Little Purple

"Put the Blue Angel over there, the pricing will be..." Zhi Shao Yao and Xiang Yi were inside their family's jewelry store, the White Peony.

Zhi Yu was supposed to be the one to take care of the store, but because of his health, Zhi Shao Yao took the initiative and told him that she would be his substitute for now.

Zhi Shao Yao was still very young so the staff from the household had been following her and gave her a hand.

Besides the staff, there were few other guards coming with them. That's because when she went out of the house, Hu Xiang Yi decided to follow her too. He was the precious heir of the Hu family; so they needed to keep their eyes on him.

Hu Xiang Yi tailed her around the shop, looking left and right, amazed by the beautiful jewelry being shown there.

The store was two-storied, rather a small shop but filled with high-quality goods that could even attract the high ranking nobles.

"That's all for today." After giving the staff a note, Zhi Shao Yao happily rolled the accounting book. "Let's go home, Xiao Yi."

Hu Xiang Yi was facing the other way, looking at the Blue Angel. When she called him, he looked back at her and nodded.

They went out of the shop. Suddenly, Zhi Shao Yao saw a shadow lurking around the alleyway. She frowned, she recalled that the shadow had been following them around for a while. She looked at the guards, they didn't seem to be alarmed although they knew about the shadow. That indicated that they didn't see the stalker as someone harmful to the heir.

Zhi Shao Yao was still disturbed by it though. She stomped her foot and approached the shadow, but she didn't approach them up front, she knew a way to get behind the alleyway. "Xiao Yi, let's catch the stalker!"

-----

"Lu Wei, do you see them?" The boy asked. He was trying to hide behind the boxes that were placed in front of the alley. "Are they out yet?"

There were pimples on his innocent-looking face. The boy was wearing white clothes, a bun on his head was decorated by a simple hairpin. He pulled his hem over to cover the dragon tattoo on his wrist.

"I am sure that they were there a second ago, Your Highness." The boy's personal servant answered. He frowned, thinking that his eyes had fooled him. He was wearing a dark brown cloth, not his usual black palace servant's uniform because he was trying to meddle with the commoners. "Where did they go?"

"I think that demon girl knew that we are tailing her." The boy broke into cold sweat.

"Just who are you calling a demon?"

The boy's eyes widened as he heard her voice, their guards came down from the roof and landed right behind the two, master and servant.

"Agh! It's her, that demon!" The boy screamed. He jolted and hit the box.

"Your Highness, Prince Jin Tao!" Lu Wei rushed to help his master.

"Prince Tao?" Zhi Shao Yao knitted her brows. "So you are a member of the imperial family? The empress's last son."

Jin Tao's head was still hurt because of the hit. He looked up and saw the guards looking at him with their scary eyes. He trembled and fled. "Run, Lu Wei, retreat!"

"Wait!" Zhi Shao Yao shouted. But Jin Tao and Lu Wei were already far away. "Tch, those cowards!"

-----

It was almost evening, Hu Zi finally came back from the palace, she went straight ahead to Fa Sui's office.

Since this was the third day, Fa Sui let Zhi Yu rest in the patient room while Hu Zi was in the front room. There was a desk and three chairs there.

"Eh? Prince Lan is coming back?" Fa Sui's eyes widened, both in shock and excitement. Just when he thought that he hit the rock bottom of the mystery behind Hu Zi's purple eyes, a ray of light came to him, giving him one last chance.

"This is rather interesting." Qing Bo was there too. After the meeting with other officials was over, he went straight to the residence, so he was still in his uniform, with his hair up and tied by the fish-shaped hairpin. "So the empress wanted you to marry the rumored sick prince?"

"No, she just wanted me to meet him, she said she won't force me to marry him." Hu Zi answered firmly. "No way I will marry one of those sly imperial family members, ah!"

Hu Zi fumed and the air around her started to swirl like her emotion. But then, she calmed down. "At least that's what I want to say. But I know that, by the looks of it, our condition is not going to get better soon. We need to launch a counter attack."

Hu Zi clenched her fist.

Qing Bo looked at Hu Zi's expression, his eyes then fell to the beautiful purple flower bracelet she always wore.

It's true that their condition was important, but her feeling was important too.

Qing Bo lost his one, and only, love, too. He was a minute too late to propose to her, now he has endless regrets.

Qing Bo closed his eyes. He sighed and asked the taboo question. "Hu Zi, how about Shou?"

Hu Zi's eyes widened. Unconsciously, she started trembling. It made Fa Sui worried, he went up front to comfort her but Qing Bo stopped him.

The heart's conflict wasn't something anyone could meddle.

Hu Zi but her lips hard that a drop of blood seeped out from the corner, she looked like she was in a lot of pain. "I…"

"I think, marrying him is a good idea." Suddenly, Zhi Yu came out of the patient room and told them his advice. "Zi'er the last choice is on you but you should listen about what kind of man… Boy, the prince is."

Hu Zi glanced up although her heart was still in pain.

"He isn't like Jin Min and Jin Lei, the emperor hated him and is aware of his dangerous existence because he is the previous emperor's son. But, for the same reason, he can't kill him directly. The previous emperor's death was sudden and surrounded by mysteries, his loyal friends and followers had been thinking that the emperor was the one who killed him. If suddenly the prince is dead too, their anger will surely backlash on the emperor himself."

"So he really is on the opposite side of the emperor?" Qing Bo tilted his head. "If that is true, marrying him would only be like we are joining hands to stop the imperial family."

"Yes, living and rubbing shoulder directly with them will make it easier to get the evidence and find out who the tattooed man you saw that day is." Zhi Yu's finished his explanation, he then smiled gently and came up to Hu Zi who was still frowning and clenching her fists. "And one more about the prince, he may be able to cure your scarred heart, Zi'er."

Hu Zi looked up, looking at everyone with her gleaming purple eyes.

Qing Bo chuckled. "Don't worry, if Shou suddenly comes and claims you, you can just go with him. The prince's body is like that anyway, he won't be able to touch you even when you are married. Am I right, Zhi Yu?"

"En, I don't think he can have children at this rate." Zhi Yu broke a sweat.

"Aiya! But I want a new baby in the house!" Zhi Shao Yao brazenly came in, holding a plate of food prepared by the chefs for Zhi Yu. She was fuming and pouting, her round chubby cheek became bigger and bigger. "The family only have Xiao Yi and I as the next generation, we need more babies ah! Aunt Zi, don't marry that incapable man!"

Zhi Shao Yao threw a tantrum, telling Hu Zi not to meet the prince. In the end, they need to make her eat a lot of food so that she will be sleepy and stop causing a ruckus around the residence.