Chapter 11

  Simarui stared at Baimin, with some hesitation in his heart. This Baimin was indeed very intriguing to him. Someone who dared to oppose the Fourth Prince seemed to have never been born before. He wanted to see what kind of tricks this Baimin could come up with. "What price? Tell me and I'll consider it."

  "Please treat me to dinner." Bai Min replied with a smile.

  Simarui's eyes widened, thinking: either this white guy has a screw loose or his ears have gone bad!

  "Why such a reaction." Bai Min looked at Sima Rui with an innocent expression, "Isn't it just inviting me to dinner? The great Daxing Dynasty's fourth prince shouldn't be short of money for a meal, right? I've heard that the head chef of the famous Yinxiaolou only cooks his signature dishes for the fourth prince. Ordinary people can only dream of tasting them. As the saying goes: 'A person who eats from another's bowl has a short tongue; one who takes from another's hand has a short arm.' After eating your meal, I'll naturally be willing to speak up and answer any questions you have. What a simple truth, why is the fourth prince so shocked?"

  Such a "ridiculous" request, spoken so solemnly by Bai Min, made Sima Rui not dare to laugh out loud, although he was already laughing with joy in his heart, but on the surface, he still looked very serious, because when Bai Min proposed such a "ridiculous" request, her facial expression was completely serious.

  What Bai Min said was true, the head chef of Yin Xiang Lou only cooked his signature dishes for the Fourth Prince alone, and this head chef indeed cooked exceptional dishes, far surpassing those in the palace. Although he had retired from being a head chef due to old age, he remained at Yin Xiang Lou because of his great contributions and shares in the restaurant.

  "Good." Sima Rui nodded.

  Bai Min smiled lightly, "Then let's meet again at Xiang Fang Lou tomorrow at noon." Seeing Sima Rui seemed to have a blocking intention, Bai Min smiled again and said, "Why bother, since I've already promised you, it would be troublesome for the Fourth Prince to wait patiently until tomorrow noon to ask again."

  Simarui suddenly asked: "Aren't you afraid something will happen to Murong Xue?"

  Bai Min, who had already walked to the door, didn't even turn her head back. "Simarui, you're not a despicable person after all. Unrestrained and carefree, you've experienced the beauty of the world, so why would you only be interested in Murong Xue's body? If it wasn't for your pride, why would you go to such great lengths? You just want Murong Xue's heart to belong to you. I'm not worried at all, leaving her in your care is definitely no worse than Murong Qinglang's protection. Hahaha——"

  With a crisp laugh, Bai Min had already disappeared from Sima Rui's line of sight, leaving Sima Rui sitting alone at the table, speechless.

  On the second day, Sima Rui arrived very early at the Xiangxiang Building and ordered his meal in advance.

  Here is the translation:

  He had his own fixed room here, located on the top floor of the Fragrant Pavilion, with a large river flowing outside the window. Sitting by the window, he could see thousands of sails passing by and white egrets flying overhead. To be honest, Sima Rui was extremely interested in Bai Min, whom he had met yesterday, and because of today's appointment, he couldn't sleep all night.

  Around noon, Bai Min appeared on time, still wearing a plain white outfit, alone and neat, with no expression on his face. He had come to take Murong Xue away from the Fourth Prince, but he looked as if he was here to meet an old friend, relaxed and at ease.

  He seemed completely unaware that the Fourth Prince Sima Rui was not a good person to talk to, especially when it came to taking Murong Xue away from him.

  As soon as Bai Min entered, the dishes started to be served. The head chef of Yin Xiang Lou was indeed first-rate, and each dish was a perfect combination of color, fragrance, and flavor, making one's appetite grow just by looking at them. Bai Min didn't stand on ceremony either, sitting down across from Sima Rui. With just a slight turn of their heads, they could see almost the same scenery outside the window. The autumn breeze blew in, making them feel refreshed and comfortable.

  "White brother arrived very punctually." Sima Rui smiled slightly, and he didn't seem to be too concerned about the things he would face today. It was rare for him to have such a good mood and sit down with a stranger to drink wine, and he even overlooked that this stranger had come to ask him for Murong Xue, who was his beloved person whom he had "abducted" from the Murong royal family.

  Bai Wei smiled slightly, "Fourth prince's praise, I just said that at noon today, as long as it's not past lunchtime, my arrival is always on time."

  "You can just call me Sima Rui, the four words 'Fourth Prince' are already making my ears numb, they're the most boring four words. Since you know I'm the Fourth Prince, you naturally also know my identity, so we don't need to add unnecessary courtesy." Sima Rui's eyebrows slightly furrowed, with a hint of impatience, glanced at Bai Min, and suddenly smiled strangely, continuing to say, "I think Brother Bai is not someone from the official circles either, probably cursing me in his heart, why bother being so polite on the surface?"

  Bai Min lost his smile, looking at Sima Rui, "Alright, Sima Rui is three words, Fourth Prince is also three words. Since you think the first three words sound pleasant to your ears, I'll call you Sima Rui, it doesn't bother me. Anyway, which three words, for me, are just a form of address, unrelated to courtesy. Alright, Sima Rui, how do you consider my proposal from yesterday?"

  "Is it Murong Xue?" Sima Rui lazily took a bite of his food, glancing at the white egrets flying by outside the window. "Tell me your reason, why do you have to get her? Is it also because heroes can't resist beautiful women? I heard that Murong Xue's admirers have worn down the threshold of the Murong royal palace, are you, White Brother, also trying to win over this beauty?"

  Bai Min smiled indifferently, "Mu Rong Xue is indeed a beauty of the country and heaven, an uncommon lovely woman, but to me, Bai Min, she's just that. Sima Rui, you can rest assured, I have no ulterior motives towards your beloved. I'm only doing this because I'm also from the Mu Rong royal family - actually, you've seen me before, it's just that in your eyes, there's only Mu Rong Xue, and in the vast Mu Rong royal family, there's only Mu Rong Xue in your eyes too. That's why I need to take her away, nothing else, just a necessary act."

  "Murong Qingliang has someone as interesting as you under his command, and I didn't even know. What a pity! It seems I'll have to ask the Prime Minister for you to be my attendant." Sima Rui said with a smile, "Alright, go ahead and speak. What reason do you have to prove that Murong Xue is here with me? If it makes sense, then fine. But if not, I'll have to punish you for the crime of slander!"

  "Guess." Bai Min replied casually, taking a sip of tea. "I've said it before, I'm also from the Murong royal family. It's just that you don't have any impression of me, but I've heard rumors about you and Murong Xue."

  At this, Bai Min smiled and looked at Sima Rui with a hint of teasing in her eyes. She continued to speak with a smile, "On the day of Murong Qinglang's 50th birthday, you accompanied the Crown Prince and his wife, that is, your older brother Sima Zhe and Crown Princess Murong Xuan, to celebrate his birthday. You must have been very bored that day, otherwise it would be difficult for them to invite you to participate in such an occasion. On that day, at the birthday banquet, you saw Murong Xue dressed up and were immediately smitten with her. This Murong Xue was originally famous for her beauty in the Great Xing Dynasty, and she was also well-versed in poetry, books, music, and chess. She was truly a rare beauty. Coincidentally, the Empress Dowager had been urging you to get married, and among the eligible princes, you were the only one who was still unmarried and without concubines. Under various circumstances, you decided that since you had to start a family anyway, you might as well choose Murong Xue. Her beauty and talent were unmatched in the world, and she was quite suitable for you, Sima Rui. Unfortunately, although you are the fourth prince of the current dynasty, you did not enter Murong Qinglang's eyes. He favored this daughter deeply, so he replaced Murong Xue with Murong Feng, and because the Crown Prince and Crown Princess intervened, they even obtained the Emperor's permission to grant them a marriage. You had no good feelings towards Murong Feng at all, how could you swallow such a humiliating blow? Given your personality, it was not surprising that you kidnapped Murong Xue from the Murong King's mansion and made her fall in love with you."