Chapter 480: The Wolves Join Forces to Bully the Crown Prince

Chapter 480: Chapter 480: The Wolves Join Forces to Bully the Crown Prince

He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. She blinked her round, dark eyes and stared at him with a petulant huff.

"I wasn’t going to fall. You’re the one being unreasonable, Brother. I don’t even know how to talk to you anymore."

"All I did was say a few words about Lu Shaoyuan. How is that unreasonable?"

As they spoke, the two strolled slowly down the road side by side.

The hem of Shen Ningning’s skirt swayed, a beautiful, fluttering sight.

Under the bright sun, her skin looked even more fair, smooth, and dewy.

"Brother, why do you dislike Lu Shaoyuan so much? It’s not like he’s ever offended you!"

’Besides, it seems like Lu Shaoyuan intentionally avoids Mo Lingwei, too.’

’If they were ever in the same place, Lu Shaoyuan, despite his normally outgoing personality, would deliberately act more reserved.’

Shen Ningning didn’t think there was any bad blood between them. Rather, it was Mo Lingwei who got angry every time he heard she had gone to check on the shop with Lu Shaoyuan.

Mo Lingwei pursed his lips, his dark, narrow eyes glancing away.

He said coolly, "I can’t stand merchants."

Shen Ningning said, exasperated, "But you don’t dislike his mother, Mrs. Meng?"

’Last year on Mo Lingwei’s birthday, Mrs. Meng sent a gift on behalf of the merchant’s guild, and he’d really liked it.’

She had a point, and Mo Lingwei fell silent.

After a moment, he turned back to look at the young woman beside him.

"This Wolf’s Sweet Water shop you opened with Lu Shaoyuan... didn’t you say at the beginning it was just for fun? How did it get so big? I heard you’re even planning to open a branch in the Capital. Can you even handle it all?"

Mo Lingwei’s sharp brows rose. "If you can’t handle it, why not just close the shop and find a business you like better?"

’He was even considering opening a jade shop for Shen Ningning. She could keep the pieces she liked for her collection and sell the ones she didn’t.’

But at his words, Shen Ningning lifted her long, lush lashes.

"We can’t close the shop. Wuer and the others already see it as their home. Besides, business is great. It would be a shame to close it."

Mo Lingwei frowned, his expression unchanging.

’It seems there’s no way to make her cut ties with Lu Shaoyuan.’

’To make matters worse, he was always busy with an endless stream of state affairs.’

’He had to carve out time just to be with Shen Ningning.’

Just then, Mo Lingwei suddenly turned and ordered Wu Fang, "Go back and tell the Emperor that I will be staying in Xiangyun Village for the next few days. I won’t be returning to the palace for the time being."

Both Shen Ningning and Wu Fang were startled.

"What do you mean you’re not going back? Uncle Emperor will worry about you." Confusion filled the young woman’s lovely eyes.

Mo Lingwei pressed his temples, feigning discomfort.

"My headaches have been acting up more frequently lately. I feel I need to rest and quiet my mind. If I return to the palace, it’ll just be another mountain of official documents. I want to escape to your side for some peace and quiet."

Judging by his pained frown, he didn’t seem to be faking it.

Shen Ningning knew what those headaches were like. The Divine Doctor had said the pain was so bad it made one want to take their own life.

This made her heart ache for Mo Lingwei even more.

She rose onto her tiptoes, her slender, delicate hands gently massaging his temples.

"Alright, then. Come stay in the village with me for a while. I’ll have you soak in the Spiritual Spring Water to help you feel better."

He took the opportunity to grasp her fingertips. When he opened his long, narrow eyes again, an imperceptible smile touched his lips.

He feigned calmness. "Yes, as long as you’re with me. I’m not comfortable with anyone else."

Shen Ningning sighed in resignation. It seemed only she could take care of Mo Lingwei.

’After all, Grandma Qin is too old to manage it.’

’The Black Wolf King and the others have never liked Mo Lingwei. Whenever they see him, they always want to chase him down and snap at his heels.’

’And she trusted other people even less.’

’She was afraid he would hurt them if he lost control.’

Wu Fang had no choice but to return and relay the news to the Emperor.

The Crown Prince suddenly wanting to stay in Xiangyun Village for a few days was certainly unexpected.

The Emperor was a little worried. "Are you sure Ningning agreed?"

Wu Fang nodded emphatically and handed over a letter from Shen Ningning.

The Emperor opened it. It was indeed Shen Ningning’s handwriting, telling him not to worry.

She also asked the Emperor to arrange for someone to send over a few changes of Mo Lingwei’s clothes, along with his usual medicine.

The Emperor laughed heartily. "With Ningning there, We can rest easy."

All the imperial guards in the palace breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They could finally relax for a few days. When the Crown Prince was in the palace, they had to be on guard at all times in case he flew into a rage, recognized no one, and went on a killing spree.

A while back, a few unlucky assassins had snuck into the palace.

As ill-luck would have it, they broke into Zichen Palace and were promptly strangled to death by the Crown Prince during one of his fits.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Xie Ming’an, had come to inspect the bodies at the time, shaking his head and sighing.

"Dead again. It would be nice if he left one alive for questioning."

Shen Ningning and a few little monkeys worked together in the house on Wolf Mountain, making a soft bed for Mo Lingwei.

Mo Lingwei was in the courtyard, chopping firewood.

Grandma Qin stood nearby with her hands behind her back, chuckling. "Alright, Xiao Mo, you should rest for a bit."

The esteemed Crown Prince, usually so pampered, whose hands had only ever held a sword or a brush, now showed no sign of fatigue. He gripped the axe firmly, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and diligently chopped firewood for Grandma Qin without a word of complaint.

The fine sheen of sweat on his forehead only served to accentuate his sharp brows and narrow, captivatingly dark eyes.

"Grandma, I’m not tired. Please, go sit and rest in the shade of the corridor. Once I finish chopping this wood, I’ll stack it by the wall."

Grandma Qin felt quite awkward about it.

’How can the Crown Prince of a nation be doing such menial labor?’

Not far away, lying in the shade of a tree, the Black Wolf King and Wolf Three stared at Mo Lingwei, their wolf eyes glowing faintly. The corners of their mouths seemed to curl into disdainful sneers.

"All he knows is how to suck up. So pretentious," Wolf Three grumbled in a low, human voice.

The Black Wolf King nodded. "Keep a close eye on him. Ningning is a young woman now. Grandma Qin said she shouldn’t be alone with an adult man."

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the wolf pack as they locked onto Mo Lingwei as their sole target.

"Brother!" Shen Ningning called out in a sweet, lilting voice as she came around from the backyard, holding a set of clean clothes.

The hem of her skirt fluttered, making her look exceptionally beautiful in the twilight.

With a smile on her porcelain-like face, she said, "Time to go soak in the Spiritual Spring!"

Mo Lingwei set down the axe, and Grandma Qin brushed the wood chips from his robes. "You two go soak in the spring water. Grandma will go make you something delicious."

Mo Lingwei followed Shen Ningning to the backyard.

The Black Wolf King shot to his feet. "Let’s go. We can’t let that punk get too pleased with himself."

The wolf pack furtively crept along the wall, following them.

Years ago, Shen Ningning had asked Chen Ye to help her carve out a large pool in the backyard.

It was now filled to the brim with crystal-clear, turquoise spring water.

Mo Lingwei removed his outer robe and tossed it aside. As he shed his layers, his solid chest was revealed, and his lean waist was accentuated by his brocade trousers.

Shen Ningning suddenly remembered the constant nagging of her annoying second brother.

She turned her back, her voice light as she instructed, "Just stay in and soak until it’s time for dinner. I’ll come call for you then."

Mo Lingwei didn’t rush into the water. Instead, he turned to look at Shen Ningning.

His tone was casual, yet it held an undercurrent of dependence.

"Are you just going to leave me here all by myself? What will I do when it gets dark?"

Blinking, Shen Ningning turned back and found him standing right behind her.

Their shadows overlapped on the ground.

Mo Lingwei’s gaze was focused and dark as he patiently watched the young woman enveloped in his shadow.

For some reason, the tips of Shen Ningning’s ears turned red.

"You’re a grown man. Are you still afraid?"

"I am if you’re not here. Don’t forget, I was afraid of water when I first met you." Mo Lingwei reached for her hand. "Bring a chair and sit beside me. Keep me company, won’t you?"

Before Shen Ningning could reply, a massive black shadow shot out from the side.

"Get in!" With a HOWL, the Black Wolf King leaped up and kicked Mo Lingwei into the pool.

Mo Lingwei’s expression changed. He was agile enough to steady himself just as he was about to fall into the pool.

But before he could even glance at the troublemaking wolves, Wolf Three had already snuck around to his side and given him a shove with its paw.

This time, Mo Lingwei completely lost his footing and fell in with a great SPLASH.

On the bank, the wolf pack let out a series of mocking howls.

Shen Ningning gasped. She looked over to see Mo Lingwei’s head break the surface. His black hair was soaked, and beads of water clung to his sharp brows, tracing the contours of his strikingly handsome face as they dripped down.

It made his narrow eyes seem even deeper.

He gritted his teeth. "Mr. Lang, I am not a thief. Why are you so wary of me?"

Mr. Lang sat majestically in front of Shen Ningning, his haughty gaze filled with contempt.

"Hmph." It said nothing more, only snorted.

Then it tugged on Shen Ningning’s skirt, its meaning clear: Mo Lingwei would be perfectly fine soaking here by himself.

Shen Ningning stifled a giggle. "Brother, you enjoy your soak, then. I’m going to go help Grandma with dinner. I’ll come get you when it’s ready."

After she left, the remaining wolves squatted by the edge of the pool, watching Mo Lingwei and letting out low, muffled snickers.

Mo Lingwei closed his eyes, his sharp brows knitting together.

’He had specifically planned to spend some quality time with Shen Ningning over the next few days. This pack of wolves... they weren’t going to cause trouble the entire time, were they?’