The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

As the weather warms up, about 70-80% of the remaining snow covering Jinhua City has melted.

Snow dripped from the palace walls onto the roof tiles, the wind still carrying the chill of early spring, but also hinting at the moisture and vitality that would follow the melting snow.

Under the old giant tree in the Imperial Garden, Qi Ji leaned lazily against the sunlit trunk, basking in the warm sunlight.

On the bluestone slab in front of him, there were a dozen or so small rattan baskets neatly arranged, filled with fresh fruit, candied plums, crisp bamboo shoots soaked in dew, and several dishes of pastries specially made by the imperial kitchen.

"This life is so pleasant and comfortable!"

Qi Ji sighed inwardly, picked up a piece of honey pear, and let the crisp, sweet juice melt on his tongue.

The deer's tail swept the ground idly, brushing aside a few fallen, withered leaves.

A sudden breeze swept by, carrying a chill that would be biting to the bone for most people, but it was just right for Qi Ji. He felt so comfortable that he squinted his eyes, his head nodding slightly, almost falling asleep in the sunlight.

The soft footsteps approached from afar, as light as a falling leaf.

Qi Ji twitched his nose; he knew it was Yuan Yao without even opening his eyes.

The little girl walked to Qi Ji's side, squatted down gently next to his front legs, stretched out her arms to hug his warm neck, pressed her little face against his fur, and remained quiet without saying a word.

Qi Ji could feel the slight coolness of her fingertips and the dampness on her cheeks.

She has been like this for the past few days.

Ever since the truth came out at the auction, and she learned that her own sister had been plotting to kill her, Yuan Yao felt like most of her energy had been drained away. The little girl who used to chatter and fawn over him now often sits alone in a daze.

Qi Ji sighed softly to himself.

Anyone would need a long time to process something like this.

He couldn't speak human language, nor could he offer any decent comfort. And even if he could, this kind of betrayal within blood ties is the most hurtful, and any amount of solace would seem pale. She could only wait for herself to slowly get through it.

"noob……"

Yuan Yao spoke in a muffled voice, her tone slightly nasal, soft, and filled with an unyielding sense of bewilderment.

"I really don't understand why my sister hates me so much... to the point that she wants to kill me."

She gently tugged at the soft hair on Qi Ji's neck, her fingertips trembling slightly: "Even if you don't like me, you can just scold me a few times or ignore me, that's fine, but why do you have to kill me? Did I... do something wrong?"

Yuan Yao raised her head, her eyes red, like a wronged little rabbit.

"Yo"

Qi Ji let out a soft deer call, shook his head, and flicked his tail to gently pat the little girl's head, as if he were stroking her head.

"Silly girl, this is not your fault. Yuan Shuying is trapped in her own obsession. She turned her resentment at being blind and her grievances at being ignored into hatred and transferred them onto you. Your parents were also negligent. If they had discovered their eldest daughter's problem earlier and provided timely guidance and communication, this would not have happened. It has nothing to do with you."

"I went to plead with my father yesterday."

Yuan Yao buried her face back down, her voice muffled: "I said I wanted to go to the prison to see my sister and talk to her, but Father refused, and Mother also came to persuade me to stop thinking about it and live a good life... but I just can't let it go."

Qi Ji shook his head inwardly.

You genuinely want to see her, but Yuan Shuying may not want to see you.

If you actually meet her, given her extreme personality, she might say something hurtful that would only make you feel worse.

After sitting quietly for a while, two palace maids and a governess approached from a distance, bowing respectfully: "Little Princess, Her Majesty the Queen requests your presence. She says that new spring clothes have been made and she would like you to try them on."

Yuan Yao responded and slowly released her grip to stand up.

She raised her hand to rub her eyes, then reached out and gently touched Qi Ji's smooth antlers, whispering, "Little White, I'm leaving now, I'll come back to keep you company later."

After saying that, he left with the palace servants.

Quiet returned to the area under the tree.

Qi Ji shifted to a more comfortable position, stretching out his front legs and resting his head on his hooves. Just as he was about to take a nap in the bright sunlight, another series of steady footsteps approached.

It is King Bilin.

He was carrying a pot of warmed wine in one hand, with his other hand behind his back, taking a sip as he walked.

He was dressed in a dragon robe, and his hair was styled in a neat bun, but Qi Ji only glanced at him and found that his emotions were filled with an overwhelming sense of melancholy, heartache, and a hint of helpless bewilderment.

Yuan Yao's sadness is outwardly apparent.

King Bilin suppressed all his emotions.

"Sigh, you beasts are so carefree."

King Bilin sat down on the stone bench opposite Qi Ji, placed the wine pot on the stone table, and spoke with a self-deprecating smile.

"After eating my fill, I bask in the sun; after waking up, I wander around. I am carefree and physically strong, impervious to heat and cold. Unlike me, who, despite being the ruler of a country and possessing the entire capital, is entangled in a bunch of trivial matters every day, busy from morning till night, barely having time to catch my breath."

King Bilin picked up the wine jug and took another sip. The wine slid down his Adam's apple, and his tone became a little lower: "Some things are difficult, but with some effort and manpower, they can always be solved. But some things... even a king with immense power is helpless."

The powerlessness and complexity in those words were heavy and oppressive, making one feel suffocated.

After a moment of silence, he looked at Qi Ji, his expression becoming more serious: "I must thank you for what happened at the auction a few days ago. If you hadn't appeared in time, that thug Yan Lie would have really gone after Yao'er. Even with a group of guards protecting her, it's hard to guarantee that nothing bad would have happened."

"Yo"

Qi Ji called out softly, indicating that there was really no need to thank him for this.

Yuan Shuying has only herself to blame; she foolishly sent someone to lure him there, which turned out to be the most powerful tool to break the deadlock.

Perhaps it was because he was facing a strange beast, so he didn't need to worry about the proper boundaries between ruler and subject, nor did he need to worry about his words being leaked and damaging the monarch's dignity.

King Bilin had been holding back his worries for several days, with nowhere to confide in, so he simply poured them all out to Qi Ji.

"That woman named Ji Zhu couldn't withstand the torture and confessed everything she was supposed to."

Bilin Wang's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the wine pot, his knuckles turning white, his tone filled with overwhelming rage.

"Only now do I realize that Yao'er's abduction last year after sneaking out of the palace to play was not an accident at all. It was all arranged by Shuying. That wretched child, she actually..."

Qi Ji blinked his deer-like eyes in surprise, recalling the wooden house where he first met Yuan Yao.

So it turns out that Yuan Shuying was the one who arranged that incident.

"Looking back now, it's really frightening."

King Bilin closed his eyes, his voice deep: "If Yao'er hadn't been lucky enough to meet you, Bai Lu, I dare not imagine what the outcome would have been. Perhaps Yao'er would have already... As the eldest sister, to treat her own younger sister so cruelly, I simply cannot believe it..."

King Bilin tilted his head back and took another big gulp of wine, his Adam's apple bobbing, his tone full of heartache and incomprehension.

"I really can't understand how my daughter, who was so smart and capable, suddenly turned into this. Ning Shu has been secretly crying at night these past few days, saying that she, as a mother, has failed in her duty. She only cared about Yao'er being young and didn't pay enough attention to Shu Ying, which is why Shu Ying has accumulated resentment in her heart."

"I'm also reflecting on myself. Have I really neglected her in the past? Have I been too strict with her? But in my heart, I truly value her as my eldest daughter. I let her assist in managing state affairs, reviewing memorials, and handling matters involving powerful figures. I'm not using her as a tool. I genuinely believe that she has the ability to shoulder the responsibility of the Bilin Kingdom in the future."

Qi Ji listened to what King Bilin said.

These words corroborate the words he uttered on the street that day regarding the succession, and do not seem like a fabricated lie.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shuying never saw or believed in this expectation and importance.

King Bilin sat there, speaking one sentence after another, from the changes in his eldest daughter to the fright of his youngest daughter, from the queen's tears to the worries of the court, from the discussions of the ministers to the subsequent compensation from the Wanhua Merchant Guild. All the repression and bitterness in his heart were poured out to the white deer that could not speak.

(ー`´ー)

Qi Ji listened with great boredom, then lay on the ground wagging his tail.

This guy just keeps going on and on.

So, I've become the royal palace's personal emotional dumping ground?

Qi Ji thought to himself, "If it weren't for the fact that you've been feeding me well these past few days, with fruits, candied fruits, and delicacies that have never stopped, I would have left long ago. Who has the patience to listen to your family gossip and sentimental stories?"

King Bilin spoke for nearly an hour.

Just then, a guard hurried over, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, President Su of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce has come to the palace to request an audience. He says he wants to discuss the follow-up compensation and business matters with Your Majesty in detail."

"I understand."

King Bilin stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled robes, and resumed his usual composed and dignified demeanor as a monarch.

He nodded slightly to Qi Ji, as if to thank him for listening for an hour, then turned and strode away with the guard.

Qi Ji watched his figure disappear at the end of the palace road, silently flicked his tail, and yawned.

"That guy's finally gone. If he kept talking, I was about to lose control and lash out with my tail."