In the palace of the Fengze Empire, eight lifelike golden dragons are carved and coiled on the pillars. Two luminous pearls are inlaid in the dragon's eyes, their dazzling light making one dizzy.
All the ministers looked up at the envoy from the Kingdom of Jiu standing in the center of the hall.
The Kingdom of Jiu is a small country bordering the Fengze Empire. Though small, it is fully functional, and its wealth is only slightly less than that of the Fengze Empire. Today, when they entered the palace to pay homage, they brought a full five thousand bolts of silk and countless precious trinkets.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's care, my country is able to enjoy peace and prosperity. Last month, my king acquired a treasure and specially sent it to your country to bring a smile to Your Majesty's face." The envoy bowed, displaying impeccable manners.
The ministers did not take these words to heart at all.
Every country that comes to pay tribute claims to bring treasures. But truly treasure-worthy items are few and far between. Gold, silver, and jade are plentiful in Fengze Kingdom. Pearls and agates are even more numerous.
The envoy, seemingly oblivious to the ministers' disdain, smiled and beckoned towards the outside of the hall. A guard from the Kingdom of Jiu immediately entered carrying a round tray. On the tray was something, but unfortunately, it was covered with a black cloth, obscuring everyone's view.
"Gentlemen, why don't you guess what's inside?" The envoy placed his right palm in front of his chest, made a gesture of respect, and bowed slightly forward.
“Envoy of the Kingdom of Jiu, stop playing coy. The world is vast, and there are so many things to do. If we each guess one thing, we won’t be able to finish the morning court session until sunset,” said Left Chancellor Situ Feiyu with a forced smile and a hint of contempt in his eyes.
It's no wonder he said that. Although Jiu Kingdom is wealthy, its military strength is extremely weak. If it weren't for Fengze Kingdom protecting them, their small country would have been trampled by the armies of other countries long ago.
"Prime Minister Situ is absolutely right. It was I who overstepped my bounds. In that case, why don't you ministers take a look at what's on this plate?"
The messenger lifted the black cloth, revealing an exquisite cage. In the center of the cage lay a small, silvery-white, soft-furred animal, its pointed ears twitching. As if dissatisfied with the sudden glare of the light, its crystal-clear eyes impatiently opened a crack.
Its body, no bigger than a palm, was curled up in a ball, as if unwilling to be seen. In the middle of its forehead, a tuft of red downy hair looked like a flame burning fiercely.
As everyone watched the little animal's actions, only one thought came to mind—what a clever little ferret!
In Fengze Kingdom, many wealthy women love to keep small pets. Although this little ferret is very cute, calling it a 'treasure' would be a joke.
Left Prime Minister Situ Feiyu stepped forward again, mocking, "Does the Jiu Kingdom have run out of treasures that it has to send a little sable? Even if it wants to appease our court, it should at least send some decent exquisite agate or thousand-year-old jade. You think the Fengze Kingdom is too generous, don't you!"
The ministers all criticized the envoy's faults, and the hall immediately became noisy.
At this moment, An Honghan, sitting on the dragon throne, looked at the cage in the middle of the hall with a hint of interest in his eyes.
This chubby little white ball was none other than Xi Xizhi, who was unfortunately struck by lightning and his body was destroyed. He had cultivated for twenty years and was just about to ascend to immortality with his master when he suddenly died like this.
She was lucky, in a way. At the last moment, a magical artifact given to her by her master blocked the final impact for her; otherwise, even her soul would have been destroyed in the tribulation.
When her soul first entered the animal's body, Xi Xizhi was furious and wished she could slit her throat again and change bodies. But then she remembered that her master named her 'Xizhi' to teach her to cherish everything in front of her, and that if she slit her throat and her soul was scattered, it would be a greater loss.
After observing for several days, she discovered that this body was like a container of spiritual energy, with a continuous stream of spiritual energy flowing into it from all directions.
With this thought in mind, Xi Xizhi let go...
At this rate of cultivation, it will only take him one or two years to regain human form.
Seeing the ministers and envoys arguing amongst themselves, Xi Xizhi sat up straight, her round body upright, her dark, round eyes gleaming with interest, clearly watching the spectacle.
An Honghan's pure black eyes took in the little sable's movements and became interested. He called out, "Bring the sable here."
In an instant, the ministers, who had been arguing heatedly, all fell silent, their gazes fixed on the young emperor seated above them, unable to fathom what he was up to...
The voice was filled with icy coldness. Just by hearing it, one could guess how cold and ruthless the person seated was.
Xi Xizhi shrank her round body, her two small, plum blossom-shaped paws weakly covering her face. Through the gaps between her paws, she secretly glanced at An Honghan above her.
An Honghan, in his early twenties, was composed and handsome, exuding an aura of dominance that commanded respect. His features were sculpted and striking, but his chilling eyes were so intimidating that few dared to look at him for long.
This person doesn't seem to have a penchant for abusing pets, does he?
Xi Xizhi felt a little hesitant and moved her chubby little legs behind the cage.
Throughout history, there have been many tyrants.
Seeing the heavy aura emanating from this person, Xi Xizhi couldn't help but have second thoughts. It would be better to remain caged forever than to acknowledge such a gloomy master. If this person were to become angry, her life would certainly be in danger when she was powerless!
Seeing that An Honghan was interested, the messenger's eyes crinkled with laughter as he carried the cage to the chief steward, Lin En.
Xi Xizhi gripped the cage tightly, afraid of getting too close to the person. The person bared its teeth and barked, saying that humans couldn't understand its language.
It squeaks and squeaks.
"It seems that this ferret also likes His Majesty. These past few days it has been sleeping in its cage, but as soon as it sees His Majesty, it becomes so happy that it jumps around."
The envoy's obsequious face, twisting the truth, made Xi Xizhi want to pounce on him and scratch him a few times. "You're twisting the facts! She was clearly resisting..."
"Take it out." The cold voice rang out again.
The steward, Lynn, opened the cage and carried the little ferret closer to the golden dragon throne.
When she was a meter away from An Honghan, Xi Xizhi kicked off and jumped out of Lin En's grasp. Just as she was about to run back, a large hand firmly grabbed her neck. Xi Xizhi shrank her head and turned around, only about ten centimeters away from a handsome face with no expression.
Cluck cluck cluck... The little ferret kept squawking, trying to break free from someone's control.
"You need to be disciplined. Nothing has ever dared to disobey me. Where do you think you can hide?"
An Honghan looked at the phoenix-cloud sable in his hand. It was cute and noble, very suitable for women to keep. But no matter how cute it was, it was just a plaything.
Hearing this, Xi Xizhi shuddered. She knew it… this person didn't look easy to get along with; he probably enjoyed torturing small animals for pleasure!
Xi Xizhi stopped struggling, like a wilted eggplant, letting An Honghan carry her without resisting anymore.
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