Ah Hao remained calm. "There were no assassins."

"Then this tree..." Qi Yuan's handsome face was furrowed with worry.

Li Xuanji asked directly, "Was it His Majesty who made the move?"

Ah Hao nodded and recounted how His Majesty kicked the cypress tree in half. Of course, there was no need to go into the details of His Majesty playing in the snow.

Qi Yuan turned to Li Xuanji, "Your Majesty is so strong and your skills have improved so quickly. Grand Preceptor, you didn't give His Majesty some kind of unorthodox cultivation method, did you?"

Li Xuanji was even more at a loss than him, and flicked his sleeves, "Lord Qi is joking, how could that be?"

But His Majesty's growing skill is obvious.

"After the Yue delegation leaves, it will be almost New Year's. We'll take His Majesty to the hunting grounds to test his skills and relax."

Li Xuanji believed that His Majesty would definitely like this suggestion.

He vaguely felt that His Majesty's increased skill was related to the serious illness he had suffered a few days ago, and that it would be best to take His Majesty's pulse again when he had time.

After confirming that it wasn't an assassin, Qi Yuan breathed a long sigh of relief.

Stepping into the main hall, as he passed Ah Hao, he pulled a small lump of something out of his hard armor.

"Oh dear girl, this little thing is too delicate, I'm not good at taking care of it, please take care of it."

Before Ah Hao could react, a small, grayish ball appeared in his palm. When he opened it, he saw that it was a little hedgehog wrapped in a piece of fur.

The little hedgehog was only the size of a duck egg.

After being exposed to the cold air, it drowsily curled up into a ball again.

With eyes as small as black beans, he tried hard to open them and look at Ah Hao.

After seeing what it was, Ah Hao exclaimed in a low voice, "A hedgehog?"

Her eyes, brimming with surprise, looked at Qi Yuan. "Lord Qi, where did this little thing come from?"

Qi Yuan's ears turned red from Ah Hao's expression, and he replied in a muffled voice, "I went to the Ministry of Justice prison this morning, and when I came out, I happened to see him lying on the steps, almost getting trampled to death."

“Lord Qi, you are such a good person,” Ah Hao poked the little hedgehog with her finger.

This little creature is called Congshan. The retired emperor once raised a pair for the empress dowager. They were called hedgehogs all the time, and gradually, everyone accepted this new name.

When Ah Hao entered the palace, she often went with Her Majesty, who was still the Crown Princess, to see the pair of hedgehogs.

I even fed him by hand.

Ah-hao especially, especially, especially likes these little things.

Unfortunately, animals have limited lifespans, and the loving pair of hedgehogs died one summer night.

She had been chatting with other palace maids before, and when they talked about raising a small animal, she said she would raise a hedgehog.

I never imagined that this little dream would actually come true.

Qi Yuan straightened his posture, took off the sword from his waist and handed it to his personal guard, then walked into the main hall, leaving Ahao behind.

Li Xuanji noticed that Qi Yuan was walking with his hands and feet moving in unison, and chuckled softly as he followed behind.

Qi Yuan's personal guard scratched his head, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He clearly remembered that Lord Qi had specifically asked Minister of Works Li Daoyun where he could catch hedgehogs.

Lord Li said they could be found in the woods or caves on snowy days, but they were difficult to catch.

It's snowing heavily today, and even though the boss is so busy, he still got up early to go to the woods on the outskirts of Beijing to look for this thing.

In just over an hour, the boss actually managed to find one in the snow.

How come it all just passed by so easily when it came to Ah Hao?

don't know.

Qi Yuan and Li Xuanji greeted each other, while Murong Yue rested her chin on her hand, her eyes darting back and forth between the two.

This is a bit old, but the aroma is good, so it should taste alright.

Another one is good-looking, but based on past experience, some good-looking humans don't have very tasty brains.

When we leave here, we will eat these two people.

whee.

"Your Majesty, Lord Xu Qing will arrive in the capital in two days, around the same time as the Yue Kingdom delegation. What should Yang Yong do?"

Qi Yuan inquired about His Majesty's decree.

At that time, I'm afraid I'll be too busy to take care of Yang Yong, and I'm worried that the guy surnamed Yang might find an opportunity to turn things around.

Murong Yue grasped three key words: Xu Qing, delegation, and Yang Yong.

Yang Yong knew.

That bad guy.

She simply curled her lip and said, "Bad guy, bury him."

She wouldn't eat the brains of bad people.

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Imperial Advisor with a questioning look in his eyes, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

Li Xuanji responded with her eyes: literally.

Qi Yuan tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, when will Yang Yong... be buried?"

Murong Yue was even more disgusted. "Living them is a waste of food. Of course, they should be buried now."

Huh?

Murong Yue was surprised to find that she seemed to be able to speak a few more words, and quite fluently at that.

Give yourself a pat on the back, and you'll eat a few more bowls of rice later.

Qi Yuan left the Taihe Hall with the imperial decree. Before leaving, he saw Ahao find an open wooden box and put the hedgehog inside.

"Lord Qi," Ah Hao called out as she saw Qi Yuan, clad in armor, stride out.

"Excuse me, Lord Qi, may I ask what such a small hedgehog eats?"

She's fed adult hedgehogs before, but she really doesn't know how to raise such a tiny one.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I had asked a pointless question.

Lord Qi merely picked it up; if he knew how to raise it, he wouldn't have entrusted it to me.

Qi Yuan's methods were completely different from the bloody and ruthless ones he had shown a few days ago. He was somewhat at a loss when faced with A Hao's proactive inquiry.

After holding it in for a long time, even the bodyguard holding his sword was getting impatient for him and wished he could step in and speak for him.

"Oh, Miss, let me ask around and then get back to you, is that alright?"

"Um."

Ah Hao bowed slightly and watched Qi Yuan and his men leave.

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