"Yes, Your Highness," several people nodded and withdrew. Liu Liu leaned back on the couch to rest, and the great hall fell silent for a moment. The palace maids and eunuchs stood at a distance, not daring to make a sound that might disturb their mistress. Though sometimes cold, she wasn't too harsh on them, her servants. It was just that she was often too tired, with so many things to worry about.
Sunlight streamed in from the hall's entrance, casting a warm, golden halo amidst the autumn air. A gentle breeze wafted through, carrying the scent of incense from the golden tripod burner throughout the hall. The rows of pearl beads chimed with a pleasant sound, like a beautiful melody. Liu Liu slept soundly. Hong Xiu entered from the hall's doorway, softly and carefully draped a thick woolen blanket over her mistress, and stood guard by her side.
In the garden, branches swayed, flowers fragrant, and the sky was a clear azure, like a piece of blue silk, pristine and flawless. Two small children were playing in a corner of the garden, with palace maids and eunuchs watching from a distance, and guards standing before them. The palace was currently in turmoil, and the Empress had ordered them to protect the Crown Prince diligently. Although the Crown Prince was intelligent, he was still a child and could not be careless.
Mu Xing and Xin Hun sat on the grass, playing with Xiao Jin and Xiao Hei. This time, Mu Xing was careful. While playing with Xiao Jin, he warned Xin Hun beside him, "After you touch them, don't put your hands in your mouth, understand? These two are venomous. If you put them in your mouth, you'll die."
When Feng Xin Hun heard this, he cautiously withdrew his hand, a little scared.
He had initially wanted to touch the golden little snake, but he hadn't expected these two little creatures to be venomous. How would he dare to play with them then? He could only gaze enviously at Mu Xing, his eyes filled with longing, but he dared not move carelessly.
"Don't be afraid of them. They're very cute. Oh, and I have another good friend named Xiao Bai. It's a big eagle, and it's very well-behaved," Mu Xing said, looking up at the sky to find the eagle. Although this eagle often didn't show itself, Mu Xing knew it was always hidden high above, not far from him. As soon as he whistled, the eagle would descend.
Feng Xin Hun became somewhat interested upon hearing about a large eagle. He immediately reached out, pulled on Mu Xing's small body, and pleaded, "Mu Xing, I want to see the eagle. Can you call it down for me to see?"
"Alright," Mu Xing nodded immediately, placing his hands by his mouth and cupping them into a semi-circular spoon shape, preparing to call the great white eagle down for Xin Hun to play with. Since Xin Hun dared not play with Xiao Jin and Xiao Hei, the eagle was not venomous, and it should be fine for him to play with. Mu Xing's small face was radiant.
Cui'er and the guards in the distance, seeing the Crown Prince's actions, knew he was about to show off his great white eagle again. They couldn't help but shake their heads and smile.
Suddenly, a palace maid dressed in red emerged from the long corridor beside the garden and walked directly towards the Crown Prince and Xin Hun. Cui'er and the guards didn't notice at first. By the time they realized something was amiss, the palace maid's expression had changed. Her face was cold and sinister, distorting in the sunlight, her fingers like claws reaching out towards the Crown Prince. Cui'er cried out in alarm, and the guards behind her immediately rushed forward.
However, Mu Xing had already dodged the moment the palace maid's hand extended, and he also pulled Xin Hun away. The palace maid was stunned, as she hadn't expected the Crown Prince to possess some martial arts skills, his movements being quite agile. But there was no time to think further. The palm wind condensed, and a sinister black energy enveloped Mu Xing and Xin Hun. Mu Xing swiftly raised his hand, and the black scorpion in his hand flashed out rapidly, flying towards the palace maid's face. The palace maid was shocked by the Crown Prince's sinister nature, it was far beyond her expectations. This was where her estimation had been wrong. Seeing the figure in the distance arrive before her, she had no time to think. She raised her hand and struck the black scorpion, shattering it into powder in an instant. The red-clad palace maid spun around and disappeared. Mu Xing, however, no longer paid attention to the palace maid. He had already rushed towards the powder, crying out in sorrow.
"Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei, my Xiao Hei was killed, Xiao Hei was killed."
Xin Hun stood by, shedding tears with Mu Xing. The two children cried heartbrokenly, while the guards pursued the red figure. Cui'er led two eunuchs to Mu Xing's side, crying out in panic, "Mu Xing, are you alright? Are you alright?"
Mu Xing turned and nestled into Cui'er's embrace, pointing at the pile of powder, his voice intermittent. "I'm alright, but Xiao Hei was killed by her. I want to avenge Xiao Hei, I want to avenge Xiao Hei."
"Okay, okay, we won't rush. We'll definitely find that hateful thing and avenge Xiao Hei," Cui'er held Mu Xing back. The black scorpion and the little golden snake had been his playthings since childhood, and now that they were killed, he was naturally saddened. In the eyes of others, these might just be poisonous creatures, but in Mu Xing's eyes, they were his friends. He was very sincere towards his friends. How could he not be sad when Xiao Hei was crushed? Moreover, if it weren't for Xiao Hei, Mu Xing might have suffered the venomous claws. Who was that woman? Without a doubt, she was a palace maid, but which palace's maid was she?
Several guards went to chase the palace maid but returned in vain, as the palace maid's skills were quite remarkable, not something ordinary people could deal with. She vanished in the blink of an eye.
"We should immediately report to Your Highness," Cui'er instructed the young eunuch behind her, while she carefully led Mu Xing and Xin Hun back to Weiyang Palace.
After they left, someone emerged from the shadows. It was the same young maid from before. She had actually returned, her face sinister, her eyes filled with viciousness, gritting her teeth and cursing. "Feng Xie, oh Feng Xie, you are truly lucky. Not only did you get a capable woman, but you also got a capable son." After speaking, she left without looking back, heading in another direction. It seemed she could no longer stay in this palace, as that woman would surely find a way to investigate her. She decided to change her tactics and left the imperial garden of the palace, laughing wildly.
In Weiyang Palace, Liu Liu was awakened by a commotion. Frowning with displeasure, she opened her eyes. What was going on? She sat up and stretched her arms, asking lazily, "What is it?"
Hong Xiu stood behind Liu Liu and reported nervously, "Your Highness, someone tried to assassinate the Crown Prince in the back garden?"
"Ah?" Liu Liu exclaimed, her face changing. Her earlier languor vanished in an instant, her face filled with anxiety. "Is the Crown Prince alright?" Before Hong Xiu could answer, Cui'er had already led Mu Xing and Xin Hun into the hall. The moment Mu Xing saw his mother, he had already shaken off Cui'er's hand and rushed into Liu Liu's embrace, crying sadly.
"Mother, Xiao Hei was killed by that bad guy. That bad guy struck Xiao Hei with a palm and turned it into powder."
"Are you alright?" Liu Liu breathed a sigh of relief seeing her son unharmed. Hearing him cry sadly, she knew the black scorpion had sacrificed itself for her son. She lowered her head and gently comforted him, "It's alright. Although it died, it will be reborn in the future and become another black scorpion. If you see another black scorpion one day, it will surely be it."
"Oh, then I must find it," the little fellow declared solemnly, tears still on his face. Liu Liu looked down, beckoned for Xin Hun to come over, and took his small hand. Clearly, this little fellow had also been frightened. "Xin Hun, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's Brother Mu Xing who is in trouble. That bad person wanted to kill him," Xin Hun said, pointing at Mu Xing, his demeanor furious. The two little fellows looked extremely angry, forgetting their fear. As long as they were alright, Liu Liu was relieved. At this moment, Princess Jie Lan had learned the news and entered the great hall. Knowing the two children were unharmed, she finally relaxed.
Liu Liu looked down at Cui'er and the guards, who were all kneeling on the ground. "Please punish me, Your Highness. It was my subordinates' negligence." Although these people had frightened Mu Xing, he was ultimately unharmed. Most importantly, the killer might be Feng Luo. If it was Feng Luo, whom even they couldn't handle, how could these guards be a match for Feng Luo? Liu Liu waved her hand. "You may rise. Tell me, what did that person look like?"