Chapter 22: Shopping in the town
The next day, TanTan is ready to go to the town with ShuangAi and XiaoRue. In the morning, she thought that Prince Li will once again doesn't allow her to go out from the mansion. But actually TanTan doesn't care. With or without Prince Li's permission, she will keep going anyway. Turns out that Prince Li has gone since morning to the government office for some business. So TanTan can freely goes out from the house this time.
ShuangAi takes her to a large shop in the town, maybe the largest. It has a luxury decoration and seems a shop for vip clients, seeing the types of their customers. What makes TanTan weird is the reaction of the workers there when they meet her. They sudden treat her too polite, but their looks seem scared and nervously, it likes TanTan is a super vip client who must be treated carefully.
"Its a huge privilege to have you here, Miss Hua...Please...please...come.."
"What cloth you want to make this time, Miss Hua? We will immediately make it soon. Like usual, give us a week and I am sure the cloth will done and satisfy you...please choose the material you like....Hey, immediately bring the best material we have..."
They even ignored ShuangAi who obviously comes with her...ShuangAi just stands there waiting. TanTan doesn't like what she sees, so TanTan calls her to close by her,
"ShuangAiMei, what do you think with this silk?"
When she calls ShuangAi friendly to ask her opinion, it startled everyone in the shop.
'HuaMuTan is kind to ShuangAi? Aren't they enemy?'
'Is that a new evil trick of HuaMuTan to humiliate ShuangAi?'
'Will we see another drama scene here today?'
Those looks are clearly saying their minds but TanTan doesn't care. She comes to buy cloth with her friend, what is a big deal?
Then there is a familiar voice calls her but not in friendly,
"HuaMuTan, why do you force my ShuangAi Cie with you here, Hah? Are you planning any evil to her? Come, ShuangAi Cie...its dangerous to be with her. Its more safe to be with me!"
"Princess Xixi,...its not what you think..." ShuangAi tries to explain but Princess Xixi already pulls her away from TanTan.
"Don't you think I don't know your evil deed, HuaMuTan. Aren't you trying to humiliate her just because you are more wealthy than ShuangAi Cie? Don't worry, ShuangAi Cie...just choose the material you like, I'll buy it for you.."
"No...no...it's not me who want to buy but MuTan Cie..." ShuangAi still trying to explain, but Princess Xixi quickly cut her words,
"So you are boasting about buying an expensive cloth in front of ShuangAi Cie, hah? Do you think you can attract QiWangGe with those cloth?? Don't dream about it... No matter how nice cloth you put on, QiWangGe won't fall to you!! He has ShuangAi Cie who ten times more beauty and having a prettier heart than you!!"
"No...Princess Xixi...please stop! You are wrong..." ShuangAi becomes nervous for not able to stop Princess Xixi talking bad to TanTan.
TanTan just rolled her eyes, 'What an annoying princess...so quick to make her own conclusion without checking first what really happens'
People around them start whispering to each others. TanTan glances angrily to them and sudden they becomes afraid and try to ignore them. They are afraid to be punished by TanTan, or by HuaMuTan precisely.
"Princess Xixi...I come here just to buy a cloth okay, not to make any trouble. ShuangAiMei here is helping me to choose the cloth and I don't force her to come. Please listen to her until finish!"
Princess Xixi wants to argue back but ShuangAi stops her and explains as fast as she can,
"Princess Xixi...what MuTan Cie is truth, I am the one to take her here so I can help her to choose cloth for the performance..."
Princess Xixi attracts to the last word,
"Performance? What performance?"
ShuangAi feels she must explain completely beside it is not a secret right?
"MuTan Cie will perform her guzheng play with Prince Li's flute play later in the banquet of Queen GrandMother's birthday, so she need a new cloth for the performance.."
"What??!!" Princess Xixi widens her eyes, "I don't hear about it, it must be you who force QiWangGe to perform with you...Are you threatening him again with Queen GrandMother's decree?"
"What? Of course not..." TanTan just want to deny the accusation but then they are interrupted by another familiar voice.
"What's going on here?" Because the argument between Princess Xixi and HuaMuTan has becomes show to everyone around them. It attracts Prince FengEr who also has a business with the shop. He is glad to meet HuaMuTan again, but observing the situation, he then looks to Princess Xixi sharply,
"XiMei, are you giving MuTan Mei trouble again?"
"No, SanWangGe, listen...do you know that HuaMuTan has forced QiWangGe to perform with her in Queen GrandMother's birthday banquet later?? You need to save QiWangGe from this.
"Hm...I am afraid I can't do that, Xi Mei"
"But...Why? Don't you the one who is tasked to arrange the banquet?"
"Yes indeed, and its also because it was me who asked them to perform later, beside it is the wish from Queen GrandMother herself."
TanTan so glad that Prince FengEr is here to give an explanation which can be listened by Princess Xixi. After hearing that, Princess Xixi's face burns of the humiliate, she throws her anger to her brother,
"I hate you SanWangGe...you always be on her side! Just see, HuaMuTan...I wish the performance will ending badly so you will get punished by Queen GrandMother... Come on, ShuangAi Cie...I don't want you also got bad influenced by this woman!"
"But I..." ShuangAi looks at TanTan regretfully. TanTan nods her head, gesturing that she understand if ShuangAi want to accompany Princess Xixi. TanTan knows ShuangAi want to calm Princess Xixi, its out of her kindness.
So ShuangAi follows Princess Xixi away, leaving TanTan and Prince FengEr, while XiaoRue just stands nervously beside TanTan.
"It seems I must apologize once more time for the unpleasing attitude of my sister, MuTan Mei. She is actually very friendly if you know her closer." Prince FengEr smiles sadly to TanTan.
"Its okay. I am not putting her words in heart. Princess Xixi seems always misunderstanding me all the time. But maybe it also coz my past must be had been so bad to her? I really don't remember..."
"To be honest, you are...really different than who you are in the past, MuTan Mei, but in a good way...XiMei just don't know it yet."
One of the worker, who seems the head of the place dares himself to interrupt, the business must goes on...
"Hm..excuse me Miss Hua...then which material you want to use to make cloth for the performance? I believe maybe this yellow phoenix golden silk..or this shining flourish purple silk with transparent golden list ?"
In her modern life, TanTan doesn't have any experience to pick colour because she is so simple, she doesn't care about the colours for her cloth as long its comfortable and cheap. So it quite difficult for her to choose,
"Take the purple one. It suits you more..." Prince FengEr suggests,
TanTan looks to Prince FengEr, confirming the choice, and Prince FengEr smiles," You will be more pretty with that colour, trust me."
"Okay, I'll choose the purple one. And XiaoRue can you take over from here?...I want to get fresh air for a while. Lets meet at mansion later" TanTan gestures to the worker so he can deal with XiaoRue about the rest of cloth.
"But XiaoCie, its dangerous to be alone...let XiaoRue accompany you after deal with the cloth's order"
Actually TanTan want to use the time to explore the town, finding the clue..but she feels better if she does it alone so she can move freely. She is thinking the way to ensure XiaoRue but Prince FengEr has giving the better idea,
"Don't worry XiaoRue. I will accompany your XiaoCie and send her home safely later. Beside my business here is also done. How about that, MuTan Mei?"
'Having him is not bad, beside doesn't he the one who promise to help me find the killers....and also has the antidote. I can investigate him while finding another clues too. For now, I just can trust my instinct that he is a friend' so TanTan decided to accept his company.
"Very well, Its a honor to be accompanied by Third Prince."
"Its my pleasure too" As a gentleman, Prince FengEr gestures his hand to open the way for TanTan. Both of them walk away from the shop and XiaoRue just stares at them with worry but then she must focus with the shop worker to complete the cloth order.
When TanTan and Prince FengEr at outside, TanTan looks around to see any iron shop. Prince FengEr catches her looks and curious,
"Are you looking for something, MuTan Mei?"
TanTan looks to him and sighed,
"I tell you the truth, I want to search about the dagger from any iron shop. Do you know a good place to start?"
"The dagger? oh that dagger....I thought you can leave that problem to me and be relax, MuTan Mei?"
"Well, I cannot relax as long I can investigate it myself. You will help me right?"
Prince FengEr lifts up his eyes and smiles to her, in his mind, he observes her,
'This HuaMuTan is so independent, she doesn't really want to rely on my help...interesting, I wonder until when she finally gives up, maybe I can accompany her game for a while..'
"Of course, I will help you MuTan Mei. You can keep my words..."
"Very good, so where can we start?"
"Hm...this town is not really my domain, actually it would faster if we ask QiWang Di to help us..."
"No! Please don't! ..." TanTan objects it suddenly, it surprises Prince FengEr,
"Why?" Although Prince FengEr seems to know the real reason, he pretends to be fool about it.
"Well, I just don't want to bother Prince Li for now....this morning I see he is busy with his official job...so we better try to find it by our own...I'll report to him later" TanTan tries to lie smoothly but Prince FengEr can see her nervous when she talks, but still he accepts her words
"Hm...okay...if that so, lets we ask the main area of making iron place in this town...Maybe from there we will know more clues"
"Yeah, good idea...lets do it!"
TanTan rushes her steps until she doesn't see a horse chariot on her way.
"Watch out..." Prince FengEr holds her wraist to avoid the horse chariot, and with so, it ends by TanTan is being hugged by Prince Feng Er closely.
"Are you okay?"
TanTan startled, not because of the horse chariot but because of the closeness between her and Prince FengEr's body. She can see Prince FengEr's face closer and he looks so charming, TanTan suddenly feels shy and frees herself from Prince FengEr's hug as he also lets go his hands.
"O..yeah..ehm...I am okay...let's ..let's just continue walk, shall we?"
TanTan becomes awkward and so she walks faster ahead, while Prince FengEr laughs happily to see her reaction and follows her slowly and even corrects TanTan's misdirection.
While in the government office, Prince Li is dealing with a criminal who got arrested with some unique weapons. The criminal is a burglar who accidently took some illegal things from a caravan on the way, not far from this town, BaoZhi Town. The design of the weapons which stolen by him are having characteristic of Han people's weapon, their enemy. But the material of the weapon is similar with the iron stones which only can be mined in this country, which is a huge question in Prince Li's mind,
'Why Han People can use this material to make the weapons? Unless.. someone in the country has sell the materials to Han People....?' But the problem is that all the iron stone mine is owned and be in surveillance all the time by the kingdom, the common people is forbid to take that iron stone freely especially to make a big amount of weapon. It only can be used in military of this country. It arranged like that because the iron stone in this country is so special. The iron stone is more stronger than the common iron stone at other country, which is also one of the military power to defeat Han people in the battle. So it is a treason crime for anyone who sells the material out from country especially to Han People.
"Its a huge problem. It might involve someone powerful in the palace! So don't leak about this to outside and investigate it carefully!" Prince Li gives a clear command to his officers. ManQi is there too listening the command.
"Why else we know from the caravan he burglar in? Are they still there or already move?" Prince Li asks ManQi,
"I had checked it last night with some officers. The caravan has disappear. There is no trace to find them anymore. It seems that they already know we are coming after them and hide their trace."
"Well, they must be hide in this town...search to everywhere but don't be noticed too obviously. We must catch the caravan to find out is there a lot of weapons like this as this thief said!"
"Yes, Master"
The other officers leave the room to do the order, meanwhile Prince Li holds ManQi behind to ask another thing.
They move to other room, which seems as the safe for evidence things. ManQi takes out carefully the poisonous dagger and Prince Li observes it carefully, On the dagger blade, there is a small symbol of simple clover flower,
"This dagger is also be made by our iron stone but the design, its not Han people's design either our design, although its familiar to me, wonder when I ever see this design...But seeing the situation, this dagger and the case of weapons might be connected to each other..."
"If that so Master...do you think HuaMuTan is also involved in this case somehow?"ManQi looks to Prince Li confusedly.
"We don't know yet..." Prince Li gestures ManQi to put the dagger it in safe place again. "We don't know..." Prince Li repeat the word with many questions running in his mind, but it seems the answer might can be found if he investigates HuaMuTan more deeply.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
jigress
jigress I am verrryy sorry for the small mistake i made before, to make it clear:
* SanWangGe,Prince FengEr is the third prince...
Please forgive me, and thanks for all your supports, I try my best to continue this story (*and also with my other story^_^')
Hopefully I can give you update one chapter for every night.
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