When the eunuchs and palace maids saw that the little ferret had woken up, they all turned their gazes in their direction. The usually lively and adorable little ferret was now listless, its head drooping.
Xi Xizhi didn't want others to see her in such a disheveled state, so she tried to lift An Honghan's robes and wrap herself up tightly to block other people's gaze.
"You're so stubborn." With a doting tone, An Honghan poked the little mink's forehead.
Due to its injury, Xi Xizhi had a poor appetite. Even with a table full of dishes placed in front of it, it couldn't muster any interest. After twisting its neck, Xi Xizhi found a comfortable position, closed its eyes listlessly, and continued to dream.
It refused to eat or drink, which greatly worried its many servants.
Despite the oppressive aura emanating from An Honghan, Lin En said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Kitchen has already changed no less than a hundred dishes, but... Phoenix Cloud Sable still refuses to eat."
An Honghan was deeply worried as he watched. Little Mink was currently injured, and only by replenishing its nutrition could its injuries heal quickly.
"Go to Qingyuan Pond to catch golden-scaled fish, and have the imperial chef prepare them in a light style."
As a result, with only one Phoenix Golden Scale Fish being raised each day, more than half of the fish in Qingyuan Pond were lost.
After happily finishing a fish, Xi Xizhi wiped her mouth with her paw, trying to avoid thinking about the wound on her back. Noticing everyone staring at her with strange looks, Xi Xizhi shrank back and quickly ran to An Honghan, pulling his sleeve to cover herself.
Upon seeing the burn, An Honghan recalled the violence An Ruoyan had inflicted on the little sable. He gently patted the little sable and asked casually, "Do you want revenge?"
Xi Xizhi faced him, gritted her teeth and nodded heavily. It was not a pushover, and of course it would not let An Ruoyan trample on it.
The scars on her back constantly reminded Xi Xizhi how badly An Ruoyan had harmed her.
As he stroked the little sable's fur, An Honghan's gaze deepened. "That's right. To survive in the palace, one must be ruthless."
Every word was a lecture, and An Honghan stood up with a cold gaze, "Wu Jianfeng..."
After two days of anxious anticipation, Wu Jianfeng knew that this matter would not be easily dismissed.
"Your subordinate is here." Wu Jianfeng knelt down, alarm bells ringing in his heart. That day, His Majesty clearly instructed them to protect Little Sable, but they had messed things up.
Just thinking about the consequences made Wu Jianfeng's knees go weak with fear.
An Honghan coldly curled his lips, "Only now do you realize you're afraid? Where was your full attention when I ordered you to do things? Don't think that just because your brother is a General Who Protects the Nation, I'll forgive you in every way. All the guards who participated in the operation that day will be beheaded as a warning. As for you..."
Wu Jianfeng was so frightened that his shoulders trembled, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and lowered his head.
"Demoted three ranks and stripped of his position as head guard. He'll be reinstated when he learns his lesson." An Honghan strode out without looking back at anyone.
The little ferret in his arms peeked out and looked back. So that's how it is. No wonder Wu Jianfeng, despite his lack of talent and virtue, was able to become the head guard of Panlong Palace. He never imagined that his backer was the General Who Protects the Nation.
Even though Xi Xizhi had never met the general, she had heard of his reputation.
It is said that General Wu Lingyin, who has been invincible since he led his troops into battle, is a general with exceptional leadership skills.
Having spent a long time with An Honghan, Xi Xizhi had come to understand his personality quite well. The first time she saw him forgive someone, Xi Xizhi couldn't believe it at all. Having learned from An Ruoyan's experience, Xi Xizhi knew that An Honghan had a lot on his mind.
There must be a reason why Wu Jianfeng's life was spared.
Troubled by every possibility, Xi Xizhi temporarily put aside the pain in her back and fell into deep thought.
"Do I need to tell you?" An Honghan asked.
Slowly raising her head, Xi Xizhi blinked and shook her head.
It has already thought of that.
Xi Xizhi wasn't stupid after all. She had spent a few months in the palace, and the recent incident with An Ruoyan had greatly enlightened her. After racking her brains, Xi Xizhi finally came to an answer.
An Honghan kept those princesses because he had no children of his own and couldn't find suitable marriage partners for the time being. Since those princesses still had value, An Honghan certainly couldn't give up this important pawn. Moreover, relations with foreign countries and ministers all needed to be stabilized through marriage alliances.
Similarly, there was only one reason for keeping Wu Jianfeng in Panlong Hall, which was... to control the General Zhenguo.
Although An Honghan is the ruler of a country, he still has to be wary of many people, especially the generals who hold military power.
After thinking about these words, Xi Xizhi began to chatter and gesticulate wildly as she told An Honghan her story.
Unfortunately, when these words reached An Honghan's ears, they all turned into a series of noisy chirping sounds.
“Sometimes, even if you know the truth, you must keep it to yourself and never tell anyone, understand?” An Honghan patiently educated the little ferret, giving it another lesson.
The little ferret was still too naive by nature. An Honghan only hoped that it could protect itself, because the relationships in the palace were complicated, and the slightest instability could lead to complete defeat.
Xi Xizhi immediately shut up, nodding solemnly. As the saying goes, "Those who don't heed the advice of elders will suffer the consequences." The matter concerning Xiao Xunzi was the best proof of this. Compared to An Honghan, a seasoned veteran, Xi Xizhi was far too inexperienced. Before he could take human form, he had to curry favor with him.
"We're going to the Heavenly Prison. What we do next is entirely up to you." As if deliberately testing Xiao Diao, An Honghan transferred all the power of life and death to Xiao Diao.
Xi Xizhi was stunned, blinked, and pondered that sentence again.
"Chirp chirp..." Xi Xizhi confirmed again.
"The life and death of An Ruoyan and Xiao Xunzi are up to you. But... I remind you, there's a saying that goes, 'Wildfire cannot burn them all, the spring breeze brings them back to life.'" An Honghan's words were cold, just like him. As soon as he stood in front of you, you could immediately feel his powerful aura.
Xi Xizhi nervously grabbed at his clothes, her claws hooked, gripping his robe tightly.
All the way from Panlong Palace to the Heavenly Prison, An Honghan kept a close eye on the little sable's every move. The fur on the little sable's forehead was damp with sweat, and its clear eyes were filled with struggle.
An Honghan couldn't bear it. He had thought about letting Xiao Diao retain her last bit of innocence, but after everything that had happened, it was clear that this was impossible.
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