white fabric. my hood.
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I was leaping from rooftop to rooftop. No one knows about this but my brother, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and my mother. If Father knew, he'd give me hell for sneaking out and interfering with the common people's lives and affairs. but I don't give a sh*t. I really love my father. but I can't stand by while I can do something to help someone. especially someone who can't fight, provide, or help themselves. Zuko, for example, when I found him. It was in the colder seasons, and I was on the outskirts of home. I had just made it past the wall when I saw something shaking in the bushes. I walked up to it and saw a brown ball of fur. The poor thing was attacked. It's leg was bleeding, and it was shivering. With little to no hesitation, I ran to the little wolf pup. I didn't care much about my appearance when someone needed help. I still don't. The skirt of my dress was a simple sacrifice in order to patch up the wolf pup's leg. After that, I managed to sneak him back into the palace. I managed to get the pup to a healer and made them promise not to tell anyone. Then my attempted demise happened not long after my thirteenth birthday, then Pyua and Haoyu came into the picture, and then I met Feng Xin and Mu Qing when I turned fourteen. Anyway, back to reality: there isn't much going on tonight. as peaceful as it should be.
With a few more places to check, including the old woman who has often asked about Mu Qing, my trip down should be quickly taken care of. The common people know about these trips, but do not say a word about the "woman in white" who covers the grounds of Xianle and helps wherever there is trouble. The state preceptors have tried to catch me, but I have developed my own way of escaping and avoiding unwanted attention. So I have some tricks that only people who have gone out with me know. There isn't anything going on, so it's best to head back. Mu Qing's mother is doing alright for now. I'll talk to Mu Qing later about his mother's health. He deserves to know if she's okay or not. I remember when I first met her. Mu Qing was one of the first people I took with me to look over the Xianle streets. He led the way to a small building. Some men tried to rob a woman who was about forty or so years old. Mu Qing was the first to rush in. I followed behind. The woman was shaken until Mu Qing ran up to her and made sure she was safe and unharmed. I gave her some mochi with added medicine for some wounds that weren't visible. Mu Qing and I walked the woman back, and she asked if I was Mu Qing's lover. I made a strangled noise. I explained to her that I saw Mu Qing as a brother, and she took note of the fact that I mentioned that he and the brother's bodyguard would make a better match. Mu Qing gave me a glare. I just smiled, and we parted ways after Mu Qing and his mother said their goodbye's to each other.
"Ah yee!" I quietly panicked as I tripped over my windowsill. I don't trip over the windowsill often, but on occasion I have. I just give the excuse of tripping on my blankets. I took off my hood before kneeling beside my bed to open the floor boards to hide my hood. With a quick slide of the wooden plank, there is no trace of my hood. I faintly heard commotion outside my room. I stood up again and moved my dresser back as quietly as possible. Though, once out of my room, everyone was panicking.