9 – The Young Girl
Feng Shan felt a surge of energy in his heart upon seeing Gu Pingtíng and strode over.
Tall and long-legged, he soon reached Gu Pingtíng and asked, “What has you so happy?”
Gu Pingtíng placed her small hands on her hips, looked up at him proudly, and said, “Royal Father and Royal Mother have sent someone to fetch me. This Hall is returning to the palace.”
She was both extremely happy and proud. Feng Shan watched her with a smile, thinking that if Gu Pingtíng had a tail, it would surely be pointing straight up to the sky!
Compared to Gu Pingtíng’s excitement, Feng Shan remained calm. He simply reached out and pinched her cheek, asking, “Where are they? Let me have a look.”
Gu Pingtíng was so overjoyed that when Feng Shan pinched her cheek, she just giggled foolishly. “This Hall ordered them to prepare a royal carriage to fetch me. They’ll surely arrive soon. Originally, the imperial guard found This Hall and tried to drag me away immediately, but This Hall refused to go.”
“Oh, why didn’t you go?”
Gu Pingtíng let out a delicate, proud hum. “This princess is not an ungrateful person. This princess will take you to Shengjing and have you appointed to an official position.”
Feng Shan reached out and ruffled the top of her head. “It seems I didn’t raise a little ingrate. At least you know to take me with you when you leave.”
Gu Pingtíng slapped his big hand away. “Don’t touch This Hall’s head, you commoner! Be careful, or This Hall will have your head chopped off!”
Feng Shan loved seeing her feisty, fierce look and chuckled.
As the two were talking, a person came running over, knelt down with a thud, and said, “Your Highness, the team to fetch you has arrived. Please prepare to leave.”
Gu Pingtíng looked closely and saw it was the same woman as before, dressed as a man, wearing straw sandals and simple cloth clothes. Gu Pingtíng nodded and said, “This Hall is already prepared and can depart at any time.”
Feng Shan examined the woman carefully and understood the situation. He reached out and ruffled Gu Pingtíng’s head again, laughing. “You two have fun. I’ll go skin today’s game.”
Gu Pingtíng said, “Why are you still skinning game? Put it down and come with This Hall back to the palace.”
Feng Shan looked at Gu Pingtíng, smiled without responding, and carried the game into the courtyard.
Gu Pingtíng frowned. Why was this man so ungrateful?
As Gu Pingtíng was puzzling over this, she heard the woman clapping and laughing, “Haha, they’re here.”
Gu Pingtíng followed the sound and saw a group of children with their hair tied in topknots, lined up one after another, carrying a bamboo chair as they wobbled over.
Gu Pingtíng was stunned for a moment, then turned to the woman and asked, “Imperial guard, what is going on?”
The woman watched the children, dancing and jumping with joy. “Didn’t you ask me to find people to fetch you? Your Highness, they’re here. Let’s go, let’s go play in the palace.”
Gu Pingtíng fell silent, staring at the woman, unable to say a word.
Awakening from her immense joy, Gu Pingtíng examined the woman closely—dressed as a man, wearing straw sandals and simple cloth clothes, acting wildly and crazily.
Gu Pingtíng realized she might have been tricked.
This person was definitely not an imperial guard.
Gu Pingtíng observed carefully and thought it over. She had been so overjoyed that she had lost her senses. How could an imperial guard be a woman? How could they dress like this?
Gu Pingtíng had been too eager to return home, which was why she had missed so many red flags.
Gu Pingtíng asked, “Who are you?”
The woman laughed. “Your Highness, don’t you recognize me? I’m Qingyatou, the imperial guard!”
Qingyatou…
Gu Pingting had heard this name before. On the day she woke up in this small mountain village, the village woman who had been taking care of her mentioned that there was a Silly Girl in the village called Qing Yatou.
Gu Pingting froze for a moment, unsure how to react.
The group of children carrying the bamboo chair had now approached, their childish voices chiming in unevenly, “Princess, please come back to the palace with us. We’ve already built a palace at the village entrance with tree branches. Let’s go play together.”
Gu Pingting looked at these little brats who were barely taller than garlic sprouts, feeling utterly depressed.
From among the children, a little boy wearing a yellow hat stepped forward, hands on his hips, chest puffed out, and declared, “I am the Great King, I am your father! Kneel down at once!”
Gu Pingting: …
“No, you were the Great King yesterday! Today it’s my turn!” A little boy with a runny nose stepped forward, snatched the yellow hat, and plopped it onto his own head. Then, pointing at Gu Pingting, he said, “I am your father!”
Gu Pingting: …
The two little boys started fighting over the yellow hat and the title of Great King, exchanging only a few words before they began tussling. The other boys clapped and cheered them on.
Seeing this, the little girls gathered around Gu Pingting. Some tugged at her hand, while others gently touched her gauze dress, all admiringly saying, “You’re so pretty, and you smell so nice. We believe you’re a princess.”
Silly Girl Qing Yatou also reached out to touch Gu Pingting’s clothes, smiling at the little girls and saying, “Hehe, I told you she’s a princess, but you didn’t believe me. Look how beautiful she is!”
The little girls nodded, gazing at Gu Pingting with adoration in their eyes. “Princess, come play with us at the village entrance. We don’t want to play with those smelly boys. They fight all day and are so rowdy.”
Smelly boys? Gu Pingting stared at the two little brats on the ground, who were wrestling despite not even having grown all their hair yet, and felt utterly speechless.
The two little boys, locked in a stalemate, dragged each other over to Gu Pingting and asked in unison, “You tell us, who is your father? Whoever you say today will be the Great King.”
Gu Pingting trembled with anger, her fair little face flushing bright red. After a long silence, she shouted, “Both of you, get lost!”
The mischievous boys not only ignored her but kept pestering her to say who her father was. Enraged, Gu Pingting used her crutch to shoo the little brats away.
“Go away! All of you! I don’t want to see you!”
Seeing Gu Pingting raise her crutch, the children scattered in fright. Silly Girl Qing Yatou also hurriedly jumped away.
The little boy with the runny nose put his hands on his hips and declared, “Ungrateful daughter! How dare you hit your father? I, the Great King, hereby announce that you are deposed as princess!”
Gu Pingting: …
Hearing this, a little girl in pink quickly said, “If she’s deposed, then I’ll be the princess.”
The runny-nosed boy generously replied, “Fine! I, the Great King, hereby appoint you as princess. Everyone, follow me!”
The little girl in pink clapped her hands joyfully, sat on the bamboo chair, and was carried away by the group of children.
Silly Girl Qing Yatou also left, chuckling to herself.
Only Gu Pingting remained standing alone at the courtyard gate, disheveled and fuming. She stood outside the courtyard for a long time, feeling utterly dejected. Her eyes reddened, brimming with unshed tears.
She had thought… she could go home…
With red-rimmed eyes, Gu Pingting turned around, leaned on her crutch, and walked into the courtyard.
As soon as she entered the small courtyard, she saw Feng Shan clutching his stomach and laughing. Gu Pingting’s urge to cry was instantly stifled, replaced by embarrassment and annoyance. She stamped her foot and said, “Stop laughing!”
The thought of those children earlier, all clamoring to be Gu Pingting’s father, made Feng Shan laugh so hard he couldn’t straighten his back. Eventually, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into loud, hearty laughter.
Gu Pingting was furious. She walked over, reached out to cover his mouth, and snapped, “Stop laughing!… You’re still laughing!”
Feng Shan’s voice was so loud that even covering his mouth couldn’t muffle his laughter.
Gu Pingting was utterly exasperated. She pounded his chest twice with her delicate fists and shouted, “Stop laughing, you’re still laughing!”
Her soft, gentle fists struck Feng Shan’s rock-hard chest. She had used all her strength, but to her surprise, Feng Shan showed no reaction, while Gu Pingting’s hands hurt so much she shook them repeatedly.
He was just too hard.
Like a block of stone!
Gu Pingting’s face flushed red, and her whole body grew hot. She struck Feng Shan once with her crutch, then angrily ran back into the house and threw herself onto the bed.
Wuwu, this is so embarrassing…