Chapter 413: Xie Yuanjiu’s Scheme

Chapter 413: Chapter 413: Xie Yuanjiu’s Scheme

A few days later, word of the birds bombarding the palace with their droppings had spread throughout the Capital City.

Everyone was secretly roaring with laughter about it.

As for Xie Yuanjiu, who had summoned the flock of birds, they had even started calling her the Feces Attraction Envoy.

The Emperor had only spared her life out of consideration for the Xie family’s reputation.

「That night.」

Shen Ningning’s Wolf Mountain estate was exceptionally lively.

"Ah! Wolf Three, don’t bite! Let go, quick!" the little girl’s soft, sweet voice rang out.

In the moonlit courtyard, the eagle, Mengyi, was flapping its wings, trying desperately to escape.

Unfortunately, Wolf Three had its left wing in his mouth. He wasn’t biting down hard, but it was just enough to keep Mengyi from getting away.

The rest of the pack howled playfully from the sidelines, every one of them seeming incredibly excited.

The Black Wolf King said to Shen Ningning, "This bird is so arrogant. We finally caught it."

Every time Mengyi came to Shen Ningning for food, it would take advantage of its ability to fly, perching on the roof beams and taunting the Black Wolf King by pointing its rear end at him.

The Black Wolf King had been putting up with it for a long time.

The only reason he hadn’t eaten it was out of respect for Shen Ningning.

Pinned under Wolf Three’s paw, Mengyi panicked and spoke in human language—

"Murder! Mr. Lang is murdering a good bird!"

The pack howled with laughter.

The Black Wolf King’s eyes turned dark and fierce.

Wolf Three prodded Mengyi’s chubby belly with his paw, and the eagle nearly rolled its eyes back in its head.

"You fat bird," Wolf Three said scornfully. "You’ve eaten so much of our Jiaojiao Xiao Ningning’s food that you’ve learned to talk."

Lang Si padded over, drool dripping onto Mengyi’s face.

"A fat bird that can talk must be delicious, right? Let me have a lick..."

Lang Si opened his massive, bloody maw, but before he could snatch Mengyi up in his mouth, he was grabbed by Shen Ningning’s small hands and dragged aside.

"Alright! Let him go!" She reached out, and Wolf Three obediently released his paw. Mengyi was saved.

It collapsed into Shen Ningning’s arms, its two large wings draping limply over her shoulders as if embracing the little girl.

Mengyi cried out shrilly, "Master, I almost never saw you again, Master!"

The Black Wolf King strode over and snarled fiercely.

"Your master is Pei Yin!" ’Does it think it can just latch onto our Jiaojiao Xiao Ningning?’

When Mengyi heard the name Pei Yin, it took a moment to register.

’Pei Yin? Who’s that? Oh, right, the guy who ate meat himself but gave me steamed corn bread.’

’What kind of master is that? The food was better at the Qi Mansion. Here with Shen Ningning, there’s chicken and duck, and the little master even peels eggs for me.’

Shen Ningning struggled to carry the eagle, which was almost fatter than she was, over to a bamboo and rattan chair and sat down.

"Whew. There, there. You should all love one another. You’re all such cute little animals, why must you fight and quarrel?"

With that, she took out two plates of minced chicken. "Here, little bird, eat up."

Mengyi immediately hopped to the ground, folded its wings, sniffed, and began to feast.

Lang Si’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the bird’s plump, tasty-looking rump, drooling nonstop.

Worn out from dealing with them, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Shen Ningning’s fair forehead. Her cheeks were flushed like rosy clouds, making her look absolutely adorable.

"Phew," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "It’s a good thing Grandma is staying in the village tonight. Otherwise, you all would be making so much noise she wouldn’t be able to sleep!"

Mengyi mumbled as it ate, "Delicious... Mmm, so good... Oh, I came to deliver a message... Ah! Meat, so delicious..."

Wolf Three shot it a disdainful look.

’Ever since this eagle learned to talk, it’s become such a chatterbox, just like a myna bird.’

"Deliver a message? What did you want to say?" Shen Ningning quickly crouched down to ask.

Last time, she had been saved by Mengyi’s warning. This time, it must have overheard some other news.

Mengyi’s human-like voice was muffled and rather awkward and shrill.

"Goo... Princess Consort Qi in the palace... told a palace maid... Goo, delicious!"

"And then what was it? Oh... She told the palace maid to cooperate with someone named Xie Yuanjiu to investigate something, and to be careful..."

At that, Mengyi flapped its wings, tilted its head back, and screeched like an eagle, "Meat is the best!"

Listening to its fragmented speech that never seemed to get to the point, the wolf pack grew anxious.

The Black Wolf King roared fiercely, "If you don’t finish what you’re saying, I’ll really eat you!"

Mengyi quickly hopped and scrambled behind Shen Ningning, peeking out with a pair of shifty eagle eyes.

"Princess Consort Qi told Xie Yuanjiu to be careful of you, Master, and not let you find out about her plan..."

Shen Ningning furrowed her adorable brows.

"Princess Consort Qi is telling Xie Yuanjiu to be careful of me? What evil thing are they planning now!"

Mengyi shook its head, cooing to indicate it wasn’t full yet.

Shen Ningning took out another raw chicken leg.

Mengyi’s eyes lit up.

"I remember now, goo!" it exclaimed, flapping its wings, and mentioned a name.

Xu Jingxi.

As for anything else, Mengyi hadn’t heard.

"Xu Jingxi?" Shen Ningning grew even more puzzled.

’Why would Xie Yuanjiu target Xu Jingxi? Hasn’t she bullied him enough already?’

The Black Wolf King sat beside Shen Ningning and let out a low growl.

He said that Xu Jingxi did indeed have a scent on him similar to Shen Ningning’s.

Just like the shared scent that members of the Xie family had.

A wolf’s sense of smell is incredibly sharp, and what’s more, the Black Wolf King and his pack drank Spiritual Spring Water and ate things grown with it every day. Their senses had long since evolved to be far superior to those of ordinary wolves.

Shen Ningning was surprised to hear this. "Does that mean Xu Jingxi might be part of my family?"

’And Xie Yuanjiu... has she perhaps discovered this secret?’

The next day, for the first time, Shen Ningning exercised her authority as a Princess.

She assigned two of her personal Hidden Guards to secretly tail Xie Yuanjiu.

"Remember, no matter what she does, you are to report back to me."

"Yes." The two Hidden Guards departed one after another, their Qinggong skills exceptional.

A few days later, a Hidden Guard returned to report.

"Princess, Xie Yuanjiu has been visiting the prison these past few days."

At that moment, Shen Ningning was inside her Wolf Mountain estate, practicing calligraphy by the window.

Outside, the leaves of a tree swayed gracefully in the courtyard. Hearing his words, she looked up, and the dappled light fell on the little girl’s clear eyes, which rippled with confusion.

"What is she doing at the prison?"

"She’s visiting Second Madam Xie. Each time, she just brings a food container, says a few words, and leaves."

Shen Ningning had almost forgotten that Second Madam Xie had been thrown in the dungeons and wouldn’t be getting out for three years.

After that incident, Xie Yuanjiu had wished she could sever all mother-daughter ties with Second Madam Xie to prove her own innocence.

’So why would she suddenly have a change of heart and go visit Second Madam Xie?’

"Her behavior is too strange; something must be wrong. Keep an eye on her, and the next time she heads to the prison, come tell me immediately."

"Yes."

The opportunity came quickly. Just four days later, a Hidden Guard came to fetch Shen Ningning.

Xie Yuanjiu was heading to the prison again with a food container to visit.

Shen Ningning immediately rushed to the prison with the Hidden Guard.

To avoid being noticed, she deliberately waited until Xie Yuanjiu had left the cellblock before going in.

A prison guard respectfully told her, "Miss Xie Si has been here several times now. She just brings food each time. It’s a shame, though. Second Madam Xie has been a bit... unhinged for a while now."

As his voice faded, Shen Ningning stepped into the dark, damp dungeon. After rounding a corner, she saw a cell where Second Madam Xie was crouched, filthy from head to toe, her hair a tangled mess.

She was on all fours, lapping at the rice water in a bowl on the ground.

She truly looked mad.