Wolf-Raised Cub with a Space: Surviving the Disaster Years
Chapter 162: The Crown Prince’s Fury
Mo Changgong froze, his brows knitting together.
He had completely forgotten about that.
The Little White Wolf howled with agitation.
Shen Ningning pressed her pink lips together. "You still had your Hidden Guard do it."
The Hidden Guard supporting Mo Changgong lowered his head and whispered a few words in his ear.
Mo Changgong remembered. His tone turned cold. "So what if I did? I was accompanying my imperial father on the autumn hunt when those two wolves tried to attack me. If I hadn’t killed them, should I have just waited for them to kill me?"
Hearing this, the Little White Wolf nearly lunged forward, but Shen Ningning held it tight.
The Black Wolf King, fearing the Little White Wolf would lose control, pressed a paw on its back to keep it from hurting Shen Ningning.
The little one said, "It was clearly your men who found a den of wolf pups and tried to take them. Those two wolves were only protecting their children, but you not only skinned them, you also took the pups."
The Little White Wolf’s howls turned into mournful wails.
She was the first child of those two white wolves. Being a she-wolf, her build was long and slender.
Later, her mother gave birth to a litter of pups. That day, she returned from hunting for food only to find a group of people surrounding her den.
Her white wolf parents were already brutally killed, and the Sixth Prince was having his Hidden Guard take all the little pups.
The Little White Wolf charged forward, biting and fighting. However, being too thin and weak, she was stabbed twice and could only flee for the time being.
After that, she wandered the forest, driven away by other animals, until she met Shen Ningning.
Mo Changgong held his head high. "A beast is a beast. Are you really going to seek justice for a beast? I still have those two wolf pelts in my palace. If you really want them, I can have someone fetch them for you!"
His words were quite unpleasant, causing many of the ministers to frown secretly.
’Originally, the Crown Prince had a violent and unpredictable temperament, so we felt he wasn’t the best choice for Crown Prince.’
’Now it seems the Sixth Prince is no better.’
The Ninth Prince stepped forward and gently tried to persuade him. "Sixth Brother, you should just apologize. Princess Funing probably just wants to see your attitude on the matter."
Mo Changgong grew agitated. "This has nothing to do with you. Keep your mouth shut."
The moment the words left his mouth, he turned his head and saw Mo Lingwei’s dark, frigid gaze. A cold sweat instantly broke out on Mo Changgong’s back.
Shen Ningning’s gaze swept over to the Hidden Guard, a flicker of doubt in her bright, dark eyes.
’Just now, I saw the wine cup the Hidden Guard threw at the Little White Wolf. It was like a hidden weapon. I remember last time, I was also suddenly struck by something in the back of my knee.’
The little one crouched down to check the wound on the Little White Wolf’s leg. Parting the fur, she could see a slightly swollen injury.
Shen Ningning suddenly looked up. "The last time I was injured on the palace path, it was your doing too, wasn’t it?"
Mo Changgong froze. ’How could she know?!’
Meeting Mo Lingwei’s already furious gaze, Mo Changgong was so scared he blurted out, "What does that have to do with me? You clearly fell because you were running too fast!"
Shen Ningning’s small face filled with even more suspicion. "There was no one on the palace path at the time. How did you know I fell, unless you were hiding nearby?"
"I..." Mo Changgong gritted his teeth. "Shen Ningning, have you gone mad? Are you going to blame me for your own fall?"
Shen Ningning said with a childishly fierce voice, "I have proof!"
With that, she bent down and was about to pull up her silk trousers to show everyone the injury on the back of her knee.
’After getting hit last time, I soaked it in Spiritual Spring Water, but there’s still a faint bruise!’
’This shows that the person who hit me with a stone must have known martial arts.’
Seeing that she was about to expose her calf in front of everyone, Mo Lingwei immediately grabbed her hand.
He said in a low voice, "Go behind the screen. Let me see."
Everyone watched as Shen Ningning followed the Crown Prince behind a wide Mica Screen to the side.
Grandma Qin stood up uneasily, her gaze fixed worriedly in their direction.
Mo Lingwei saw it clearly: on the back of the little one’s fair, tender knee was an unsightly bluish-purple mark.
It had mostly faded, but the injury must have been severe at the time, as a faint trace still remained.
Mo Lingwei’s eyes suddenly filled with ferocity. "This is why you fell last time, isn’t it?"
He still remembered her disheveled appearance outside the Sunlight Tower, her dark eyes red as if she had clearly been crying, yet still pretending everything was fine.
Shen Ningning nodded, her voice soft and sweet. "Yes."
Mo Lingwei’s gaze was like a gathering of dark clouds, but his voice remained calm. "Get dressed properly and come out."
Shen Ningning, not yet sensing anything was wrong, nodded obediently.
She had just slipped her little shoes back on when she heard a sudden clamor from outside, mixed with the angry roars and growls of the Black Wolf King.
The little one scrambled out to see Mo Lingwei pinning Mo Changgong to the ground and beating him. The Black Wolf King was beside them, wanting to bite but afraid of hitting Mo Lingwei, so it could only let out ferocious snarls.
Mo Changgong’s screams grew louder and louder. Onlookers tried to pull Mo Lingwei away, but no one could stop him.
Until the Emperor’s furious voice rang out from the doorway: "Crown Prince, what is this madness!"
Mo Lingwei was choking Mo Changgong. Hearing the Emperor’s voice, Mo Changgong wailed tearfully, "Imperial Father, save me! Crown Prince... Crown Prince is trying to kill me!"
The Emperor strode forward and yanked Mo Lingwei away.
Shen Ningning quickly grabbed the corner of his robe, and only then did Mo Lingwei regain a sliver of his senses.
Suppressing his violent rage, his eyes swirling with dark clouds, he said, "Ask him yourself how he injured Shen Ningning. Make him tell you!"
Mo Changgong’s eyes darted away, and the Hidden Guard beside him quickly knelt.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! It was all this humble servant’s fault, it has nothing to do with the Sixth Prince. Princess Funing was disrespectful to the Sixth Prince, so this servant took it upon himself to teach her a small lesson. I did everything myself!"
Mo Lingwei sneered. "Disrespectful to him? When have Shen Ningning and Mo Changgong ever met in private?"
The Emperor also turned a suspicious gaze on Mo Changgong.
The Hidden Guard shuddered, screaming ’This is bad!’ in his mind. ’How could I admit that Mo Changgong had previously tricked Shen Ningning into the palace to deliberately show her Mo Lingwei bullying an official?’
Seeing Mo Changgong’s guilt-ridden lowered gaze and the Hidden Guard’s silence, the Emperor understood after just a glance.
He clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head, letting out a cold laugh. "What a Wei Family. And I thought Wei Shouyong was absurd enough."
The Emperor angrily pointed at Mo Changgong. "You’re no better than them! Your uncle, in my court, repeatedly lied to me to seize the title of the blessed girl!"
"Your third uncle colluded with mountain bandits to seize disaster relief grain, and your mother, the consort, has failed to teach you properly! I originally thought you two were innocent, but now it seems you’re all cut from the same cloth!"
Just now, in the side hall, the Emperor had already finished his interrogation.
That group of mountain bandits had been in contact with Third Master Wei. For as many years as the drought had lasted, they had been making such deals in private.
By skimming off so much grain, Third Master Wei had made a fortune.
And the Emperor refused to believe that Minister Wei was completely unaware of these matters! He must have been profiting from it as well.
He flung his sleeves, declaring angrily, "Pass on my decree! The entire Wei Family mansion is to be confiscated, and the family exiled. Every member, regardless of gender, will receive thirty heavy strokes of the board and is forbidden from entering the capital for the rest of their lives!"
"Consort Li has failed in raising a Prince and is to be confined to her palace, forbidden from coming and going as she pleases. The Sixth Prince is to be sent to the Royal Villa to reflect on his transgressions from now on. If he disappoints me again, I will show no more mercy!"
Mo Changgong’s face went rigid and pale. "Imperial Father! You can’t do this to me, Imperial Father..."
The Emperor shook off his pleading hand, his voice merciless. "Guards! Execute the Hidden Guard at the Sixth Prince’s side!"