155. Roll into a ball and flatten.

The tense atmosphere froze for a moment.

Dou Shichen was being humiliated by Xie Wenling and had nowhere to vent his anger when he suddenly heard such a childish "reprimand" and was stunned for a moment.

He looked closely and saw a little girl wearing a dress, with her hair in two buns, as cute as a New Year's picture doll, standing with her hands on her hips, staring at him fiercely with her big, dark eyes.

That lack of menacing ferocity seemed particularly childish against her chubby face and clear eyes.

Dou Shichen's anger inexplicably subsided a little.

Is "Shining Prince Dou" referring to him?

He liked the title; he was none other than the dazzling Prince Dou! The most radiant one in the entire room!

And it sounds like... they're still speaking up for him?

Yes, that must be it!

Dou Shichen was very certain.

She stood up for him when he was being criticized and even gave him a nice nickname... She must be on his side!

His vanity and a strange sense of being protected arose.

He looked at the little dumpling, then at the delicate embroidery on her clothes and the beautiful ornaments on her body.

Not bad, very sparkly, and his aesthetic sense is just as good as his.

So he arrogantly raised his chin: "You're quite good. You're the first person I've taken a liking to since I came to the capital. From now on, you'll follow me. I'll allow you to be my little follower!"

Little dumpling: "Huh?"

Xie Wenling: ?

The little girl had no idea what he was thinking. Why was he praising her when she was talking about him?

So she looked to Xie Wenling for help.

Xie Wenling stepped forward expressionlessly, once again shielding the little girl behind him: "Young Master Dou, the little girl is the Princess of Fukang, personally bestowed by His Majesty, and the daughter of the Marquis of Beiding. Please use the term 'little follower' with caution, lest you be impolite."

"Princess Fukang?" Dou Shichen was taken aback again. When he looked at the little dumpling again, his eyes held a hint of scrutiny and surprise, but his attitude remained unchanged. "What impact will that have?"

The only change was that he turned his fire back on Xie Wenling: "Xie Wenling! Stop using your official title and honors to intimidate me! You brought me here, you're a bastard! You've got ulterior motives! You..."

He racked his brains trying to find some harsh words, but unfortunately, his vocabulary was limited, and all he could come up with were repetitive phrases.

The damage dealt to Xie Wenling was 0.

Xie Wenling didn't even bother to waste any more words with him, and simply said, "Young Master Dou, be mindful of the occasion and your status. Your name was bestowed by His Majesty himself, so please remember its profound meaning."

When Dou Shichen was born, the Prince of Zhennan excitedly requested that he be made the heir apparent.

Upon hearing that the heir had not yet been named, and that it was the turn of the Shi generation, Wei Xiuming was immediately struck by the news.

With a wave of his hand, he sent back along with the imperial edict the name he had bestowed upon the crown prince.

The current minister, the hereditary minister, this minister.

A subject for a time, a subject for generations.

The Prince of Zhennan was so angry that his face turned green, but unfortunately, it was a gift from the Emperor.

Imperial gifts are like thunder and rain, all expressions of the emperor's grace, leaving no room for refusal.

Prince Zhennan felt that if he hadn't been born early enough, Wei Xiuming would probably have been happy to give him a name as well.

And clearly, the entire Zhennan Wang family shares the same attitude towards this name—

"You...you!" Dou Shichen trembled with rage, his already dwindling rationality completely consumed by his fury.

He abruptly turned to his own guards, who were equally bewildered, and roared, "Are you all dead?! Didn't you see him bullying this young master?! Beat him! Teach him a lesson!"

The guards turned pale with fright and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Highness, please calm down! Your Highness, please reconsider!"

This is the imperial palace!

The other party is a high-ranking official of the imperial court! A confidant of the emperor!

How many of them would dare to make a move here?

"Useless! They're all useless!" Dou Shichen was even more furious when he saw that he couldn't command the others.

Not very bright, he acted impulsively, rolled up his sleeves, and charged at Xie Wenling with his fists raised, shouting, "I'll do it myself!"

The little dumpling, who had been glaring at him angrily, couldn't stand it anymore when she saw that this bright and naughty prince was not only cursing but also trying to hit her brother Xie!

Protect Brother Xie!

Once the thought crossed her mind, her little body acted faster than her brain.

Taking advantage of Dou Shichen's attention being entirely on Xie Wenling, the little dumpling rushed over like a cannonball, using all her strength to lift her little foot and stomp hard on Dou Shichen's shiny shoes embroidered with gold thread and gemstones!

...It's a bit uncomfortable on my feet.

My soles are a little sore...

"Don't hit Brother Xie!" But the little dumpling still shouted it out with great spirit.

Her kick wasn't very powerful, but it was unexpected.

Dou Shichen's forward momentum suddenly halted; he wasn't in too much pain, but he almost tripped.

Everyone was stunned.

Including Xie Wenling.

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

Dou Shichen was stunned for a full three seconds before he realized that his chosen henchman was actually helping his opponent: "What are you doing..."

Before the word "me" could even leave his lips, Xie Wenling reacted with lightning speed, scooping up the little dumpling who was still posing and trying to scare people after stepping on him, and pulling him into his arms. At the same time, he casually swept his foot forward...

Dou Shichen, who had just managed to stand up, was caught off guard and tripped hard, falling face down to the ground.

His hair ornament was askew, and his gorgeous clothes were covered in dust, making him look utterly disheveled.

Dou Shichen fell to the ground, completely disoriented.

He had never suffered such a loss before.

A mix of grievance, anger, and pain welled up inside him; his lips trembled, and he was on the verge of bursting into tears.

“Young Master Dou,” Xie Wenling said, holding the little dumpling and looking down at him, not forgetting to add insult to injury by reminding him, “In front of everyone, you have acted improperly before the Emperor, roaring and fighting, and even tried to beat up a court official and a county princess. Do you want the Prince of Zhennan to receive His Majesty’s reprimand tomorrow?”

These words instantly extinguished the sobs that were escalating in Dou Shichen's throat.

He choked abruptly, looked up, and met Xie Wenling's cold, tear-filled eyes. Finally, he let out a sob.

Xie Wenling stopped looking at him and coldly said to the Zhennan Prince's guards who were still kneeling beside him, "Why aren't you helping your young master up? Send him back to his seat and tidy his appearance. If he causes any more trouble, he will bear the consequences."

The guards, as if granted a pardon, carefully helped the disheveled Dou Shichen to his feet, practically carrying him, and quickly fled this place of trouble.

[Task Completed]

[You and Xie Wenling publicly humiliated Dou Shichen, causing him to lose face in front of everyone.]

Seeing his disheveled and desperate appearance, you felt very satisfied.

From this day forward, the roles of prey and hunter are reversed; it's now your turn to mold him as you please.

[Reward Received: Basic Healing Talisman]

As soon as the commotion subsided, Qu Zijin rushed over.

He was increasingly uncomfortable thinking that Xie Wenling had just taken his teacher away.

Secondly, with Xie Wenling gone, those officials started to stir again.

He thought about it and decided to catch up and stand with them, at least he wouldn't be bothered.

As soon as he arrived, because he was standing at a good angle, he witnessed Xie Wenling tripping Dou Shichen.

Qu Zijin was stunned.

He strode forward, first anxiously examining the little girl. Seeing that she was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he looked disapprovingly at Xie Wenling and scolded in a low voice, "Lord Xie! How could you... how could you stoop to the level of Prince Dou? He is still young. Even if he is wrong, you can just advise him. Why... why did it have to come to this?"

Xie Wenling stared back at Qu Zijin expressionlessly. Qu Zijin was quite handsome, but the first thing he said was, "Which of your dog eyes saw that I started it?"

Just as Xiao Tuanzi felt that Dou Shichen was bullying him, Xie Wenling also felt that Xiao Tuanzi was being bullied by Dou Shichen.

He's in a bad mood right now because he can't get rid of him.

Qu Zijin never expected that Xie Wenling, who seemed so refined and virtuous, would speak so harshly.

He immediately followed Dou Shichen, who was furious.

"Both of my eyes! -- No, you're the one with dog eyes!"

---

Mini-theater:

Qu Zijin: (Seriously) (Staring) Do you know that you have a very bad flaw?

Xie Wenling: What?

Qu Zijin: In your eyes, there is no such category as the elderly, the weak, women, and children. You always believe that once someone stands on your side, regardless of gender or age, they should all be dealt with equally.

Qu Zijin: How dare you! You skipped the step of assessing whether the other party had a difficult situation, whether they were forced to do it, and whether they deserved to do it.

Xie Wenling: (puzzled) Otherwise?

Qu Zijin: ?!