Chapter 493: Mengyi vs. Parrot
Chapter 493: Chapter 493: Mengyi vs. Parrot
Shen Ningning was incredibly curious. She ran to Mo Lingwei’s side and craned her neck to look at the changes on the Jade Ring.
Panic rose in Tuo Ye’s eyes.
’If his blood merges with the jade right in front of Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning...’
’Wouldn’t his identity be exposed?’
Mr. Xiu Mu stammered, "Crown Prince, actually..."
He didn’t finish, but everyone watched as Tuo Ye’s blood slid right off the Jade Ring.
The jade didn’t absorb it at all.
Tuo Ye’s eyes widened.
"Tsk." Mo Lingwei scoffed. "Does everyone’s blood just slide off it like this?"
Mr. Xiu Mu snapped back to his senses. "No, absolutely not. This humble subject personally saw the blood of the Great Sun King and various princes and nobles get ’eaten’ by this jade."
He gave a dry laugh. "This guard of mine is no Prince, so of course the Jade Ring won’t absorb his blood."
Mo Lingwei tossed aside the longsword, took Shen Ningning’s hand, and smoothly pocketed the Jade Ring.
"I hope it’s as miraculous as you claim. This guard of yours carries himself with more airs than you do. I thought he might be some incognito nobleman at your side, but it seems he’s just a nobody."
Mr. Xiu Mu pulled out a handkerchief, stuffed it into Tuo Ye’s hand, and told him to go get his wound bandaged.
Tuo Ye suppressed his confusion and rage and excused himself immediately.
Shen Ningning glanced at his departing back and said, "In that case, we’ll tentatively agree to this matter."
"But even with this Jade Ring, it’s not much help. After all, who’s going to bleed for no reason just so we can test their identity?"
Mr. Xiu Mu had already been thrown into disarray by Mo Lingwei’s actions.
He nodded, somewhat unsettled. "The Princess is right. We will follow your lead."
They didn’t stay for much longer before the banquet concluded.
Mr. Xiu Mu returned to the posthouse and hurried to Tuo Ye’s room.
Fortunately, the cut from Mo Lingwei wasn’t deep. With a timely bandage, the bleeding had already stopped.
Tuo Ye was pacing the room in a furious rage. "Mr. Xiu Mu, I strongly disagree with this method of yours! That Princess Funing is obviously just stalling for time!"
"When we find the Tenth Princess is entirely up to her! And until she’s found, we’re at her mercy and will have to keep supplying her with Heaven Suppressing Pearls."
"You’re being completely played by Princess Funing!" ’And he even got me injured!’
Mr. Xiu Mu stroked his beard, his earlier panic now replaced by composure.
He sipped his tea calmly. "Third Prince, we have to do this. And I have my ways to make Princess Funing help us, whether she wants to or not."
Tuo Ye’s thoughts were in turmoil. He glanced irritably at his injured hand.
"What’s the deal with the Heart Transmission Jade? It didn’t even merge with my blood."
Mr. Xiu Mu smiled. "Third Prince, the Heart Transmission Jade is a supreme treasure of our dynasty, crucial to the royal bloodline. Did you really think the Great Sun King would let us bring the real one to Cangyun Country? That one was a fake."
Tuo Ye frowned. "A fake? Then how are we supposed to find the Tenth Princess?"
Mr. Xiu Mu lowered his shrewd eyes, the flickering candlelight on the table casting his face in light and shadow.
"Third Prince," he said, his voice low and eerie, "finding the Tenth Princess would naturally be a good thing. But for Changliu Country, we have more important matters to attend to."
Tuo Ye froze, understanding instantly.
They were here to destroy the pillars of Cangyun Country, to take away the blessed girl, and to ensure the Emperor’s most beloved son, Mo Lingwei, died without a proper burial.
Only then could they completely destroy Cangyun Country’s foundation.
Once the entire nation was in chaos, Changliu Country would seize the opportunity to dispatch troops and conquer Cangyun Country in one fell swoop.
As for whether his sister was ever found, that probably didn’t matter anymore.
’Those in power must know how to make sacrifices.’
Finding the Tenth Princess was just a pretext.
...
Shen Ningning rested her chin on her slender hand, toying with the Jade Ring.
She examined it in the moonlight. The dark, clotted blood inside the Jade Ring really did look ancient.
The Black Wolf King happened to be lying beside her, so Shen Ningning held the jade under its nose for it to sniff.
The Black Wolf King sniffed it twice, then pushed it away with its paw in disgust.
"Smells like rust."
Shen Ningning burst out laughing. "If it’s really full of old, dried blood, then it would definitely smell like rust."
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she thought of an idea.
*
When the Emperor learned of Changliu Country’s arrangement, he had no particular objections.
He left the matter entirely in the hands of his son, Mo Lingwei, and Shen Ningning.
Shen Ningning went to the National Academy for class.
She discovered that Lu Shaoyuan had brought a parrot.
"Shen Ningning!" Lu Shaoyuan, carrying a cage and flashing a handsome smile, strode toward her. "I got a talking bird, too."
As he spoke, he pulled a snack from his pocket and fed it to the parrot.
Then he ordered, "Say a few auspicious words for us."
The parrot ate the snack but refused to speak, only tilting its head and hopping around in its cage.
Lu Shaoyuan grew anxious and fed it a few more pieces. "Speak! You were practicing so well at home! Didn’t you wish my mother wealth and prosperity this morning before I left? Why are you mute now?"
Ye Shangyi, sitting next to Shen Ningning, was bent over with laughter.
"This parrot has no respect for you."
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes. She could tell the parrot really didn’t want to pay Lu Shaoyuan any mind.
Beside them, Qi Xiuwei offered a gentle smile. "Mr. Lu, could you have gotten the order wrong?"
"I once saw Lord Pei training Mengyi. He always has it obey a command first, and only gives it a reward after it’s done. You fed it until it was full first, so it probably thinks you’re rewarding it for being quiet."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Shaoyuan, feeling embarrassed, grumbled, "This stupid bird! It needs more training!"
He walked off with the cage, and Shen Ningning and the others laughed even more brightly.
Just then, Liang Yici walked in from outside, glanced at them, and said, "There’s someone outside looking for Miss Qi."
"Who is it?"
"I don’t know. A guard." Liang Yici walked away as soon as she finished speaking.
She was still angry with Shen Ningning.
She felt that by helping the people from Changliu Country, Shen Ningning was doing General Liang a disservice.
Ye Shangyi gasped. "Could it be Lord Pei?"
Qi Xiuwei blushed and immediately stood up. "I’ll go see."
Ye Shangyi quickly pulled Shen Ningning along to follow.
At the entrance to the National Academy, it was indeed Pei Yin and his Black-maned Horse.
He handed a caged Mengyi to Qi Xiuwei.
"I have to leave the capital for a few days on official business. Might I trouble Miss Qi to look after Mengyi for me? Here is its food."
Mengyi flapped its wings in the cage, expressing its displeasure.
Qi Xiuwei’s porcelain-fair face turned a faint pink. "Of course. What business is Lord Pei attending to?"
"Official business," Pei Yin replied simply.
As he was speaking, he caught a glimpse of two girls peeking out from inside the National Academy’s gate.
Pei Yin glanced over, and Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi quickly ducked back.
Shen Ningning whispered to Ye Shangyi, "Looks like they’ve made up?"
Ye Shangyi nodded. "You don’t know? Ever since Mrs. Qi Sr. fell ill and became bedridden, Xiao Wei has been free as a bird every day! That old hag can’t bully her anymore."
After they finished talking, they tried to peek again, only to find that Qi Xiuwei had already come back inside, carrying Mengyi’s cage.
Pei Yin had already ridden away on his horse.
Ye Shangyi teased, "Ooh, ooh! Who was that who came looking for you? Don’t tell me wedding bells are in your future?"
Qi Xiuwei’s face was astonishingly red. "No! Lord Pei is traveling, and since there’s no one to feed Mengyi, he naturally entrusted it to me."
Shen Ningning’s laughter was bright and lively. "Then why did he only give it to you and not someone else?"
"Exactly!"
Qi Xiuwei lowered her head, utterly bashful. "Alright, alright, class is about to start. Let’s hurry."
These days, all the classes at the National Academy were held together. They had all reached the age where graduation was approaching.
There were over eighty people in the class. Shen Ningning and her friends were a little late, and everyone was already seated when they entered.
Lu Shaoyuan had saved seats for them, so the three girls hurried over, with Qi Xiuwei still carrying Mengyi’s cage.
At that moment, Lu Shaoyuan’s parrot, which had been sitting quietly on the windowsill...
...saw Mengyi in its cage, let out a terrified SQUAWK, and blurted out a string of placating words—
"Shen Ningning save me I like you I want to marry you don’t ignore me even though I’m not as powerful as the Crown Prince I have lots of money I’ll give it all to you."
In that instant, the entire room fell dead silent.