Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

"What are you inspecting at Prison Zero for?" Luo Zhaohua interrupted her long-winded explanation. His deep purple pupils narrowed slightly as his gaze calmly swept over Locelin's face.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and she knew her fourth daughter's character all too well. More than a hundred years ago, she cried and begged for Qi Xuan, and after being rejected by Qi Xuan, she went on a hunger strike in the palace, saying that she would not marry anyone but the God of War.

She finally managed to obtain the marriage contract, but Qi Xuan still refused to marry her, so she became constantly suspicious, believing that Qi Xuan had other females outside. Three years ago, when Qi Xuan was first corrupted by a fallen beast, she immediately ran to beg her mother, the Empress, to annul the engagement. Now that there are rumors of Qi Xuan recovering, she is faster than anyone else to run away.

"I...I just heard that the warden is an F-rank female. As the heir to the throne, what's wrong with me inspecting the empire's highest-security prison for the sake of the empire's honor and security?"

If Ye Tang were here and heard these words, she would probably sincerely correct her—F-rank is giving me too much credit; I am FF-rank.

Luo Zhaohua remained silent. She knew who the warden of Zero Prison was: Ye Tang, an FF-level mental power holder, whose SSS-level top-secret file was personally encrypted by An Ning, and which she had reviewed and approved.

Lu Yu had written detailed reports on the recovery status of every inmate at Prison Zero over the past few months, and these reports were forwarded to her desk through An Ning. She had read each one carefully. She just didn't know how Lao Si had gotten the news so quickly; it seemed someone in the research institute wasn't keeping a tight rein on things.

"Shut up. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just heard Qi Xuan might have recovered and you want to re-form the bond, right?"

"Mother Queen..." Rosalind's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Loserin! Qi Xuan is the God of War of the Empire, a hero of the Empire, not a toy you can marry and discard at will! More than a hundred years ago, you were desperate to marry him, and I disregarded my status to deal with the elders of the Flood Dragon Clan, using countless royal resources to get that marriage contract for you. Do you know how many times those old bastards from the Flood Dragon Clan humiliated me? And what was the result?"

"She doesn't want to marry you. She'd rather go to a remote island in the South China Sea to guard the seal than marry you! Three years ago, when he was first corrupted by the fallen beast, everyone was still trying to save him, and you immediately came to beg me to break off the engagement! Now that you've just heard he's recovered, you're going to find him again. Where do you think I am? Where do you think the royal family is?"

"Mother Queen... I just..."

"Shut up and go back!"

"I..." Rosalind's lips moved a few times.

"Don't make me say it a second time."

Locelyn dared not utter another word, turned and ran out of the study, her high heels making a series of messy, crisp sounds on the corridor.

The study fell silent. Luo Zhaohua leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a throbbing sensation in her temples. She and her husbands had conceived several daughters.

The eldest daughter is indecisive, hesitating for a long time before approving a memorial, and only tries to smooth things over when there is a dispute among court officials; the second daughter is reckless and brainless, and almost got into a fight with the military in court last month because of a disagreement.

The third daughter is always busy with her dozen or so husbands, either preparing for a wedding or on her way to one, and often even skips morning court sessions; the fifth daughter is obsessed with business, believing herself to be a business genius, and has already lost nearly half of her father's dowry.

The fourth daughter barely resembles an heir; she is ambitious and capable, but she is too jealous and has been spoiled rotten by her father.

Today she might cause trouble for a mere female for Qi Xuan's sake, but tomorrow she might create even deeper messes for greater gains. As for her dozen or so sons, not one of them is any worth mentioning. She sighed deeply, rubbed her temples, and really wanted to ask: has this generation's heir to the royal family been rejected by the Beast God?

Rosalind stormed back to her chambers, sweeping a priceless set of purple-gold tea utensils off the table the moment she entered. Porcelain shards shattered on the marble floor, tea splashed onto the hem of her exquisite robes, but she didn't even glance at them. The beastmen kneeling on either side trembled, none daring to raise their heads.

These male beasts were all married into the family by Locelin over the years. Some came from minor noble families, while others were just commoners. The only thing they had in common was that they all had handsome appearances.

They all bore the old scars left by Roselle, some whip marks, some burns, and others dark red lines left by the power of lightning, winding and twisting on their skin, still clearly visible today.

"It's all your fault!" Locelin grabbed a cushion and threw it at the nearest male beast. It was a gentle-looking young deer, who was thrown to the side and hit his forehead on the marble floor. He didn't even dare to dodge, but just buried his head even lower.

"My lady, what's wrong?" A slightly favored and bolder fox-clan beast-husband asked timidly. He knelt in the front row, and his scars were fewer than those of the other beast-husbands.

"Get out of here, all of you!" Rosalind grabbed another vase and smashed it on the ground. She raised her hand and conjured a ball of lightning, the purple-gold arcs crackling and exploding in her palm, making her exquisite makeup look particularly ferocious.

Her gaze swept over the red mark on the forehead of the deer-tribe beastman, and the eerie blue light from the monitoring bracelet on her wrist made her forcefully extinguish the lightning in her palm.

The last time she struck someone, the electric arc left a permanent scar on a beastman. When the Empress found out, she punished her by cutting off half a year's royal provisions. The Empress's warning still echoed in her ears—"If there's a next time, you can forget about being the heir."

The beastmen, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out of the palace. Locelyn stood alone in the center of the mess, her chest heaving, but her mind slowly calming down.

Qi Xuan, the Empire's God of War, is someone she's determined to have. Qi Xuan is a peak SS-level fighter, one of only three SS-level fighters in the Empire, and a God of War unanimously revered by all the high-ranking generals in the military. Back when he was far away on a remote island in the South China Sea, she could still force a marriage agreement with him; now that he's in Prison Zero, she has every reason to approach him openly and legitimately.

She acted too impulsively today, trying to intimidate others from the start and getting stopped instead. However, she still has the authority to inspect; as the heir to the throne, it is her legal right to regularly inspect important military facilities of the empire. She will use this right to formally visit Prison Zero, and she doesn't believe Lu Yu will dare to stop her.

Rosalind had a beautiful plan. She had her servants prepare the official documents for inspecting Prison Zero overnight, affixed with the princess's seal, and worded in a grand and dignified manner: "To ensure the operational security of the empire's highest military prison, the heir to the throne is exercising the right of inspection in accordance with the law."

Before the official document could even leave the palace, Luo Zhaohua's decree arrived first: the Empress Dowager was to personally inspect Prison Zero; she either had to accompany her as a princess, or stay in the palace and not go anywhere else. Locelin was furious, but dared not disobey her mother's orders. She could only change into formal attire and follow behind Luo Zhaohua with a reluctant, fake smile.

Accompanying them was the Fifth Princess, Luo Ling. This fifth sister, who was obsessed with business, had been holding an account book with a bitter expression since boarding the hovercar, muttering to herself about loss reports and inventory turnover rates.