General 14
Nie Rong’s warm, dry palm gently covered that delicate spot as he teasingly remarked, “Could it be that His Majesty never favors the harem because he doesn’t want to be called too delicate?”
Tang Xi’s face flushed red, feeling utterly pampered. In a daze, he nodded.
The original character had always refused to indulge his concubines out of pride, feeling too ashamed to be seen. Though Tang Xi now inhabited this body, the difference was merely a slightly rosier complexion.
Nie Rong couldn’t help but chuckle softly and reassured him, “You’re adorable. I quite like it…”
Before he could finish, he leaned in and kissed him.
The crimson canopy swayed as a faintly intoxicating atmosphere filled the bed.
By the end, Tang Xi couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes were rimmed red, even his fingertips tinged with a soft pink. He tried to crawl away, only to be pulled back by his slender waist.
A whimper of grievance escaped his lips, hoarse from the night before.
“Sleep now,” Nie Rong murmured, gently patting his back with a careful, unfamiliar touch.
Dazed and drowsy, Tang Xi relaxed under the soothing voice, curling up into a small, contented ball—just like a kitten—and drifted off to sleep.
Nie Rong intended to put him down and take care of business, but the moment he moved, the little kitten let out a pitiful whimper. He had no choice but to cradle the small, palm-sized bundle of fur against his chest and take him along.
Feeling the familiar warmth and heartbeat, Tang Xi kneaded softly before slipping into deep sleep.
Nie Rong’s expression, indulgent just a moment ago, darkened the instant he stepped outside.
He had been too heavy-handed last night—Shen Xing, who had been thrown out, was still unconscious.
Overnight, most of Shen Xing’s hidden forces had already been eliminated by Nie Rong’s men, leaving them no chance to interfere.
But this all-out confrontation between the two had drawn new trouble.
“General, the imperial guards are here.” Zhang Xiaosheng fanned himself lazily as he strolled over.
A mere five thousand imperial guards? Hardly a threat.
The real question was—who had sent them?
Last night, the fake emperor in the palace had been exposed, and the court had undergone a complete power shift.
With the loyalists and reformists locked in a standoff, who had seized the chaos to rescue the young emperor?
Nie Rong’s expression remained unchanged. “I see.”
He had no fear of those pampered, sheltered imperial guards—useless cowards who couldn’t even notice when their emperor was abducted.
Once he finished rooting out the Prime Minister’s people, he would personally train an elite force to protect the young emperor.
Nie Rong lightly stroked the little kitten curled against his chest. In response, he heard a soft, almost imperceptible purring—only audible to him.
Zhang Xiaosheng, still fanning himself, cast a puzzled glance at him. Why did the general’s clothes look a bit disheveled?
One look was enough. He quickly averted his eyes, having already noticed the faint red marks on the general’s neck.
Other than that cherished young emperor, who else could have left such marks?
Zhang Xiaosheng had a feeling he had just stumbled upon something rather scandalous.
But on second thought, wasn’t this the natural course of events? It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Nie Rong, unfazed by his subordinate’s curiosity, strode out. Downstairs, his meticulously trained Broken Feather Army was assembling in perfect formation.
By the time the imperial guards arrived, ten thousand of his Broken Feather Army were already prepared.
A chilling, bloodthirsty aura filled the air. The sheer momentum alone made the imperial guards pale in comparison. Their morale crumbled before the battle even began.
Tang Xi was roused by the noise outside. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness. Drowsily, he pawed at Nie Rong’s clothing, struggling to poke his little head out of the embrace, curiosity sparkling in his gaze.
“Meow?” What’s going on?
1551, his system, answered weakly: [No idea. I was completely blocked out all night.]
Tang Xi was surprised. [Wait, you can be blocked?]
1551 gritted its teeth. [I am an all-ages-appropriate system. Anything below the neck is off-limits.]
Nie Rong gently stroked the cat ears, as if he particularly enjoyed teasing the poor, sensitive little furry ears.
“Be good.”
The Broken Feather Army remained expressionless, but the imperial guards across from them widened their eyes in shock.
This god of death actually has such gentle side?
Tang Xi followed their astonished gazes and saw a dense crowd of people, some of whom looked somewhat familiar to the original character.
Imperial guards? But why were they here?
“Meow?” Tang Xi tilted his head.
Nie Rong, as if knowing what he was thinking, reassured him, “It’s fine.”
The imperial guards suddenly parted in the middle, making way for someone walking forward.
Ye Baishang, his expression serious, was still dressed in the same red robes he had worn when he first met the young emperor. However, the innocence was gone, replaced by an imposing presence.
Beside him stood Huang Fanpei. These two were the masterminds behind leading the imperial guards to rescue the emperor.
Tang Xi, still in his cat form, meowed twice in greeting.
Huang Fanpei ignored him completely, staring straight at Nie Rong and demanding, “General Nie, is His Majesty with you?”
Ye Baishang, on the other hand, paused as he looked at the little kitten. A strange sense of familiarity rose within him.
Something about those clear, bright eyes felt… close.
Nie Rong noticed his gaze and casually reached out his large hand to cover the kitten, answering lazily, “Young General Huang, making baseless accusations? It seems your father hasn’t taught you well enough.”
The soldiers of the Broken Feather Army all turned to look at Huang Fanpei in unison, making cold sweat instantly drip down his back.
He refused to show fear, but Nie Rong’s words made him even more furious. After that banquet, he had no idea what Nie Rong had said to his father, but his father had tightened his control over him ever since.
Overcome with rage and humiliation, Huang Fanpei blurted out, “You kidnapped the emperor, you traitor! I’m taking you down today!”
But after his outburst, there was only silence.
Frustrated, he turned to the Imperial Guards behind him and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Attack!”
However, the leader of the imperial guards hesitated, looking instead at Ye Baishang. It was clear who they truly obeyed. Unless absolutely necessary, they had no desire to clash with the Broken Feather Army and suffer needless losses.
Ye Baishang remained composed, negotiating with Nie Rong in a cold, detached manner, asking him to release the emperor.
Yet his gaze occasionally flickered toward Nie Rong’s chest, where something was moving—
A tiny kitten, struggling to peek outside.
Golden fur, an extremely rare color.
Blocked from view, Tang Xi could only listen as his supposed poop scooper was being misunderstood. Anxious, he let out a series of urgent meows before furiously biting down on Nie Rong’s hand.
Then, he quickly released his grip and licked the spot apologetically.
“Meow…” Sorry.
A small bite mark remained on Nie Rong’s hand, but he didn’t seem to care. He simply ruffled Tang Xi’s ears again.
“Meow meow meow!” Let me go! I’ll turn back into my human form and explain everything!
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, they could team up with the protagonist shou to drive out Shen Xing and his remaining forces.
But Tang Xi had no idea—Shen Xing’s men had already been taken over by the villain, and Shen Xing himself had been beaten half to death.
Nie Rong had deliberately kept him from seeing the bloodied and unconscious prime minister.
Ye Baishang had not disappointed him, he had truly become the sword of the royal family.
Tang Xi only feared that the protagonist shou and the villain would end up fighting due to this misunderstanding.
He didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
If force doesn’t work, then try a softer approach.
Tang Xi let out a soft “meow” while using his short, fluffy tail to try and wrap around Nie Rong’s wrist.
However, his tiny, furry tail was simply too short to encircle an adult man’s wrist.
Unable to fully wrap around it, Tang Xi pitifully patted Nie Rong’s wrist with his tail, as if acting spoiled.
Nie Rong finally let out a sigh of compromise. “I won’t make things difficult for him.”
As proud as he was, believing himself capable of protecting His Majesty alone, having another person to safeguard Da’an wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In the end, the emperor deserved the best protection.
Zhang Xiaosheng, having received the general’s silent signal, held up the young emperor’s personal jade pendant for them to see. “His Majesty is safe. Our top priority right now is eliminating the remnants of the Prime Minister’s faction, not internal conflict.”
If the emperor’s loyalists ended up fighting each other for his sake, the storytellers in the capital would have enough material to gossip about for an entire year.
Yet Ye Baishang remained unexpectedly stubborn, standing firm. “Let us see His Majesty first.”
He had to ensure the young emperor’s safety with his own eyes.
Tang Xi: “Meow!”
The tiny sound was so soft that barely anyone noticed.
But Nie Rong’s heart softened instantly—he couldn’t resist the little kitten’s coquettish act.
In the end, he agreed to Ye Baishang’s request, but only allowed him alone to meet the emperor.
The captain of the imperial guards grabbed his arm. “This could be a trap, Lord Ye. Please reconsider.”
Ye Baishang simply smiled politely, but his determination remained unwavering. He instructed those men to stay put before following Nie Rong alone.
He wasn’t afraid of any trap. If Nie Rong truly wanted his life, he wouldn’t need to go through such elaborate schemes—it would take nothing more than a nod.
Meanwhile, Tang Xi had already been placed inside the room ahead of time and transformed into his human form. When the knock came at the door, he deliberately put on a serious expression and said, “Enter.”
[1551, do I look dignified right now?]
1551, now acting like an emotionless reading machine, responded: [Wow, you look so dignified.]
Tang Xi’s eyes curved in delight. Thanks to his innate flexibility of a cat, despite being tormented all night, he didn’t feel sore at all the next day.
He looked perfectly refreshed.
When Ye Baishang finished his bow and lifted his head, he was met with the sight of the young emperor smiling, his expression relaxed.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of mistreatment. In fact, he seemed to be doing quite well—better than well.
It was as if he was being taken care of with a level of attentiveness that even the hundreds of palace servants couldn’t match.
Tang Xi had no idea what the child of fate was thinking. He got straight to the point.
Following the original character’s temperament, he had no patience for those he disliked—his solution was simple and brutal: eliminate them.
Because of the situation at the courtesan house, he held a deep grudge against Shen Xing. The only reason he hadn’t directly lashed out and demoted him was that he didn’t have the authority. But now that he had the chance, of course, he was determined to get rid of him.
Unfortunately, even when the young emperor was furious, his innocent face made it seem more like he was just throwing a tantrum.
Nie Rong frowned. His cat, his person—how could he act so affectionately toward someone other than him?
Without drawing attention to himself, he stepped closer to the young emperor and reached out a hand.
By now, the young emperor had already grown used to Nie Rong’s touch. In fact, thanks to his nature, he even found it comfortable. Not only did he no longer bristle at it, but when he sensed Nie Rong’s hand approaching, he leaned in on his own, rubbing his face against it in a display of closeness.
Influenced by habits from the previous two worlds, he executed the motion so naturally, as if he had done it millions of times before.
1551 wanted to remind the host to stay in character but realized that the warning never came.
The world’s bias toward him was truly terrifying. 1551 shuddered at the thought.
If it had been anyone else, the moment they rubbed up against the villain like that, they would have been expelled from the world for breaking character.
Ye Baishang was forced to watch their intimate interaction. The ambiguous kiss marks on the young emperor’s neck silently proclaimed a terrifying level of possessiveness.
And because that exposed patch of skin was so soft and delicate, it inevitably sparked certain thoughts—how easy it would be to leave red marks on the boy’s body with the lightest touch, then trail downward, following the fragile curve of his neck, branding him with an undeniable claim of ownership.
Author’s Note:
Tang Xi is still thinking about how to reclaim power step by step, but Nie Rong has already paved the way for him.
The next chapter will wrap up this world~