38. Consort Shu

Jiang Xiyue quickly picked up her daughter and took her away, afraid that if she was even a second later, her little girl would start performing while shouting shameful slogans.

Behind him, the second brother solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiaobai: "At this time tomorrow, we will continue our cultivation!"

The little white dog even raised its front paws and waved them in a very convincing way, making the servants nearby chuckle: "This little dog is really intelligent."

The warm sunlight shone on its snow-white fur, and the red ribbon fluttered gently in the wind.

For a moment, it felt as if I had truly become a majestic and awe-inspiring dog hero.

-

The Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Garden.

Consort Xian and Consort Shu gathered here with their respective children, while palace maids stood respectfully by, serving tea and snacks.

The five-year-old prince clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, stood beside his mother with his head down, his eyes slightly red, but he stubbornly held back his tears.

His mother, Consort Shu, was lazily stroking the snow-white Persian cat in her arms, a smug smile on her lips.

"Look, the cat is so well-behaved, quiet and lovable," Consort Shu said slowly, gently scratching the cat's chin with her fingertips. The cat squinted its eyes comfortably and purred.

She glanced at the young prince and said in a light tone, "He insists on keeping those dirty dogs, making a mess of the palace."

The young prince's shoulders trembled slightly, but he dared not refute.

Xiao Bai went missing yesterday, and he searched for a long time but couldn't find him.

He was heartbroken, but when his mother asked, he only dared to say that he had sent them away.

The Consort Xian, the little princess's birth mother, sat to the side, took a sip of tea with a calm expression, and did not respond.

She had never liked Consort Shu's flamboyance, but she was too lazy to argue with her.

Seeing that no one responded, Consort Shu looked at the young prince with a half-smile and said without any hesitation, "You are a prince, your father's only son. How can you care so much about a beast? You can just play with it like a toy and then throw it away. It's absolutely unacceptable to keep talking about it every day."

Then, her tone suddenly turned cold: "By the way, don't tell your mother that you secretly hid that little beast. If your mother finds out... she will definitely kill that little beast to stop it from disturbing our peace."

The young prince looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with panic and pleading, but upon meeting his mother's cold gaze, he timidly lowered his head again, his voice barely audible: "Your subject... Your subject didn't..."

Just as the atmosphere became tense, the little princess, who had been sitting quietly beside Consort Xian, suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I saw it, he did indeed send the puppy away."

Her voice was clear and crisp, with a touch of innocence, which surprised both Consort Xian and Consort Shu.

The little princess and the little prince have always been at odds; whenever they meet, they either bicker or quarrel. No one expected that she would speak up for the little prince at this time.

Consort Shu narrowed her eyes and looked at the little princess with scrutiny: "Oh? You saw it with your own eyes?"

The little princess nodded, looking very serious: "Yes, yesterday evening, I saw my little brother personally hand the puppy over to the guards and tell them to take good care of it."

She blinked and added, "The puppy is so well-behaved, it didn't make a fuss at all."

Consort Shu stared at the little princess for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and looked at the little prince, her tone softening: "Since even the little princess has said so, then I will believe you this once."

She patted the young prince on the shoulder, feigning affection, and said, "Alright, your mother is only doing this for your own good. How can a dog compare to a cat, which is more precious?"

The young prince pursed his lips, remaining silent, but his fingers clenched even tighter.

The little princess glanced at him, secretly pursed her lips, and muttered to herself.

He's so stupid. He was so smug when he was arguing and fighting with her, but now he can't even protect his own dog.

But for some reason, seeing his red-rimmed eyes made her feel uneasy.

Little White was pitiful, but now...

Wei Jiayou seems quite pitiful too.

Consort Xian changed the subject at the right moment, and suggested with a smile, "The children can't sit still, why don't we let them go and admire the flowers and fly kites?"

Consort Shu responded lazily, which was taken as agreement.

The little princess immediately jumped up, grabbed the little prince's sleeve, and ran deeper into the garden: "Come on, let's go play!"

The young prince stumbled slightly as she pulled him along, then ran a few steps in a daze before whispering, "...Thank you."

Once they were out of the sight of the two concubines, the little princess immediately let go of their hands in disgust.

She walked forward without turning her head, and even snorted, "Who needs your thanks? I just can't stand Consort Shu bullying people!"

-

The next day.

early morning.

Wenhua Hall

With a "smack," the little prince slammed the book shut, startling the little princess who was dozing off so much she almost jumped up.

"The day before yesterday," the young prince stared at Jin Lanyue, who was grinding ink, and said in a very low voice, "did you take Xiaobai away?"

The ink stick in the little dumpling's hand tilted, leaving a black mark on the edge of the inkstone.

She raised her small face, stammering, "Your Highness, what did you say? I...I didn't."

The young prince narrowed his eyes: "You were the last one to leave the study that day."

"Ahem!" The little princess sitting in the front row suddenly turned around. "Wei Jiayou, you must be mistaken. I was definitely the last one to leave that day. I even returned the Grand Tutor's ruler."

"How dare you say that!" the young prince glared at her. "You lied to my father, saying he was going to test our studies, but there was no test at all! You ran away halfway there!"

The little princess made a face and turned her head away: "Anyway, why don't you just ask the Grand Tutor who was the last person to leave the day before yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Zijin looked up from his book: "The little princess is right. I saw with my own eyes that the little princess was the last one to leave besides me."

"Right, right? Little White just ran away on its own. Anyway, it's just suffering with you. Are you going to suspect that the Grand Tutor stole your dog?" the little princess said.

The young prince naturally wouldn't suspect Qu Zijin, nor did he think that the little princess had stolen his dog.

Qu Zijin had no motive or need to steal the dog.

If the little princess wants something, she will simply grab it rather than steal it.

Therefore, the young prince suspected Jin Lanyue.

The young prince frowned: "How could Xiaobai..."

Jin Lanyue silently lowered her head to grind ink, concealing her guilty expression.

The young prince stared at the little dumpling who was bowing his head and remaining silent for a long time, finally sighing, "Let it go..."

The little dumpling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but when she looked up, she saw the little princess winking at her.

She turned her head again, watching the little prince's departing figure, and unconsciously stopped what she was doing.

Her little hands were covered in a dark, gloomy mess, and this somber color seemed to have settled on her heart as well.

"Little Moon?" The little princess gently tugged at her sleeve. "What are you daydreaming about?"

The little dumpling lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes: "Princess...should I not have taken Little White away?"

Her voice trailed off: "The little prince looks very sad..."

The little princess reached out and pinched her soft cheek: "How could that be, Little Moon? You saved a little life!"

She leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "Wei Jiayou's mother hates dogs the most. If she finds out that Xiaobai has been secretly brought to the school..."

She recalled the words and expressions of Consort Shu when she threatened the young prince yesterday, and even she, as bold as she was, couldn't help but shudder.

She hadn't finished speaking, but the little dumpling already understood.

The little white thing was so tiny, trembling, with a wound on the tip of its ear...

It was so pitiful by the little prince's side, she would never let it live like that again!

"As Mencius said, 'Seeing a living dog, one cannot bear to see it die.'" Qu Zijin appeared beside them unnoticed, his voice gentle yet firm, "The teacher did the right thing. If you hadn't taken it away, that little dog would probably be..."

He paused, then didn't continue, but simply patted the little dumpling's shoulder gently.

He didn't want these things—life and death, the cruelty and darkness of human nature—to taint this innocent little dumpling.

At least, she's only three years old and shouldn't have to face these things.