The scene momentarily froze as Li Zong faced off against Li Fengqi, while other officials who had heard commotion in the hall held their breaths and stood quietly, like frozen insects.
Li Zong stared at him with a dark expression, then let out a laugh after a long pause. “Who would’ve thought that the illustrious Prince Yong’an would one day lose his temper over a mere beauty?”
“His Majesty misunderstands,” Li Fengqi said with a smile. “Ye Yunting is not some ‘mere beauty’; he is my Wangfei, another master of this Yong’an Palace.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he swept a steady gaze across everyone present before declaring firmly, “Disrespecting Wangfei is disrespecting me, and disrespecting Yong’an Palace!”
His voice was soft but grew deeper with each word, proclaiming Ye Yunting’s importance to all those present.
At first, Li Fengqi had considered keeping Ye Yunting’s significance to himself, fearing that Li Zong might resort to underhanded methods if he found out. But after today’s events, he realized it was futile to hide such things anymore. If he continued concealing the truth, these people would assume Ye Yunting was merely a facade, and they’d be free to provoke him further, causing even more trouble than necessary.
This was what happened with Pan Yue today.
Li Fengqi’s expression grew colder. He ordered his attendants to carry him up onto the steps, and wheeled himself closer to Ye Yunting, then looked at him with concern. “I’m late, are you injured?”
Ye Yunting glanced at Ye Wang and gently shook his head. “Ye Wang arrived in time; I’m not injured.”
This wasn’t the right time for conversation, so Li Fengqi said nothing else upon hearing this, nodding slightly instead. After firmly grasping Ye Yuting’s hand, he shielded him, Ji Lian and Ye Wang behind himself before finally turning his attention back to Pan Yue.
Having received Ji Lian’s fierce kicks, Pan Yue had already lost consciousness. When Li Fengqi saw that he was still unconscious, a cold smile curved his lips, and he turned his wheelchair, mercilessly rolling over Pan Yue’s palm without hesitation.
The intense pain from each finger striking his heart jolted the unconscious man awake with a cry.
When Pan Yue first woke, his mind was still stuck on being viciously kicked by Jilian. He cursed under his breath and lifted his head, ready to greet the person who had attacked him, only to meet Li Fengqi’s icy gaze instead.
His momentum weakened, his expression neither smiling nor crying, but somehow unsightly nonetheless. “W-Wang…Wang…”
As he spoke, his eyes darted around wildly until they landed on Li Zong, and his already humble back straightened slightly again. He unconsciously attempted to crawl up from the ground toward Li Zong for protection.
Before he could rise, however, a whip cracked sharply across his face, accompanied by Pan Yue’s pained wails that sounded like those of a slaughtered pig.
“Did this Prince allow you to get up?” Li Fengqi asked unhurriedly, lightly tapping the whip in his right hand against his left palm.
Hearing these words, Pan Yue froze mid-shout, unable to move but forced to kneel as he endured the pain. As he cried out “Wangye, spare me,” he repeatedly turned to Li Zong and Cui Xi for help with his eyes.
But Cui Xi only bowed his head and stood behind Li Zong without so much as sparing him a glance. And Li Zong… his face was ashen, his teeth clenched tightly together, but he did not speak.
Pan Yue realized something then; he recalled what Ye Yunting had said before—the people behind you would not be able to shield you from Prince Yong’an’s wrath. Though he had harbored some doubts, he’d clung to a glimmer of hope. He never expected that those words would really come true.
The emperor couldn’t protect him, nor did he plan to do so.
In the end, Pan Yue wasn’t stupid enough to remain ignorant forever. Realizing that the emperor was likely abandoning him, he attempted to plead for mercy and absolution.
His face covered in blood, he knocked his head on the ground again and again, begging for mercy, “Wangye, please calm yourself; I truly drank too much and misidentified my target earlier. I offended Wangfei just now, but this truly was an unintentional mistake. Please spare my life.”
He kowtowed for real several times—he didn’t hold back even a little, and the blood on his forehead stained the limestone beneath him red. When he lifted his head, the blood on his forehead and his injuries made him look all the more ghastly.
One official who knew him well couldn’t bear to watch and spoke up in his defense, “Commander Pan is a heavy drinker and lost control due to intoxication. Although he was wrong, it was indeed an unintentional mistake. Please spare his life, Wangye.”
Two or three others followed suit, speaking on his behalf as well. Li Zong saw their actions and agreed, adding his own voice to theirs, “Indeed, since the misunderstanding has been resolved, today being such a auspicious day, we ask Yong’an Wangye and Wangfei to let bygones be bygones—why cause such a scene that would lead to loss of life?”
As he spoke, Li Zong looked toward Ye Yunting with a smile, but there was a hidden threat within his tone. “Wangfei also does not wish for this matter to escalate, yes?”
The newcomers only knew that Pan Yue had offended the Wangfei; they weren’t clear on how exactly this offense occurred. They only guessed that he was probably drunk and spoke some nonsense.
Li Zong’s words were clearly a veiled hint to Ye Yunting—continuing to stir up trouble would benefit no one.
However, though Ye Yunting’s temperament was gentle, he was not someone who feared conflict. He did not intend to appease Li Zong by dropping the matter, but rather spoke loudly, “Pan Yue has attempted to degrade me many times under the guise of alcohol, and I am fortunate enough as a man to have avoided his schemes thus far. But if any woman within the estate were to fall victim to such treatment, wouldn’t her reputation be utterly ruined? As they say, a person’s character can often be seen from his habits when drunk. If Pan Yue could behave so boldly while intoxicated within the confines of the palace, imagine what kind of conduct he indulges in when sober.”
He looked around, ignoring everyone else’s astonished expressions, before turning to Li Zong. “The country has its own laws, and the family has its own rules. Please let His Majesty decide how best to punish Pan Yue for violating these principles. There is truly no need to concern oneself with me—I am merely a man without the concept of ‘reputation,’ so even if the situation escalates, it will cause me no harm.”
His expression was open and honest, displaying no fear whatsoever of others’ opinions as he spoke frankly about what he had just experienced.
Now everyone understood that this so-called “lack of respect” was actually about this. Most people looked at Pan Yue with contempt.
Regardless of how much they disdained Wangfei, they still maintained their courtesy as members of the Prince’s family. How could Pan Yue have the gall to act like this within the Prince’s estate? Even more ludicrously, not only had he failed to gain advantage over him, he’d managed to turn the tables on him—what more fitting punishment could there be?
Even the official who had been sympathetic to Pan Yue and previously spoken on his behalf now wore a dark expression, no longer willing to intervene on his behalf.
No one else spoke up in support of the accused, and even an official close to Prince Yong’an whispered quietly, “Wangfei is right; if I were him, chopping him would be too lenient.”
Li Zong’s face stiffened again when these words reached his ears. He glanced at the pallid Pan Yue, then coolly lifted the corner of his lips. “As the Wangfei says. Then Pan Yue will be handed to him for punishment.”
Ye Yunting met his gaze fearlessly, cupping his hands respectfully as he smiled. “His Majesty is wise.”
After that, his eyes turned back toward Pan Yue, carrying scrutiny as if pondering what exactly to do with him.
Pan Yue’s eyes swirled with defiance as he listened to them discuss his fate. When Cui Xi had come passing on the message, he’d promised that if Pan Yue succeeded, he would be promoted, and even if he failed, His Majesty would protect him: at worst, he would suffer some physical discomfort.
But what about now?
He knelt on the ground, still feeling pain from his wounds. As he recalled Prince Yong’an’s ruthlessness, he shivered violently. In a fit of madness, he lunged forward, snatching up the long blade beside him, and charged toward Ye Yunting—if he was going to die, he was ready to take someone down with him!
Yet Li Fengqi had been watching his every move. Seeing this, he stepped forward to shield Ye Yunting behind himself. At the same time, he swept out his right hand with a whip, knocking Pan Yue away.
The direction he aimed was precisely where Li Zong stood.
By now, Pan Yue was completely furious; all he wanted was to drag someone down with him before his death. After one strike failed, he wildly swung his blade around, hacking at anyone within reach. Being tall and muscular, coupled with his martial training, Pan Yue easily overwhelmed the guards momentarily, forcing them to retreat in disarray while protecting Li Zong and Han Chan.
In his panic, Li Zong glimpsed Li Fengqi protecting Ye Yunting and the two others behind him, observing their chaotic situation with an impassive expression. This only stoked his rage further. “Kill him!”
The guards who had realized what was happening scrambled to hack at him with their swords, but Pan Yue charged like a madman, refusing to fall even after a blade pierced his chest. His eyes were bloodshot, and he swung his sword toward the stone bench.
The officials gathered outside immediately scattered like birds and beasts, yet some were not quick enough; Pan Yue’s blade reached the back of two officials’ neck.
Just as lives hung on the brink, they heard a wolf’s howl, and a gray shadow leapt forward from beyond the crowd, landing swiftly behind Pan Yue and snapping its jaws around the man’s neck before dragging him to the ground.
Panyue glared defiantly, struggling desperately for a few moments, but ultimately lost all strength.
The two officials who survived by the skin of their teeth were so terrified out of their wits. They forgot to flee altogether, sitting on the ground staring helplessly as that sturdy gray wolf dragged the still-alive Pan Yue up the stone bench.
Li Zong and his entourage, escorted by guards, retreated beneath the stone bench only to come face-to-face with the wolf king.
The wolf king eyed Li Zong, perhaps recognizing him, and released Pan Yue. He crouched low, letting out a deep growl from within his throat. A pair of bestial eyes filled with the intent to kill.
Li Zong recognized the wolf king as well. Gnashing his teeth, he ordered, “Kill it!”
“Wait.” Before the guards could make a move, Li Fengqi once again called out to stop him. With a faint smile, he said, “Perhaps His Majesty cannot recognize this creature. This is indeed the wolf king you bestowed upon me some days ago. After taming it for these past few weeks, I never imagined it would have the opportunity to serve His Majesty today. All creatures possess spirits, and I think it still remembers His Majesty’s kindness.”
Li Fengqi was speaking pure nonsense; anyone with eyes could tell that the wolf king’s gaze toward Li Zong and his men was anything but friendly.
This wasn’t repayment—it was more likely vengeance.
But no one dared to say so aloud, nor did they deny that the wolf king had performed a meritorious deed by saving someone lives.
“The wolf king wouldn’t harm humans without reason,” Ye Yunting added. “Please do not panic, Your Majesty. I will call for it now.” He waved toward the wolf king as he spoke, then softly called out, “Come here.”
The wolf king lowered its body and shook its ears, silver eyes flicking between Ye Yunting and Li Zong, seeming to deliberate its decision. After a short while, it let out a long howl, picked up Pan Yue by the back of his neck, and dragged him to the pavilion. It tossed Pan Yue before Ye Yunting with a sharp bark.
Ye Yunting looked at Pan Yue lying before him. There were two rows of puncture marks bleeding blood from his neck. His breathing had already ceased, leaving only an outgoing flow of air.
He glanced at the wolf king, vaguely understanding its intentions. But what puzzled him was this: How could the wolf king have managed to escape from the courtyard behind the palace to kill Pan Yue in time? Furthermore, judging by the way it acted, it seemed to know Ye Yunting held a grudge against Pan Yue.
As he pondered, he suddenly noticed a presence approaching from behind him. Ye Yunting turned around and met Yue Changgou, who wore a smug expression.
Yue Changgou lowered his voice and chuckled, “It had been banging against the cage for quite some time, as if it wanted to go to you, so I released it. Looks like this gray wolf is indeed rather intelligent.”
Yue Changgou was still dusty from climbing over the rocks behind the pavilion. He clicked his tongue and nudged Pan Yue with his foot, muttering, “What a useless creature, unable to even scratch the emperor’s fur.”
It was a pity that he had suppressed the gray wolf and didn’t let it leave immediately.
Ye Yunting didn’t expect that the wolf king had been lured by him alone. He furrowed his brows together slightly. He wanted to say something but simply couldn’t afford the time to argue with him. Turning toward the unmoving wolf king, he tentatively reached out to pet its snout, offering some reassurance.
The wolf king’s tail swished gently as it licked Ye Yunting’s hand softly.
Seeing how docile the wolf was, Ye Yunting breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped over Pan Yue’s corpse, standing beside Li Fengqi. He cupped his hands respectfully to the crowd. “An accident occurred today, causing many lords to fear for their safety. Please go to the hall to rest for a while. Once the Prince and I have dealt with this, we will return to apologize.”
His words were courteous and considerate, his face carrying a genuine smile. Yet Prince Yong’an stood coldly to his left, and a ferocious gray wolf was at his right side. The officials returned the salute with trepidation, then hurriedly retreated, escorting the stiff-faced Li Zong toward the front hall.
===Author’s Notes===
The author has something to say:
Erdogzi: Elder Brother, you’ve been secretly raising other dogs behind my back?!?!?!
Wolf King: High and aloof.
===Translator’s Notes===
"Erdogzi" lmaooo :D
This is so good 🤧
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