Chapter Fourteen: The Third Nanny

  These past two days, the small-scale battles have been non-stop. Those newly-formed troops are still lacking in confidence and morale, so I had to make an appearance (just doing some posturing, shouting a few slogans, boosting morale, inciting those simple-minded guys to fight to the death - basically didn't do much, everything else was done by my subordinates, the process was dull). It's really frustrating. Finally managed to steal some free time and enjoy some peace and quiet.

  In the soft, low voice, the light and shadow of the swaying tree branches were reflected on her egg-like smooth and delicate small face, with fine and intricate features, like a character from a painting. I suddenly realized that this little girl didn't look bad either, she'll definitely be a great beauty in the future. Unfortunately, she's still too young now, with an adorable appearance similar to an 8-year-old, it's really hard to suspect that she's already 12 years old.

  Not to mention her intelligence which doesn't match her age. She belongs to the type that those perverted uncles from Japanese comics like. She seemed very pleased with me staring at her, with a self-satisfied expression, I couldn't help but feel speechless - why bother with these things? Haven't I been too bored these past few days?

  Hou Yi, who had shot down the suns to save the people, was stripped of his divine status and reduced to a mortal for killing the son of the Heavenly Emperor. His wife Chang'e could not bear the loneliness of being human and secretly swallowed the elixir of immortality that Hou Yi had obtained from the Queen Mother of the West for them both, flying up to heaven. From then on, heaven and humans were separated.

  I don't understand why they're so interested in those mythological stories I told. But after talking for a while, I myself became somewhat sentimental and immersed, wandering outside of reality, and lightly sang that popular song "I'm Willing":

  Thoughts are a very mysterious thing

  Like a shadow - follow closely

  Silent and soundless, lurking in the depths of one's heart

  In the blink of an eye - engulfed me

  In loneliness

  I am powerless to resist

  Especially at night

  Oh - miss you until can't breathe

  If only I could immediately

  Rushing towards you in the morning

  Tell you loudly

  I'm willing for you

  I'm willing for you

  I'm willing for you

  Forget my name

  Even one more second

  Stay in your arms

  It's better to lose the world than to lose one's virtue.

  I'm willing for you

  I'm willing for you

  I'm willing for you

  Exiled to the Ends of the Sky

  As long as you're sincere

  Take love and respond with me

  I'm willing to do anything

  Whatever you want

  For you.

  I, who had a bit of a tired expression on my face, didn't notice her distant gaze. "Protect you forever, okay?" I said casually, after all, I'm now your nanny. "Will you miss me?" "Yes" I replied offhand, suddenly feeling a bit amused. "You little devil, how old are you anyway?" The girls of ancient times were indeed precocious. "What, I'll be twelve soon, and yet you look like you're eight years old. Did your father abuse you when you were young, stunting your growth?" Only between her and me would someone dare to speak in such a tone about the imperial family.

  "He said he appreciates you." "Oh" "But Brother Huangfu is the most formidable person to Father, isn't he?" "Oh" It seems that this prince is not simple either. He was unexpectedly appointed as the crown prince in a situation where no one expected it, and he has been sitting on the throne for over ten years. In the midst of many palace intrigues and power struggles, he has been cautious and careful, hiding his true intentions well. He has survived the attacks and schemes of two generations of great traitors, Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, without falling. He has also secretly infiltrated the Imperial Guard and gathered a team of loyal followers. This prince, who is nearly forty years old and has a reputation for being gentle, kind, and honest among the scholars and common people, will not be as simple as his slightly chubby and sincere appearance suggests. According to historical records, this coup has a great deal to do with him, and it may have been a large-scale purge of Yang's system, but the process was unexpected, and the troops completely lost control, even affecting the imperial family. Therefore, he should be grateful that I unintentionally stopped the coup, rather than being angry that his plan to kill Yang Taijun was foiled. So, I also politely responded to his friendly and conciliatory attitude, and previously when reorganizing the old army, he took the lead in cooperating with me, and it was very cooperative to hand over the command of the Crown Prince's Guard, led by Huangfu Gao, to me for unified command.

  But I just politely agreed with him, although I knew the future outcome, after all, the old emperor had not yet abdicated, and the general who held the full power of the Imperial Guard and the emperor's successor was too close to avoid unnecessary controversy. In most cases in history, it foreshadowed a change in palace power. Therefore, the people involved will not be few, I, who have made up my mind to safely spend the turbulent years, do not want to get involved in the right and wrong of the old emperor's father-son relationship. Thinking about it, my eyelids felt heavy.

  In a daze, I didn't pay attention to her request. "Take an oath, okay?" was tightly wrapped around me, and I vaguely said "okay". "Exactly, look at this", she grabbed my hand and gave it a kiss. "Heaven is above... one shake"... "another shake"... "again shake" ... still shaking... A bunch of curses from movies and books, past and present, Chinese and foreign, came out of my mouth. Until she didn't react anymore. I was about to let out a long sigh of relief and go find Zhōu Gōng to accompany me.

  Suddenly, my face felt hot and I was bitten hard, and the pain made me wake up instantly. When I opened my eyes, it was her small white teeth. "Ah, what are you doing?" I didn't understand why she wanted to bite me like a puppy. But seeing her jump up happily before I could get angry, like a happy rabbit hopping away quickly, I couldn't help but feel a sense of being deceived. Did I promise something? Was it that important just because I made a vow out of boredom? Although I'm not someone who takes vows seriously, I still felt like I had been cheated by this little girl somehow. Then I felt a strange meaning, and wondered if it was what I thought it was. This ridiculous idea made the pain on my face even more burning, followed by a wave of sadness. Was I really that into young girls?

  Only after I got back and took a look in the mirror did I realize how terrible it was, this obvious row of tiny tooth marks, how can I go out and see people like this? What have I done to provoke someone today, even sneaking in a nap isn't safe, and inexplicably I get bitten by someone. (It wasn't until I arrived at the grasslands that I found out that among ancient sworn brothers there was also a way of making an oath by biting each other's arms, but it was already too late to regret)

  At that time, I didn't know that letting her braid my hair had caused such a stir in the team. It was only because someone tacitly agreed to let things slide that it didn't surface until later when I slowly came to understand its significance: In ancient times, only a man's mother and wife were allowed to comb his hair, which is where the phrase "married couple with tied hair" comes from. However, at the time, I was completely unaware of this, and Little Maid was also too young to be taught such things, so no one dared to speak up about it, and we just let the mistake slide.