SLLBTT Chapter 16
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 16⊱⊷⋇
Liu Jiao sized up the Great King who was sitting upright with composure.
At this moment, the Snow Wolf King was wearing a sleeping robe, his alabaster skin wrapped in flowing silk.
Unconsciously, Liu Jiao swallowed, feeling that the Snow Wolf King seemed to exude a unique fragrance, rendering him unable to resist.
"Okay..." Liu Jiao agreed in a breath, then reached to pull down the hem of the Snow Wolf King's clothing. As he looked at that particular part, a soft exclamation escaped him.
This was the first time he had seen a wolf's thing.
Indeed, the Canidae family was quite astonishing.
"This..." Liu Jiao scrutinized for a while, "Seems a bit swollen."
The Snow Wolf King sighed. "What should we do about that?"
Liu Jiao hesitated, then suggested, "How about I help you lick it?"
"My beauty, are you sure?" the Snow Wolf King asked, "Aren't you afraid of getting dirty?"
Under the lamplight, Liu Jiao gazed at the Great King, resembling a patch of snow in the moonlight — pure and white as jade. How could it be considered dirty?
Liu Jiao shook his head. "No, you're very clean and has a delightful smell." With that, Liu Jiao wrinkled his nose and sniffed the unique chilly scent emanating from the Snow Wolf King.
The Snow Wolf King nodded with a smile. "Since Beautiful Lady says so, I can't refuse your hospitality..."
Reluctantly, the Snow Wolf King let Liu Jiao proceed with this healing activity, cautioning him, "Don't extend claws or show teeth."
"Understood," Liu Jiao replied, "I will remember."
Saying this, Liu Jiao crouched down to perform the common behavior used in animal healing.
At this moment, they heard Hong Huli's soft and delicate voice not far away. The sound was not loud, delicate, in the quiet night resembling the plaintive notes of a flute.
The Snow Wolf King immediately realized something and quickly instructed Liu Jiao to crawl under the table, advising him, "Don't make a sound."
Liu Jiao, puzzled but obedient, responded, "I will follow the Great King's order." Thus, he hid under the table, remaining silent.
After a while, Hong Huli led a censor into the imperial study.
The number of censors wasn't large, but each one was quite difficult to deal with. After all, the previous king was impeached by the Censorate.
The reason for the Snow Wolf King's midnight awakening wasn't due to being scratched by the snow leopard's claws. Such minor annoyances would heal for a divine wolf like him. In fact, the Snow Wolf King received a midnight report from the Censor.
The so-called "midnight report" was when ministers reported to the Great King outside official working hours. Of course, only high-ranking court officials had the qualification to do so. Whether the Great King responded promptly to the midnight report was also one of the standards for assessing diligent governance.
Generally, no one would report without reason, but the bored censors were hard to predict.
The Censor entered, greeted the Great King, and then asked, "I wonder if the Great King has read the report I submitted?"
"Currently reading," replied the Snow Wolf King. "Give me a brief overview."
The Censor responded, "Today, while I was reviewing all the quarterly grassroots management performance reports, I suspected that the report submitted by the county magistrate of Dongli County contains inaccuracies and conceals local environmental issues. I suggest establishing a dedicated research team before the county magistrate departs from the capital. This team should collaborate with experts and officials from the Environmental Protection Bureau, Forestry Bureau, Censorate, and other relevant departments to conduct a comprehensive investigation. The focus should be on evaluating the state of water resource protection, environmental sanitation, and ecological conservation in forested areas in Dongli County to ensure the success of environmental protection initiatives."
The Snow Wolf King, much like a reader skipping through a tedious passage, mentally bypassed the Censor's lengthy discourse, focusing only on the silent little beauty beneath the table.
The Censor seemed to sense the Snow Wolf King's lack of interest and became somewhat annoyed. "Great King, are you listening to what I'm saying?"
"Of course——" Not.
With that, the Snow Wolf King reached under the table, and touched the head that was on his ***. He then said, "I find your words quite reasonable. Let's proceed as you suggested!"
The Censor, feeling suspicious, furrowed his brow and asked, "May I inquire, Great King, what did I just say? How does the Great King think we should proceed?"
At these words, the Snow Wolf King raised an eyebrow but remained silent, only offering a smile.
However, Hong Huli spoke up, "Bold! Are you challenging the Great King?"
"Challenging the Great King is precisely within my duty!" The Censor took a step forward and said loudly, "Great King, offering frank advice is the responsibility of a Censor! Please forgive me!"
The Snow Wolf King had actually read the Censor's report a moment ago, and already had a plan in mind. He responded, "Your suggestion on addressing environmental issues is indeed worth exploring. I agree to promptly establish a research team to examine the results in Dongli County. However, I believe there must be some other urgent matter for the Censor to report in the middle of the night."
"Environmental issues are urgent and cannot be delayed!" replied the Censor.
Hong Huli interjected, "Does the Great King's sleep and rest not matter? The Great King's health is a top priority for the country!"
The Censor pointed at Hong Huli, demanding, "Since when is it your place, a chamberlain, to challenge me?"
Hong Huli retorted, "When things are unjust, the magpie cries. You've read so many books, haven't you heard this before?"
The Censor and Hong Huli then started arguing, each refusing to yield, exchanging words vehemently.
Ideally, the Snow Wolf King should have immediately halted their intense dispute. However, engrossed in the affairs under the table, he momentarily ignore them, letting the two argue while he enjoyed some extra time.
After this indulgence, Liu Jiao unexpectedly choked and couldn't help coughing twice.
Hearing the coughing, the Censor turned around. The Snow Wolf King immediately covered his mouth, pretending to cough himself.
Hong Huli's face turned green. He approached the Snow Wolf King and whispered, "There's no need to pretend. The snow leopard's tail is sticking out from under the tablecloth."
It turned out that after choking, Liu Jiao didn't notice his tail, and it had wagged a few times, revealing itself from under the tablecloth.
The Censor, catching sight of the tail, was utterly astonished, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He immediately understood, thinking, "This is the jinx's doing!" Angered, he stepped forward and grabbed the large tail. Liu Jiao screamed, and in natural response, the tail kicked backward. The Censor couldn't withstand the kick and fell to the ground with a loud crash.
"Jinx!" The Censor, in pain from the fall, angrily cursed, then turned to the Snow Wolf King, exclaiming, "Great King, this is preposterous!"
The Snow Wolf King earnestly explained, "I dropped my pen. He was just picking it up for me."