Chapter 211: The Crown Prince Falsely Accused of Treason and Placed Under House Arrest…(Arc End)

The flowers in the imperial garden were in full bloom. Walking along the cobblestone path, Xie Hui turned his head to glance at Xie Chengqi, who now stood shoulder-high beside him. Then he looked past him at the peonies blooming in vibrant colors.

Noticing his Father Emperor’s gaze, Xie Chengqi tilted his head curiously and asked without thinking:

“Father, is there something you want to talk to me about?”

“Chengqi is growing up. You’re at the age to take a wife. Have you taken a liking to anyone yet?”

Xie Hui reached out to brush a fallen petal from his son’s shoulder. The boy, still just a half-grown youth, blushed immediately at the mention, his hands at his sides clenching unconsciously. After a moment, he muttered:

“Your son is busy with state affairs all day. Where would I find the time to meet anyone?”

“Oh? So Chengqi is blaming Father Emperor for giving him too much work?”

Xie Hui chuckled, teasing him. Seeing the boy hurriedly shake his head in denial, the amusement in his eyes deepened.

Now that Xie Chengqi had officially become the Crown Prince, he no longer needed a political marriage to strengthen his position. Once Xie Hui stepped down, Chengqi would be the most exalted person in the realm.

Rather than seeking a match of equal status, Xie Hui cared more about whether his son truly liked the person. Mutual respect was all well and good, but he hoped his son would find someone he genuinely loved, and that they could enjoy a harmonious marriage.

“It’s just an engagement for now. No rush. Are you sure there’s no one you like?”

Xie Chengqi shook his head. If Father Emperor hadn’t brought it up, he wouldn’t have even thought about it.

“Then how about letting your imperial grandmother arrange it?”

“Alright.”

Once Xie Chengqi agreed, Guard Lu went to inform the Empress Dowager. She hosted a flower-viewing banquet, with the Crown Prince attending at her side. After the banquet, the Crown Prince selected the girl he liked best from among the attendees.

As it happened, the girl came from a noble family. Upon hearing the result, Xie Hui immediately issued a decree granting the marriage.

Having grown up at Xie Hui’s side and learning from him since a young age, Xie Chengqi had developed a unique insight into state affairs. Aside from his winter habit of struggling to get out of bed, he was an exceptionally capable Crown Prince.

When he came of age¹, the Crown Prince married. The following year, Xie Hui abdicated.

It wasn’t that Xie Hui was eager to shed his responsibilities. It was just that Chengqi was in the prime of his youth, and he didn’t want the boy to be limited by the title of Crown Prince while trying to pursue his ambitions.

The aristocratic clans had mostly been dealt with by Xie Hui, but in the months leading up to Chengqi’s ascension, he still worried the boy might overthink things, so he gave him some final advice.

No matter how powerful the noble families were, they should never surpass imperial authority. He taught Xie Chengqi to keep firm control over the military, to train more palace guards, and even moved the troops stationed outside the city closer to the capital.

He also had a secret unit of guards trained to protect the emperor from the shadows.

How to ensure the loyalty of these leaders to the throne—that was the burden of an emperor.

Once the noble clans were stripped of their sharp claws, no matter how influential they were, they would only serve to support the royal family.

The Empress came from a noble family. She had been well-educated, was gentle and virtuous, yet carried herself with grace and dignity. Within five years, she bore a son and a daughter, both bright and well-behaved.

With Xie Hui’s example before them, few in the court dared to press Xie Chengqi to take more consorts.

As long as his bottom line wasn’t crossed, Xie Chengqi was easygoing by nature. Those who served him found him easy to attend to—except in winter.

As the hour for morning court² approached, His Majesty was still curled up under the covers, refusing to get up. The attending guards were so anxious that sweat beaded on their foreheads.

“Your Majesty, if you don’t get up soon, I’ll have no choice but to ask the Emperor Emeritus to come wake you.”

Even after the guard finished speaking, there was no movement from under the blankets. Just as he stood up, gritting his teeth and preparing to actually leave, he hadn’t even stepped over the threshold when Xie Chengqi slowly crawled out from under the covers.

“What’s the big deal? Why trouble Father Emperor over something like this!”

Later, when Xie Hui heard about it from the palace staff, he shook his head helplessly. After all these years on the throne, the boy still hadn’t changed that habit. He gave an order:

“That osmanthus cake from the kitchens the other day was quite good. Send a portion to Chengqi later.”

It was a habit that hadn’t changed in years, and Xie Hui no longer expected it to. Even his young grandson found it easier to get up in winter than Chengqi did.

In this life, during his later years, Xie Hui lived with Xie Chengqi—now also the Emperor Emeritus—in a separate residence. Influenced by his grandfather, the boy also wanted to give the next generation a sky wide enough to spread their wings in their most imaginative years.

Every winter, Xie Hui would either bring a stick or a plate of pastries to coax him out of bed.

By the time Xie Hui left that world, even his great-grandson could already speak. When he returned to the System Space and had just sat down, the System came running over.

“Host, I converted your mission reward into merit and bound it to Xie Chengqi’s soul! Aren’t I amazing? Come on, praise me!”

As it spoke, Xiao Ze leaned its head over. Xie Hui casually ruffled its hair and said with disdain:

“Wake up. You’re a centuries-old monster of a System. Stop pretending to be cute.”

“Host, my age only counts from when I became human!”

Xie Hui couldn’t be bothered to argue. Still, he had to admit, hearing the System emphasize that in its babyish voice did soften his heart a little.

“Let’s meet the next mission candidate.”

“Okay~”

The man who walked in wore nothing but animal hide around his lower body. He stared at the small stool in front of Xie Hui for a long time, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Hello.”

“Are you the one who can take my place and fulfill the wish I left unfinished?”

Xie Hui nodded. Judging by the man’s appearance, he quickly guessed which world he came from and didn’t bother offering him tea.

“My name is Hui. I’m the chief of the Tian Tribe. My son’s name is Sheng, and he is the most outstanding beastman in our entire tribe.”

As he spoke, a genuine pride lit up the man’s face.

It was a primitive world, one where people still ate raw meat. One day, a beastman returned from a hunt with a strange female. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her clothes unfamiliar, and her mind seemed filled with endless, novel knowledge.

She taught the tribe how to preserve food by curing it, how to cook using fire, how to keep embers alive, and even how to predict the weather using natural signs.

“I am the chief of the Tian Tribe. Every decision I make must consider the tribe’s well-being. I’m deeply grateful to that female, Xue, for bringing so many changes to our people.”

“But as a father, I’m in pain.”

In the end, Xue became the tribe’s priestess, surrounded by many excellent beastmen—Sheng among them.

Xue was so exceptional that none of the beastmen were willing to back down. Eventually, they all compromised, each taking a step back and choosing to share her.

“I know Sheng very well. He’s incredibly proud. To be with Xue, he chose to step back. But ever since then, he hasn’t been happy.”

“When he was little, Sheng wouldn’t even share his prey with anyone but me.”

“If he was that possessive over prey, how could he possibly be willing to share someone as important as a mate?”

“Please, help me.”

Under the earnest gaze of this father, Xie Hui agreed.

“Alright. Is there anything else? Any other wishes? You can tell me all of them, and I’ll do my best to fulfill them.”

“I just want Sheng to be happy.”

After arriving in the new world, Xie Hui had barely opened his eyes when someone rushed into the cave.

“Chief, Sheng’s fighting again.”

Hearing this, Xie Hui instinctively walked out. Not far away, on a patch of grass, a small yellow-furred tiger cub was pouncing on a little leopard.

Though still small in size, and even the growls sounded adorably fierce, the cub’s posture was that of a true predator. It leapt with precision, one paw pressing down on the leopard’s back, and its not-yet-sharp teeth were already close to the leopard’s vulnerable neck.

“Sheng.”

At Xie Hui’s voice, the fierce little tiger cub froze. It let go reluctantly, growled at the leopard, then turned and trotted over, picking up a lifeless rabbit from the grass with its mouth. Its four paws moved in a cheerful rhythm as it ran toward Xie Hui.

The cub circled around Xie Hui’s legs twice before dropping the rabbit at his feet. It placed one paw on the prey and pushed it forward, then lifted its head proudly.

Xie Hui crouched down and gently rubbed the cub’s head. Seeing its ears twitching nonstop, he praised softly, “Sheng is amazing.”

Pleased by the compliment, Sheng offered his paw to Xie Hui, who reached out and held it.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

In this tribe, fighting wasn’t usually discouraged unless it went too far. Today, the little leopard had tried to steal Sheng’s prey. The last beastman who tried that had been chased out of the tribe by Sheng himself.

Beastmen with a strong fighting spirit were highly valued in the tribe. Most believed that those who were fierce from a young age would grow into powerful warriors.

Back in the cave, the little tiger tossed the rabbit onto the ground and immediately began gnawing at it. Unfortunately, his teeth weren’t strong enough yet, and after a long effort, all he got was a mouthful of fur.

Frustrated, he gave up and circled the rabbit twice before dragging it over to Xie Hui.

“Rrr~”

“You want me to help?”

The little tiger nodded and swiped his paw across the rabbit’s back.

“You want to share it with me?”

Xie Hui asked. The cub shook his head and moved his paw slightly to the side, then swiped again.

“A bigger share for you?”

“Rawr~”

Following the original host’s memory, Xie Hui transformed into a tiger as well. His sharp teeth were more effective than the finest blade, and with no effort at all, he tore the rabbit clean in half.

The moment it was split, the little tiger eagerly scampered over on his short legs and began lapping up the rabbit’s blood.

Translator’s Notes