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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 95 (Part 2)

Emperor Jing sat at the top and closed his eyes to rest, ignoring the noisy Empress. This marriage wasn’t to his liking in the first place. If it weren’t for the fact that the Eldest Prince was the legitimate eldest son, he would have rejected it outright. If the legitimate Young Miss of Cheng’en Mansion house ended up offending Lao Qi, she could only blame herself for being foolish. Back then, Lao Qi was willing to fight for that dog, and now he also wouldn’t care about this marriage for that dog. It could be said that he was playing right into Emperor Jing’s hands.

The Eldest Prince had a vague premonition and immediately pressed his mother’s shoulders hard to signal her to calm down. The Empress looked at him and realized that something was wrong. Now, she only hopes that her niece hasn’t hurt Lao Qi’s precious treasure, otherwise… this marriage won’t be completed, and they will become enemies instead. 

Don’t look at Lao Qi’s gentle and amiable temper, it’s only because you have never seen his ruthless side, one can tell from the way he handles government affairs that he is also a cruel master. What’s even more terrifying is that he has already established an unprecedented prestige among the courtiers. If he harbours a grudge towards them and switches to someone else’s side, the hope of the Eldest Prince ascending to the throne will be extremely slim.

And the Emperor’s attitude is also very strange. When Lao Qi wanted to search Cheng’en Mansion, the other party directly issued an edict without saying a word, which shows that he has an aversion to this marriage. The Empress and the Eldest Prince became even more panicked as they thought about it, and they couldn’t help but resent the real culprit, Miss Fang.

The guards did not find the puppy in Cheng’en Mansion, so they had to escort Miss Fang into the palace to report. Duke Cheng’en and his wife also followed in, preparing to ask what was going on. 

When the group entered the main hall, they saw the Emperor, the Eldest prince, and the Seventh Prince sitting at the top, all with very ugly expressions. Especially the Seventh Prince, seeing that everyone was empty-handed, it was clear that You Shu wasn’t found, and his bloodshot eyes were uncontrollably filled with killing intent.

“Where is my You Shu?” Without even looking at Duke Cheng’en and his wife, he turned his wheelchair towards Miss Fang and asked sternly.

Miss Fang lay prone on the ground, her head buried very low, and she spoke in a trembling voice, “I, I don’t know what you are talking about. What does your lost dog have to do with me?”

Seeing that she was still being arrogant, the Seventh Prince was concerned about her identity. He didn’t beat or scold her, nor did he threaten her. He just ordered the guards to tie up her maids and beat them to death with a cane on the spot. Beating them one by one until their flesh and blood were splattered everywhere and their muscles and bones were broken. It was the first time for the Empress and the Eldest Prince to see such a violent side of him, and they couldn’t help but be frightened.

Emperor Jing only lifted his eyelids and said nothing. His son didn’t touch the Young Miss of Duke Cheng’en’s Mansion at all, but punishing a few servants was nothing. If Lao Qi doesn’t get his puppy back, I don’t know how long he will go crazy for.

Miss Fang kept her head lowered, afraid to look more, and even more afraid to admit it. However, even if she closed her eyes, she couldn’t plug her ears, hearing the constant screams, which scared her out of her wits.  

Finally, when it was the turn of the eldest maid, as soon as the guard came forward to pull, the other party collapsed and reached out to grab the Young Miss’ skirt, crying and howling, “I beg the Prince to spare me! Young Miss was scared by that puppy, so she asked this maid to find a way to catch it. Young Miss originally intended to kill it, but thanks to this maid’s prevention, she didn’t do anything irreversible to the puppy. Instead, she threw it out the window and let it fend for itself. I still remember where it was thrown, so I will take you to find it. Please forgive me! My Lord, please spare my life!”

Duke Cheng’en and his wife felt extremely ashamed. Their daughter wanted to kill a dog just because she was frightened by it. How small is her heart? How could their daughter be so confused!

Miss Fang suddenly rushed over, grabbed the maid and started beating her, scolding her for being shameless and betraying her master. At first, she didn’t think killing a dog was a big deal, so she didn’t do much to clean up the aftermath. Is it possible that the Seventh Prince could go against the Empress, her cousin, and even the entire Fang family for it? If you lose it, then you lose it. Just raise another one, and you will forget about the previous one in the blink of an eye.

But now, she only took a quick glance at the Seventh Prince’s ashen face and red eyes, and she could clearly feel how angry he was. His hands placed on the back of the chair were trembling slightly, and veins popped up one after another, as if they would burst out in the next moment and strangle her to death.

Miss Fang cursed a few times before calming down. She covered her neck and backed away, with an expression of extreme fear on her face.

However, the Seventh Prince only glanced at her coldly, then turned his wheelchair and walked towards the palace gate, saying loudly, “Father, this woman won’t even let go of a puppy. Your son dare not ask for such a poisonous woman. You can help your son push this marriage. Also, I want to ask my father for a leave of absence. When I find my You Shu back, this courtier will return to court.”

“You bastard!” Emperor Jing became anxious and repeatedly waved to the Imperial Guards, “Quickly, go and help Lao Qi find his dog! Make sure to find it before dark!” His body wasn’t as good as before, especially his eyes, always feeling as if they were covered with a layer of gauze, unable to see anything clearly. 

Even after several attempts at removing the obstacle with a golden needle, it hasn’t been effective, so he has to accept his fate. If it weren’t for Lao Qi helping him recite memorials and handling government affairs, Dayan would have been in chaos long ago.

He didn’t want to abdicate yet, so Lao Qi was indispensable. He immediately added, “Even if the whole capital is turned upside down, you must find Lao Qi’s dog today!” 

After speaking, he looked at Miss Fang and said angrily, “I have never seen a woman as petty as you, who can’t even tolerate a dog. If a dog offends you, you have to kill it. So what if Lao Qi takes a concubine in the future and gives birth to several sons and daughters? Will you kill them all too? Such a poisonous woman, our royal family dare not take it, Duke Cheng’en, take her back quickly, don’t dirty my eyes!”

Duke Cheng’en and his wife walked forward on their knees, kowtowing and apologising repeatedly, but they knew in their hearts that their daughter’s life was over. The imperial guards searched her boudoir with great fanfare, which already ruined her reputation. Now the emperor scolded her for being a poisonous woman, ruining her reputation even more. If Prince Duan refuses to marry her, who would dare to take her in the future?

The two of them looked at the Empress with pleading eyes.

The Empress and the Eldest Prince had already seen that Lao Qi’s face was very unkind, and they knew that this feud was already formed. Not to mention trying to win him over, it would be fortunate if they didn’t become a thorn in his eyes. They hated Miss Fang to the bone, but they had to come forward and plead, hoping that Lao Qi would quickly find the little dog and then this big matter would turn into a trivial one.

However, Emperor Jing remained unmoved and drove the people out of the palace, deliberately issuing an imperial edict to rebuke Miss Fang for having no female virtues. He ordered her to be grounded and reflect on herself, and when the puppy was found, the ban would be lifted.  

The group of people pulled the crying Miss Fang into the carriage. As soon as they drove out of the palace gate, Duke Cheng’en slapped her hard and said through gritted teeth, “Cry, cry, cry, you still have the face to cry! You have ruined all our daughters, do you know that? Which man in the world dares to marry a woman who even the emperor said has no female virtue? How will your sisters get married in the future? If something really happened to Prince Duan’s puppy, you can just shave off your hair and become a nun in Yongning Temple!”

“Master, please be gentle, she didn’t mean to do it. Who knew that the Seventh Prince would take a dog so seriously.”

“Shut up! A loving mother has indeed ruined many children. The reason why she is so foolish is because she was spoiled by you! Unexpectedly, you also have no brains? Where in the world is there a dog that can wear a royal uniform? Where is there a dog that can be taken to Jinluan Hall in the morning? Where can a dog be admitted to the cabinet and listen to the old ministers discussing important government affairs? 

He said angrily, “To put it bluntly, several princes can’t even compare to the treatment of that dog! Are you blind? Didn’t you take a look, there are so many masters in the six palaces, but who dares to touch a single hair on that dog? But you didn’t even think twice before snatching it as soon as you went and throwing it into the back alley. If an accident happens, it will not only be you, but our whole Cheng’en Mansion will be destroyed! By then, you won’t have to be a nun, you can just hang yourself with a piece of white silk!”

Seeing her father speaking so seriously, Miss Fang couldn’t help but burst into tears. If she had known this, even if a puppy climbed onto her head and took a dump, she wouldn’t have frowned. Who would have imagined that there are such foolish people in the world who actually raise dogs as sons.

The carriage of Duke Cheng’en didn’t dare to go back and went around to the place where the puppy was abandoned to check the situation. The imperial guards had searched back and forth five or six times, but found nothing. 

The Seventh Prince’s wheelchair was parked on the roadside, and only a dejected figure could be seen from afar. He shouted ‘You Shu’ over and over again, and when his voice became hoarse, he picked up the jade whistle and blew it, looking around with a very sad expression.

You Shu is so young that he has almost no ability to protect himself. Will he be cold; Will he be hungry; Will he be bullied by wild cats and dogs; Will someone catch and hurt him? The Seventh Prince didn’t dare to think about those terrifying scenes, but he had no choice but to think about it. He always needs to consider the worst-case scenario in order to make a more comprehensive plan.

“Expand the scope and continue the search. You Shu has short legs and cannot run far. Search every house within a ten-mile radius and issue a notice. If anyone finds You Shu and returns it, they will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold! If any one of you finds You Shu, they will be promoted to three levels.”

No one noticed that the voice of the Seventh Prince had begun to tremble. Everyone was overwhelmed by his generosity, and then they split up to search enthusiastically. 

Xiao Shunzi wanted to persuade his master to go back to the mansion temporarily and wait, but the other party pushed him away. 

The Seventh Prince turned the wheelchair with difficulty and repeatedly wandered at the place the maid had pointed out, where You Shu was said to have abandoned. His red eyes were fixed on the ground, trying to find any clues. Suddenly, he froze, and then his breathing became heavy, as if a pair of invisible hands were strangling his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.

He bent down and carefully picked out a handful of blood-stained white dog hair from the crack in the wall, putting it to his nose to smell. Yes, this is the smell of the ambergris he often uses. You Shu loves to rub on him, so he often gets himself stained with the same smell. This is You Shu’s hair, and he’s injured!

This discovery made the Seventh Prince furious and worried at the same time. He immediately returned to his mansion to dispatch his secret forces. 

Before this, he only wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life with You Shu, but now it seems that relying on others is not as good as having power in one’s own hands. Otherwise, how could a little girl in the boudoir dare to touch his treasure? If he had power, how could the Empress dare to obstruct the search in every possible way, delaying the time and making him lose the opportunity to find You Shu.

Power, power… He had never wanted power more than he does now.

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