As a working professional, Su Fengyi despised people like Qiao Gui the most—those who steal others’ achievements to curry favor with the boss.
Hmph! He’s just bullying Lu Hong for being quiet and not fighting back.
Su Fengyi walked over to Lu Hong and asked with concern:
“Lu Hong, what happened to you? Oh my, you’re covered in blood…”
Lu Hong looked at Su Fengyi, pointed at the bloodstains on his clothes, and shook his head with a smile.
He meant to say, it’s not my blood—it’s the tiger’s.
Su Fengyi, of course, knew this. She calmly met his gaze and gave him a firm look.
She meant to say, don’t speak, just watch me perform.
Then, under Lu Hong’s helpless smile, Su Fengyi fussed over him, patting him here and there, growing increasingly anxious as she asked:
“Where are you hurt? Let me see quickly! Oh dear, what should we do?”
With Su Fengyi’s interruption, the emotional bubble surrounding the Emperor and Qiao Gui burst with a crack.
“Summon the imperial physician immediately!”
The Emperor let go of Qiao Gui and rushed over, his face full of worry:
“Where is the injury?”
Seeing Lu Hong shake his head, the Emperor still insisted:
“Let’s go back first and have the imperial physician examine you. Tiger bites can be poisonous; we mustn’t leave any hidden injuries.”
Su Fengyi helped Lu Hong walk a few steps, revealing the corpse of the great white tiger. She sighed to the Emperor:
“What a pity. It was just one step away—we could have captured it alive. Don’t be too upset, Your Majesty. Since the white tiger is dead, we can just ask Fourth Uncle to catch another one.”
The Emperor had been too worried about Qiao Gui’s safety earlier to notice, but now he saw the tragic state of his beloved white tiger. His heart ached so much that his face twitched:
“What do you know, Grand Princess? This is an auspicious creature, a once-in-a-century rarity. It’s not something you can just catch anywhere.”
Seeing the Emperor’s distress, Qiao Gui hurried over, his eyes reddening as if on the verge of tears:
“What a terrible loss. Your Majesty loved this white tiger the most. Lord Lu knew this, so why was he so careless? He acted far too hastily…”
This Qiao Gui, he’s truly a master of the art of tea.
Good, good, good. Today, this princess will let you witness the high-end tea artistry of a working professional.
Su Fengyi cut off Qiao Gui’s words and said:
“Indeed, the white tiger didn’t have to die. To save Eunuch Qiao, not only did the white tiger die, but Lu Hong almost lost his life as well. Your Majesty, please don’t blame Eunuch Qiao too harshly. He surely didn’t mean to cause trouble.
I know that Eunuch Qiao must be more heartbroken than anyone over the death of the white tiger. He is the most loyal to Your Majesty and must be feeling terribly guilty, wishing he could die in place of the white tiger to atone for his sins, isn’t that right?”
Qiao Gui was so frightened by the Grand Princess’s words that he couldn’t even shed tears.
He didn’t care whether the white tiger lived or died, but given the “loyalty and integrity” he had always flaunted before the Emperor, how could he dare say at this moment that he wasn’t sad, wasn’t loyal to the Emperor, didn’t feel guilty, and didn’t wish to die?
He didn’t dare.
With tears in his eyes, Qiao Gui knelt on the spot:
“I beg Your Majesty to punish me. This humble servant is willing to die to atone for my sins.”
The more the Emperor looked at the tiger’s corpse, the more his heart ached. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was all Qiao Gui’s fault for acting without thinking, recklessly causing this mess.
Really, how had he never noticed before? Loyalty aside, his competence truly left much to be desired.
The Emperor’s face darkened:
“There’s no need to go that far. Get up. Use your head more in the future.”
Su Fengyi chimed in:
“Exactly, exactly. It’s just a once-in-a-century auspicious creature. Even if it died because of Eunuch Qiao, his crime doesn’t warrant death.”
“Eunuch Qiao, I have some fine walnuts in my residence. Next time, I’ll send you a few catties. Eat more and nourish yourself well.”
Meeting Qiao Gui’s gaze, Su Fengyi blinked her large eyes and nodded sincerely at him, meaning:
Don’t worry, Eunuch Qiao. I truly pleaded earnestly on your behalf.
Su Fengyi’s expression was so sincere that Qiao Gui couldn’t quite tell whether the Grand Princess was helping him or setting him up.
Given her intellect, she probably wouldn’t be scheming against him, right?
So she really was speaking kindly and pleading for him?
Well said, but please don’t say it again next time.
Qiao Gui tearfully knelt and thanked the Emperor and the Grand Princess, but inside, he was so frustrated he could almost vomit blood.
Lu Hong stood nearby, neither speaking nor smiling, like a silent stone statue. Yet the slight tremble in his body and the upturned corners of his mouth hinted that he was struggling to hold back laughter.
Su Fengyi, who was supporting him, secretly pinched him and shot him a look:
What’s so funny? This is a tense situation—a high-stakes battle of wits. Be serious. If you laugh, it’ll ruin my performance.
Lu Hong’s smile only widened, even the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement.
This was truly extraordinary!
Su Fengyi couldn’t understand what was going on today. Lu Hong, who wouldn’t even blink if Mount Tai collapsed before him—why was he so delighted?
Was he this happy just to see Qiao Gui suffer?
Although Qiao Gui wasn’t punished, the Emperor was still furious over the death of the white tiger. His face darkened with displeasure, and his actions grew heavy-handed.
The young white tiger in the Emperor’s arms, in pain and seeing the corpse of its mother, struggled desperately but couldn’t break free. In a fit of rage, it let out a fierce cry and bit the Emperor’s hand.
The three-month-old white tiger’s teeth weren’t fully grown yet, so even if it bit, it wouldn’t cause harm. But the already enraged Emperor was instantly ignited with fury. He flung the young tiger down hard and roared:
“Wretched beast! How dare you defy me!”
The young tiger whimpered a few times, stumbling on its short legs as it fled toward the corpse of its mother.
“Outrageous! How dare you run!”
In his rage, the Emperor hurled his spear forward, piercing the young tiger clean through.
The beloved creatures he had cherished and pampered for months, both mother and cub, were now dead in an instant.
The young tiger had dared to bite him, and the Emperor was furious. But once it was dead, he regretted it. Torn between regret and anger, his face turned ashen, and he remained silent.
The scene fell into utter silence. No one dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak or move, fearing that even the slightest wrong breath in the Emperor’s fury might lead to being dragged away and executed.
“Return to the White Tiger Palace.”
Every palace and courtyard in the Leopard Garden was named after mythical beasts, symbolizing their might. Recently, the Emperor had taken a liking to white tigers, so he often stayed in the White Tiger Palace.
Fuming with anger, the Emperor left the crowd behind, mounted his horse, and rode alone toward the White Tiger Palace.
With the Emperor in a rage, Qiao Gui hurriedly led the eunuchs in a desperate pursuit, while the Imperial Guard followed closely to provide protection.
As the commander of the Imperial Guard, Lu Hong had to go wherever the Emperor went. He glanced at Su Fengyi, signaling:
Will Your Highness accompany us?
Su Fengyi had entered the palace specifically to handle matters for General Shen. Now that she had stabilized the Emperor with a million taels of silver but hadn’t yet received the official edict, she naturally couldn’t leave just yet. So she replied:
“Of course I’ll go. The Emperor hasn’t given me the edict yet. If I go too late, I’m afraid he might stir up trouble again and cause more complications.”
Who Su Fengyi was referring to was obvious, and Lu Hong understood without needing an explanation.
The two mounted their horses and followed closely, arriving at the White Tiger Palace just a step behind the Emperor. Yet that single step was enough for Qiao Gui to stop them:
“Your Highness, please wait a moment. Allow this humble servant to announce your arrival.”