Chapter 299 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – The Little Squirrel Displays Great Power (24)
“I’ve long known you harbored ill intentions. You? Think you could poison me?” The Emperor stepped forward, seized the Empress by the chin, and forced her to raise her head.
The Empress glared at him with her beautiful eyes and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: “I only regret not killing you outright…”
Ptui!
She spat directly into the Emperor’s face.
The Emperor shoved her away and kicked her in the shoulder.
Looking down arrogantly at the woman collapsed on the floor, he sneered, “You should be grateful you didn’t go all the way—otherwise, do you think you’d still be alive to talk to me?”
“Couldn’t you have just behaved and done your duty as Empress? You’ve only yourself to blame.”
…
The little squirrel was hiding in the rafters, looking down on the Emperor and Empress’s confrontation from above.
Qiu’er had told Xiao A that the Empress was one of their own.
Since she was on their side, Bai Tang wouldn’t allow her to be bullied—especially not by that vicious and cruel Emperor.
“Squeak squeak squeak!” — Stop right there!
A righteous avenger descended from the sky.
Startled by the sound, the Emperor looked up—only to be met by a five-clawed paw slamming into his face.
“Squeak squeak squeak!” — Scumbag who hits women!
The little squirrel landed a sharp stomp on the Emperor’s face, its claws digging straight into his eyeball.
“Ahhh—!” The Emperor grabbed the squirrel and flung it aside.
“Tang Tang!” Qiu’er screamed.
But Tang Tang, in squirrel form, was extraordinarily agile.
He had already anticipated the Emperor’s move. Using the force of being thrown, he kicked off the wall and bounced right back.
“Squeak squeak squeak!” — If I can’t stomp you to death, humph~
Again and again, the Emperor failed to catch the squirrel and ended up being thoroughly toyed with.
He saw that the Emperor’s somewhat decent-looking face was now bruised and battered beyond recognition. His disheveled, comical appearance made even the Empress unable to hold back a laugh.
“What are you laughing at? Once I catch that little beast, you won’t be able to escape either…” The Emperor was so furious he didn’t even bother using the royal “zhen” to refer to himself.
Clearly enraged, the Emperor drew the sword hanging on the wall and swung it toward the little squirrel.
“Run!” The Empress was desperate. She didn’t know why the little squirrel seemed to understand human speech, but at least it had stood up for her.
She threw her arms around the Emperor’s legs, tripping him to the ground. The sword in his hand was also sent flying.
Now both of them were unarmed. They began to scuffle—but in truth, it was the Empress who was being beaten one-sidedly.
“Go…” The Empress was struck in the abdomen, a sickening sweetness rising in her throat before she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Bai Tang ran in front of her.
“Squeak squeak squeak!” — Don’t be afraid, I’m here to save you.
Just as the Empress lost consciousness, several vines extended from the corner of the room, binding the Emperor’s limbs and pulling him into a spread-eagle position.
The little squirrel scurried to one side. A flash of white light appeared, followed by the rustle of shifting clothes.
Moments later, a delicate and well-behaved-looking young boy stood before the Emperor.
Wasn’t this the very person he had longed for day and night?
“You—why are you here? Untie me! I’ll get rid of the Empress and make you Empress instead!”
The Emperor, still dizzy from Bai Tang’s earlier assault and unable to grasp the situation, raved madly, hoping the boy would set him free.
“Shut up. You’re too noisy.” Bai Tang looked around, then picked up the Emperor’s fallen shoe and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Bai Tang ran over and helped the Empress up.
Tuoba Jingyao had repeatedly warned Bai Tang not to use his healing ability in front of others.
Although the Empress didn’t look good, she wasn’t in mortal danger.
Of course, she recognized Bai Tang—though she hadn’t seen clearly how he had gotten in.
“You…” The Empress sat on a chair, her expression complicated as she looked at the Emperor tied up like a dumpling.
She never would have imagined the young boy had such abilities.
No wonder Tuoba Jingyao was so arrogant and bold enough to ally with the grassland tribes to wage war against the Aixi Kingdom.
Bai Tang took out a healing pill he had gotten from Qiu’er and placed the red pill in the Empress’s hand.
“Your Majesty, please take this. It’s for healing.”
Then, thoughtfully, he poured her a cup of water.
Just a few days ago, the Empress had felt jealous of Bai Tang. Who would’ve thought that, in the end, it would be Bai Tang who saved her life?
Looking at the boy’s smile, dimples showing on his cheeks, the Empress suddenly saw everything clearly.
How could anyone not fall in love with someone like this?
She lowered her eyes slightly and took the pill.
In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Empress felt much better. Her strength had returned.
Outside, Qin Fu and the other commanders had just dealt with the palace guards and stormed inside—only to see Bai Tang sitting on a chair, barefoot.
Qin Fu’s heart sank. Could it be… that the dog of an emperor had done something to the young master?
The moment he laid eyes on Bai Tang, he instinctively ignored the emperor, who was bound off to the side, and strode straight toward him.
“Your Highness…”
Qin Fu swallowed hard, unsure how to speak without upsetting Bai Tang.
“Vice General Qin, you’re here! Look, I caught the Emperor!”
Bai Tang pointed excitedly at the emperor, seeking praise from Qin Fu.
Qin Fu was filled with regret. If only he had arrived sooner, the young master wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself and use his looks to lure the emperor into a trap.
The Empress caught Qin Fu’s expression and immediately understood what he was thinking.
She couldn’t blame him, really—Bai Tang wasn’t wearing shoes, and his disheveled appearance certainly could give the wrong impression. It was only natural for an outsider to misunderstand.
“General Qin, what did you just call him—‘Your Highness’?” The Empress looked Bai Tang up and down, making him instantly nervous.
“Is there something wrong with me?” Bai Tang asked, a little uneasy.
The Empress smiled in understanding.
“No, nothing at all. You have royal blood. With your support, it would be perfectly legitimate for Tuoba Jingyao to ascend the throne.”
She turned to Qin Fu.
“It’s thanks to His Highness that I’m still alive. If he hadn’t come, General Qin, you would’ve only found my corpse here.”
Thank goodness. Thank the heavens.
Qin Fu silently thanked the spirits of the late King and Queen of Nanyun for watching over Bai Tang.
“I’ll escort the Emperor out immediately,” Qin Fu said. He and the other commanders took the Emperor and left the bedchamber.
Bai Tang was planning to leave as well, but the Empress held him back.
“Don’t panic, Your Highness. The battle at the front is raging fiercely—it’s not something we should be interfering in. If Chief Tuoba comes looking for you and you’re not here, it’ll throw everything into chaos again.”
Though the imperial palace was now under the Empress’s control, the Emperor still had influence. There could still be people among them who remained loyal to him, so it was best to be cautious.
The Empress made a valid point, and Bai Tang couldn’t argue with her. That was one reason he stayed.
The second reason was that the Empress brought out the bottle of grape wine that Tuoba Jingyao had refused to let him drink at the banquet, along with a variety of delicious pastries—tempting enough to make the little squirrel drool.
“Hungry? Come eat something.”
Now that she had come to terms with things, the Empress no longer saw Bai Tang as a romantic rival. After just an hour or so together, she found the boy to be refreshingly genuine.
After so many years in the palace, who was still truly innocent anymore? But in Bai Tang, she saw a purity she had long lost—something that made her instinctively want to protect him.
“Can I really eat it?” the boy asked, but his glowing eyes were fixed on the delicacies laid out on the table.
“Of course. If there’s anything else you’d like, I’ll have the royal chef make it for you.”
By seniority, Bai Tang should technically be calling the Empress “Aunt.”
The Empress had no children of her own. Watching Bai Tang happily eat, her eyes were filled with maternal warmth.
“Your Majesty, this one’s delicious. You should try it too,” Bai Tang said shyly, pushing the plate of butterfly pastries toward her.
Back on the battlefield, even without Qin Fu bringing the Emperor as a hostage, the prairie forces—under Tuoba Jingyao’s command—had already pushed the Aixi Kingdom’s army into retreat, defeat after defeat.
When Qin Fu appeared and tossed the Emperor in front of the Aixi soldiers, the man fell flat on his face like a dog eating dirt.
His wounded face was now smudged with dust. If not for the bright yellow dragon robe he wore, and the fact that the commanding general recognized him as a trusted confidant, no one would have guessed who the sorry figure lying on the ground was.
The Aixi Kingdom had lost—defeated not only by Tuoba Jingyao, but also by their own Emperor.
Qin Fu reported to Tuoba Jingyao everything that had happened with Bai Tang at the palace.
Tuoba Jingyao, who had been planning to head back soon, immediately turned around and rushed toward the palace.
By the time he arrived, dusk had already fallen over the land.
Tuoba Jingyao rode a fast horse, charging all the way to the palace. When he reached the gate, the guards drew their long blades, attempting to stop the intruder.
Unexpectedly, Tuoba Jingyao leapt from his horse using light-footed martial arts. In just a few heartbeats, he had stepped across the guards’ heads and disappeared from sight.
If not for the horse standing before them and the clear shoe prints on their heads, the guards would have thought they were hallucinating.
Tuoba Jingyao raced straight into the bedchamber. Bai Tang had drunk quite a bit of wine; his cheeks were flushed, and he looked dazed as he smiled at Tuoba Jingyao.
“Ah Yao, you’re here… This one’s so tasty… I saved some for you…”
Even while enjoying good food and drink, the little squirrel hadn’t forgotten to leave a portion for Tuoba Jingyao.
The Empress smiled and nodded. “Chief Tuoba.”
Tuoba Jingyao gave a nod in return and wrapped his arms around the tipsy little squirrel. “You greedy little cat.”
But Bai Tang wasn’t having it—he immediately pouted, his beautiful eyes misting up with tears.
“I’m a squirrel… a squirrel… I’m clearly a squirrel…”
Bai Tang loved eating nuts, just like a real squirrel. Tuoba Jingyao chuckled, his eyes full of warmth. “Yes, yes, my mistake—it’s not a greedy little cat, it’s a tipsy little squirrel.”
Hearing the correct title, Bai Tang was satisfied. He didn’t care what came before the name—as long as the word “squirrel” was there, all was well.
Normally at this point, Qiu’er would’ve jumped out and shouted about the male lead bullying Tang Tang, but right now, the room was unusually quiet.
Inside the little white room, Xiao A was helplessly cleaning up a total mess.
After drinking the wine Tang Tang gave her, Qiu’er not only failed to recognize anyone—she even went into a drunken frenzy, shouting about cosplaying as the male lead and leading an army into battle, completely wrecking the place.
“You really are something…” Xiao A sighed, carrying the now-sleeping Qiu’er toward the bedroom.
The Empress watched the two of them interact and felt a faint sense of envy.
“You two share a really deep bond.”
“Forgive us for the informal display, Your Majesty,” Tuoba Jingyao replied coolly and with some distance—though his eyes, when turned toward Bai Tang, were filled with deep and unrestrained affection.
The Empress smiled. “No need to be so polite, Chief Tuoba. By royal seniority, you and Bai Tang should be calling me Royal Aunt.”
“I’ve had a guest room prepared. Why don’t you and Bai Tang rest here for the night?”
“In that case, this junior thanks Royal Aunt.” Tuoba Jingyao didn’t refuse the offer. The drunken little squirrel was unusually clingy, wriggling restlessly in his arms.
Yet Tuoba Jingyao accepted it gladly—sweet, frustrating, and utterly irresistible.
Author’s Note:
Biggest beneficiary of the squirrel’s drunkenness — Tuoba Jingyao
Biggest victim of Qiu’er’s drunkenness — Xiao A