The Emperor Arrives

　　Following the announcement, a tall, large and handsome man dressed in a stunning robe came into the garden. There were two rows of people following behind. Only the emperor would be able to pull this off.

　　Not many people from Liu Shan Men have seen the emperor before. They were all curious but didn't dare to look in case they angered his majesty.

　　The current emperor, a wise ruler whose bad luck streak didn't end until after forty had eyebrows that were starting to turn white. It's not easy to be a wise ruler, and dealing with his six sons who are fighting it out really takes its toll on him. He looks a lot older than when I last saw him. He looks like he's fifty plus when he's in his early forties.

　　Emperor Yuan Sheng had gotten a little chubby. Perhaps it's due to his lifestyle in the palace. I couldn't help but sigh when I saw him walk through. He and the Orange Prince look like they were made from the same mould.

　　While their features looked strikingly similar, the area between the eyebrows of the Orange Prince makes him look more aggressive. The emperor had a very kind gaze making him feel more like a close uncle.

　　The Orange Prince was acting like he found back up. He seemed to completely forget about his corruption case and yelled like an idiot: "Father! Father! I'm here. This evil woman is threatening me!"

　　Su Xiao like the idiot he is, bravely - in a bad way - knocked the prince with his sabre's handle so hard you could hear the bang ring in the air in front of the emperor.

　　"Argh! Oww! Look father, she's. .h.i.tting me."

　　"Well deserved. Who are you calling a woman?"

　　I suddenly felt like young Su Xiao here was a treasure that I needed to pamper. I don't think I'll find another with his level of talent in this life. He's knocking the prince's head in like it's a wooden fish…

　　Nan gonggong got fl.u.s.tered and exasperated, and shouted: "Insolence! How dare you swing weapons around in front of his majesty! Is this mutiny?!"

　　Su Xiao quickly said: "Your majesty, please forgive, umm… Umm…" He got nervous when he saw the emperor. He barely managed to utter a few sentences: "Please forgive my insolence. This punk… His majesty is too much. He brought people here to hara.s.s us. I'm worried that he'd run off if I let go of him and won't be able to capture him."

　　Emperor Yuan Sheng paused and then said with a frown: "Insolence. How dare you behave so audaciously in my presence, let him go!" He spoke in a very domineering tone. Even those highly skilled in martial arts and those who'd gone through life and death could not help but feel their heart rate speed up.

　　"Your majesty, it's not that I don't want to let him go, but what if he doesn't own up to his crimes and tries to hara.s.s me?"

　　The Orange Prince chuckled and said: "We're treating you courteously here! My father told you to let go of me, so let me go! As for starting with you, our quarrel…"