Chapter 105: Tyrant x Substituted Bride x Little Mutt (7)

Chapter 105: Tyrant x Substituted Bride x Little Mutt (7)

When Gu Zhangshan was summoned to the palace, his first thought was that his troublesome son had committed some act of treason against the emperor. He walked unsteadily, nearly tripping.

Madam Miao immediately supported him firmly, whispering urgently, “Especially at a time like this! We must distance ourselves from that illegitimate son. Speak only good of him!”

“He must be gentle and courteous at home, and even if he has gone insane, it must be because he has been possessed by some evil spirit in the palace!”

“The emperor has summoned me so quickly; I don’t even know what has happened,” Gu Zhangshan wiped his sweat continuously. “Did he offend one of the imperial concubines or show a disrespectful attitude to the emperor? I don’t dare to guess.”

Madam Miao gritted her teeth, afraid that her other two sons would be implicated.

“You must stay calm today. The hundreds of people in the Gu household are counting on you, sir!”

Although his wife had reminded him several times before, now that he was being summoned alone by the emperor he had never met, Gu Zhangshan’s heart pounded. He feared he might not leave alive.

As he sat in the carriage, his eyes were vacant, hoping his unruly illegitimate son had not committed a crime punishable by extermination of the clan.

When Eunuch Dong saw Gu Zhangshan, his expression was complex.

“Are you the father of Gu Xin Qing?”

He hurriedly replied yes and discreetly slipped some prepared money to Eunuch Dong.

The latter hesitated for a moment, not daring to accept it, and shook his head, saying, “Go inside.”

Gu Zhangshan, fearing he might only live for another half an hour, asked in a low voice, “May I ask, esteemed eunuch, what crime has my son committed?”

Eunuch Dong struggled for a while, unable to explain. Even if he did explain, you wouldn’t believe it.

Gu Zhangshan, do you know your son is a dog?

Your son barked wildly during the court session; didn’t you hear it?

Eunuch Dong, being a shrewd man, glanced at Gu Zhangshan’s bewildered expression and knew that the man was truly innocent and unaware of what had happened.

But the events of the past few days had been more absurd, and Eunuch Dong simply couldn’t describe it adequately. In the end, he waved his hand, signaling him to go inside.

In the Hall of Mental Tranquility, the candles cast a dim light, and all the objects and furniture were new.

Although Gu Zhangshan didn’t dare to look around, he couldn’t help but notice that even the incense burner was of the latest style, which made him admire the opulence of the imperial family.

“Your humble minister, Gu Zhangshan, pays homage to Your Majesty—may the emperor live ten thousand years.”

In front of the jade table, the emperor remained silent.

Gu Zhangshan’s sweat began to seep out again, and he held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

“Do you know what wrong Gu Xin Qing has committed?”

“Your humble minister—truly does not know!” Gu Zhangshan bowed deeply, almost prostrating himself on the ground. “Qing’er is always gentle and kind at home, respectful to his elder siblings. He is the most intelligent and well-behaved. Your humble minister carefully selected the most suitable child to serve Your Majesty and repeatedly taught him before sending him to the palace!”

Xiao Shizheng furrowed his brows, beginning to believe him.

“Gu Xin Qing is arrogant and unrestrained, offending the emperor above and barking at the ministers below. How could you not know?”

“My son…” Gu Zhangshan’s response caught up briefly. “My son should be residing separately in the Western Palace, unable to even meet the Eastern Palace consorts, let alone the ministers. How could he have seen them?”

Xiao Shizheng took a deep breath, having failed to extract any information. He threw the ink brush in his hand with force.

"You don't know this dog?! Isn't it yours?!"

Gu Zhangshan froze, following the direction he was pointing to and seeing a peacefully sleeping dog. Perplexed, he asked, "How did a dog get here?"

"Your Majesty... Your humble servant could never sire a dog."

Xiao Shizheng angrily said, "I'll chop off your head right now!!"

Gu Zhangshan: "...Ah?"

Just moments ago, he had shown no reaction, but upon hearing that his own head was on the line, the little dog suddenly jolted awake.

Xiao Shizheng, seeing this, felt secretly pleased.

A demon, let him be arrogant for now. When he sees his family wailing and perishing, he'll probably shed tears of blood and anguish!

Unexpectedly, the dog showed a joyful smile, stretched, wagged its tail, and nodded continuously.

It probably didn’t hear clearly!

Xiao Shizheng, holding his breath, shouted, "Gu Zhangshan, stop pretending to be confused. I will exterminate your entire clan today!!"

Gu Zhangshan's mind went blank, and he absentmindedly let out a soft ah before fainting on the spot.

The dog, in high spirits, chased its tail in circles, urging with two more barks, a brilliant smile on its face.

Xiao Shizheng's eyes showed an emptiness they had never held before.

For the first time, he realized that a dog could smile, and smile so brilliantly.

What kind of demonic creature are you, bringing ruin to the nation, not only wishing this emperor to be enraged to the point of vomiting blood but also eager for your family to be executed!

Even if you are a parasite within Gu Xinqing’s body, you would still let his family of over a hundred be beheaded in the marketplace!

Gu Zhangshan had truly fainted, showing no response even when Imperial Physician Chai applied acupuncture. He was then sent home to be revived with ginseng soup, reportedly frightened to half his life, and whether he would wake up tonight depended on the will of the netherworld.

Xiao Shizheng had originally planned to use the dog's family as a threat to control it, but it backfired, working exactly as it intended.

While the dog went outside to wander and relieve itself, Eunuch Dong entered with a small porcelain bowl containing mixed beef and fish, along with a large bowl of water.

As soon as Xiao Shizheng made eye contact with him, he understood the other's intention.

Poison it!

Such delicious food, who could resist, even a demon would find it tempting!

The dog, indeed young, feeling an urge to bite, had already bitten several beautiful yellow and purple flowers, chewed them and returned to lounge in the Hall of Mental Tranquility.

Two food bowls were placed near it, but the dog ignored them completely.

Eunuch Dong grew anxious.

The meaty smell in the bowl was so strong that any stray cat or dog would be unable to resist it. Why wasn’t it taking the bait?!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he tried calling it over with the food bowl as if coaxing his own little dog, "It’s delicious, try some."

The dog gave him a look as if to say, ‘Are you joking?’

Feeling embarrassed, the eunuch silently returned the bowl.

Xiao Shizheng’s eyes narrowed as he said, "Go select a few pretty female dogs and see if you can lure it over."

——But there was no reaction.

Not even beautiful dancers could make the dog glance a second time.

Xiao Shizheng had no intention of giving up or making concessions.

As the emperor, the Son of Heaven, how could he yield to a demonic dog?

Even if he didn’t summon a sorcerer to call down heavenly lightning to strike it dead, he would make it suffer with poisons like Chuan Chang San and Shi Xin Wan.

Worst case, he would starve and dehydrate it like they did with eagles, and see who outlasted whom.

Though he was supposed to dine with Consort Zhong that evening, Xiao Shizheng did not want to involve the harem. Instead, he sat in the Hall of Mental Tranquility, feeling trapped.

When a dozen plates of delicious dishes were brought in, the dog perked up.

As soon as it showed interest in coming to the table, a dozen guards immediately drew their swords, forming a protective perimeter around the table, determined to prevent the beast from provoking the emperor again.

The dog sat down properly and barked twice, signaling its intent to come to the table to eat.

Xiao Shizheng, with a mix of provocation and mockery, and fearing the dog might trick him, kept a stern face, not revealing any weakness.

Observing the tense standoff, the system asked, "What’s your plan? Spend a few hundred points for some minor magic to make those dishes fly over?"

Keding replied, "I’m already a magical dog; why would I need more magic?"

System: "...?"

The little flower dog took a step back, unwilling to confront the sharp blades directly.

Xiao Shizheng wore a smug smile, as if to say, "Is that all you’ve got?"

In the next second, the dog easily grabbed the cloth on the nearby bookshelf and tugged it with its head.

Crash—

Bang! Clang!

The emperor’s and the eunuch’s faces turned pale.

That was a vase from the previous dynasty!

That was Ruyao porcelain from the Great Feng Dynasty!

The newly crafted Eight Treasures Cabinet was now smashed to pieces!

System: "Does it hurt?"

Keding: "It’s an alternate history dynasty, so I don’t care."

The dog wagged its tail and turned its head, as if asking for their decision.

Xiao Shizheng quickly ordered, "No need for these elegant decorations here. Take them away!"

A large group of palace maids and eunuchs immediately rushed in to remove all the valuable items, fearing more would be smashed to pieces.

The guards continued to surround the emperor and his small dining table, keeping the dog from violating the dignity of the Son of Heaven.

The dog leisurely walked out and, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, returned with something in its mouth.

When everyone saw that it was a pine branch soaked in oil and aflame, their expressions changed instantly.

The dog tilted its head, and the flames nearly set the curtain alight.

The guards, frightened, hurriedly reached out, saying, "No way!"

The dog, either understanding human words or not, continued walking inside with the flaming stick in its mouth, shaking its head and nearly igniting the tablecloth.

"Enough!!" Xiao Shizheng shouted, "Stand down!! Give it whatever it wants to eat!"

We can't let it burn down the entire palace over a meal!

The guards looked troubled but finally took the flaming pine branch from the dog, treating it like a plague and stomping it out with several steps, quickly leaving this accursed place.

The dog rested its paws on the edge of the table, eating its favorite dishes at a leisurely pace, and barking when it couldn’t reach something. A young eunuch, gathering his courage, handed the dishes over, aware that the emperor’s gaze could devour him whole.

Xiao Shizheng could not endure such humiliation and, sweeping his sleeve, turned to leave, refusing to watch the dog drink from his bowl.

Eunuch Dong followed closely behind and said, "Monks and Taoist priests are being summoned from all over... Some of the old practitioners in the capital have retired to the mountains and refuse to return..."

"We’ll split the mountains to drag them back!" Xiao Shizheng said hatefully, "I won’t let a dog get away with such insolence!

"I will chop it into pieces and grind its flesh into paste! I'll burn its bones to ashes!"

Sensing the emperor’s overwhelming hatred, that very night, the secret guards brought many Taoist priests into the palace, either by force or persuasion.

Most of them, upon learning the situation, realized they couldn’t handle it and waved their hands, saying they could handle minor tasks like the Purple Microconstellation or the Lesser Six Ren, but they were not skilled in drawing talismans or subduing demons.

A smaller number were hesitant and unwilling as well.

But at this point, there was no room for choice.

Several Taoist priests, upon seeing the dog, turned away without attempting anything, saying bluntly that if the emperor wished to punish them with execution, they would accept it, only asking that the blade be sharpened well.

Even though it was night, the chanting and incense burning in the palace continued endlessly, creating a peculiar kind of madness.

After looking around, only about a dozen people remained, including a hunched old woman with missing teeth who could barely walk with her cane.

The old woman looked at the dog, then at the emperor, rubbed her cracked hands, and said she would give it a try.

She set up a simple formation, rang a bell, and burned willow leaves.

Xiao Shizheng wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow, having lost all hope for the night and looking down on the old woman.

Keding treated it like a display of classical folklore but heard a crackling sound, as if someone was tuning a radio signal.

System: "Huh?"

Keding: "Not a sound from you?"

There were several more crackles, and the old woman's voice appeared between them.

"Child," she asked tentatively, "Can you hear me clearly?"

The dog pricked its ears, startled as well.

"How long do you plan to torture him?" the old woman said. "I won't interfere, just asking."

Keding was startled, then smiled. "Once this tyrant emperor starts doing good deeds, we'll be gone."

"I see, then it seems unlikely to happen soon," the old woman said, glancing at the emperor and muttering, "...given his nature."

She coughed twice and slowly continued through the strange frequency.

"I have a very good proposal, if you are willing."

Keding chuckled. "We may not accept."

The old woman shook her head and sighed. "My daughter is still trapped in this palace."

"I asked, and Que'er said she's struggling, not even getting enough gruel."

Keding sensed something was wrong and became fully alert, asking, "What is your daughter's name?"

"…Zhu Xiuyu." The old woman’s eyes were cloudy and tinged with blue, and she looked at them hopefully. "Now, she is likely known as Jin Zhaorong."

Keding froze in place, as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

The suffering soul’s closest friend from a past life, the woman who ultimately entrusted her child, was Jin Zhaorong.

Her son, who lost his mother at three, was raised by Gu Xinqing as his own until he was nearly eight years old, only to be persecuted to death by the tyrant emperor, which directly led the suffering soul to lose all hope and hang himself on the night of his ennoblement.

All the unbearable pain converged today.