General 4
1551 remained unmoved, thinking that this foolish cat deserved it—this was the price of greed.
Tang Xi gritted his teeth. [Five hundred points!]
1551 immediately betrayed its stance. [Deal!]
Nie Rong’s large hands rested on either side of Tang Xi’s waist. He didn’t know what he was trying to do—he was simply holding him in place, not letting him escape.
His mind even drifted for a moment. That slender waist… it was thinner than the dancers on stage tonight. If not for the dragon robe in the way, he might have been able to grasp it entirely with one hand.
This foolish emperor—he wasn’t so arrogant when he was drunk. He was even a little… cute.
Just as Tang Xi was about to lose control, Eunuch De hurried in, as if guided by some unseen force. Even he was wary of this living nightmare of a general.
But in the end, his loyalty to the emperor prevailed, and he carefully spoke up, “Your Majesty, this servant can take care of you. General Nie must be tired after traveling all day. The carriage to take you back to your residence is already waiting at the palace gates.”
Nie Rong glanced at him but didn’t make things difficult. Instead, he tossed the little emperor toward him as if he were throwing away a hot potato. Then, with a long stride, he left.
Honestly, he had startled himself. How could he have thought that this foolish emperor was cute?
As soon as Nie Rong was gone, Tang Xi immediately dismissed Eunuch De as well.
Eunuch De reacted faster than his brain—he hurried out and even closed the door behind him.
Once he realized what had happened, he hesitated. “Your Majesty, are you retiring so early tonight?”
“I wish to be alone tonight. No one is to disturb me.” Tang Xi’s voice came from inside.
“…Understood.” Eunuch De bowed and retreated.
With only a thin wall separating them, Tang Xi barely managed to finish speaking before he transformed into a tiny golden kitten. He was no bigger than a palm, and because of the alcohol, he stumbled as he walked, his little tail raised high, swaying unsteadily.
After much effort, he finally reached his bed. The golden bed curtains draped down as he climbed up, his small paws stretching out tiny claws, struggling before finally making it onto the mattress.
Near the pillow lay the luminous pearl he had hugged to sleep last night.
The palace maids, too afraid to touch his belongings while tidying up, had left the pearl in a prominent spot beside his pillow.
Tang Xi curled up around the luminous pearl, his soft fur glowing under its gentle light.
Drowsily, he fell asleep, all four little paws tightly clutching the pearl, afraid that someone might steal it.
He slept soundly until morning.
For once, he had gotten enough rest, which meant he wouldn’t be dozing off during morning court.
When he summoned his sedan chair, he noticed something odd—the ministers seemed oddly excited about his punctuality.
It didn’t take long for him to realize their excitement had nothing to do with him. The new top scholar had been announced.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Tang Xi’s expression was complicated.
So today marked the first major turning point in the storyline. The protagonist shou was about to arrive.
The protagonist shou was the newly appointed top scholar, who had secured first place with an exceptional essay. His unique and forward-thinking perspectives caught the Prime Minister’s attention.
Shen Xing was ambitious and skilled at recruiting talent, but he was ruthless in his methods. His philosophy was simple: if he couldn’t win someone over, he would destroy them.
He extended an olive branch to the protagonist shou in the same way he always did—by using a few well-placed words to highlight the emperor’s incompetence. He manipulated the situation so that the new top scholar saw the emperor as nothing more than a useless fool.
The protagonist shou, a young man filled with lofty aspirations, had dreamed of serving a wise ruler and achieving greatness. But upon realizing that the emperor he was supposed to be loyal to was a mere figurehead, he was struck with disappointment and quickly aligned himself with Shen Xing.
As Shen Xing’s top strategist, he helped sway public opinion in Shen Xing’s favor, spreading the belief that the emperor was a foolish tyrant. This ultimately led to the emperor’s downfall.
Nie Rong, as a staunch loyalist, had stood by the emperor’s side until the very end. When Shen Xing’s rebellion succeeded, he took poison and ended his own life.
Thinking about it now, Tang Xi found it hard to believe. That man… didn’t seem like the type to be a diehard royalist. He seemed even less like someone who would commit suicide.
Shen Xing’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Your Majesty, this humble servant suggests hosting the banquet for the new top scholar in the Imperial Garden. The peonies should be in full bloom by now.”
In the original storyline, this banquet was where Shen Xing set up the emperor, using the event to expose his incompetence in front of everyone.
Tang Xi had a million reasons to refuse.
Just yesterday, they had a banquet to welcome Nie Rong. Now they were planning another one for the top scholar? Did these people do nothing but throw banquets and drink all day?
Tang Xi had no choice but to agree. If the villain this time was a stubborn royalist, then he had to secure his throne properly—there was no way he would let anyone take it from him.
The first step? Making sure the top scholar didn’t get a bad impression of him.
“I approve.” Tang Xi nodded, his expression carrying a hint of satisfaction.
This was a subtle message—he did not dislike the new top scholar.
With how resourceful the protagonist shou was, he would surely hear about this.
For once, Nie Rong actually showed up for court. He spent most of his time on the frontier, and he had the privilege of skipping court whenever he returned. Normally, he had no interest in listening to ministers bicker over nonsense, yet this morning, for some reason, he found himself thinking about the little emperor’s drunken face from the night before—those misty cat-like eyes.
The next thing he knew, he was already standing in the palace.
His expression was dark, clearly displeased.
Where was all this enthusiasm yesterday when they threw him a banquet? This little fool of an emperor hadn’t seemed nearly as happy then.
Tang Xi, unaware that he had unknowingly provoked Nie Rong again, was just about to return for breakfast after court when he was stopped.
He looked up at the tall man’s stormy face and felt a little intimidated, but he still put on a fierce front. “How dare you! Is General Nie planning to rebel?”
His arrogant stance made him look like a tiny kitten puffing up its fur to appear intimidating—completely oblivious to how easy he was to bully.
Nie Rong’s mood improved slightly. He enjoyed seeing the little emperor get worked up.
“Your Majesty seems quite fond of the new top scholar?” he asked.
Tang Xi was caught off guard. His expression went blank for a moment, and a metaphorical question mark appeared over his head.
“You must have met him, right?” Nie Rong’s tone carried a trace of mockery. “What is it? You read his essay and fell for him? Or do you think he’s handsome?”
Tang Xi had never been scolded like this before, especially by his own poop scooper. He felt wronged and snapped back loudly, “I haven’t even met him! I haven’t even read his essay!”
Even the villain had read the protagonist shou’s exam paper, yet as the emperor, he hadn’t. What a failure.
Nie Rong was surprised. “You didn’t? Weren’t you the one overseeing the final imperial exam?”
Tang Xi’s face was innocent as he answered, “The Prime Minister didn’t let me go. He said he could handle it himself. I spent the day playing with Consort Hua instead.”
Consort Hua was Shen Xing’s spy—his own sister, in fact.
Tang Xi had mentioned her on purpose to draw his poop scooper’s attention to the fact that, for someone claiming to be a staunch royalist, he had allowed his emperor to be completely sidelined.
Nie Rong wasn’t sure which part made him angrier. “The Prime Minister told you not to go, so you really didn’t? Yet when I tell you something, you never listen. But when it comes to that dog, you’re perfectly obedient?”
He was so frustrated that a crude word slipped out. Years of rough living on the battlefield had made him careless with his speech, and he wasn’t about to censor himself even in front of the emperor.
At the same time, he was furious with himself. He had known that Shen Xing had control over the little emperor, but he had never realized the extent of it.
Or maybe… he had known but had never cared.
As emperor, Tang Xi naturally had to get angry at being spoken to like this. He immediately raised a hand to swat Nie Rong. “How dare you!”
Before his palm could land, Nie Rong caught it. His grip tightened slightly, and he absentmindedly gave the delicate hand a small squeeze.
“Ow! Let go!” Tang Xi flinched and tried to pull back, but he couldn’t break free.
Nie Rong loosened his grip, but he still didn’t let go. “Spoiled.”
The emperor’s hands were as soft as tofu, his fingertips and nails a delicate pink, completely devoid of calluses—utterly unlike Nie Rong’s own hands, which were rough with battle scars. The contrast was stark, making the hand he held seem all the more fragile.
“And who is this Consort Hua?” Nie Rong’s tone grew even harsher.
“She’s obviously my beloved consort.” Tang Xi looked at him as if he were an idiot.
“Your beloved consort?” Nie Rong let out a laugh—one laced with anger.
Those improper thoughts from the banquet last night resurfaced in his mind.
With that slender figure… this little emperor was probably softer than any of his consorts.
He wanted to say something dirty to the young emperor, to ask if being with a woman in bed really felt that good. Wasn’t it better to be the one being taken care of instead?
He had heard so many lewd jokes in the military camp that his ears had practically grown calluses. He had seen and heard things far filthier, far messier. But when he looked into the young emperor’s clear, cat-like eyes, he just couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
Damn it.
Nie Rong abruptly let go of the young emperor’s hand, suppressing the heat rising within him as he changed the subject. “You don’t even know who the top scholar is, yet you think you can rule a country?”
Tang Xi rubbed his hand, which had been squeezed too hard, and was surprised to notice that Nie Rong’s ears had turned red.
Who knew what had just crossed his mind?
He didn’t reply, just stared blankly at Tang Xi, making Nie Rong feel even more flustered.
He was still just a half-grown child, at an age where things were still vague and confusing. How could he possibly stand a chance against Shen Xing, that cunning old fox?
Nie Rong found himself making excuses for the young emperor. He had earned honor on the battlefield at eighteen, but if anyone else had dared to call an eighteen-year-old a child in front of him, he would’ve beaten them up. But this was different—this was the young emperor.
And somehow, it made perfect sense.
Eighteen was still just a child, wasn’t it? He had simply been deceived by Shen Xing before, but now it wasn’t too late for Nie Rong to guide him properly.
The first step was to clean up his harem. Indulgence would ruin him—how could someone so young already have three thousand concubines?
The thought of it left Nie Rong feeling inexplicably annoyed.
Tang Xi watched the iron-blooded general in front of him, unable to guess what kind of scenarios were running through his mind. His expression kept shifting between pity and anger.
Eunuch De, ever perceptive, carefully spoke up to ease the tension. “Your Majesty, General Nie, the morning meal has already been prepared. Why don’t we dine first?” It pained him to see the emperor going hungry.
Nie Rong reached out and gently rubbed the young emperor’s stomach. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
“No.”
The gesture was far too intimate.
Yet, neither of them found it strange.
In the previous two worlds, Tang Xi’s belly was often rubbed. His poop scooper was always worried that he might overeat and make himself sick.
Eunuch De lowered his head even more, observing the situation carefully. He didn’t dare comment on the Emperor’s actions, but he also felt that it was a good thing for the Emperor to grow closer to General Nie—certainly better than getting too close to the Prime Minister.
The palace attendants were quick-witted. As soon as they saw the Emperor approaching with General Nie from a distance, they immediately prepared an extra set of bowls and chopsticks for the general.
Tang Xi didn’t like being served while eating, so he waved his hand, dismissing everyone from his presence.
Nie Rong frowned slightly as he looked at the dishes on the table.
Tang Xi bit the tip of his chopsticks nervously, worried that he had once again left a bad impression on his poop scooper.
He must think I’m wasteful, eating so much so early in the morning…
But Nie Rong wasn’t thinking about that at all. He simply felt that it was bad for the little Emperor’s digestion to eat so much rich food early in the day.
For some reason, that thought made his chest ache faintly.
“As the ruler of a nation, Your Majesty must take better care of your health.” His voice carried a hint of suppressed anger.
Tang Xi shrank his neck, confused. [1551, why is he so mad?]
The system hesitated. [Perhaps… it’s the trauma from his past life.]
Even it was starting to believe that the villain Tang Xi encountered were all the same person. It had detected significant emotional fluctuations whenever they faced the little cat, causing them to act in ways that deviated from the original storyline.
In his past life, he had died from a stomach disease…
Tang Xi’s eyes suddenly turned red.
Author’s Note:
Haha, in the last chapter, a lot of little angels thought cat-eared Tang Tang was about to make an appearance! But not just yet~
Soon, soon!
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