Chapter 69: with translation of chapter title

Gu Jiu Ling never expected that, in front of so many people, Xiao Yin would protect her so much, and a warm feeling gradually rose in her heart.

Seeing Xiao Ting's stifled look, her heart felt an indescribable satisfaction.

Xiao Wei saw that the situation had come to this, his purpose was already fulfilled, yet there remained a generous gift to present to Xiao Yin.

He quickly stood up and laughed, saying, "Imperial Uncle, Elder Brother, please calm your anger; today I will be the host, let us drink happily. Consort Wang's talent at the poetry gathering earlier is plain for all to see!"

Gu Jiu Ling secretly sneered, this brat is sinister!

Xiao Wei paused, then said, "Imperial Uncle, Elder Brother, Sixth Brother, and all who wish to join the fun, let us move to the beast garden; today I have a spectacle for everyone to watch."

Gu Jiu Ling had heard before that the Third Prince's mansion had a dedicated beast garden, where many fierce beasts were kept, and there were specialized beast keepers to tend them.

Whenever there was a banquet, they would be led out for everyone to see, for amusement.

The beast garden was located in the western garden, its surroundings lush and the scenery quite pleasant.

Gu Jiu Ling followed Xiao Yin and sat on a chair draped with brocade at the edge of the beast pit, with various post-meal fruits, snacks, and tea set before her.

The beast pit was about a zhang deep, appearing as large as half a basketball court, its edge fitted with black iron railings, and a side stairway led down to the pit, presumably to allow the beast keepers to descend and feed the wild beasts.

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On the east and west sides stood black iron gates, from within which came the faint roars of wild beasts.

These nobles of Shang Jing usually engaged in refined pastimes; they had never seen anything so wild, and each felt somewhat excited.

Xiao Yin curled his lip in a sneer; these nephews of his each had different tastes.

The Sixth Brother, Xiao Zheng, liked to keep beautiful youths, while the Third Brother, Xiao Wei, preferred to raise fierce beasts; he pushed a plate of osmanthus pastries toward Gu Jiu Ling and said, "You are pregnant, eat more."

Gu Jiu Ling smiled and responded, then pinched a piece of pastry and stuffed it into her mouth.

Suddenly, the westernmost gate of the deep pit burst open with a clatter, and a line of ragged slaves slowly walked out; the slaves included men, women, old and young, dressed in the attire of the Fuyu Tribe.

The group numbered about a dozen; having just been pushed in, the few tall men leading them were somewhat better off, lifting their heads and glaring angrily at the watching Southern Qi nobles.

Behind them followed several women, one holding a baby about a year old, plus two children aged seven or eight; at the very front of the children stood two girls.

The girl in red was tall and slender, her hair tied in many small braids; although her face was dirty, her eyes were bright, and she even clutched a dagger in her hand.

Following her was a slender girl, whose face had been burned by fire, one half covered in hideous scars, while the other half, even dust‑smudged, was beautiful enough to take one's breath away.

She glanced fearfully at the people beside the pit, then quickly lowered her head, trembling.

There were also two elderly people, who walked out shakily.

With a clang, the black iron gate behind them was locked, and sobs of women and children rose from the crowd.

The wild beasts confined behind the iron gate on the other side, apparently having smelled the scent of these old, weak, sick, and disabled, became excited and began to batter their cages.

It seemed they were about to burst out.

Gu Jiu Ling suddenly stood up, staring fixedly at those people in the pit.

Everyone turned their gaze to Gu Jiu Ling; although they also felt the performance was perhaps a little cruel, they also showed a hint of excitement.

Gu Jiu Ling differed from them; having come from a democratic, civilized world, how could she bear to watch those children be devoured alive by wild beasts?

Her two hands clenched tightly into fists; suddenly her arm sank slightly as Xiao Yin gently pulled her, urging her to sit down first.

"「Prince! 」 Gu Jiu Ling looked at Xiao Yin, not giving her a chance to speak."

Meanwhile, Xiao Wei burst into loud laughter, slowly rose, his gaze toward Xiao Yin turning slightly chilly, and he declared loudly, "These past few days, the Fuyu Tribe in Qi Sha Gu has rebelled; I led men to surround and suppress them, bringing back many Fuyu Tribe slaves."

"These people have rebellious bones, refusing to submit to Southern Qi; they all deserve to die!"

"Since they are doomed to die, why not let them liven up today's entertainment? It could be considered making use of this waste!"

"Hahaha… Please, everyone, enjoy the show!"

As Xiao Wei's words fell, everyone turned their gaze to Xiao Yin.

Back then, Xiao Yin had nearly lost his life in Qi Sha Gu; afterward, someone carried him out from the pile of corpses in Qi Sha Gu, and it is said that the Fuyu Tribe on the western side of Qi Sha Gu rescued him and sent him to Southern Qi Shang Jing.

That gesture was the Fuyu Tribe's overture of goodwill to Southern Qi, yet now Southern Qi has actually sent Xiao Wei to exterminate the Fuyu Tribe.

Although the Fuyu Tribe had previously been closely tied to the Bei Di, over the past decade or so they have also studied Southern Qi's Central Plains culture, gradually shifting from a nomadic to an agrarian lifestyle.

They had long been inclined to submit to Southern Qi; rescuing Xiao Yin was also their gesture of goodwill toward Southern Qi.

But they never imagined that this goodwill would upset many in Southern Qi, after all, they wished Xiao Yin to remain dead in Qi Sha Gu rather than return alive.

The Fuyu Tribe could be said to have flung their flattery right onto the hooves of Southern Qi's nobles.

Upon hearing the two words "Fuyu", the people around all looked toward Xiao Yin, their eyes filled with unfathomable meaning.

Xiao Ting's eyes flashed, a cold light flickering in their depths; attacking the Fuyu Tribe to stab Xiao Yin in the heart had been his idea, yet he did not expect Xiao Wei to act even more ruthlessly.

Today we shall see how Xiao Yin deals with his former lifesavers; if he watches the Fuyu people be devoured by wild beasts without lifting a finger, then henceforth he would cease to be human, an ungrateful wretch—let's see how he could still serve in the Imperial Guard.

If he intervenes on the spot, it would be colluding with the Fuyu rebels; once the Crown Prince and his ilk make an issue of it, Xiao Yin would not escape punishment even if he did not die.

Xiao Zheng also furrowed his brow; this matter was truly thorny, but he would not act foolishly for the sake of a few old, weak women and children of the Fuyu Tribe, nor would he cover for Xiao Yin.

To cooperate with him, one must have that capability.

Xiao Yin is a pawn in his hand; discard him… and that's that!

Gu Jiu Ling had previously wanted to plead, asking Xiao Yin to intervene and release these people, after all this was too cruel and bloody.

But upon hearing they were from the Fuyu Tribe, Gu Jiu Ling immediately shut her mouth; she had no standing to ask Xiao Yin to take such a risk.

For a moment the atmosphere grew tense to the extreme, and the surrounding people became even more excited.

Xiao Wei stared fixedly at Xiao Yin, who leaned back against the chair, his expression normal, except that his slightly lowered peach‑blossom eyes were cold as ice.

Everyone knew Xiao Yin was weighing his options.

Morality, future, wealth and life—all were pressed upon him in this beast pit, grinding him down.

Xiao Wei's eyes held a cold smile; he turned his body, slowly raised his hand, and made a gesture toward the beast keepers at the pit's edge, his palm slashing fiercely through the air.

A tearing sound!

The eastern gate was pulled up by the beast keepers from the pit's edge, a roar surged forth, and a full‑grown tiger slowly emerged, whereupon the surroundings erupted in exclamations.

Immediately afterward, a white tiger also walked out from within.

It turned out to be two ferocious beasts! They seemed to have been starving for several days!

The slaves of the Fuyu Tribe all retreated to the doorway, with nowhere left to retreat, and their wailing grew even more mournful.