Farm Girl's Manor

King Heng obediently nodded his head, and with the help of the Little Eunuchs, he laid down again. The darkness in his eyes was unmistakable, but he couldn’t hide it.

Emperor Huian couldn’t bear to look any longer. He waved his hand, allowing a few Little Eunuchs to carry King Heng away for thorough care. He feared that if he continued to watch, he would not be able to restrain himself from storming into the side hall to attack the chief culprit behind all this, regardless of the consequences.

The King Heng being carried away by the Little Eunuchs didn’t miss the flash of anger in Emperor Huian’s eyes. On his face, unnoticed by others, a silent smile emerged, making his mangled wounds appear even more ferocious.

"The crying child gets the candy," this truth he understood better than anyone, but in front of his crippled father, The Emperor, it was useless.

Once King Heng was gone, the other Princes were also carried to their respective quarters by the Little Eunuchs, followed by the Imperial Physicians to conduct further diagnosis and treatment.

Seeing this, the Noble Ministers also took their leave one after another. Once granted permission by Emperor Huian, they eagerly had their sons carried out of the temporary palace, intending to wait for the Imperial Physicians to leave the Princes’ quarters and then quickly secure one for the treatment of their own sons!

Emperor Huian sat on the Dragon Throne, his expression fluctuating, lost in thought. After a while, he got up, intending to go to the side hall to inquire about the events and to explain the situation to his injured sons. At that moment, a Little Eunuch approached with light steps, knelt on the ground, and said, "Reporting to The Emperor, General Xiao is waiting outside the hall with a Miss Mo, earnestly requesting an audience with The Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Huian immediately remembered the words of the guard who had returned earlier to report. He sat back down on the Dragon Throne and said with a heavy voice, "Summon them!"

A girl who could tame beasts and had barged into the arena but had timely saved several of his sons—either aspect was worth his personal inquiry.

Having received the order, the Little Eunuch quickly stood up and hurried out.

In the next instant, Xiao Ruiyuan entered with Mo Yan. As for the five beasts, they were left outside the temporary palace, watched by a few guards to prevent any accidents. This also served as an implicit form of protection.

Emperor Huian looked at the man and woman who entered side by side from outside the hall; the man was cool and handsome, the woman was stunning and unmatched. He was momentarily stunned and then, as if having understood something, his eyebrows furrowed so slightly it was almost imperceptible.

Xiao Ruiyuan and Mo Yan reached the center of the main hall, coincidentally knelt down together, and then, as if rehearsed, they both spoke in unison; one voice deep, the other clear, "May The Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!"

Emperor Huian looked at the two kneeling below with a cold eye. He didn’t instruct them to rise for a long time, until the woman could hardly bear it and her body unconsciously started to shake, yet she did not overstep in any manner. Gradually, he loosened his brows, his originally majestic demeanor softened quite a bit: "Xiao Aiqing, rise, oh, and this Miss Mo, rise as well."

"Thank You, Your Majesty!" Xiao Ruiyuan and Mo Yan breathed a sigh of relief, stole a glance at each other, and then slowly stood up and moved aside.

Emperor Huian, seated high above, pretended not to see their little exchange and began to inquire in detail from Xiao Ruiyuan about the encounter with the beast attack in the Savage Beast Forest.

Xiao Ruiyuan did not hide anything and recounted the entire encounter with the beast attack, including how he shot Prince Qi’s hair bun with an arrow and broke King Heng’s wrist with his sword.

These two incidents were impossible to keep secret, and instead of becoming a reason for others to criticize him, it was better to openly confess. Right and wrong, the man on the Dragon Throne would judge for himself.

Xiao Ruiyuan was the biological nephew of the Pure Empress and was also brought up under the watchful eye of Emperor Huian. The Emperor knew his nephew’s true nature clearly; otherwise, he would not have deliberately arranged for him to be close to his most beloved son from a very young age.

From hearing that the Thirteenth Prince had intentionally gone missing, to Xiao Ruiyuan leading the guards all the way to the Savage Beast Forest, first encountering Prince Qi, then being vaguely threatened by King Heng, how could Emperor Huian, who had ascended to the throne over the corpses of his brothers, be unaware of the demons and monsters involved?

Upon hearing that King Heng had tried to harm Xiao Ruiyuan while he was fending off wild beasts, Emperor Huian instantly felt extreme disappointment in both of his sons, especially King Heng, and the affection he had for King Heng also dissipated quite a bit.

Everything that had occurred in the Savage Beast Forest, those details the Emperor wanted to know he already knew, and those he did not wish to know were also clear to him. Thinking of his sons becoming more and more unruly as they grew older, that they were fighting to the death over a chair while he, their father, was not yet dead—should something happen to him, wouldn’t those incompetent ones stain the palace with blood?

That is how it is with all emperors: no matter by what means they had ascended to the throne in their day, none of them wanted their sons and brothers to turn against one another.

While scheming about how to take down Chu Heng and preferably strip him of the Crown Prince title to die in misery amidst betrayal and abandonment, King Heng had no idea that he had been silently stabbed in the back and had become the subject of Emperor Huian’s suspicion. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly regret plotting against Xiao Ruiyuan.

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in the world. This time, having lost his Lady and his troops, King Heng would probably be so frustrated that he’d cough up blood when Emperor Huian settled accounts!

Emperor Huian was in a terrible mood, yet his face showed no change, still managing to ask Mo Yan with what seemed a mild expression, "The hunting ground is heavily guarded. How did you, a frail woman, get in?"

Mo Yan felt a chill in her heart, knowing that a poor response to this question could bring trouble to the man beside her. She carefully replied, "Your Majesty, my companions—or rather, the several beasts outside—have rather nimble feet and legs, so they brought me up by climbing a not-so-steep cliff."

What she said was the truth, with no lies. She knew that the various passages at the base of the mountain were heavily guarded, and neither she nor the five beasts, with such large targets, could possibly sneak in. They had no choice but to find a different route by climbing up the cliff.

"Companions?" Emperor Huian’s eyes flickered with surprise, and his face took on a hint of a smile, "Using such a word for a few savage beasts is indeed novel."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan earnestly said, "In the eyes of others, they may be ferocious beasts that eat people, but in my eyes, they are very cute and have never harmed anyone. They are my most trusted companions."

Emperor Huian looked at the young girl, a touch of admiration flashing in his eyes. Although he believed that savage beasts were just that, suitable as playthings but not as companions, he could see that the young girl had a pure and kind heart. Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the ferocious beasts that scared others to death would allow her to command them.