Chapter 178: Can I Catch a Ride?

Huli was so angry that his nose was practically twisted sideways. After driving his carriage like a madman, he still had the audacity to claim he was driving steadily. To tell such barefaced lies with eyes wide open—wasn't he afraid his nose would grow longer?

Besides, when flinging mud at others, he should have looked more closely at who he was targeting. Some people were simply out of his league. Just because he was a carriage driver didn't mean he lacked status and dignity. If they provoked him, he would haul them back up to Wutuo Mountain to be his bandit brides, leaving them with nowhere to cry.

Just as he was about to step down to properly reason with the young woman, he saw the drenched Second Brother slap down the hand his younger sister was pointing: "Zhen'er, put your hand down! It was clearly your own fault, so don't frame others. Do you really think the whole world belongs to our family? Watch out for bringing disaster upon yourself."

The spring breeze of March was blowing—a gentle, mild breeze indeed, but when it hit the two drenched figures standing in the middle of the road, the picture changed entirely. The two youths were shivering with cold, and the Second Brother in particular began to sneeze repeatedly: "Achoo! Achoo!"

Xiao Zhen'er was startled by Xiao Yixiao’s successive sneezes: "Second Brother, are you alright? What shall we do? If you fall sick like this, it’ll be a disaster."

Xiao Yixiao rolled his eyes at his sister: "In the end, all of this is your fault. Thinking of the mess you’ve caused makes my blood boil. You just wait right here for me; once I change into a clean set of clothes, I'll come back and settle accounts with you."

"Afu, you come along too, and change into dry clothes to avoid catching a chill. This weather is the easiest time to catch a cold." He waved to Afu standing nearby, and the two of them went off to change.

By this time, Baili Xian had already stood up and turned to Liu Ling'er: "Ling'er, what do you think of the man who flew out of the carriage?"

Liu Ling'er pursed her lips: "Aside from his flying posture lacking a bit of grace, he's actually quite decent and very reasonable. Just the fact that he refuses to cover up for his sister's mistakes makes him worthy of respect. Furthermore, even though he fell into the water, somehow he still possesses a certain charm!"

"A certain charm? What, could it be that my charm falls short of his?" Baili Xian seemed slightly piqued, almost wishing he could jump into the water himself just to show Liu Ling'er who had more charm. However, such a brainless impulse remained merely a thought as Baili Xian lifted the carriage curtain and stepped outside.

Inside the carriage, Liu Ling'er sniffed the air. Why did she suddenly smell a hint of vinegar? She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. So Baili Xian had this side to him as well. It felt quite nice—much more emotional than his usual icy demeanor, making him seem much more human.

Lifting the curtain to look outside, Liu Ling'er caught sight of two dazzling figures glowing in fiery red. Her body gave a stagger, and she almost tumbled right out of the carriage. She blinked twice and looked again; she hadn't seen wrong—the two men who had gone to change clothes had indeed returned clad entirely in bright red.

Liu Ling'er could swear she had been genuinely startled for a split second. The formidable young miss Xiao Zhen'er voiced Liu Ling'er's exact question aloud: "Second Brother, Afu, are you dressed in such festive red because you're preparing to be bridegrooms?"

Red? Xiao Yixiao was completely dumbfounded: "Wasn't it blue? Could it be that my clothes are red, and Afu's are red too?"

Xiao Zhen'er covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, holding back for a long while before nodding: "Yep! Brother, your color blindness is truly beyond saving. And the funniest coincidence is that your personal bodyguard is colorblind too—you two are a match made in heaven."

Liu Ling'er naturally heard their exchange and couldn't help her astonishment. So color blindness existed regardless of time, space, era, or dynasty!

Xiao Yixiao said awkwardly, "Since you saw it, why didn't you warn me beforehand so I could change into another set? Wearing this makes me feel so awkward; I might as well have stayed in my wet clothes."

"Second Brother, let it go! Wearing wet clothes will give you a chill. Besides, aside from the color being red, there's nothing wrong with these clothes—it's not like you're wearing the pink favored by little girls." Xiao Zhen'er rolled up her sleeve and thrust a pink sleeve right in front of Xiao Yixiao's face.

Xiao Yixiao glared at her: "You're a young lady, show some restraint! A girl shouldn't just roll up her sleeves like that; others will think you're frivolous and devoid of shame."

"Hmph! Even Father Emperor doesn't have the heart to scold me, yet you pick on me day in and day out. That's it, when we get back, I'm going to make Eldest Brother hand the throne over to you so he can keep me company instead," Xiao Zhen'er pouted, threatening Xiao Yixiao.

She used this tactic often, and it never failed to work on Xiao Yixiao. True to form, Xiao Yixiao's expression shifted instantly: "Third Sister, don't do that! Second Brother was just joking with you. You mustn't ever say such a thing—saying that is like pushing Second Brother into a pit of fire!"

"Fine. An opportunity lies before you now, depending on whether you cherish it or not. There's a pressing matter at hand: our carriage is broken, and you must buy their carriage from them for me." Xiao Zhen'er pointed at Liu Ling'er's carriage, looking thoroughly determined to get her way.

After you nearly scared the wits out of them just now, that grievance hasn't even been settled! And now you want to buy their carriage? That demand was even more outrageous—they weren't even citizens of the Northern Wei Dynasty; would they really be willing to sell it to you?

Seeing his brother hesitate, Xiao Zhen'er's imperial temper flared up immediately: "Second Brother, don't tell me you're too cowardly to do it! We've settled this today; you must make it happen, or else tonight I'll send a carrier pigeon to Father and demand he immediately make Eldest Brother abdicate in your favor."

That threat was even more ruthless. The Retired Emperor doted on this youngest daughter the most; if Xiao Zhen'er so much as expressed a wish for the stars and moon in the sky, he would rack his brains to pluck them down for her. As for the reigning monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he had to be the most pathetic emperor in history.

It wasn't that the Emperor of Northern Wei lacked power; it was simply that he was lectured by the Retired Emperor on and off all day long, and worse, right in front of all the officials without an ounce of face preserved. It was utterly humiliating. Having witnessed his eldest brother's tragic fate, he would rather die than become that kind of tragedy.

Rolling his eyes, he figured that although Liu Ling'er and her companions weren't subjects of Northern Wei, as long as he could fork over enough money, buying a carriage shouldn't be too difficult.

With this thought, Xiao Yixiao strode toward Baili Xian and cupped his fists in salute: "Esteemed brother, I am Xiao Yixiao. Please allow me to apologize to everyone for my younger sister's reckless behavior."

Liu Ling'er stepped forward, using a spine-chilling chuckle as her prelude: "What? A mere smile is supposed to settle an apology? Do you really think you're Xishi—whose single smile could conquer a city, whose second smile could topple a state, and whose third smile could overturn the realm?"

Though he had no idea who this "Xishi" Liu Ling'er was, it didn't prevent Xiao Yixiao from grasping her drift: "You misunderstand, young lady. My surname is Xiao; the *yi* in my given name means carefree and relaxed, and the *xiao* refers to the sound of whistling, not whatever meaning the young lady has in mind."

"So that's how it is! What are you doing here, then? Are you here to pay us compensation? We aren't too unreasonable, of course, but some compensation is definitely in order. If you pay us a hundred or eighty taels, we can let this matter go." Liu Ling'er's bad habit of making exorbitant demands flared up again.

Xiao Yixiao's expression stiffened. He glanced back at his own carriage, which was smashed to pieces, and then looked at Liu Ling'er's pristine carriage. How on earth did he end up being the one owing compensation?

Nearby, Baili Xian murmured Xiao Yixiao's name under his breath, suddenly remembering something. He yanked Liu Ling'er behind him and asked Xiao Yixiao, "Might I ask if Your Excellency is the Prince Xiao of the Northern Wei Dynasty?"

Xiao Zhen'er strolled over and complained to Xiao Yixiao, "Second Brother, you're utterly useless at getting things done. You should have just stated that straight out." She then waved at Liu Ling'er: "Dear lady, as you can see, our carriage is broken. Can you sell your carriage to us? Since we seem to be heading in the same direction, why don't you take us along? Let us hitch a ride with you!"