Phoenix: Rules Of The Harem
Chapter 27: Finding the True Identity

Inside her room, Xia Hui Fang stared at a dark blue tassel decoration with a black jade pendant that was within her grasp. Swiping slowly at the jade pendant, Hui Fang smiled slightly. It had fallen for nothing when the beautiful young master he had met a few days ago walked away from him, leaving behind a tassel decoration that made Hui Fang just as likely to be able to find his identity. From the very beginning of meeting Ling Chen, he was attracted to that beautiful young master. It had been quite a while since he had waited for his second meeting with the young master, but somehow some things felt awkward for him now. Judging from the name, the young master should have the Ling clan. Things like this, should he use the services of the Yuanle Pavilion informant to help him?

"Hui Fang Jiejie! I came to visit you!"

The sound of Huan Ran's scream from outside her room made Hui Fang flinch and immediately put the jade pendant he had in his grasp onto the table that was near his contest. His sister really is! Huan Ran was a young man who was so active and cheerful that Hui Fang sometimes found it difficult to look after him.

BRACKET!

"Hui Fang Jiejie, I'm coming!" Huan Ran opened the door of Hui Fang's room loudly, an innocent face with a wide smile that was clearly visible in the sight of the Big Miss of the Xia family.

Seeing Huan Ran's behavior, Hui Fang let out a tired sigh. "It's not hard if you open the door slowly, Ran'er!"

Unconcerned by her brother's words, Huan Ran walked over to Hui Fang and hugged his elder sister's arm tightly. "Jiejie, come play with me! No one's been asking me to play since, it makes me feel so bored."

"For the time being I have things I have to finish, Ran'er. In that case, I can't accompany you to play." that's right, indeed, right now Hui Fang had to take care of some documents regarding the treatment and also find out regarding the identity of Young Master Ling who captivated his heart. "Ha! Rather than that, what was it like to live in the Fourth Princess Manor? Do you like it?"

"I'm .. I really like it." Huan Ran replied slowly and his face turned red all of a sudden. The young man who was even still said to be a child looked embarrassed for some unexplained things.

Seeing the response from the younger brother, Hui Fang raised one eyebrow. Then, he asked back with a slightly curious face. "Then say, have you met the Fourth Princess?"

"That .. I've met him, His Majesty has a beautiful face and looks like an adorable rabbit. I don't see anything troublesome from her, very different from the rumor that says that Her Majesty the Fourth Princess is a mentally disabled and useless imperial trash princess."

"Yes, since mom has been curing him with great difficulty for a few years, I think it's already starting to work now." Hui Fang nodded with a face that understood, even though Fourth Princess Shao Ling Mei still looked a little childish and innocent, she was already much more changed than her previous condition.

Huan Ran again said with a slightly timid face. "Then, I don't think I hate him. He even told me to call him Jiejie if I wanted to."

Hui Fang snorted in amusement, it seemed like his younger brother was fond of the Fourth Princess. "That's great if you like her, it seems like mom wants to match you up with Her Fourth Princess Royal Highness."

"Jiejie, that's not true!" Huan Ran exclaimed with a surprised face and two rounded eyes.

Hui Fang smirked with a seductive look on his face. "Then, if that's true, would you like to give me some rare herbs of yours?"

"Hui Fang Jiejie! Stop teasing me!" Huan Ran shouted as he averted his gaze, the back of his hand moving covering half of his red face like a ripe peach. However, shortly after, Huan Ran's gaze was fixated on a jade pendant lying just like that on the table. "Wait a minute! I think I've seen that thing."

Hearing Huan Ran's words, Hui Fang's shoulders stiffened and both of his eyes widened. He looked at her with the face of the sister in front of him. "Little sister, are you sure?"

"Isn't that the jade pendant that belonged to Her Fourth Princess Royal Highness?" one hand Huan Ran moved to grab the jade pendant, rubbing it carefully while a small smile was embedded in Huan Ran's sweet face.

With a perplexed and shocked expression, Hui Fang grabbed both of Huan Ran's shoulders and shook him slowly. "What?! Huan Ran, say it once more!"

"Jiejie, if I'm not mistaken, I've seen His Majesty wear the pendant on his waist."

'This ... this is ... if it's true, then Young Master Ling.'s explanation made Huan Ran feel the great headache. This really made him distrustful, for the time being Hui Fang would keep this information in his mind before he actually confirmed it confidently.

Looking at the silent Hui Fang, the Little Young Master Xia furrowed his brows. "Jiejie! Hui Fang Jiejie's! You all right?"

"W-uh! Sure, I'm good." Hui Fang replied with a slight stammer, he turned his gaze away from Huan Ran. "Ran'er, I'm sorry, but can you return to your pavilion for now? There are some things I need to finish right now."

Huan Ran's face looked displeased, but he couldn't refute her brother's words just like that. "Uh, okay. But, promise me you'll play with me after all your work is done, Jiejie!"

"Yes, I promise. Now go, Ran'er. Sorry I couldn't drive you."

As soon as Huan Ran walked out of Hui Fang's room, the look on the girl's face darkened. It looked like a look of heartbreak and disappointment at one time, of course! If the truth about the beautiful young man she met was really Fourth Princess Shao Ling Mei, then it would be a waste if Hui Fang liked her and hoped to marry her. But, Wait! Wasn't the Fourth Princess a mentally ill imperial princess? Even if the treatment worked, wouldn't it feel strange with this quick recovery? Fourth Princess Shao Ling Mei looked like a person who had never experienced a mental disability in her body. This is not true! In that case, Hui Fang felt like he was being played with. Soon, he had to meet the Fourth Princess and obtain the truth from one of the esteemed women in the Shao Empire.

.....................................

On the other hand, Ling Mei's countenance looked unsettled. The young lady walked to and fro while rummaging through every corner of the room and the place that was in Yin Pavilion.

"Damn! Where did that thing go?" Ling Mei closed her two eyes with an annoyance that filled her heart, it seemed like her jade pendant had actually fallen somewhere when she came out disguised as a man a few days ago. "Nothing! There really isn't!"

Thinking about the waist decoration, if it was true, Ling Mei hoped that not Hui Fang who found the jade pendant or else everything would be complicated. There would be no reasonable reason if a mentally ill princess seemed to be disguising herself as a man and going to a gambling house to meet her lover. From any point of view, it looks very suspicious. Ling Mei felt a huge headache filling her mind, it would be a problem if Hui Fang brought the thing and found the true identity of her. Then, if the estimation was not wrong, then Ling Mei should be prepared to show what she had been hiding from the girl all along. Xia's family really made her helpless, back then it was her mother, maybe after this her daughter would bring trouble for her.

Ling Mei sat herself on a soft cushion chair, one hand she used to support her heavy head. "That's right. The Xia family really gave me a headache, Wu Jin."

"Is it because of the disguise you did a few days ago, Your Majesty?" Wu Jin sighed subtly, he silently looked at Ling Mei with a gentle and slightly worried look.

Ling Mei nodded with a satisfied face, "Mn .. You always understand everything about me, Wu Jin. That's why I like you."

Hearing that, Wu Jin fell silent with his head slightly bowed, a tinge of redness visible in both ears. "More than that, Your Highness, if it's really Big Miss Xia who found her, what's your next plan?"

"Wu Jin, I don't like troublesome things. Then, if he's really curious about this, let him come see me in person."

"Is it okay to show Miss Xia the truth? I'm worried about you, Your Majesty."

Wu Jin's words made Ling Mei's gaze soften, "Wu Jin, come over here and sit in front of me!"

The Fourth Princess' personal bodyguard quickly drew closer towards her master, just as Ling Mei had said before, Wu Jin obediently sat right in front of Ling Mei who was separated a little distance due to the small table that was between the two of them.

Ling Mei stretched out one hand and pointed it over Wu Jin's head, then gently the Fourth Princess of Shao Empire stroked Wu Jin's head. "No need to worry so much, I know what I have to do."

Ling Mei's treatment made Wu Jin's eyes round wide, this attack was so shocking and not good for his heart. Wu Jin probably wouldn't be able to throw away his inappropriate feelings of love for Ling Mei if he were to continuously waver like this.

"Your Majesty, this is..."

Ling Mei smiled faintly with a glint of prickly eyes that were clearly visible. "Wu Jin, it's been a long time, but you're still so nervous when I do things like this to you?"

"Your Majesty, stop flirting with me! If people look, this is not a good thing!" that was indeed true, Fourth Princess Shao Ling Mei had two men by her side as husband and concubine. A position that even Wu Jin never dared to want because he felt inappropriate.

Compared to Wei Yun Rui's First Companion and Official Concubine of the Residence Shi Yu Han who was a royal prince and an honorable noble, Wu Jin was only a Fourth Princess's personal bodyguard who had a gray background. It made Wu Jin sometimes feel afraid to be closer to his master, many people were talking about them, he said, saying that trash like the useless Fourth Princess was indeed more suitable with a lowly man like her. But that's not the right thing! To Wu Jin, Ling Mei was an honorable and precious imperial princess, no one was allowed to say that Ling Mei was a useless lowly princess. It was true that Ling Mei would be much more suited to marry a man who had the same great background as that young woman, not to her worthless self.

Ling Mei furrowed her brows unhappily, "Are you going to continue feeling that way? Wu Jin, how many times have I said this to you? You are one of my precious people, not a lowly man following me from behind like a dog! Tell me, did someone say something like that to you this time?"

"Your Majesty, it's not like that .. I just feel inappropriate." Wu Jin lowered his head, reluctantly staring at the face of Ling Mei who was in front of him.

Hearing him, Ling Mei sighed with a cold countenance, it was very difficult to convince Wu Jin so that the man did not always humble himself like this. "I understand, forget it! I will go to the Xuanshi Pavilion after this, there is no need to follow me, you can go back to your room and rest for now."

Looking at Ling Mei who got up from her seat, Wu Jin quickly stood up before then bowed respectfully as Ling Mei walked past him without turning to him. Silently, Wu Jin stared at Ling Mei's back which began to drift away from her gaze, a faint streak of sadness visible on her charming face.

.

.

"Hows it? Did you get anything?" Hui Fang who was in his study asked a woman who stood politely in front of him.

The woman seemed to be one of the servants who was loyal to Hui Fang, she looked quite strong and had the ability to work well.

"As Big Miss wishes, I have asked the person from the Yuanle Pavilion to find out about this information, he said, and I found no young master named Ling Chen in the records of the members of the Ling noble family. The Ling family were middle-class nobles who settled in Taiyang city, they worked as local government employees who took care of Taiyang city, Taiyang city, also the Ling family was a relative of Imperial Master Mo because the husband of Great Master Mo came from the Ling family."

Hearing that, Hui Fang laughed with a visibly disappointed expression. He muttered in a soft tone, "It turns out it's true ... Your Majesty, you have truly deceived me."

"Great Miss, there is actually one more thing I want to say about this.." the woman who spoke to Hui Fang looked nervously at the Great Miss Xia, who was the one who spoke to her, he seemed hesitant to say it.

Hui Fang looked back at the woman, this time looking great curiosity in his eyes. "Whatis that? Say it!"

A woman who was known to be Xia Hui Fang's loyal servant approached Hui Fang and whispered something to the girl. As soon as Hui Fang heard it, he fell silent with wide-eyed eyes.

The Big Miss of the Xia family cleared her throat before then she waved her one hand at the woman. "I've got enough information I want, you can go."

"Shi." the woman bowed respectfully before turning around and exiting Hui Fang's study.

Hui Fang brushed the hair on his forehead back with furrowed brows and a look of disbelief. "That means, Ling Chen meant by Her Majesty the Fourth Princess is ... Huh! It's crazy!"