Subdue him and take off your clothes for me!
The incident happened suddenly. Wei Shuang pushed Xiao Yu aside and instinctively stood in front of him, raising her hand to block the attack.
The gleaming dagger was blocked outside the wall.
Wei Shuang seemed oblivious to the pain, gripping the blade with her bare hands, blood dripping onto the floor.
"Wei Shuang!" Xiao Yu stared wide-eyed, his face pale. He was completely blocked by Wei Shuang and couldn't see anything, but the smell of blood inside the carriage was getting stronger and stronger. He wanted to get up to check on Wei Shuang's injuries, but he still couldn't muster the strength.
"I am fine," Wei Shuang replied softly, her calm voice reassuring.
"Quickly finish this, no injuries allowed." Xiao Yu could only grip the seat tightly with a gloomy face.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey." Wei Shuang's eyes were sharp as she turned her gaze back to the clueless assassin who didn't even bother to conceal his face.
The assassin was clearly a first-timer. When he realized he had attacked the wrong person, he froze on the spot. Wei Shuang's expression hardened, and in the moment the assassin was stunned, she elbowed him in the abdomen, dislocating his arms in a few breaths.
The assassin cried out in pain, his hand no longer able to grip the dagger, yet he did not know how to escape. With red eyes, he lunged at Xiao Yu behind Wei Shuang, attempting a final struggle with his teeth.
"You dare to disturb His Majesty's presence!" Wei Shuang grabbed the man's hair, pulling the assassin back in front of him. He picked up a dagger, the blade pointing directly at the thief's throat. "Who sent you?"
"Your Majesty? Xiao Yu is clearly a heartless bastard! You sit high in that position, yet no one has even cleaned up my mother's remains. How dare you!!!" With his last chance to strike snatched away, the assassin collapsed to the ground, powerless. He was restrained by Wei Shuang and could only roar at Xiao Yu in resentment.
"How dare you! How can you address His Majesty by his name so directly!"
Wei Shuang raised her hand, just about to slap him, when Xiao Yu spoke up: "Wait a minute, Wei Shuang, let me see who it is."
Wei Shuang glanced at him sideways, then tightened his grip by three times. With a cold face, he moved half of his body aside and forced the bound assassin to kneel in front of Xiao Yu.
Upon seeing Xiao Yu, the assassin became even more agitated. The resentment in his eyes almost burst out of their sockets. He was powerless to do anything, but his eyes, which resembled those of a nanny, made Xiao Yu's heart tremble.
"You...you are...the old woman's son." The fear on Xiao Yu's face vanished instantly, replaced by the joy of having something lost and found. "You're still alive? Why didn't you tell me!"
Wei Shuang's expression changed slightly. He looked at Xiao Yu and asked, "An old acquaintance of Your Majesty's outside the palace?"
Before Xiao Yu could nod, the person in Wei Shuang's arms spoke again, straining their voice.
"What old acquaintance? I dare not trouble Your Majesty with such concern." Upon hearing his mother mentioned by Xiao Yu, the hatred in the assassin's eyes vanished instantly, his eyes reddening even more, like a ferocious yet powerless rabbit.
"Ji Lian, I have no grudge against you. You are the son of the old woman. Why did you want to kill me?" Xiao Yu patted Wei Shuang's shoulder reassuringly, then leaned forward half an inch. Xiao Yu's tone was weak and gentle, which made the assassin in front of him shed tears again.
“My mother risked her life to protect you, but you became emperor and forgot your roots. You didn’t even bury her remains. She was just left to bury in a mass grave. I went to steal her remains, and I was…” Ji Lian was shocked to hear that Xiao Yu still remembered his name. He almost poured out all his grievances to his former master. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, “You dog emperor, you have no heart.”
Ji Lian's words struck a chord deep within Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu's lips tightened, and his already pale face became even more unpleasant. He clutched his chest, turned his head away, and whispered, "That was the nanny who raised me. Apart from my mother, she was the kindest to me. How could I be heartless!"
"That sounds nice." Ji Lian struggled to turn his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"What about the remains you mentioned? When I returned to the palace, everything was in chaos, but I immediately sent a eunuch to arrange the funeral for the old woman. That eunuch also brought me back a peach pit that the old woman had carved herself as a keepsake, which I have always carried with me." Xiao Yu took out the peach pit that he always carried with him from his sleeve and personally handed it to Ji Lian.
Ji Lian didn't budge, but in his sudden realization, he already believed seven-tenths of Xiao Yu's words.
"Later, I gave that eunuch fifty taels of silver to deliver to you, and also to tell him that since my mother is gone, if you are desperate, you can come to me for protection." Xiao Yu pondered for a long time, then lowered his voice, "Now it seems that neither the silver nor the message has been delivered."
Xiao Yu lowered his eyes, his expression sorrowful. Wei Shuang took over and said, "Then how does Your Majesty intend to deal with this assassin? Your Majesty's orders are at your disposal."
"Have the imperial physician reattach his arm, and give him another hundred taels of gold," Xiao Yu said wearily, resting his forehead on Wei Shuang's shoulder in a low voice.
"Yes." Wei Shuang didn't ask why and simply put down Ji Lian, who seemed to be missing a brain.
"You're just going to let me go like this? You're the emperor!" Ji Lian looked up in astonishment. His face, which was covered in blood by Wei Shuang, didn't look ferocious at all; instead, it was quite clear.
“Granny is gone. You are her only child. How could I mistreat you?” Xiao Yu said softly. He looked at Wei Shuang intently, the osmanthus fragrance wafting mischievously through the carriage. “I should have sent Feng Shun back then, but I was also afraid that Feng Shun would not come back either. Since you are alive, then live well.”
"If you can't make it outside the palace, send this to the General's Mansion, and someone will take you into the palace to find me." Xiao Yu reached into his sleeve again, took out a jade ring, tied the evil-repelling peach pit to it, and stuffed it into Ji Lian's arms. "Or you can come into the palace with me now. There are so many people in the palace, it won't be a problem to keep an extra guard."
Ji Lian's clear, bewildered eyes grew even more innocent: "I..."
Ji Lian's commotion was too great, attracting the attention of Feng Shun, who was traveling in the rear carriage. Xiao Yu's convoy had already been surrounded by the secret guards. Feng Shun accidentally fell off his horse and had been bitten several times by the little mountain lord along the way. He limped over, flung open the carriage curtain, and screamed, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This old servant has come to protect you!!!"
The matter was over, and Feng Shun's ridiculous behavior prompted Xiao Yu to add, "If you had come any later, the daylily would have been cold."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" Feng Shun kowtowed, twisting his waist and sticking out his buttocks. Xiao Yu couldn't bear to watch and waved for Feng Shun to quickly lead Ji Lian away.
Seeing that Xiao Yu treated Feng Shun no differently than he had outside the palace, Ji Lian was taken aback again, and the heavy weight on his heart eased once more.
“Father went to see the stars. From now on, A-Lian will live with Mother. The young prince is kind-hearted and let us move in yesterday.”
"Ah Lian, the young prince saved some osmanthus cake for you, eat it while it's hot!"
"His Highness himself doesn't have many clothes, yet he still sent us, mother and son, winter clothes. Your Majesty and His Highness are both unfortunate people; we should remember their kindness."
"Ah Lian, His Highness has saved some snacks for you again. I'll bring them back to you when I get them back..."
Mother, I was wrong.
As Ji Liancai stepped off the carriage, tears welled in his eyes. He shook off Feng Shun, who was supporting him, knelt down, and declared to Xiao Yuzhen in a loud voice, "Your Majesty is benevolent! This humble subject has relinquished his life-threatening crime and is grateful for Your Majesty's forgiveness. This humble subject is willing to follow Your Majesty in the future, regardless of life or death!"
A soft "yes" came from inside the tightly closed carriage.
With no real danger, the wheels started turning again, creaking and groaning. Xiao Yu took out some hemostatic powder and personally sprinkled it on the wound in Wei Shuang's palm.
"Why does Your Majesty keep him by your side?" The powder fell into her palm, and Wei Shuang groaned as she withdrew her hand.
"I want my own bodyguard, is that alright, Wei Shuang?" Xiao Yu had to gather his strength again, grabbing Wei Shuang's fingertips and forcefully pulling her palm towards him. The sorrow on his face had vanished without a trace.
"...Then why keep him?" Wei Shuang nodded in agreement, her expression unchanged, but the scent of wine emanating from her body carried a hint of loss.
“He can see through my movements. I won’t feel at ease if I don’t keep him under my control.” After sprinkling the medicine powder, Xiao Yu took out a bandage and carefully wrapped it around Wei Shuang’s palm, his eyes darting around. “Ji Lian is rootless and simple-minded, and… he feels guilty towards me.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Wei Shuang's eyes.
In just over a month, Xiao Yu had already gone from a kitten that could only hiss to actively attacking and expanding its territory, and had become cunning, deliberately exposing its claws and fangs in front of it to further test its strength.
Wei Shuang had no interest in the throne. Seeing the young emperor's progress, he nodded in satisfaction: "Or rather, his foundation is Your Majesty. Today Your Majesty forgave Ji Lian's crime. He feels ashamed of Your Majesty for the assassination. The better Your Majesty treats him in the future, the more indebted he will feel, and the less likely he will be to harbor any rebellious thoughts towards Your Majesty."
"Will Wei Shuang think I'm being unscrupulous?" Xiao Yu shrank back, nervously tying the bandage wrapped around Wei Shuang's palm into a bow. He raised his wet eyes to show his weakness, "The old woman is so devoted to me, but I'm using her child."
Wei Shuang raised her hand and gently patted Xiao Yu's back, saying with satisfaction, "Your Majesty is now the ruler of the world. A ruler should always weigh the pros and cons and use both kindness and severity. Your Majesty not only did not make a mistake in this matter, but also handled it very well."
"Really?" Xiao Yu's eyes lit up, and she almost threw herself into Wei Shuang's arms.
"Hmm." Wei Shuang had no choice but to take a step back, creating the proper distance between the two, that of a ruler and his subject.
"Then I'm relieved. I noticed Wei Shuang's complexion was not good, and I thought you were angry." Xiao Yu's complexion improved slightly.
A clumsy bow appeared on the back of his hand as he withdrew it. Wei Shuang frowned, but he quietly hid his right hand in his sleeve and used his thumb to gently fiddle with the butterfly's drooping wings.
By the time the carriage swayed and rattled back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, it was completely dark.
Xiao Yu rubbed his sleepy eyes, exhausted from the journey, but after taking a nap on Wei Shuang's shoulder, he actually regained some strength, allowing him to stand steadily in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation without any support.
Xiao Yu couldn't stand the wind, so Wei Shuang rolled him up in a blanket she pulled out from under the chair, took a few steps into the inner room of the Yangxin Hall, and pulled out a struggling, red-faced Xiao Yu worm from her bosom with a tense expression.
"I told you I can walk! You're injured!" Wei Shuang carried him with ease and skill. If it weren't for the smell of blood, Xiao Yu would have almost thought that the wound on Wei Shuang's back had completely healed.
Upon entering the room, as Xiao Yu had predicted, bloodstains were indeed found on Wei Shuang's light blue robe.
It's just a scratch, how could the wound have reopened!
As Imperial Physician Li, carrying his medicine chest, entered the inner room to continue treating Xiao Yu, he heard the young emperor, who had been carried back to the dragon bed by the Regent, shouting in dissatisfaction, "Take off your clothes for me!"
Physician Li's legs went weak, and he secretly raised his eyes to see Xiao Yu kneeling by the bed, pulling on Wei Shuang's clothes and pressing her onto the bed.
Physician Li's head fell completely to the ground.
A note from the author:
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[Poor thing] Back to the palace. Back to the palace.
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