Has the Ninth Prince returned?
That's wonderful!
Yuan Yao was overjoyed.
She reached out, scooped up the milk, and drank it all in one gulp: "So sweet! So delicious!"
She was really starving...
A faint smile appeared on the face of the guard, which was shrouded in black mist.
With the guards present and the Ninth Prince back, Yuan Yao felt relieved. She ate and drank her fill, and even took a nap.
She didn't sleep well last night, she was so tired!
When Yuan Yao woke up and opened her eyes, she saw the person guarding her bedside.
She rubbed her eyes: "Father?"
"Awake?" The person beside the bed reached out and scooped her up, blanket and all, and pulled her into their arms. "Still sleepy?"
A soft and warm embrace, a cool and serene fragrance—it's the Ninth Prince!
Yuan Yao couldn't help but bury her head in the arms of the Ninth Prince, and said aggrievedly, "The bed here is too hard, not as soft as the one in Qianhua Palace. My head hurts so much from sleeping here."
The Ninth Prince glanced at the bed, his long, slender fingers gently rubbing Yuan Yao's head as he said, "It's because Father came back late that Little Yao suffered."
His voice was exceptionally gentle.
Yuan Yao was so moved she wanted to cry.
Who said her father was ruthless?
How gentle and considerate Father is!
Yuan Yao moved her little head and lifted it from the Ninth Prince's arms: "Father, where did you go yesterday? Were you hurt?"
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince opened his arms and spun halfway around: "Father is so powerful, who could possibly hurt him?"
Yuan Yao nodded: "Mm!"
Yes, the Ninth Prince is so powerful and keeps his abilities hidden. It would be very difficult to hurt him.
I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Grabbing at the Ninth Prince's collar, Yuan Yao puffed out her cheeks, looking guilty: "Father, I'm sorry, Yao'er made a mistake and caused you a lot of trouble."
"I am aware of what happened at Fangfei Palace. Fortunately, they didn't harm you; otherwise, I would have slaughtered the entire Fangfei Palace!"
The Ninth Prince pushed Yuan Yao out of his arms and had someone bring a wooden comb to slowly and methodically tie Yuan Yao's hair.
He is good-looking, and every move he makes is pleasing to the eye.
Yuan Yao wanted to say a few more words, but she shut her mouth and focused on appreciating the moment.
After the two round and smooth little dumplings were tied up, the Ninth Prince nodded in satisfaction: "My little dumpling is still so cute."
Yuan Yao blinked.
The Ninth Prince stood up and pulled her into his arms with one hand: "Let's go, Father will take you back to Qianhua Palace."
Should we take her back?
And what about him?
Yuan Yao wrapped her arms around the Ninth Prince's neck: "Father, wherever you go, Yao'er will go with you!"
Without the Ninth Prince around, as a little baby with no ability to protect herself, she felt extremely insecure!
She decided to act as an accessory, determined to cling tightly to the Ninth Prince!
"You little rascal..." The Ninth Prince chuckled lightly, "I'm going to Yong'an Palace, are you coming?"
Yong'an Hall was where the emperor lived.
Yuan Yao hugged the Ninth Prince tightly: "Go!"
Yong'an Hall.
As soon as the Ninth Prince stepped into the palace gates, the Emperor's men immediately took Consort Li and Princess Lan Yue to a side hall to guard them.
Yuan Yao was carried by the Ninth Prince as they entered the front hall of Yong'an Hall, which was also where the emperor handled official business.
The hall was filled with a strong aroma of ambergris, and beneath the ambergris, there were some other scents.
Yuan Yao wrinkled her little nose and turned her face away: "Achoo..."
At this moment, Li Deshan came out to greet him: "Your Highness has arrived?"
The Ninth Prince ordered, "Put out the incense."
"yes."
Li Deshan draped his whisk over his arm, personally extinguished the incense, and then ordered the palace servants to open the doors and windows.
The emperor disliked light, so the Yong'an Palace was always kept closed, with strong calming incense burning. Only during the monthly grand court assembly or when the Emperor visited would the doors and windows be opened for a short while to let in fresh air...
The Ninth Prince carried Yuan Yao around a row of screens and saw the Emperor sitting crookedly on his desk, dressed in a disheveled casual outfit with his belt tied haphazardly.
Upon seeing the Ninth Prince, the Emperor raised his head, a glint of light appearing in his eyes hidden by heavy eye bags: "Why did you take so long? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
His voice was hoarseer than it had been in the morning.
Moreover, the tone of his voice was strange; it carried a hint of resentment mixed with a touch of longing...
Yuan Yao shivered.
The Ninth Prince didn't reply to the Emperor, but instead looked down at Yuan Yao: "Cold?"
Yuan Yao snuggled closer to him and whispered, "A little..."
Her soft, childlike voice was trembling.
She wasn't really cold; rather, the emperor before her gave her a chilling feeling.
As the emperor of a country, it's one thing for him to be dressed in disheveled clothes, but even his office is gloomy and eerie, which makes people wonder.
Yuan Yao always felt that the emperor of the Great Qi Kingdom before her might have a serious mental illness...
As she was thinking, the emperor looked over with a sinister gaze, his eyes landing on the Ninth Prince.
Or perhaps, it fell upon her, who was being held in the arms of the Ninth Prince...
Suddenly, Yuan Yao felt a chill run down her spine.
The emperor spoke in a hoarse voice: "What were you doing last night?"
"Kill him," the Ninth Prince said coldly.
kill?
Yuan Yao was stunned for a moment.
Oh no, she'll have to find another powerful backer to cling to...
At this moment, the emperor stood up agitatedly: "Murder? Who did you kill? Why did you kill them?"
The Ninth Prince looked at him as if he had heard something extraordinary: "If I don't kill people, how can I help the Emperor stabilize the realm?"
"But is there no other way besides killing?" The emperor, his hands trembling, walked barefoot to the Ninth Prince and looked up at him: "I told you, I won't let you kill anyone again!"
The Ninth Prince raised his sleeve and pulled Yuan Yao into his arms to shield her, before coldly saying, "I have already killed the person, and I have also taken care of the matter. Your Majesty need not mention it again."
"I haven't slept a wink all night and have no energy to discuss with the Emperor whether or not to kill anyone. Right now, I only want to find out the truth about the Fangfei Palace incident."
"You...you didn't sleep all night?" The emperor was stunned for a moment, took a step back, and lowered his voice as if he had done something wrong.
The Ninth Prince remained expressionless at the emperor's change in attitude: "Your Majesty, bring the person up. I will interrogate him personally."
"I...I'll go right away..."
The emperor summoned Li Deshan, had palace servants help him change his clothes and shoes, and even had his hair tied up and washed. When he came out, apart from his pale complexion and large eye bags, he actually looked somewhat like an emperor.
If the emperor had exercised and taken care of his appearance a little, he would probably have been quite handsome.
What a pity...
Why does a perfectly good person have to make themselves look like this?
Just as Yuan Yao was feeling regretful, Consort Li and Princess Lan Yue were brought over and made to kneel on the ground.
Consort Li's hairpins had long since fallen off, and now, with her hair disheveled and her eyes red and swollen, she was in a terrible state.
Lan Yue, her thin body shivering and her face streaked with tears, knelt on the ground, biting her lip, unable to utter a single word.
The emperor stood next to the Ninth Prince: "Ask whatever you want to ask."
The Ninth Prince did not respond, but instead stared coldly at Consort Li.
Unable to bear the pressure, Consort Li looked up and met his gaze.
The Ninth Prince scoffed, his voice unusually sinister: "Your Majesty, do you know that the little prince born to your Consort Li is actually an idiot?"
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