CH 11

The Grey Wolf (4.3)

In the past decades, Great Liang had very few wars, so the royal court emphasized literary skills and less on war tactics. It’s the same with the Empress Dowager and Xiao Yu as both of them surrounded themselves with ministers who were scholars. The soldiers in the kingdom remained dormant all year round. For someone like Xiao Kezhi, who had no one to depend on, staying in Ganzhou was the best way to preserve his life.

In the past ten years, he conducted military matters with fairness and lived among his soldiers. Whenever there was an attack by the foreign forces, he would personally lead soldiers to expel them and save numerous poor subjects. Everyone in Ganzhou admired him greatly.

He was able to bear difficulties with patience for many years, and at the same time gained people’s respect. He was truly a man of great capability. What was even more impressive was that he cared for the common people. This was something sorely lacking in both the Empress Dowager and Xiao Yu.

Chu Ning was deep in her thoughts. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by Cui He’s gasp.

“What’s going on?” Chu Ning turned around and saw that Cui He was staring at someplace near the pavilion. She seemed to be frightened to the point of being stunned. Her whole body was shaking.

“Madam, it’s… it’s a wolf…”

Before Chu Ning could react, she looked behind her and met with a pair of yellow eyes, gleaming coldly under the sunset.

It had grey fur, sharp teeth, strong limbs, and a large body. It was definitely a wolf.

As their gaze met, it moved towards her silently, exposing its sharp teeth and blood red tongue every now and then.

Chu Ning was scared to the point of shivering. It didn’t even cross her mind to wonder why there was a wolf in Taiji Palace. She grabbed hold of Cui He and said, “Don’t move and don’t look at it.”

Both of them stood completely still and did not dare to meet their eyes. However, it was still approaching them slowly.

At this moment, a few palace attendants were walking past the pond while carrying stacks of clothes. One of them saw the wolf and screamed.

The scream broke the stillness at the pavilion. The wolf turned around, dashed towards the scream, and pounced on the attendant.

In a split second, clothes were scattered everywhere. The other attendants were frightened and quickly scrambled to hide. The noise from the commotion seemed to excite the wolf. It opened its jaws wide and was ready to bite down on the poor attendant when whistle sound came from nearby.

“Weimo, get back here.” Xiao Kezhi, the Prince of Qin called out to the wolf.

The grey wolf was very obedient. It immediately let go of the attendant and rushed over to Xiao Kezhi. The two guards behind him waved the live rabbits they were holding and distracted him to another place.

The few frightened attendants had to be half guided and half carried to somewhere else to calm down. The clothes scattered all over the ground were also speedily cleared. Xiao Kezhi remained standing on his spot and glanced sideways in the direction of the pavilion.

Chu Ning stared at him back and was suddenly woken from her daze. She found that her back was damp with cold sweat. Her legs were weak and she could only grab the railing for support.

Xiao Kezhi stopped for a moment before coming nearer with an expressionless face and asked, “Did it scare you?”

His tone was low and a little rough. It felt like being in a sandy wind, and she had difficulty determining whether his voice was of mockery or concern.

Chu Ning patted her chest to calm down and forced a nod. She addressed him, “Royal Uncle” and was about to curtsey. 

However, she still hadn’t fully recovered from the fright just now, and her legs gave way. She was about to fall when a large hand suddenly grabbed her arm.

The strong grip supported her as she stood. However, it did not move away and remained gripping on her slender arm.

The heat from his hand seeped through the fabric and slowly spread to her skin, causing her to shiver slightly.

At this moment, she suddenly found out that there was just a step distance between them. She looked up slightly and saw his eyes, gleaming like the wolf from a moment ago and observing her silently.　　

She shivered again and resisted the urge to free herself. She turned her face away slowly to avoid his gaze and coincidently revealed to him her beautiful side profile.

As the sky darkened, the quiet air gradually formed a strange atmosphere.

Cui He’s eyes widened, and she was at a loss about what to do.

While Chu Ning and Xiao Kezhi were looking at each other, footsteps came from a path nearby, followed by Xiao Yu’s cold voice saying, “Ning, it’s late. Time to go back.”