Chapter 19 It's saying don't go

Xie Mianmian gripped the cold iron bars and said to the snow wolves inside, "Why don't they feed you? That's so mean."

The snow wolf swallowed the pastry in its mouth, its voice sorrowful, "They would starve me for days each time, then throw in a live sheep. The fiercer and bloodier I bit, the more excited they became. But this time I can't take it anymore..."

A pair of icy blue beast eyes looked gently at her belly. "The little wolf inside me is very hungry."

Xie Mianmian looked sadly at the snow wolf's belly, choking back tears as she relayed the snow wolf's words to the Seventh Prince.

The Seventh Prince pursed his lips coldly, "The people of Beirong actually tame wild beasts for slaughter?"

Xie Mianmian raised her arm to wipe her eyes and whispered to the snow wolf, "Eat slowly, no rush. Let's go give the golden eagle the antidote first."

Upon hearing this, the snow wolf struggled to raise its head and tried to get up, but to no avail. Its gentle eyes gazed quietly at Xie Mianmian.

Xie Mianmian suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She comforted the snow wolf, "Don't be afraid, we'll be back soon. We won't abandon you." She also wanted to go back and bring the snow wolf lots of delicious pastries.

Hearing this, the snow wolf finally lay down with peace of mind, eating the pastries in front of him, waiting for his strength to slowly recover.

They took the antidote and ran all the way to the birdcage.

Xie Mianmian opened the white porcelain bottle and poured out a pill into her hand. "Is this the antidote the golden eagle wanted?"

The Seventh Prince nodded arrogantly, "The medicine they usually give me only provides temporary relief for a few days. This is the antidote I found that can completely neutralize the poison."

"That's great!" Xie Mianmian grabbed the iron bars with one hand and desperately reached the antidote into the birdcage with the other. "Golden Eagle, take the antidote quickly, and you won't feel pain anymore."

The golden eagle, dragging its legs which were bound by heavy iron chains, flapped its wings and slowly approached the small hand that had reached in.

With its massive body slightly lowered, the golden eagle lowered its head and gently snatched the antidote with its beak. Then, with its long neck raised to the sky, it successfully swallowed the pill.

Xie Mianmian held her breath, staring intently at the golden eagle, watching its pained and restrained expression slowly calm down.

The golden eagle felt lighter than ever before. It slowly spread its golden-brown wings, tilted its head, and solemnly said to Xie Mianmian and the Seventh Prince, "Woo! Thank you!"

Xie Mianmian jumped up happily, patting the Seventh Prince's arm repeatedly, "It's healed! It's thanking us!"

The Seventh Prince felt like he was about to be seriously injured by this brat. He was healed, but he was broken.

"We'll open the cage and let you out." Xie Mianmian fiddled with the large lock on the birdcage.

"I have checked, and it requires a special key to open."

Xie Mianmian was still unwilling to give up and tried to unlock it using her sharp tongue.

Just then, the door opened and made a noise; it was the Northern Rong people who had arrived.

"What happened? Why was the cloth covering the cage pulled down?"

"Quickly, put it back on. We're going to display it before the Emperor soon, so we can't afford any mistakes."

Heavy footsteps approached Xie Mianmian and the others.

The two children quickly squatted down. Xie Mianmian only managed to say to the golden eagle, "Wait for us to come back and save you," before the Seventh Prince pulled her behind a box not far away.

The golden eagle watched them leave with sorrowful silence, letting out a mournful cry, a tear of blood rolling down its cheek.

Xie Mianmian could only vaguely hear the golden eagle saying, "...I want to go back...to the cliff..."

They stayed out of the Northern Rong people's sight, tiptoeing and walking quietly. When they passed a relatively small iron cage, they suddenly heard a sound like wooden sticks being constantly struck against the iron bars, making a banging noise.

"Who!" a rough, thuggish voice shouted.

The two children quickly crouched down to hide, and Xie Mianmian even covered her mouth with her hand and held her breath.

"It's that thing. Never mind, let's quickly cover it up with the cloth. Handa is coming."

Hearing the footsteps of the two people heading towards the birdcage, they slowly moved to the window and finally slipped out through the crack.

Xie Mianmian grabbed the Seventh Prince and ran desperately outside, not daring to look back for fear of being discovered.

The seventh prince, unaware of what was going on, ran after them. Only later did he realize that the entire palace was his home, and even if they were discovered, it wouldn't be a big deal; they were doing it openly and honestly.

The one who should feel guilty is the Northern Rong people. Let's see if they don't report the bad things the Northern Rong have done to their father.

The two children ran in the sunset. Xie Mianmian ran breathlessly but did not stop, her little mind constantly thinking about how to rescue them.

The Seventh Prince followed Xie Mianmian's steps at a leisurely pace, gazing at the dragonfly hairpin trembling in her hair, its translucent blue wings shimmering in the golden sunlight.

"It's quite pretty," the Seventh Prince thought. "The butterfly hairpin would suit her well too. I'll have a craftsman in the palace make one for her another day."

The palace servants watched the two running children, and to their surprise, one of them was the calm and composed, mature beyond his years, seventh prince!

The orange-red sunset, like a salted egg yolk, gradually disappeared behind the upturned tiled roofs in the distance.

As dusk began to fall, the entire palace was enveloped in a tranquil dark blue hue, and palace servants gradually lit the lanterns along the roadside.

Wen Shuwan came to pick up her child from school. She was wearing a deep purple brocade dress and walked gracefully down the corridor. A long string of coral hairpins swayed gently behind her head.

At the other end of the corridor, a woman walked over, her face covered by a white veil, wearing a moon-colored, water-patterned fairy dress.

It was Lin Ruoxue, a female official who came from the Imperial Observatory.

The two were taken aback when they saw each other.

Lin Ruoxue stopped three steps away from Wen Shuwan, speaking in a familiar tone as if to a long-lost friend, "Madam Xie, how has Minister Xie been lately?"

Wen Shuwan spoke to someone with unusual indifference, and she quietly looked at Lin Ruoxue, "Very good."

After saying that, she turned to leave, and as she brushed past Lin Ruoxue, Lin Ruoxue suddenly said, "He doesn't love you at all."

Wen Shuwan suddenly stopped in her tracks, the hair ornament behind her head shaking violently from the force.

Lin Ruoxue chuckled softly, "He only married you out of a sense of responsibility."

Wen Shuwan didn't want to listen and continued walking forward.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Lin Ruoxue raised her voice and continued, "I have divined that he came because of a woman at the banquet back then."

Wen Shuwan stopped in her tracks.

Seeing this, Lin Ruoxue raised her eyebrows smugly, "As far as I know, the two of you have never met before, so..."

She paused for a moment, then laughed, "So he came for the woman he loves. What a pity, he saved you, but you ruined him, causing him and his sweetheart to meet a tragic end, hahahaha!"

In the end, Lin Ruoxue burst into wild laughter, her voice shrill, a mixture of laughter and tears.

Wen Shuwan clenched her fists, unable to bear it any longer. She turned around and walked quickly to Lin Ruoxue.