An Honghan took Xi Xizhi's hand and walked up to the golden dragon throne.
It wasn't until An Honghan sat down with the elfin-like child in his arms that everyone came to their senses. His Majesty was actually sitting on the dragon throne with that little girl?! What an unbelievable scene.
The throne signifies supreme power and status, and is usually reserved for the emperor alone. Yet today, the cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel An Honghan is sitting on it while holding a little girl?
Seeing that all the ministers remained silent, An Honghan broke the silence first, "Is there nothing else to report today?"
Who dared to object to An Honghan's decision? Even though the ministers saw the two of them sitting on the same dragon throne, no one dared to stand up and say 'no'.
Xi Xizhi was filled with mixed emotions, her bright eyes fixed on the scene below, not daring to relax for a moment.
"I have something to report."
A familiar voice reached Xi Xizhi's ears.
Xi Xizhi peeked out from An Honghan's arms and immediately saw Yuan Hui standing below.
Compared to the old fogies in the imperial court, Yuan Hui was the youngest and most handsome. When he walked out, he attracted a lot of attention.
"What do you have to report?" An Honghan saw the little girl in his arms staring down without blinking, so he raised his hand and pinched her thigh.
It only took a fraction of the effort, but the slight pain was enough to warn that arrogant little brat.
Xi Xizhi reached out to slap away An Honghan's large hand, but he had already seen through her intentions. He held Xi Xizhi's hands tightly with his other hand, not allowing her any power to resist.
The two men's subtle movements on the dragon throne went unnoticed by anyone else. The only one who saw them was the Grand Steward Lynn, but given Lynn's cautious nature, even if someone held a knife to his throat, he probably wouldn't dare to utter a word.
Yuan Hui clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, “Your Majesty, in two days it will be the triennial hunting festival. Should we, as usual, summon ministers of the third rank and above to go hunting in Yunshan?”
With the appointed time fast approaching and the court remaining completely silent, Yuan Hui finally raised this issue.
Many ministers echoed, saying, "This is a rule established by our ancestors, and of course we cannot forget it."
"That's right. Just think back to three years ago, it was General Wu who came out on top. It was as if he had fought a fierce tiger that time."
"The hunting festival is not only entertaining, but it also allows us to witness the martial arts skills of the officers, which is certainly a good thing."
Many ministers immediately began discussions after Yuan Hui made the suggestion.
Xi Xizhi listened intently, glancing here and there, but no matter how excitedly others discussed it, she couldn't feel happy.
Hunting is very common for humans, because all the meat they eat comes from livestock. However, some hunting practices, in order to win or lose a competition, result in the large-scale indiscriminate killing of innocent animals.
Xi Xizhi felt a slight pang in her heart when she thought of that scene.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you entrust the hunting trip to Youyun Mountain to me. I will certainly handle it properly," Yuan Hui said with great confidence, his face beaming with pride.
An Honghan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I trust Yuan Aiqing's abilities, so I'll entrust this matter to you. Although the Hunting Festival is held every three years, I still hope you can come up with something new. People get tired of the same old things. Yuan Aiqing, you should understand, right?"
An Honghan seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words, each sentence a reminder to Yuan Hui.
However, everyone thinks about things from a different perspective, and Xi Xizhi's attention was entirely focused on the second half of the sentence. "If you see something old too often, you'll get tired of it sooner or later?" Meaning, maybe one day An Honghan will get tired of her?
Xi Xizhi stared at An Honghan with her bright, watery eyes, as if trying to figure out what was going on.
At first, An Honghan didn't understand what her gaze meant.
Later, recalling his own words, he suddenly understood and rubbed Xi Xizhi's forehead, "Don't overthink it. I wasn't talking about you. The only person in this world who can make me feel no annoyance is you."
An Honghan's words were not false; they came from the heart.
When those words were spoken, Xi Xizhi was stunned for a moment, looking at An Honghan with some uncertainty. An Honghan was not a person who was good at expressing his feelings, so when he said such a sentimental sentence, Xi Xizhi felt incredulous.
However, if An Honghan says so, he will definitely do it. According to him, he will not abandon me and make me a homeless little mink.
Unbeknownst to her, Xi Xizhi had long regarded An Honghan as family and the palace as her home.
Despite the many troublesome people in this family, home is wherever family members are.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree."
Yuan Hui's voice came from below, bringing the two back to their senses.
An Honghan coldly looked at the assembled ministers and asked, "Is there anything else you wish to report?"
They discussed a few more things, but Xi Xizhi didn't listen. Her mind was completely occupied with the hunting festival.
It wasn't that she was looking forward to the hunting festival, but rather that she felt a little sorry for the animals in Youyun Mountain, because their lives and deaths would become a way for the courtiers to win prizes.
Since transmigrating into the body of an animal, Xi Xizhi's stance has shifted to their side. Hearing that someone wanted to hunt down her own kind naturally made her uncomfortable.
"Dismiss the court..." A eunuch's shrill voice echoed around the hall.
An Honghan put his arm around the child's shoulder, stood up, and left through the path beside the dragon throne.
When Xi Xizhi was still a mink, she attended the morning court session with An Honghan, so she was very familiar with this road.
The two then went to the Imperial Study, where An Honghan wrote down his memorials, while Xi Xizhi ground ink for him.
"Can I not go the day after tomorrow?" After some time, Xi Xizhi suddenly asked.
An Honghan didn't react at first, but after thinking about it, he immediately said, "What do you think? I will go too."
Xi Xizhi stammered, biting her lip. The thought that she was now in beast form made her realize that she definitely couldn't bear to watch those animals being hunted, so it was better not to go.
"I don't want to go," Xi Xizhi reiterated her request.
An Honghan stopped writing and asked, "Why?"
Those two words already revealed his feelings; An Honghan's gaze was fixed on Xi Xizhi. The powerful pressure he exuded was almost suffocating.
Xi Xizhi took a deep breath and squeezed out a sentence: "I just don't want to go."
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