Beggar Princess

Chapter 19: The Beggar Princess

Jia Yuxuan's family was the foremost family in the Azure Kingdom.

His grandfather, Jia Gucheng, was the Left Prime Minister in the imperial court. Apart from him, other outstanding elites in the family held important positions in the court, controlled the nation's economic lifeline, and some even cultivated their abilities to join the Azure Kingdom's three major cultivation sects.

As Jia Gucheng's eldest grandson, Jia Yuxuan's status was naturally extraordinary.

With his background, it was highly likely that Ji Hongxue would seek help from his family when the country faced trouble.

At that time, he could naturally make excessive demands...

Jia Yuxuan eagerly awaited that day.

Meanwhile, An Bulang and Ji Hongxue had been wandering for half a day and were a bit tired, so they found a place to rest.

It was a stylish little tavern with a singer performing on a small stage.

An Bulang looked at the hawkers and vendors outside, then at the many girls leaning on the railings of the Chunxiang Tower not far away, waving their handkerchiefs like a flock of orioles. He watched the people coming and going, some chatting and laughing, others with troubled expressions. He felt that the myriad aspects of human life were incredibly familiar and beautiful. He took a hearty gulp of the iced plum juice the waiter had served, and felt an immediate, refreshing coolness spread through his entire body, bringing immense pleasure!

Ji Hongxue propped her chin with one hand, her eyes curved into crescents. Seeing An Bulang's joyful and refreshed expression, she smiled along with him.

Before long, a commotion suddenly erupted from the crowd on one side of the street.

"Stop right there, don't run!!" a loud shout came from a distance.

Three constables, armed with clubs, were chasing five children who were dirty and dressed in rags. Among them, a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old seemed to be the leader. She ran at the back, covering the retreat of the other children. As she passed by stalls, she occasionally threw small objects to hinder the constables' pursuit.

The girl's footwork was actually very agile. If she hadn't been covering the other children, she would have escaped long ago.

An Bulang watched the scene with interest. He didn't know the situation, so he naturally wouldn't intervene.

However, to his surprise, Ji Hongxue's expression changed drastically when she saw the girl. She flashed forward, blocking the girl's path, grabbed the girl's wrist, raised her delicate eyebrows, and said with slight anger, "Yinyin, what trouble have you gotten into again?!"

The girl looked flustered upon seeing the woman in front of her. "I... you don't need to mind my business!"

"The authorities are apprehending someone, move aside quickly!" The constables behind them had already rushed over.

Ji Hongxue's pretty face turned cold. Seeing the rushing constables, she took out a token.

Upon seeing the token of a special design, the constables' legs went weak, and they immediately knelt on the ground. "Your subordinates pay their respects to you, my lady."

The token was something only extremely important imperial family members possessed. The constables' reaction was swift.

"You may leave now," Ji Hongxue said calmly.

"But some rioters assaulted Censor Chen Yong..." the constables said with difficulty.

"Are you leaving or not?" Ji Hongxue reprimanded lightly.

"Yes, yes, your subordinates will leave now!" The constables were startled and retreated dejectedly.

Only then did Ji Hongxue pull the girl towards the small tavern.

The girl struggled continuously. Ji Hongxue pointed to the four children beside them. "Come with me, I'll treat you all to a big meal."

The children's eyes lit up, and they looked pleadingly at the girl. Seeing this, the girl had no choice but to follow Ji Hongxue towards An Bulang.

"Yinyin, let me introduce you. This is An Bulang, my savior," Ji Hongxue said.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Brother-in-law?!"

"Huh?" An Bulang was first bewildered, then shocked.

The girl said earnestly, "You saved my sister's life. With such a great debt of gratitude, my sister has no way to repay you other than by offering herself to you. Is there anything wrong with me calling you brother-in-law?"

Slap!!

Ji Hongxue slapped the girl on the head, angrily saying, "Are you still being mischievous?!"

She could say it, but this girl couldn't!

The girl rubbed her head, looking innocent.

An Bulang was still in shock. He looked at the beggar-like girl and then at the noble and beautiful woman. The two were like heaven and earth apart. He confirmed again, "You... are sisters?"

Ji Hongxue seemed to have anticipated An Bulang's reaction and nodded seriously.

"Biological sisters?" An Bulang confirmed again.

Ji Hongxue nodded again. "Biological..."

The girl became angry. "What? You look down on me, Ji Yinyin?"

"It's not looking down on you, it's just that I can't bear to look," An Bulang said, rubbing his eyes.

Ji Yinyin: "..."

No wonder he said that.

The beggar girl in front of him wasn't just wearing tattered clothes; her appearance was also... unbearable to look at!

An Bulang had never seen anyone so ugly. Her eyes were mismatched in size, her nose was crooked, her lips were distorted and deformed, her face was sallow and dark, and it was covered in ugly pimples.

At first glance, one might think a monster had escaped.

Compared to Ji Hongxue, whose beauty was considered top-tier even in the Azure Kingdom, it was truly hard to imagine they were sisters.

"Bu Lang, you shouldn't say that about her. After all, no one wants to be this ugly," Ji Hongxue said with a gentle smile. She then rubbed the beggar girl's head, showing no aversion to her messy and dirty hair.

Ji Yinyin let out a soft hum. While she didn't offer a pleasant expression, she didn't show any displeasure either.

Within the entire royal palace, the only person who treated her with genuine sincerity was her elder sister, Ji Hongxue.

An Bulang nodded, looking at the dirty and ugly girl, and chuckled along, "I just found it interesting, Beggar Princess... haha."

Ji Yinyin slapped the table without any regard for etiquette, saying, "What's wrong with being a Beggar Princess? It's not like anyone has ever stipulated that a princess can't be a beggar!"

An Bulang was taken aback for a moment. As if touched by her words, he looked directly into Ji Yinyin's eyes and said, "You... you're right. There's no rule saying a princess can't be a beggar. No matter what your status, it shouldn't limit your own choices."

Feeling An Bulang's gaze, Ji Yinyin looked up and met his eyes, which were brimming with genuine emotion. For the first time in a long time, she felt a rare sense of awkwardness.

This was only the second time she had encountered such a look – one devoid of disdain or disgust, a look that was simply engaging in conversation.

At this moment, the waiter had already brought out a lavish spread of dishes.

Several young beggars nearby were devouring the food ravenously.

Ji Yinyin, too, grabbed a large chicken leg and began to gnaw on it without any semblance of grace.

An Bulang looked at Ji Yinyin and smiled, "But I'm still very curious. Why did you choose to be a beggar instead of a princess?"

"Mmm..." Ji Yinyin mumbled around her chicken leg, her expression nonchalant. "In the palace, everyone looked down on me, disliked me, and hated me. I had no friends and nothing fun to do. It was better to go out and be a beggar, living a carefree life."

"I can understand wanting to go out and have fun, but why choose to be a beggar? Couldn't you have been a vendor, or a shop owner?" An Bulang remained puzzled.

Ji Yinyin pointed to her face and said, "With this face, I only fit in with beggars. It looks harmonious."

"Elsewhere, in any other role, I would still face discrimination, insults, and even beatings..."

An Bulang's mouth fell open, leaving him speechless.

He knew that for Ji Yinyin to say this meant she had truly experienced it.

What a painful realization this was!!