Chapter 95: You Are Just Stubborn

Although Nan Xueyin was an Assassin, under the absolute power suppression of an adult leopard, she truly found it difficult to resist.

For some reason, Nan Xueyin did not feel very afraid; she even felt that if she were to be bitten to death by the leopard just like this, dying here, dying today, would also be a rather good thing.

Nan Xueyin could almost feel the viscous saliva dripping onto her face and sliding into her neck.

But the intense pain she had anticipated did not strike; the black leopard did not bite down.

It leaned in beside Nan Xueyin's head and sniffed hard.

Not satisfied, it sniffed toward her shoulder again.

Nan Xueyin was startled; was it smelling her scent?

Why?

"Catch it!"

At the command of the Emperor, the black leopard's neck was snared by an iron chain, and it was jerked up violently.

Nan Xueyin felt a lightness on her body and saw the guards who had rushed into the hall a step too late; several of them worked together to drag the black leopard away, pinning it firmly to the ground.

Xiao Youlan knelt on one knee beside her and helped her up.

When Nan Xueyin had been pounced on by the black leopard earlier, he had wanted to come over, but had been held back by the guards with all their might; only now that the black leopard had been dragged away were the guards willing to let go.

"Didn't you say that if anything happened, you wouldn't care about me? That I should just hide behind you?"

Xiao Youlan's voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.

It had been so dangerous just now, almost on the edge of life and death.

Yet he kept feeling that if someone truly had to die today, it should have been him, not Nan Xueyin.

"It won't happen next time." Nan Xueyin rose following his strength and gave a casual reply.

Xiao Youlan was so angry he laughed, "You are just stubborn."

He pulled over the chair he had been sitting in earlier—it was still intact—and said, "Sit."

Nan Xueyin sat down obediently.

Xiao Youlan lowered his eyes, seeing the torn clothing on her shoulder and the faint bloodstains, his gaze deepening infinitely.

It must hurt a lot.

But Nan Xueyin did not care much about the pain on her body, staring unblinkingly at the black leopard.

The black leopard was pinned tightly to the ground, barely managing to turn its head toward her direction, with a faint growl still in its throat.

"This beast, it still wants to hurt people!"

"Truly incorrigible!"

"It won't be enough to appease our anger unless it's killed!"

Yet Nan Xueyin recalled the black leopard's action of sniffing her carefully just now; she looked at it and unexpectedly saw a mist of tears in those beastly eyes.

The black leopard was crying.

Nan Xueyin was stunned.

The Ninth Princess of the Loulan Kingdom had long since lost all color in her face, kneeling on the ground to beg for mercy from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, "I did not know this leopard would suddenly go mad, nor did I know it would actually attack the Crown Prince! Loulan is loyal to the Emperor; my father often says that the Emperor is ordained by Heaven and is an emperor for the ages. Even if I were given one thousand and one hundred guts, I would not dare to offend the Emperor's divine majesty."

She looked innocent, her eyes filled with hot tears, yet she still said, "But this leopard was brought by me to offer birthday wishes after all; if the Emperor and the Empress wish to blame me... I am willing to accept it."

As she spoke, she bowed her head humbly and knocked it against the ground.

The Emperor was stern, "This matter has nothing to do with you."

His gaze was cold and serious as he looked at Jiang Lian'er, "You tell me, why did this wild beast go mad, and why did it want to attack the Crown Prince?!"

Jiang Lian'er's face was deathly pale; she stood there, looked at the black leopard on the ground, and seemed to choke back a sob.

Nan Xueyin suddenly turned to Xiao Youlan, "She is going to commit suicide, stop her!"

Xiao Youlan did not ask how she had figured it out, nor did he hesitate; without another word, he commanded, "Do not let her commit suicide!"

The guards were arranged by him personally, so they naturally obeyed his orders and reacted quickly, pinning Jiang Lian'er down.

Nan Xueyin prompted, "Mouth."

Xiao Youlan repeated it.

The guards forced open Jiang Lian'er's teeth with brute strength, and sure enough, they dug out a black pill from inside—the thing she had been about to bite down on with force.

"What else do you have to say?" the Emperor demanded sternly.

There was not a drop of blood on Jiang Lian'er's face, only tears filling her eyes and covering her face.

The Emperor felt no pity; ruining the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet meant not giving him, the Emperor, any face. If this spread, it would inevitably cause him to be ridiculed by the world.

The Emperor said coldly, "Then drag her away..."

The Emperor was about to order an execution; Nan Xueyin was just about to have the Crown Prince stop him.

"Father."

Before she could speak, Xiao Youlan stepped forward and opened his mouth.

The Emperor looked at him, "The Crown Prince has something to say?"

Xiao Youlan bowed and said, "A few days ago, this son met this young lady and bought a small leopard from her hands."

The Emperor was taken aback.

Everyone present was also taken aback.

Only Nan Xueyin knew that Xiao Youlan was thinking the same as her: he wanted to save her.

Unaccountably, two words suddenly popped into her mind: tacit understanding.

"The one today should be the mother leopard; judging by its appearance, it should be the biological mother of the small leopard I bought. The reason the leopard suddenly went wild at the birthday banquet today was also because it smelled the scent of the small leopard on me."

Hearing Xiao Youlan say this, Nan Xueyin also realized belatedly that the reason the black leopard kept sniffing her earlier was that it was smelling the scent of Xiaoyang.

Before leaving, Xiaoyang had come to act spoiled, and Nan Xueyin had softened and held it for a while.

She had not expected that this would actually save her own life.

"The mother leopard's outburst is because it misses Xiao Bao; this is a mother's love for her child. Today, the Emperor has grandly set a banquet to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday; this is a child's love for his mother. Both loves are equal in weight, and to have them both revealed in the hall today is surely a matter of fate."

Once Xiao Youlan spoke these words, the nature of the entire incident changed.

It shifted from Jiang Lian'er deliberately inciting the black leopard to attack the Crown Prince, to the mother leopard missing Xiao Bao and accidentally injuring someone.

Emperor Yongzheng's expression sank slightly, and he did not speak.

Xiao Youlan continued, "Although this son was not injured, and it was Nan Xueyin who was hurt, the mother leopard did collide with the Emperor and ruined the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. While it may not be a grave crime, it cannot go unpunished."

He paused, then said, "Today's banquet matters were all arranged by this son. Since an accident occurred, it is only natural that I take full responsibility for handling it. Rest assured, Father, I will certainly give you and the Empress Dowager a satisfactory answer."

With his words having reached this point, what more could Emperor Yongzheng do? He let out a cold laugh and said, "Then proceed as you have said!"

"Yes, thank you, Father."

Xiao Youlan bowed again, then turned back.

"You few, take the black leopard and this woman away together, lock them in the Eastern Palace, and instruct Shu Yu to watch them personally; there must be no mistakes."

"You few, help the Ninth Princess up and take her to her seat."

The Ninth Princess of Loulan Kingdom was helped up, her face covered in tear tracks, and walked out.

As she stepped out of the hall doors, she suddenly looked back.

Nan Xueyin was staring at her back, and their gazes collided unexpectedly.

Nan Xueyin was expressionless as always, her eyes cold and sharp; the Ninth Princess frowned and withdrew her gaze.

"Little Snow."

Xiao Youlan called to her softly.

Nan Xueyin looked over, understood the implication in his words, and stood up.

Xiao Youlan led her and said to the upper seats, "Father, Empress Dowager, Nan Xueyin was injured while saving this son; I request permission to take her to a side hall to change clothes and apply medicine."

The expression on Zong Taihou's face as she looked at Nan Xueyin was very complex.

In truth, when she heard Xiao Youlan say earlier that this was his savior, the Empress Dowager did not believe it at all.

She only felt that this was a woman who had won the Crown Prince's favor with her beauty, and the so-called "savior" was merely an excuse the Crown Prince had made up so she could gain a firm footing in the palace.

She had not expected that when the black leopard suddenly went mad earlier, it was truly she who had acted to save the Crown Prince.