Beggar Princess

Beggar Princess

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

His grandfather, Jia Gucheng, was the Left Prime Minister at court. Beyond that, the Lineage's outstanding elites either held important posts in court, controlled the nation's economic lifelines, or, if they possessed the ability to cultivate, entered one of the Azure Kingdom's three great cultivation sects.

As Jia Gucheng's eldest grandson, Jia Yuxuan's status was naturally anything but ordinary.

With his background, when trouble struck the nation, Ji Hongxue would very likely come begging to his Lineage.

When that time came, he would naturally be able to make some excessive demands...

Jia Yuxuan eagerly awaited that day.

Meanwhile, after An Bulang and Ji Hongxue had wandered about for half the day, they grew somewhat tired and found a place to rest.

It was a tasteful little tavern, with songstresses performing music and songs on a small stage above.

Watching the cries of peddlers outside, the many girls leaning against the railings of Spring Fragrance House in the distance, those orioles and swallows waving handkerchiefs, and the passersby who were either chatting and laughing or wearing troubled expressions, An Bulang found the myriad faces of mortal life incredibly familiar and beautiful. Then he took a fierce gulp of the iced sour plum juice the waiter had brought him, and coolness pierced straight through his body, leaving him incomparably refreshed!

Ji Hongxue rested her chin on one hand, her eyes curved into crescents as she watched An Bulang's carefree delight, smiling along with him.

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

"Stop right there! Don't run!!" A furious shout came from afar.

Three constables wielding clubs were chasing five filthy children dressed in rags. One of them, a girl around fourteen or fifteen who seemed to be their leader, ran at the rear to cover the others' escape. Whenever they passed a stall, she would toss out bits of clutter, attempting to hinder the constables' pursuit.

The girl was actually quite nimble. If she had not been protecting those children, she would have escaped long ago.

An Bulang watched the scene with interest. He did not know what was going on, so naturally, he would not intervene.

But what he did not expect was that when Ji Hongxue saw the girl, her expression suddenly changed. With a flash of her body, she directly blocked the girl's path, seized her wrist, and raised her willow brows in slight anger. "Yinyin, what bad thing have you done again?!"

The girl looked flustered when she saw the woman before her. "I... I don't need you meddling in my affairs!"

"The authorities are making an arrest. Get out of the way!" The constables had already rushed over from behind.

Ji Hongxue's pretty face turned frost-cold. Looking at the charging constables, she pulled out a token.

When the constables saw the distinctively designed token, their legs went weak, and they immediately dropped to their knees. "This lowly one pays respects to Your Excellency."

Only extremely important members of the royal family possessed such a token. The constables' reaction could be considered very swift.

"You may leave," Ji Hongxue said blandly.

"But several rioters beat Censor Chen Yong..." The constables looked troubled.

"Are you going to get lost or not?" Ji Hongxue snapped.

"Yes, yes! This lowly one will get lost at once!" The constables jumped in fright and retreated with their tails between their legs.

Only then did Ji Hongxue pull the girl toward the little tavern.

The girl kept struggling, but Ji Hongxue pointed at 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. Left with no choice, she followed Ji Hongxue toward An Bulang.

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

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

"Huh?" An Bulang was confused at first, then shocked.

The girl said seriously, "You saved my sister's life. Such a great kindness cannot be repaid by her, so naturally, she can only offer herself to you! Is there a problem with me calling you brother-in-law?"

Smack!!

Ji Hongxue's palm landed on the girl's head as she snapped, "You're still being naughty?!"

She could say that, but this girl could not!

The girl covered her head, looking utterly innocent.

An Bulang was still in shock. He looked at the beggar-like girl, then at the noble and beautiful woman. The two were as far apart as clouds and mud. He confirmed once more, "You... are sisters?"

Ji Hongxue seemed to have expected An Bulang's reaction. She nodded seriously.

"Biological sisters?" An Bulang confirmed again.

Ji Hongxue nodded again. "Biological..."

Ji Yinyin grew angry. "What? Looking down on me, Ji Yinyin?"

"It's not that I'm looking down on you. It's that I can barely look at you," An Bulang said, rubbing his eyes.

Ji Yinyin: "..."

It was no wonder he said that.

The beggar girl before him was not merely dressed in shabby clothes. Even her looks were... too awful to behold!

An Bulang had never seen anyone so ugly. One eye was large and the other small, her nose was crooked, her lips twisted and malformed, her face carried a bluish-black hue, and it was covered in many unsightly pimples.

At first glance, one might think some ghost or monster had escaped.

Compared to Ji Hongxue, whose beauty could be called peerless even in the Azure Kingdom, it was truly difficult to imagine that they were sisters.

"Bulang, don't say that about her. After all, no one wants to be born this ugly." Ji Hongxue smiled gently and rubbed the beggar girl's head again, showing no disgust for her tangled, filthy hair.

Ji Yinyin gave a soft snort. Though she did not look pleased, she did not show any resentment either.

In the entire royal palace, the only person who sincerely treated her well was this elder sister, Ji Hongxue.

An Bulang nodded. Looking at the ugly and dirty girl, he smiled as well. "I only find it interesting. A Beggar Princess... haha."

Ji Yinyin slapped the table without the slightest decorum. "What's wrong with a Beggar Princess? No one ever said a princess can't be a beggar!"

An Bulang froze, seemingly moved. Looking straight into Ji Yinyin's eyes, he said, "You... are right. No one said a princess cannot be a beggar. No identity should restrict your own choices."

Feeling An Bulang's gaze, Ji Yinyin raised her head and met his eyes, which revealed sincere emotion. For once, she was at a loss.

This was the second time she had encountered such a look. There was no disdain or disgust in it; it was simply an exchange.

At that moment, the waiter had already brought over a lavish spread of dishes.

The little beggars beside them wolfed down the food.

Ji Yinyin also grabbed a large chicken leg and gnawed on it without the slightest grace.

An Bulang looked at Ji Yinyin and smiled. "Still, I'm very curious. Why did you give up being a proper princess to become a beggar?"

"Mm..." Ji Yinyin gnawed on the chicken leg, looking utterly indifferent. "In the royal palace, everyone looks down on me, despises me, and hates me. I have no friends and nothing fun to do. I might as well go out and be a beggar, free and carefree."

"I can understand going out to have fun, but why choose to be a beggar? You could be a peddler or a shop owner, couldn't you?" An Bulang remained puzzled.

Ji Yinyin pointed to her face. "With a face like mine, only among beggars do I look harmonious."

"Elsewhere, if I took on any other identity, I would still suffer discrimination, humiliation, even beatings and curses..."

An Bulang opened his mouth wide, unable to say anything.

He knew that for Ji Yinyin to say such words, she must truly have experienced them.

What a painful realization!!