43. Do you know your sin?
"I'm... I'm hiding in..."
Do you know your crime?
Jin Lanyue took a deep breath and raised her tear-streaked face: "I know I shouldn't have stolen the puppy, I shouldn't have lied to the little prince..."
She wiped away her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed: "Your Majesty, please only punish me, okay? Don't blame Little White, Little White..."
"When did I say I would punish you?" Wei Xiuming's voice suddenly softened.
The two children were stunned at the same time, and Xiaobai tilted his head in confusion.
Wei Xiuming walked up to the little dumpling and squatted down: "You saved this little guy, I should reward you."
He patted Xiaobai's head: "From now on, it's yours."
The young prince opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.
He didn't know whether he should be sad because the puppy wouldn't end up being his, or because the little dumpling hadn't relaxed because he was being punished.
He saw his father turn to him and quickly lowered his head.
“As for you,” Wei Xiuming said in a deep voice, “crying and wailing all day over a little dog, what kind of behavior is that?”
The young prince bit his lip and remained silent, his eyes reddening again.
The Emperor treated him and the little dumpling completely differently.
"Aren't you going to thank Princess Fukang?" Wei Xiuming said. "If I had known that you brought a dog to the Wenhua Hall and didn't focus on your studies but only kept a dog there, not only would that dog have died, but everyone in the Wenhua Hall would have been punished."
He said, "So you should thank Princess Fukang. She not only saved the dog, but also spared everyone in the Wenhua Palace from punishment."
The young prince was stunned for a moment, then finally whispered, "Th-thank you..."
The little dumpling quickly waved its hand: "You're welcome..."
Suddenly remembering something, she asked timidly, "Then... then will the little prince be able to come and visit Xiaobai in the future?"
She thought, "Xiaobai is also the little prince's dog, and the little prince likes Xiaobai very much."
If they could see each other more often, the little prince wouldn't be sad.
Looking at the expectant eyes of the two people, the dog, and the three little guys, Wei Xiuming smiled slightly and said, "Granted."
Little Whitey barked once and wagged its tail happily.
The little dumpling picked it up, and together with the little prince, they bowed and withdrew.
As she reached the palace gate, she secretly turned around and saw Wei Xiuming watching their backs with a smile on his face.
-
Outside the Imperial Study
The little prince suddenly grabbed Jin Lanyue's soft little hand: "Wait."
His little face tightened: "I...I've figured it out."
The little dumpling looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"It's better for Xiaobai to be with you..." the little prince's voice trailed off, "than with me."
After he finished speaking, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Young Prince..."
"I'm sorry." The young prince lowered his head. "I shouldn't have yelled at you or told on you. It's all my fault."
"No, no!" the little dumpling said hurriedly, "It was my fault for secretly taking Xiaobai away. I should have told you."
Little White seemed to sense the atmosphere easing, and happily whimpered, nuzzling the little prince and sticking out its tongue to lick his hand.
The two little ones stood there hand in hand, apologizing to each other, wiping away each other's tears, comforting each other, and making up.
Finally, the little prince stopped crying and started laughing: "Let's go see Chaoyun, she must be so worried."
The two children walked hand in hand toward the Wenhua Hall.
They hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard a light, airy voice: "Stop."
The voice was soft and gentle. Before the little dumpling could react, the little prince's face turned pale instantly: "Mother... Mother..."
Then, Consort Shu arrived with a large entourage.
"Well, that's right," Consort Shu sneered, "this little beast is still alive after all."
"Mother!" The little prince exclaimed in alarm, stepping in front of the little dumpling and the white rabbit.
Consort Shu ignored him and instead said to the nanny behind her, "Why haven't you arrested that beast yet?"
A strong old woman stepped forward, roughly grabbed the scruff of Xiaobai's neck, and pulled it out from behind the little dumpling.
Little Whitey howled in pain, its four paws flailing wildly in the air.
"No!" The little dumpling cried and rushed forward, but was stopped by another nanny.
Consort Shu looked down at the young prince and said, "You've grown quite bold, haven't you? Not only did you dare to deceive me, but you also brought this beast to the Wenhua Hall and made a scene in front of His Majesty?"
The young prince was both shocked and frightened, tears welling up in his eyes involuntarily: "Mother, I was wrong..."
Consort Shu merely sneered, completely ignoring the young prince's apology and disregarding the pleading in his words.
Her voice was soft yet chilling: "Guards, drag this beast away and deal with it, lest it defile His Majesty's place."
"No!" Jin Lanyue and the little prince rushed forward at the same time, but were held back by the nannies.
"Jiayou, do you know why your mother did this?" Consort Shu knelt down and gently stroked the little prince's pale cheek with her fingers adorned with jade nail guards. "Because your mother loves you the most."
The young prince flinched, tears silently streaming down his face.
“You are destined to inherit the throne. How can you be so indecisive, unable to even part with a beast? How will you shoulder the responsibility of the nation in the future?” She suddenly grabbed the young prince’s chin, forcing him to look up. “Look your mother in the eyes when you speak. Do you think your mother is heartless?”
The young prince shook his head frantically: "Your subject dares not..."
"Dare not?" Consort Shu sneered, releasing her grip and standing up. Her expression instantly changed, filled with anger and coldness. "Then what are you doing now? Crying and wailing before the Emperor for a lowly beast, disgracing the royal family!"
The young prince was trembling all over.
"How have I raised you all these years?" Consort Shu's voice suddenly softened as she bent down to wipe his tears. "You are your father's only son, intelligent since childhood, praised by everyone in the court and the country. But look at you now! You've made such a fuss over a dog. How can I face our ancestors?"
Jin Lanyue stamped her feet anxiously, "No! His Highness..."
"Shut up!" Consort Shu swept her gaze over. "I'm disciplining my own children. Who are you, a mere young girl, to interrupt?"
She straightened up and walked closer, looking down at the little dumpling with disdain: "As expected of an ill-mannered brat, no wonder he did such petty things."
The little dumpling backed away in fear.
She couldn't understand what Consort Shu was saying, but she could feel the malice emanating from her.
She was very scared and felt terrible.
She felt that this Consort Shu was terrifying; one moment she was all smiles, and the next she was fierce.
Even when he's smiling, the things he says still terrify her.
Suddenly, a shrill scream came from afar. The little dumpling stopped in her tracks, her heart clenching.
She saw several old women dragging Xiaobai behind the artificial hill, and the puppy struggled desperately.
Xiao Bai is going to get beaten to death!
What should I do?
The little dumpling was extremely anxious.
With her small arms and legs, it was impossible for her to rush over and save the puppy.
The only helper, the young prince, dared not move when he saw Consort Shu.
Is there anyone who can help her?
Can anyone help Xiaobai?
Everything was supposed to be better, so why is it like this?
The little dumpling racked its brains and suddenly thought of someone who could help them!
"Your Majesty! Help!"
Suddenly, the little dumpling mustered all its strength, turned around, and ran wildly, rushing towards the Imperial Study like a small arrow.
She ran so fast that she lost one of her embroidered shoes, but she didn't even notice.
Consort Shu was clearly caught off guard by this turn of events, and a look of panic flashed across her delicate face: "Stop her!"
But it was too late.
The little dumpling burst through the door of the imperial study, crying out, "Help!"
Her little face was covered in tears, her hair was disheveled, and one foot was bare; she looked utterly wretched.
Behind her, Consort Shu's palace servants hurried over.
She ran haphazardly inside, afraid that if she was even a step too slow, she would be caught and Xiaobai would die.
Until she stumbled into a warm embrace.
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