Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 418 Sincerity Exchange

It snowed all night, but the next day the sky cleared up.

Xue Sui lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent, walking across the thin ice. He saw Li Zhao squatting on the snow outside the tent, holding two pieces of raw meat, each half a foot long, facing off against a clump of black fur.

The mastiff, which is just over three months old, already has a more robust frame than a typical domestic dog.

Its front legs were straight, its eyes were round, and its snow-white claws were digging into the frozen ground. It let out a low growl at Li Zhao, looking quite imposing.

"Still won't eat?" Xue Sui walked over and asked with a smile.

Li Zhao grunted in response, his tone helpless.

"Stubborn brat, he rejects it after just one sniff. I don't know what he's being picky about. He's like a piece of meat that won't listen to reason."

“It wasn’t fed by the owner,” Xue Sui said. “I’ve heard that mastiffs are fierce and only recognize one owner in their lifetime.”

Li Zhao turned his head to look at her, raising an eyebrow slightly: "What can you do? Starve it all the time? I don't believe it can starve to death."

He shook the strip of meat in his hand.

Black Wind merely turned his head away, glancing at him occasionally, his low growls growing louder.

Xue Sui curved her lips into a smile, squatted down to look it in the eye, and winked. "You're Little Black Wind, right? Come on, let's shake hands, and you'll get some meat."

She stretched out her hand, palm up, and extended it forward. Black Wind's nostrils flared, exhaling a small puff of white breath. The hair on her neck stood on end, but she remained unmoved.

"Very wary." Xue Sui wasn't in a hurry and placed a small piece of meat in his palm.

"You haven't eaten for two days, you must be hungry. We're not bad people, we won't force you, it's up to you."

As she spoke, she placed the meat strips on the snow, gently tugged at Li Zhao's sleeve, and gestured for him to step back together.

Hei Feng's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before turning to Li Zhao, seemingly somewhat confused.

After a long while, seeing Xue Sui pull Li Zhao back a step, its tense body finally relaxed. It tentatively moved forward, sniffed the meat strip, and slowly put it in its mouth.

Perhaps because he was so hungry, he made a satisfied gurgling sound in his throat as he ate.

Li Zhao chuckled softly: "So easy to coax?"

He turned his head to look at Xue Sui again. Her beautiful profile in the morning light, reflected in the snow, was as lovely as a plum blossom covered in morning dew, making his heart soften.

"Peaceful is still the best option."

"I just suddenly remembered that lame mongrel in the old swamp. When I first arrived, it was very wary. Even though it was hungry and wanted to eat, it wouldn't come near the person who fed it..."

She chuckled as she spoke.

"All things have a spirit, and their temperaments are generally similar. A dog separated from its owner is like a lost child. As long as you treat others with sincerity and have more patience, you can always warm them up slowly."

After Hei Feng swallowed the piece of meat, she took the largest piece of meat from Li Zhao's hand and held it in her palm, looking at the mastiff.

"Come here. Black Wind...want some food? Come here."

Black Wind hesitated, licking his lips.

She wasn't in a hurry, steadily holding the piece of meat, watching it as if in some silent contest. After a while, the mastiff approached and sniffed for a moment, finally sticking out its tongue to tentatively lick her hand, then snatched the meat and retreated, lying down on the snow, pressing the meat down with its two front paws, and began to swallow it greedily.

"Sixth Miss has quite the nerve." Li Zhao chuckled, bent down and flicked Hei Feng's forehead. "I've been coaxing you for two days, and it's not as good as her calling me 'good girl'?"

The mastiff was at the age where it was guarding its food. It suddenly raised its head, bared its snow-white canine teeth, and growled at him threateningly.

Li Zhao frowned, and Xue Sui gave a light shout, which made it reluctantly bury its head in its food again.

"Foolish sight." Li Zhao said, "The name Black Wind is too imposing... It really doesn't match your silly eating habits."

Xue Sui raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness wishes to rename it?" Li Zhao pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the mastiff's four paws. "How about 'Treading Snow'?"

Xue Sui asked in confusion, "There must be at least three horses named Ta Xue in the camp, right? I heard... they were all named by Your Highness?"

Li Zhao was speechless. Seeing the sly smile in her eyes, he coughed awkwardly twice and touched his nose to cover up his boring naming style.

"Uh...then you can pick one for me?"

A gust of cold wind swept by, stirring up the snow on the ground.

Xue Sui pressed down on a corner of his cloak, which was being blown about by the wind, and looked at the black dog that was munching away, its hooves pounding in the snow. He blurted out.

"Shall we call him Black Eighteen?"

"Black Eighteen Sons?" Li Zhao was taken aback, then realized what he meant and deliberately put on a dark face.

"Eighteen sons make up Li, Xue Ping'an, you've got some nerve, indirectly calling me a dog?"

Xue Sui couldn't help but chuckle, his laughter clear and melodious. "Your Highness has misunderstood. Since it is Your Highness's dog, it should naturally take Your Highness's surname. But Li is the imperial surname, how can it be given to a dog so casually? As a second choice, we took an eighteen-character name, which subtly aligns with Li's wishes, avoids the taboo of the imperial family, and also appears intimate. Your Highness, do you agree?"

"You're right." Li Zhao's smile deepened, and he could no longer hide the curve of his lips. He reached out and touched Hei Feng's head again. "You're lucky. From now on, you'll be called Hei Shiba. Don't bother with the child. I can't give birth to a son as black as you."

"Black Eighteen, its name matches its appearance, it's pure black, it sounds friendly and easy to say, this name is just right."

Black Eighteen seemed to understand but not quite, having no idea that his imposing name "Black Wind" was actually replaced by the casual "Black Eighteen," and from then on, he was ranked alongside the street dogs.

It quickly finished the large piece of meat, licked its nose with lingering satisfaction, and trotted back to Xue Sui's legs, wagging its tail enthusiastically.

This time, when Xue Sui reached out his hand, it obediently nuzzled against it with its head.

"Good heavens, I haven't even had a chance to lick it yet, and you've already beaten me to it." Li Zhao reached out and pressed down on her wrist, his tone half-joking, half-seriously affectionate.

Xue Sui's ears burned, and he abruptly pulled his hand back.

"Your Highness should worry about important matters. It's freezing cold, we need to build a warm nest for Black Eighteen."

Looking at the rare shyness she showed, Li Zhao couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. "Yes, Ping An is right."

He called out loudly, "Laifu!"

Grandpa Laifu immediately jogged forward, his face beaming with smiles.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Go, find a thick cotton pad for this new Black Eighteen, and gather some dry grass. Make sure it's warm and cozy next to my tent." Li Zhao pointed to Black Eighteen, who was circling around Xue Sui.

"Find some more meat to feed it. It seems it's starving. This little bit isn't even enough to fill its teeth."

"I'll take care of it right away." Lai Fu replied with a smile. No sooner had he left than Yuan Cang suddenly came running over, one hand on his waist knife and the other holding a thin bamboo tube, his feet barely touching the ground.

"Your Highness! Urgent news from Black Stone Village, sent by the Junior Chieftain."

The smile on Li Zhao's face vanished instantly as he took the sealed bamboo tube.

Black Eighteen, seemingly drawn by some scent, suddenly pounced excitedly, shaking off the snowflakes that splattered all over him.

Li Zhao ignored it, opened the letter, and his eyebrows rose. Then, the corners of his mouth pursed and curved into a smile...

"How is it?" Xue Sui asked.

"Hachi said that Chief Dorje has relented," Li Zhao said in a low voice, slowly uttering a few words.

(End of this chapter)