Old Zhang remained the same old Zhang.

It is understandable that Old Zhang would suddenly return, as he has always been erratic, but the fact that he brought the little princess along is absolutely insane.

Kidnapping a princess is a crime punishable by death, Old Zhang.

"Why did you come here so suddenly? Won't the Prince execute me if he finds out?"

The little princess looked up at Xia Lin with sparkling eyes. "My father took my two brothers to the capital for the ancestral rites; they won't return until after the Grand Court Assembly. I’ve been all alone in the manor these days. I happened to run into Brother Zhongchun on the road, and when I asked him where he was going for the New Year, he said he was coming to find you, so I just tagged along."

After hearing this, Xia Lin was filled with a sense of resignation. It was truly the "Old Zhang" style—acting on impulse without considering the consequences. But considering who he was, it was almost to be expected.

The immediate problem was how to settle the little princess. Sending her back now was unrealistic; the riverboats and carriages had mostly stopped for the New Year, and if they had to rely on walking, they would reach the provincial capital just in time for the Qingming Festival in the year of the Rabbit. Upon arrival, she would be detained and brought before the manor’s midwives for an inspection. Who knows if this restless little monkey had been physically compromised by a stray stone or a wooden stake? If the inspection revealed anything, Xia Lin would be executed and sliced into sashimi before his head even hit the ground.

That would be a miserable way to go; it must be avoided at all costs.

The only solution was to wait until the New Year passed and send her back at the earliest opportunity. Since he had to report to the provincial government office after the holidays anyway, he might be able to time it to return the princess to the manor just before the Prince returned from the capital.

"Fine, fine. Let’s just head back for now."

Back at the county office, Xia Lin stood with his hands on his hips, sighing as he watched the little princess wandering about, full of curiosity. He turned to Chuntao and said, "Sister Chuntao, please help the little princess get a room ready. Old Zhang will squeeze in with me for now; let her take my room."

"Understood, I will handle it right away."

Chuntao efficiently went off to prepare the room, while the little princess trotted over and sat on the small stone table in front of Xia Lin. Having not seen her for half a year, it was clear she had grown significantly, and one could discern the budding contours of her figure through her clothes; she was definitely entering her teenage years.

This made things even more complicated. Under the influence of hormones, people lose their basic sense of reason. The reason why passionate, soul-stirring romances always happen to young men and women—and rarely to people in their thirties—is that as hormone levels drop sharply after thirty, people become clearer and more rational. And once a person is rational, they tend to forget about "damn love."

But at the little princess’s age... let’s put it this way: if Xia Lin spent three days coaxing her, and then told her to jump into a river, she would hesitate for at most three hours before jumping right in.

This was extremely dangerous. A young girl like this was a chaotic system; she was capable of anything unexpected, and all her actions defied foresight.

Looking at the headache-inducing girl, Xia Lin said helplessly, "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to come here like this?"

"Danger is what makes it fun! If it weren't dangerous, I wouldn't have come," the little princess declared spiritedly. "Stop lecturing me like an old man. You're only three years older than me. My father is nine years older than my mother, and she was only twelve when they married. I’m already fourteen, what is there to be afraid of?"

"Oh, goodness..." Xia Lin covered his ears. "I can't bear to hear such things."

The little princess poked him hard with her finger before running off to play by the pigpen. The pen had originally been prepared for Old Zhang, but instead of pigs, it housed a large yellow dog that guarded the house. The little princess clearly liked the dog and began playing with it.

"Old Zhang, I don't know what you were thinking, how could you have brought her here?"

"Not bring her? She would have killed me if I didn't! She climbed through my inn window in the middle of the night with a bundle on her back, shook me awake, and said, 'Brother Zhongchun, I'm ready, let's go!' You tell me, at that hour, if I hadn't agreed and she had screamed, don't you think I'd be dead?"

Xia Lin hissed, but realized that this was exactly the kind of thing the little princess would do. Since things were already this way, there was no point in blaming anyone.

***

Fortunately, the little princess was just mischievous and lacked the malicious streak of her cousin. An innocent girl might cause some trouble, but she was certainly not unlikable.

After a long day, when night finally fell, Old Zhang had intended to share his experiences from the past few months with Xia Lin, but he was too exhausted from the journey and fell asleep early. Xia Lin was also tired and, after a quick wash, went back to his own room and soon fell asleep as well.

Old Zhang was snoring like a pig, and the howling north wind outside made the roof tiles clatter, creating a rather eerie atmosphere.

Suddenly, a knock came at his door. Xia Lin jolted awake. "Who is it?"

"It's me..." the little princess’s voice came from outside. "Daosheng... I'm scared..."

Xia Lin sighed again, grabbed his coat, threw it over his shoulders, and opened the door. There stood the little princess in her thin undergarments, shivering, her face pale—whether from the cold or fear, he couldn't tell.

"Go back to the room first." Xia Lin glanced at Old Zhang, who had turned over and was scratching his foot in his sleep, then led the princess to her room next door.

He lit the lamp, tucked her into bed, and sat by the bedside, his eyes heavy with sleep.

Seeing his state, the princess scooted inward and patted the mattress.

Xia Lin startled awake. He looked at the princess on the bed and gave a helpless laugh. "Princess, do you know what that gesture implies?"

"I see you're cold and tired, just come up. I'm afraid to sleep alone; there was a ghost tapping on my window earlier..."

Xia Lin stood up and walked to the window. He pushed it open and saw there were no ghosts—just a camphor tree branch being blown by the wind, tapping against the frame.

"It's just a branch. With a wind like this, it might snow tomorrow." He walked back to the bed, leaned against it, and pulled a corner of the quilt over his lap. "You sleep. I'll just sit here and keep you company."

"Mhm!"

The little princess curled up under the covers and was fast asleep in no time. Xia Lin couldn't help but shake his head at her childlike behavior.

However, Xia Lin, who had intended to stay awake until dawn, clearly overestimated his willpower. When he opened his eyes the next morning, he turned his head and found a pair of large eyes staring right at him.

His mind went blank. But soon, his emotions settled; he had simply fallen asleep, not gotten drunk. He didn't even need to check his clothes—he had just been exhausted and, feeling the cold, had crawled into the bed.

"It's over..." the little princess muttered softly. "You've ruined me."

Xia Lin sat bolt upright, but the little princess pulled him back down. "It's so cold."

This was a disaster; he would never be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Just as he was pondering what to do, the little princess snuggled closer. "So cold..."

"If you're cold, put on some clothes!"

Xia Lin threw off the quilt and stood up. "Later, have Chuntao take you to a midwife for an inspection. Otherwise, I’m as good as dead."

"I won't go..." the little princess said, looking aggrieved. "I won't say anything, okay?"

"This is a matter of life and death, you can't just talk nonsense."

"Oh..."

Xia Lin shook his head. "Go back to sleep for a while. I'm going back to my room. You're not scared anymore, right?"

The little princess wanted to say something, but she buried her head under the quilt, leaving only her eyes visible as she watched him leave.

When Xia Lin returned to the room he shared with Old Zhang, the latter was propped up against the headboard, flipping through his art collection. He gave a mocking smile as Xia Lin entered.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I got up to pee last night and noticed you were gone. This morning, you come back from the room next door, smelling entirely of the little princess’s scent. Daosheng, we may be master and servant, but we are like brothers. Are you still going to hide this from me?"

"Hide it from your grandmother's chicken leg."

Xia Lin sat on the edge of the bed and recounted what had happened the previous night. Old Zhang burst into laughter. "That’s just like trying to catch a fox and getting covered in its stench instead—you didn't get to eat the chicken, but you got scratched by the guard dog."

"Don't mention it, sigh..."

Old Zhang crossed his legs, looking relaxed. "In the time I was gone, you and Chuntao were all alone here. Did anything... you know? Tell me."

Xia Lin rubbed his chin. "There were a few times it almost happened. You know how young men are—full of blood and energy. Hearing the water splashing next door, I’d want to go see. A couple of times, I couldn't hold back and did go take a look. Sister Chuntao probably knew..."

"And she didn't scold you?"

"No, that's why I said it only 'almost' happened."

Old Zhang clicked his tongue. "Well, a personal maid has the duty of a concubine. The young prince might be disdainful of her status, but you are different. If you asked her to come over at night, she wouldn't refuse. Even if she knew you were peeking, she wouldn't stop you. But if you're waiting for her to make the first move, it might take a little more time."

"Listen to you. Am I that kind of person?"

"Then what did you think the young prince gave you a maid for? To help you feed the pigs?"