Chapter 30 Even the fiercest tiger king has to turn into a big cat.

The Royal Hunting Grounds are located in the Western Hills on the outskirts of Beijing.

This place is home to deer, wild boar, and even tigers and black bears, and is the exclusive hunting ground for royal family members in autumn and winter.

Today, however, this place is heavily guarded, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps.

Because Emperor Chu Yuan brought his newly crowned "darling"—Princess Mu Yu of Anguo—on a "hunting" trip.

Of course, for Mu Yu, this was more like a large-scale picnic.

She was wearing a red riding outfit specially made by Su Yuejian, which made her little face look even more pink and cute.

She didn't ride the magnificent "Snow-Treading Black Horse" because her legs were too short to reach it.

She was sitting comfortably in Emperor Chu Yuan's lap, riding with a tall and docile Akhal-Teke horse.

Behind her followed a long line of "bodyguards".

Ninth Prince Chu Chongjin, Prince Chu Heng, young general Xiao Beichen, child prodigy Yan Ziche, and medical genius Xie Zhiwei—all of them are included.

Her close friends, Princess Jianing, Qin Zheng, and Su Yuejian, were also granted special permission to come and join in the fun.

This spectacle is even more extravagant than an emperor personally leading an expedition.

"Grandpa Emperor, when will we be able to see the big tiger?" Mu Yu asked curiously.

Chu Yuan laughed heartily: "No rush, no rush, first Grandpa will catch you a fat rabbit and make you spicy rabbit head for dinner."

"Yay! Lots of chili peppers!" Mu Yu immediately perked up.

The group entered the depths of the hunting grounds in a grand procession.

Chu Yuan was in high spirits. He drew his bow and shot an arrow, and sure enough, he hit a wild rabbit that darted out.

Xiao Beichen was not to be outdone, and his arrows never missed, and he hunted several pheasants in the blink of an eye.

Even the seemingly frail Chu Chongjin showed off his skills, shooting down two flying pigeons with a single stroke.

The children clapped and cheered from behind.

The atmosphere was peaceful and joyful.

However, accidents always happen unexpectedly.

"roar--!"

A deafening tiger roar suddenly came from the dense forest not far away.

Everyone wore expressions of fear.

"Protect His Majesty!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards' expression changed drastically, and he immediately ordered his soldiers to surround Chu Yuan and Mu Yu.

"What's going on? Aren't all the tigers in the hunting park kept in iron cages?" Chu Yuan frowned and asked.

“Your Majesty, this…this voice sounds like the ‘Tiger King’!” an experienced old hunter said, his voice trembling.

Tiger King?

That wild and untamed tiger, which even the royal animal trainers were helpless against, could only be allowed to rule the deepest part of the hunting grounds.

How did it end up on the outskirts?!

Before the words were finished, a huge tiger with dark golden fur slowly strolled out of the forest.

One of its eyes was blind, and a hideous scar ran from its eye socket to the corner of its mouth, making it look particularly fierce.

Its single, emerald-green eye stared at Chu Yuan and Mu Yu, who were surrounded by the crowd, and a low roar came from its throat.

Jia Ning and Su Yuejian turned pale with fright and hid behind Qin Zheng.

Although Qin Zheng was also afraid, she still pretended to be calm and gripped the small dagger at her waist.

"Don't be afraid." Xiao Beichen stood in front of the girls.

Yan Ziche and Xie Zhiwei immediately stood on the other side of Mu Yu.

"You beast!" Chu Yuan was, after all, an emperor who had weathered many storms.

He quickly calmed down, drew his sword from his waist, and shielded Mu Yu behind him.

However, Mu Yu was not afraid at all.

She peeked her little head out from Chu Yuan's arms.

In her "eye of destiny," although the big tiger looks fierce, the destiny above its head is not the evil black.

Instead, it was a bright white ball of light mixed with a hint of gold.

This shows that it is not a bad guy.

And it seems... to be in a lot of pain?

Mu Yu saw that there were wisps of extremely fine black energy, like tiny insects, wrapped around the white ball of light, making it appear to flicker.

The smell of that black aura was somewhat similar to the "Spirit Binding Box" that had been unearthed from the ground beneath the Princess's mansion.

"Big kitty, are you feeling unwell?" Mu Yu asked in a childish voice.

The whole world fell silent.

Everyone looked at her as if she were a goddess.

My little princess, that's a tiger! A man-eating tiger! Not that orange cat in your backyard!

The tiger king was also stunned.

It seemed it hadn't expected that this little guy would not only be unafraid of it, but also dare to talk to it.

"Little Yu'er, don't speak!" Chu Yuan's palms were sweating with nervousness.

"Roar!" The Tiger King roared again, as if in response to Mu Yu.

Mu Yu struggled and slid down from Chu Yuan's arms.

"Little Yu'er!"

"Princess!"

Everyone gasped in surprise.

Mu Yu acted as if she hadn't heard, and took small steps, walking towards the tiger that was several times her size.

"Don't come any closer!" The commander of the Imperial Guards tried to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by a look from Chu Chongjin.

"Trust her." Chu Chongjin's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable power.

Everyone held their breath, watching as the exquisitely crafted little figure walked up to the ferocious tiger baring its fangs.

The image of a man and a tiger, one large and one small, creates a striking visual impact.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Mu Yu stretched out her chubby little hand, stood on tiptoe, and gently patted the tiger king's big head.

"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, I'll blow on it for you."

She puffed out her cheeks and blew hard at the ball of light shrouded in black mist above the Tiger King's head.

This time, she didn't hold back.

A visible aura of good fortune, radiating a seven-colored halo, gushed from her mouth, like a small rainbow, instantly enveloping the Tiger King's head.

The black energy swirling around the white orb of light melted away with a soft "sizzle" the moment it came into contact with this auspicious energy.

"Awoo~"

The tiger king's roar turned into... a whimper that sounded like a spoiled child?

Its enormous body swayed, and then, to everyone's astonishment, it slowly, very slowly, lay down.

It retracted all its claws and fangs, and gently rubbed its enormous head against Mu Yu's calf.

Its posture was as docile as... a big cat begging to be petted.

Mu Yu chuckled and reached out to scratch its chin.

"You're so good, big kitty."

The tiger king comfortably squinted its single emerald green eye, making a satisfied "gurgling" sound in its throat.

The sword in Chu Yuan's hand fell to the ground with a clang.

King Chu Heng plucked out several hairs from his beard.

Xiao Beichen, Yan Ziche, and Xie Zhiwei, three well-traveled young men, all had the same expression at this moment—dumbfounded, as if they were sleepwalking.

What's going on?

Auspicious beasts?

"A miracle...this is a miracle!"

Chu Yuan looked at the small figure riding on the tiger king's back, giggling, and a huge wave of emotions surged in his heart.

He originally thought that Mu Yu's ability to see fortune and summon rain was already an extremely auspicious sign.

Unexpectedly, she was able to command all the beasts, and even this wild and untamed tiger king became as docile as a cat in front of her!

What else could this be but an auspicious omen?

"Hahaha... Hahahaha!"

Chu Yuan suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter filled with unprecedented joy and triumph.

"Good! What a wonderful Princess Anguo! What a wonderful... Little Yu'er of mine!"

He strode forward, looking at Mu Yu who was already playing with the Tiger King, his eyes full of doting affection.

He suddenly felt that imperial power and the empire were nothing compared to the innocent smile of the little girl in front of him at this moment.

"Issue my decree!" Chu Yuan's voice was loud and clear.

"Give this 'Tiger King' to Princess Anguo as her guardian beast!"

"Tell the Imperial Household Department to replace all the furnishings in Xiaoyuer's princess residence with even better ones!"

"I want the whole world to know that Mu Yu is my most beloved child!"

...

In a corner of the hunting park.

The Third Prince, Chu Huaijin, and a trusted eunuch watched all this with pale faces.

"Your Highness... what... what should we do?" the eunuch said.

That tiger king was originally arranged by him.

He bribed the manager of the hunting park and used bait laced with special drugs to lure the tiger king into a frenzy, intending to "accidentally" injure Mu Yu in the chaos.

At that time, he will step in to "save the emperor," not only eliminating a thorn in his side but also earning a great merit in front of his father.

Killing two birds with one stone, a perfect plan.

But despite all his calculations, he never expected that the tiger would turn into a cat in front of Mu Yu!

He looked at Mu Yu, who was being fawned over like a star in the distance, and his father, the emperor, who was overjoyed, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

Mu Yu! It's Mu Yu again!

This four-and-a-half-year-old toddler seems to be his natural nemesis!

No, this can't go on.