The Imperial Garden was a masterpiece of landscaping. It had weeping willows, koi ponds, and rare flowers imported from the West. To Shen Yi, it was a prison yard with better aesthetics.
"Your Majesty! Run! Catch the butterfly!"
Shen Yi stood by the koi pond, his hands clasped behind his back, watching a group of noble children run around like headless chickens. The Empress Dowager had ordered a "Royal Playdate." "Networking," Shen Yi grumbled internally, sipping a cup of warm pear juice. "I am surrounded by the sons of my enemies, and I am legally required to play Tag."
Sigh.
He adjusted his silk robe. He had no intention of running. Running caused sweating. Sweating was undignified. He was currently calculating the water displacement of the fountain to distract himself from the boredom, when he heard a sound.
Hiss.
It wasn't a snake. It was deeper. angrier. It came from the large artificial rock formation near the north wall—the "Cold Palace" side of the garden.
Shen Yi waddled over, leaving his posse of eunuchs behind. "Stay," he commanded when Eunuch Gao tried to follow. "I require... solitary contemplation."
"Of course, Your Majesty! Contemplate away!"
Shen Yi rounded the rock formation. There, cornered against the stone wall, was a girl.
She was tiny. Even smaller than him. She wore a dress that was clearly a hand-me-down from an older princess—the silk was faded, the sleeves too long. Her hair was messy, tied up in two uneven buns. But it was her eyes that stopped Shen Yi. They were amber. Vertical pupils. Cat like. The eyes of a predator that had realized it was backed into a corner and had decided to go down swinging.
Surrounding her were three boys. The leader was Young Master Wu (Age 9), the son of the General of the Left. He was large, loud, and looked like a steamed bun that had been dropped in dirt.
"Look at the little Wolf Girl," Wu laughed, poking at her with a stick. "Did you forget how to talk? Bark for us! Bark!"
The girl didn't cry. She didn't scream for a nanny. She was crouched low. Her hand was hidden inside her long sleeve. Shen Yi, with his enhanced Dragon Vision, saw what she was holding. A rusty iron nail.
"She's not going to bark," Shen Yi analyzed calmly. "She's calculating the trajectory to his jugular."
Young Master Wu raised the stick again. "I said bark!"
He swung. The girl moved. It was a blur. She didn't cringe away; she lunged forward, under the stick. The rusty nail flashed in the sunlight.
"Stop."
The word wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of a mountain. Shen Yi stepped out from behind the rock.
Young Master Wu froze. The girl froze, mid-lunge, looking like a gargoyle suspended in air. They both looked at the 7-year-old Emperor.
"Y-Your Majesty!" Wu dropped the stick and fell to his knees. "We were just... uh... teaching the barbarian some manners!"
Shen Yi ignored him. He looked at the girl. She hadn't kneeled. She had backed up against the wall again, switching her target from Wu to Shen Yi. She bared her teeth. Sharp.
Name: Ye Lan (Princess of Bei-Rong)
Age: 6
Status: Political Hostage.
Shen Yi's Assessment: "High volatility. Zero liquid assets. But that lunge... perfect form. Zero hesitation. Unrefined talent."
Shen Yi looked at Wu. "Young Master Wu. Your father commands the Heavy Infantry, correct?" "Y-yes, Your Majesty!" "Does the Heavy Infantry attack unarmed prisoners?" "No, Your Majesty!" "Then why are you attacking a girl who is half your size?" Shen Yi tilted his head. "Is it because you are too weak to fight the boys?"
Wu went purple. "No! She's... she's a monster! She bit my maid yesterday!"
"Leave," Shen Yi said. He pointed a chubby finger at the path. "Go count the koi fish. If you get the number wrong, I'm telling your father you cried."
Wu scrambled away, terrified of the Emperor's strange, adult gaze.
Now, they were alone.
Shen Yi took a step forward. Ye Lan hissed, brandishing the rusty nail.
"Warning. Hostile merger imminent."
Shen Yi stopped. He reached into his wide sleeve. Ye Lan tensed, ready to dodge a weapon. Shen Yi pulled out a bun. A premium, red-bean steamed bun he had saved from lunch because the Academy food was trash.
He held it out. "The nail is rusty," Shen Yi said. "Tetanus is a bad way to die. Put it down."
Ye Lan looked at the bun. Her stomach gave a treacherous growl loud enough to echo off the rocks. The Northern Wolf Kingdom was poor. As a hostage, she was fed leftovers. She was starving.
"It's not poisoned," Shen Yi said. To prove it, he tore a small piece off and ate it. "See? delicious. High glycemic index, but you need the energy."
He placed the bun on a flat rock between them. Then he stepped back three paces. "It's a transaction," Shen Yi said. "I give you the bun. You give me the nail. And you stop trying to murder the General's son. It's bad for politics."
Ye Lan stared at him. Her amber eyes flicked from his face to the bun. She moved. She snatched the bun with terrifying speed. She didn't eat it; she inhaled it. Gone.
She looked at him. She didn't say thank you. She looked at his sleeve, wondering if there were more.
"Greedy," Shen Yi noted. "Good."
He walked closer. This time, she didn't hiss. She watched him warily, wiping crumbs from her mouth.
"Do you know who I am?" Shen Yi asked. Ye Lan nodded slowly. " The... Dragon Boy." Her voice was raspy, unused. "I am the Emperor," Shen Yi corrected. "Which means I own this garden. I own the rocks. I own the General's son. And I own the kitchen."
Ye Lan's ears perked up at 'kitchen'.
"They treat you like a dog," Shen Yi stated plainly. "They want you to bark. But I looked at your eyes. You are not a dog." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You are a wolf."
Ye Lan froze. For the first time, the feral mask slipped, revealing a lonely, angry child.
"I need a wolf," Shen Yi said. "The sheep in this palace are annoying. And sometimes... I need someone to bite them."
He extended his small, soft hand. "I will ensure you get meat every day. Roast duck. Lamb. Chicken. No more leftovers." Ye Lan's eyes widened. "In exchange," Shen Yi said, "When I say sit, you sit. When I say bite, you bite. And you never, ever point a nail at me."
He waited. It was a Scam Deal. He was buying her loyalty for poultry.
Ye Lan looked at the empty hand where the bun used to be. She looked at the rusty nail in her hand. She dropped the nail. She stepped forward and placed her small, dirty hand into his.
Her grip was surprisingly strong. Crushing, actually.
"Ouch."
"Meat?" she asked. "Meat," he promised.
Ye Lan nodded. She turned, walked over to the rusty nail, picked it back up, and hid it in her sleeve. Shen Yi raised an eyebrow. "I said give me the nail." Ye Lan looked at him innocently. "Backup," she whispered.
Shen Yi smirked and turned to an imaginary audience. "She negotiates. I like her."
"Come on," Shen Yi said, turning back to the main path. "Walk with me. If Young Master Wu comes back... feel free to trip him. But make it look like an accident."
Ye Lan smiled. It was a terrifying, toothy smile. She trotted after him, no longer a victim, but the Emperor's new Head of Asset Protection.