Chapter 94 The Way of Taming.

Yuan Chaolu's adoptive mother and adoptive father had a son named Ji An, who grew up with Yuan Chaolu.

Children from ordinary families often take on responsibilities early, and the two of them started helping out at a young age by doing odd jobs.

After Yuan Chaolu was forcibly taken into the Helan family, her younger brother worked tirelessly, doing all sorts of jobs, just to save up money to redeem Yuan Chaolu from the Helan family.

Yuan Chaolu could count the number of times he met with his father each year on one hand, and he relied on the Helan family's favor to witness him grow from a child into a teenager, his face showing more signs of hardship than his peers.

His job was to guide caravans or镖队 (escort teams) deep into the desolate wilderness. Their mother disappeared without a trace during one of these trips and never returned. Such work was almost a gamble with one's life, destined to be extremely dangerous.

Yuan Chaolu felt particularly distressed and never stopped thinking about escaping the Helan family, taking her father and younger brother with her.

Helan Yi said, "He is familiar with the main roads in the Northwest. He knows the remote and harsh roads on the snowy plains. When he first chose to make a living this way, I thought he would definitely die on the road, but I never expected that he would persevere."

A cold wind howled, stinging her cheeks. Yuan Chaolu's heart sank when she heard Helan Yi say that Ji An had led the enemy troops.

He hated Helan Yi to the core, and his journey to the northern frontier to confront Helan Yi was indeed something he did under duress.

She raised her head and said, word by word, "Ji An infiltrated the Northern Frontier because you forced him to. If you hadn't killed my father, he wouldn't have taken his own life."

Helan Yi saw the hatred in her eyes and laughed, "Your Majesty is trying to shift the blame onto me? But there are many people in Luoyang who want to bring Your Majesty down. If the news gets out, will Your Majesty still be able to silence the gossip?"

"What will the world think of a queen mother who has a brother who has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country?" He paused. "And what will His Majesty think?"

Yuan Chaolu stared directly at him without flinching, and said, "Why don't you go and tell the court officials, but instead stop me at this moment? What exactly do you want?"

Helan Yi raised a hand and gently patted her shoulder. He leaned down and lowered his voice, saying, "Whether I let you go or destroy you is up to me."

Yuan Chaolu turned her head slightly, her eyes reflecting his sharply defined features. The scar at the corner of his eye twitched slightly, making his eyes even more playful. "Yuan Chaolu, even though you escaped from the Helan family, you are still under my control."

He Lanyi really enjoyed seeing her stubborn and unwilling expression. The more dissatisfied she was with him, the more hatred she felt for him, the more his blood boiled, and he wanted to break her spine.

Back in Jiangnan, he witnessed her escapes several times, being whipped until she was covered in bruises and looked so pathetic, yet she never gave up. It was then that Helan Yi began his true hunt for her, wanting her to willingly submit and bring herself to him.

He knew she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhuo tamed her first.

But what can we do?

Even as the Empress, the mother of the nation, she was still under his control.

Helan Yi thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of her being unable to resist. He raised his hand to brush the fallen leaves off her shoulder, then smiled and strode away.

Yuan Chaolu withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes to hide her emotions, and quickly regained her composure.

**

The Empress Dowager's funeral also had a procedure. This morning, the officials entered the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. After finishing her work, Yuan Chaolu barely rested before going to Xuande Hall to see the Emperor and bring him some refreshments.

As she walked along the covered walkway, she was about to reach the Xuande Hall when she noticed a strange middle-aged man leading a colorful wild beast and talking to Zhong Changjun in front of him. It was none other than Jin Ni.

Not long after, Zhong Changjun finished his conversation with him and entered the Xuande Hall.

Yuan Chaolu hadn't seen Jin Ni for some time. When she arrived in front of the man, she stopped and asked what was wrong. It turned out that he was a beast trainer from the forest park on the outskirts of the capital.

"Beast taming?"

Yuan Chaolu could also tame animals. She remembered that in the early spring, in that dilapidated Buddhist temple in Longxi, she first met the emperor. Her plan to kill him with a poisonous snake was exposed. When he heard that she could tame animals, he said that he needed an animal tamer by his side.

The man reported that he had brought the golden lion to see the emperor today. On days when the emperor resided in the palace and did not hunt, the man trained and cared for the golden lion in the forest gardens.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chaolu took a closer look and saw that the man had long, narrow eyebrows and eyes, a burly and strong body, and extremely thick arms. At this moment, he was firmly holding the reins, controlling the beast at his feet.

Jin Ni stepped forward and gently sniffed Yuan Chaolu's skirt. Before he could do so, he was forcefully pulled back to a safe distance.

Yuan Chaolu said, "It's nothing." He raised his hand and rubbed the golden lion's head.

After several months apart, it still recognized people and obediently sat down next to Yuan Chaolu, just like a large, robust cat.

Yuan Chaolu raised her gaze and landed on the back of the beast tamer's hand, where there were mottled scars from years of work, some deep and some shallow. Further up, there were some new wounds scattered on his cheeks, especially under his eyes, which looked like bloody holes gouged out by some sharp object.

Yuan Chaolu said, "It's common for beast tamers to get injured, but the wound on your face is from a golden lion? It doesn't seem like it."

He touched his cheek and said, "Your Majesty, I was pecked by a hawk."

Yuan Chaolu had only mentioned it casually, but the animal trainer then said, "This eagle was a gift presented to General Helan by an official. It is extremely fierce. It was sent to the Imperial Garden a few days ago, and I was asked to train it. General Helan is about to set off to return to Longxi, and I am busy with this matter. I have made it like this, which has made Your Majesty laugh at me."

Helan Yi?

Yuan Chaolu took a few steps, then turned around and said, "You said that Lin Yuan raises many rare and exotic beasts, is that right? I am quite interested."

The animal trainer looked up and met the Queen's smiling face.

"Let's go take a look together."

**

He Lanyi had a fondness for raising eagles when he was in the Northwest.

Everyone has their own preferences. For example, Xiao Zhuo kept a cheetah by his side. His aura was like that of a cheetah. He was elegant in demeanor, yet he exuded an intimidating majesty, as if he might pounce on his prey at any moment and bite off its throat.

Helan Yi, on the other hand, was like a hawk, his body radiating a murderous aura due to years of killing. Although his striking appearance somewhat overshadowed this, he still exuded a sense of danger.

The eagle he kept in Longxi was like a hunting dog, able to swoop down from the sky during hunts to kill prey for him.

Yuan Chaolu went to the outer forest garden on the outskirts of the capital. Soon after, he entered the hunting lodge, which was specially used to tame wild animals. In the courtyard, he saw the hawk that someone else had presented to Helan Yi.

The animal trainer stepped forward and, seeing the Queen staring intently at the caged eagle, began to introduce it.

"This is an extremely fierce bird of prey. It had previously fought its former master and was unruly. However, General Helan is fond of eagles. Upon hearing that this bird was dangerous, he not only did not dislike it but also kept it. Therefore, the official who presented this bird came to me, hoping that I could tame it."

The eagle caught Yuan Chaolu's gaze, suddenly darted out of its cage, and swooped down, the chains clanging as it was pulled down.

Yuan Chaolu: "It is indeed a bird of prey, and it has killed people, right?"

She gripped the railing, pondering the animal trainer's words, her fingertips tapping against the railing, making a crisp sound.

Gradually, a slight smile appeared on her lips.

She couldn't get rid of Helan Yi all at once, as that would be too obvious, nor did she intend to do so. She was determined to make him experience the torment of being tortured.

What is the most important factor in ruining a general? Is it the inability to ride a horse or the inability to wield a sword?

While these factors prevented the general from going to the battlefield, he could still stay in the rear and strategize, so it wasn't a fatal blow.

unless--

Yuan Chaolu's pupils contracted slightly as he met the eagle's sharp eyes.

Just then, a clear voice came from behind: "Dad, you're back."

Yuan Chaolu turned around and saw a girl of about seven or eight years old walking into the courtyard. The little girl hid behind Fang Rong timidly when she saw a stranger.

Fang Rong hurriedly said, "This is my daughter. She is not good with manners and has disturbed Your Majesty. Quickly, come and pay your respects to the Empress."

Yuan Chaolu smiled slightly, gesturing for the little girl to come to her side. She took the girl's hand and was shocked to find that she was so thin that she was just skin and bones, like a bamboo pole, and her face was excessively pale. She looked at Fang Rong with a puzzled expression.

Since it was the Empress who asked, Fang Rong dared not hide anything.

It turned out that his daughter had an illness, a congenital weakness she had suffered from since birth. She had been frail and sickly since childhood, and his first wife had suffered from the same illness, which led to her early death, leaving behind only this little girl. Over the years, Fang Rong had searched for medicine and sought medical help, traveling half the country, but he could not cure her.

Because of his skill in taming animals, he got to know many high-ranking officials and climbed the ranks step by step until his deeds reached the ears of the emperor. He finally rose to the top and was able to get in touch with the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Fang Rong originally wanted to wait longer, asking influential people to put in a good word for him and to have the imperial physician treat his daughter. But now that the Empress was right in front of him, she was not out of reach. He gritted his teeth and made his request.

Yuan Chaolu said, "Your daughter is so pitiful. Don't worry, I will ask the imperial physician to treat her."

Fang Rong was deeply moved, and his gratitude was beyond words.

"However, in the days to come, I need you to properly tame this eagle, how about it?"

Fang Rong was taken aback, wondering why the Empress would inquire about this matter. Having been in contact with birds of prey for many years, he immediately realized that the situation was extremely complex. Yet the Empress was still holding her daughter's hand and agreed so readily.

He only hesitated for a moment before agreeing, "I will obey Your Majesty's commands."

**

Seeing that it was getting late, Yuan Chaolu boarded a carriage and headed to the palace.

The carriage swayed and rocked, dusk settled, and the sunlight shone on me, making me drowsy.

Yuan Chaolu was already exhausted from the day, so he slowly closed his eyes. Before long, a young man's face appeared before him.

The warm candlelight danced on his face. They were huddled together in the small room, only feeling the cold when they were close to each other. He said, "Today I went out to work, and the employer saw that I was working hard, so he gave me a few extra pieces of flour. I put them in my pocket, thinking that I would bring them back to my father and sister."

He broke the steamed bun in half and handed it to Yuan Chaolu, gently asking her what birthday gift she wanted after the New Year.

"As long as you want it, your father and I will definitely help you." He hugged his knees, his cheeks covered in red frostbite, which made him look a bit silly, but he looked at her sincerely.

After thinking for a long time, Chaolu said, "I want Mother to come back, and I want you all to be safe and sound, and for the whole family to be together."

However, her wish was shattered when the Helan family broke in. After being taken into the Helan family, she always thought about escaping. Later, when Helan Yi left Longxi, he took her with him.

She was tied up in the back of the carriage, and she had almost cried all her tears, not knowing when it would end.

All the way to Jiangnan...