In order to prevent the little koi from losing his ambition due to playing with things, Qin Zhao has arranged for the servants in the mansion to take care of it ever since the little koi came to the mansion.
But although he seldom visited him in person, he never forgot to check on the little fellow's situation every day. Now that he thought about it, this little koi had indeed been acting a little strange recently.
"You said that the little fish has been hiding under the water these days and hasn't come out. When did it start?" Qin Zhao said.
The maid who was in charge of feeding the little koi knelt in front of Qin Zhao, not daring to look up. She was nervous and her voice trembled slightly: "About seven days ago."
Qin Zhao: "Tell me in detail."
The maid replied "yes" and explained: "Before, the little koi would come out from time to time to play with the servants, but since seven days ago, it has always stayed at the bottom of the water. It would only emerge reluctantly when a servant feeds it, and then immediately hide back under the water after eating. It seems that..."
Qin Zhao: "What?"
"It seems... like he's hiding from something."
Qin Zhao frowned slightly.
Seven days ago.
He met the young man seven days ago.
Qin Zhao fell silent.
Although the maid had been in the Prince Regent's mansion for many years, she rarely had the opportunity to talk to the Prince Regent alone like this. The quieter the room was, the more scared she became. She was so scared that she almost cried: "I told the steward about this a few days ago, but the steward said that the prince was busy with affairs these days, so..."
The maid finally couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into tears: "I definitely didn't bully the little koi. I really don't know why it suddenly became like this!"
Qin Zhao: “…”
Did he say anything
The Regent pressed his eyebrows and said, "Calm down first. I don't mean to blame you."
If that young man was really the transformed koi, he suddenly avoided other people's attention, probably because he was worried about being seen by Qin Zhao.
But why is he hiding
Did I bully him that night when I gave him food and water
Qin Zhao was a little puzzled and waved his hand: "Forget it, you go down first."
The maid stood up tremblingly and bowed to him. Qin Zhao saw the maid's red eyes from crying and suddenly called her: "Wait a minute."
Qin Zhao paused and asked uncertainly: "Does it look really scary to me?"
The Regent is really scary.
Jing Li hid under the water, blowing bubbles dejectedly.
Seven days ago, after he escaped from the Regent, he didn't even bother to take his clothes back home, and took them directly back to the bottom of the lake. He hid the stolen clothes behind a reef at the bottom of the lake, and as for himself, he would never dare to go ashore again.
Thinking about it afterwards, based on the attitude of the Regent that day, Jing Li felt that he must have been exposed. Otherwise, why would the Regent have gone to such lengths to turn the entire palace upside down to find him these days
As a result, he didn't even dare to change back into human form to steal something to eat.
Hate.
…I’m so hungry.
"Little Koi, it's time to eat!" Someone suddenly called him from the water.
Jing Li looked up at the water, a little surprised.
Isn't it time to feed the baby at this time
The little koi fish wagged its tail, swam toward the water, and cautiously poked its head out from among the lotus leaves.
The one who came was the maid who used to feed him. She was standing on the shore of the lake and saw the little koi fish popping its head out. She waved at him with the food in her hand.
What she was holding in her hand was actually a cake
Without waiting for Jing Li to think about it, the maid broke off a small piece of cake and threw it into the water. Although Jing Li felt that there was something strange about it, at that moment, his body was out of control and he swam quickly over and bit the cake in one bite.
The next second, he was caught tightly by the fishing net that was suddenly pulled up.
Jing Li: “…”
This is what the legend says: the brain doesn't move as fast as the body.
When Jing Li was being pulled to the lakeshore and saw the Regent slowly coming out from behind a tree, he thought desperately in his heart.
The room was silent, with a faint scent of incense floating in the air.
On the table was a fish tank filled with water, and a little koi was placed in the fish tank. This time there was no decoration in the fish tank, and the bottom of the water was empty. The little koi was curled up at the bottom of the fish tank, and the whole fish shrank into a small ball at the bottom of the water, looking a little pitiful.
This was the scene Qin Zhao saw when he walked in.
He walked to the table and placed a plate of cakes next to the fish tank. The little fish in the water seemed to raise its head slightly and glance at him, then immediately retracted its gaze when it caught his eye.
... Is he that scary
Qin Zhao patiently sat down at the table and knocked on the wall of the fish tank with his hand: "Look up."
The little koi's tail trembled noticeably, and it slowly raised its head.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
The little koi just looked up at him, motionless.
I'm pretending.
Qin Zhao said nothing, and pushed the cake in his hand towards the little koi: "I heard you didn't eat much this morning, you must be hungry, would you like to have some cake first?"
Jing Li felt his stomach growl.
He was worried that his identity would be discovered these days, so he didn't dare to transform into a human to steal food. He hasn't had a full meal for several days.
Jing Li ate the snacks beside him, and then quietly looked at the Regent who was sitting at the table. Finally, he couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food and swam out from the bottom of the water.
He has been hiding underwater recently and has hidden all the relevant evidence. There is no reason for this person to discover his identity.
Jing Li thought to himself with a good feeling and raised his head towards the Regent.
But the Regent didn't move at all and had no intention of feeding him.
The little koi fish wagged its tail in confusion.
The Regent said calmly: "If you want to eat, come out by yourself."
Jing Li: “???”
What does this...what does this person mean
Did he find out
The little koi fish wagged its tail at him again, pretending not to understand.
Qin Zhao saw through his intention and couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't you think it's too late to pretend that you don't understand human language now?"
Jing Li: “…”
The Regent is really scary!
The little koi didn't respond, and Qin Zhao didn't urge him. He leisurely picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of tea: "Let me tell you straight, there have been monsters in the mansion these days, I wonder if you want to tell me."
“… I asked a wandering Taoist priest to cast a spell and found out that the evil spirit was coming from the artificial lake.”
"And in that artificial lake, there is only one living thing, you."
When the Regent said this, his smile completely disappeared, and his expression showed no sign of joy or anger.
A bad premonition flashed through Jing Li's mind.
"I would rather believe something than not believe it. I'll give you a choice." Qin Zhao put down the teacup, and the cup hit the table with a light sound. "I'll hand you over to the Taoist priest and let him treat you as a demon and capture you to make medicine. Or, I'll specially hire a cook from the restaurant in the capital, and he's sharpening his knife in the backyard right now."
"… He is said to be very good at cooking fish. I don't mind enjoying a feast tonight."
Does this choice make a difference?!
Jing Li unconsciously stepped back and his tail hit the wall of the fish tank.
This person had clearly discovered his identity, but he deliberately put him in a fish tank before confessing, thus cutting off all his escape routes.
… There’s really no escape now.
Jing Li was filled with despair and could almost hear the sound of knife sharpening coming from the backyard.
"What do you want to choose? Just tell me." Qin Zhao said.
In fact, the Regent's tone was always calm when he spoke to him, and there was even a hint of smile in his voice.
But to Jing Li, it was extremely terrifying.
He felt that there would be no one more terrifying than the Regent in this world, and the rumors among the people were indeed true.
Jing Li felt wronged and unlucky, but the regent seemed to have lost his patience: "If you don't tell me, I will have you sent to the kitchen."
After saying that, he raised his hand.
"No, I'll tell you, I'll tell you! I'm not a monster, and I don't want to hurt anyone, please don't eat me..."
The boy's voice was clear, with a hint of crying, and the last syllable was trembling.
Qin Zhao paused slightly.
He had been mentally prepared beforehand, but he was still somewhat surprised to suddenly hear the little koi speak human language.
It turns out that the story of evil spirits is not entirely false.
Qin Zhaoxuan paused for a moment, then picked up the teapot on the table.
… He just wanted to pour himself a cup of tea, but the little fish scared itself.
Qin Zhao finished pouring himself some tea, and his demeanor had completely returned to its previous calm. He propped up his chin, looked at the little fish in the water, and whispered, "You were the one who came to my study that night?"
"… yes."
"Why do you pretend to be a servant?"
"I..." Jing Li hesitated for a moment, met the Regent's gaze, and dared not lie, so he told the truth, "I'm hungry and want to find something to eat. They thought I was bringing you some snacks..."
“…” Even the Regent was stunned for a moment.
Qin Zhao had thought about it countless times these days, but he just couldn't figure out why the young man pretended to be a servant to get close to him.
Why did he leave without doing anything
I didn’t expect the answer to be so… stupid.
Qin Zhao was somewhat helpless: "Even if you were misunderstood, there is no need for you to appear in front of me. As far as I know, you came from the kitchen alone."
"Yeah, I felt the same way later." Jing Li whispered, "If I had known earlier, I would have taken the cakes away directly. Why did I really send you cakes? Now you are going to be eaten..."
The more Jing Li spoke, the more aggrieved he felt.
He was clearly thinking about this person.
Listening to the boy's crying voice, Qin Zhao could hardly help but feel a little guilty. He took a sip of tea as if to cover it up and said, "I can choose not to eat you."
The little koi was stunned.
"... unless you transform back into human form in front of me."
As if he felt that what he said was a little strange, Qin Zhao cleared his throat and added: "You said you have no intention of harming others, you must prove it to me. Change back to human form first to show your sincerity."
It seems to make some sense.
The little koi thought foolishly.
But he soon discovered the problem.
"Um, Your Majesty..." Jing Li called him hesitantly.
Qin Zhao: "What?"
"I..." Jing Li whispered, "I can become a human, but I... I don't have any clothes."
He changed from a fish back into human form, but he was naked and had no clothes to wear.
Qin Zhao smiled and said, "You are just a little fish demon, but you have a sense of shame as a human being."
"I've already told you that I'm not a monster..."
The little koi fish waved its fins unhappily.
Qin Zhao did not argue with him. He thought about it, moved the fish tank into the inner room, and took out a piece of clothing from the closet.
"Do you want me to go out and wait?" Qin Zhao asked him.
The little koi nodded: "Yeah!"
Qin Zhao followed his instructions and left the house.
He didn't walk far. Through a screen, Qin Zhaoyi could hear the sound of water rippling in the house.
There seemed to be a flash of light, and then the sound of clothes rustling.
Hearing that voice, Qin Zhao's heartbeat inexplicably became a little rapid.
After a moment, someone walked out from behind the screen.
It was indeed the young man he met that night.
Qin Zhao's clothes were all cut to his size, and the boy looked a little empty when he wore them. The loose neckline revealed a small part of his delicate collarbone, and the long sleeves hung down, covering his hands. The boy was not wearing shoes, and his bare feet stepped on the ground, leaving a trail of water behind him.
His hair was slightly wet and his eyes were red, like a little rabbit, looking pitiful and cute.
"I got your floor wet." The boy pulled his collar uncomfortably and said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry..."