It seems that the villain is targeting me.

A few months later, Xiao Niao came to his senses and realized that his ancestors for three generations had been digging in the soil for food, and had nothing to do with these noble and elegant foreign things that required careful care. So he turned over a new leaf and started growing vegetables.

On this day, a half-adult child who looked about twelve or thirteen years old was walking on the lush green path (planted with garlic sprouts and green onions) in the mansion.

Her name is Qia - if you remember, she appeared around chapter 20, the half-human kitten with a very obvious ear defect.

Little Qiya walked happily and freely on the path of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

He walked past the lettuce and eggplant racks with his head held high and his chest puffed out, his expression as proud as if he was reviewing an army.

Today is the day when the imperial army enters the city in triumph. Everyone knows that Prime Minister Butcher is coming back soon, and the servants working in the palace have been busy since early in the morning, so no one cares about this lively kitten.

In this mansion, Qiya is actually a little special.

Although she was nominally a handyman hired by Butcher to work in his home, no one actually asked her to do heavy physical work or dirty and tiring work - at most, she would just do light work such as wiping the window sills or helping to peel potatoes in the kitchen.

Almost everyone working in the Prime Minister's Office knows Qiya's origins: her father was once a particularly capable half-man under Prime Minister Butcher, but later passed away in an accident, leaving behind a frail and sick wife and a breastfeeding child at home.

Qiya's mother is a normal human being, but she is extremely weak and sickly. Every time the seasons change, she has to take medicine for a few days and can't do heavy work.

From this point of view alone, the fact that Qiya is half human might be a good thing for her mother. She was weaned two months after she was born and could help her mother with work when she was a little over three years old.

Even so, a woman who has lost her husband and has a child cannot survive in this world.

So the day after Qiya's father's funeral, Xiao Niao came to her house in person, gave her a generous additional pension in his own name, took the little kitten away, and hired her with a nominal part-time job, but in fact a salary that was more than 50% of a regular employee's.

Otherwise, Qiya would never be able to afford her mother's medicine.

Everyone working in the Prime Minister's Office knew about this, and they were very accommodating to this half-human kitten who had a tragic life and was given extra care by the Prime Minister. They were willing to give her some convenience within the scope of their authority.

In addition, Qia is lively and cute, and many people really like her. The old lady working in the kitchen secretly feeds snacks to the kitten, and wraps up the leftover sausage sandwiches from lunch for her to take home.

The kitten was not out wandering around today. Qia received an order: go to the garden to get some fresh leeks, wash them and bring them back to the kitchen.

So she bent over with the basket in her hand, and dug onions in the field with a grunt, but somehow she disturbed the cat that was sleeping soundly nearby.

This tabby cat is a real cat, but it obviously doesn't like Qiya - this can be attributed to the mutual dislike between the big cat and the small cat, or it can be traced back to the eternal grudge that Qiya pulled out its tail hair last time.

In short, the tabby cat sleeping on the tree opened its eyes because of the noise, and saw that it was the annoying little guy who disturbed its sweet dream. In an instant, new and old hatreds surged in the cat's head, and it jumped down from the tree with an "ow".

The two fought bare-handed, with Qia winning by a narrow margin.

The tabby cat was defeated and ran away, with meowing sounds on its mouth and running feet. I guess it must have been swearing very badly.

Qiya was triumphant and elated, feeling that the leeks in the basket were emitting the fragrance of victory.

She waved her fist fiercely at the cat's fleeing back, then prepared to pick up the basket on the ground and return to the kitchen to report.

At this moment, Qiya suddenly noticed a very familiar tall figure walking towards her on the road.

The man was wearing knight-style armor, except that the patterns on his shoulders were a little more complicated, so he didn't look like an ordinary knight.

Qiya looked carefully for a few seconds, and then suddenly recognized: that person was the Red Moon Knight!

Qiya didn't expect the other party to come back so soon - she originally thought that the other party would not come back until the evening - the kitten immediately dropped the basket in her hand, cheered "Sister Luna!", and strode towards Hongyue.

When Qiya saw the Red Moon Knight, she was like a cat seeing Mu Tian Liao. She immediately fell into a state of excitement and stuck to her happily.

This little kitten usually likes the Red Moon Knight the most. She is thin and short, so she especially admires a knight like Red Moon who is heroic and skilled in martial arts.

She felt that if she could become a powerful knight like Hongyue in the future, then even if the Prime Minister was gone, she would be able to protect her mother.

Seeing the kitten rushing towards him, the Red Moon Knight nervously took a defensive stance - Red Moon was rather clumsy and not very good at dealing with a lively and energetic child like Qia.

At the critical moment, Xiao Niao, who was blocked by the Red Moon Knight's figure and therefore not discovered in time, turned his body to the side, revealing his head and half of his shoulder from behind her, and glanced at the excited kitten with a half-smile.

When Qiya saw Xiaoniao, she was like a cat seeing a cucumber. She was about to run to Hongyue, but she stopped abruptly and jumped back.

——She wasn’t very good at jumping, and she stepped on a stone and lost her balance in mid-air.

If the Red Moon Knight had not quickly grabbed Qiya's collar, the little cat would have probably bowed down to Xiaoniao.

Qiya's face was filled with the sadness of fate grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. She looked timidly at the Prime Minister of the Empire and asked in a low voice, "Lord Butcher, you're back?"

Bullying children was the Prime Minister's daily leisure activity. Xiao Niao looked at the kitten lovingly and replied, "Yes, yes, are you scared?"

Little Qiya: "..."

The little girl Qiya, who is only seven years old: “…………

"

The Red Moon Knight actually felt that it was a bit childish for Xiao Niao to bully children like this, but - although I don’t quite understand it, everything Lord Butcher did must have a reason.

The Red Moon Knight assisted the evildoer and brought the poor kitten to the Prime Minister of the Empire.

To be honest, Qiya was indeed a little afraid of Xiaoniao, just like a young child would be afraid of the head of the family who had the final say - although Xiaomao was full of respect and gratitude for the Prime Minister, he was still quite afraid of her in reality.

This can be specifically manifested in the fact that she would never dare to act rashly under Xiao Niao's nose: this child is usually as lively as the Monkey King, but now he stands very well and answers whatever Xiao Niao asks.

Xiao Niao first casually asked about the situation in the mansion after he left, and also asked about her mother's condition, and then asked the really important question:

"How is your sister Bi'er now?" Xiao Niao squatted down a little, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Is she in the mansion?"

Bi'er is Xiaoniao's adjutant - the most capable adjutant under Xiaoniao - this adjutant has a good relationship with everyone in the Prime Minister's Office, and Qiya likes her very much too.

Qiya answered honestly, "Well, the army entered the city today, so Sister Bier came early in the morning. She arranged for people to clean up and also asked the kitchen to start cooking and prepare dinner."

The kitten rubbed its chin again and let out a long "hmm," trying to recall: "...She seemed very busy today. After arranging her work, she's been sorting things in the study."

Xiao Niao pondered for a moment, then stood up, reached out and gently patted the kitten's head.

"Okay, I understand," Xiao Niao said, "Go and have fun."

------

-

When Xiao Niao walked into his house and pushed open the door of the study, what he saw were piles of account books neatly stacked on the long table.

In the study, Bi'er was busy leading several officers who also worked under Xiao Niao, with a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

When Xiao Niao came in, she stopped the housekeeper and did not let him pass on the message, so Bier didn't know that she had returned.

At this moment, she suddenly heard the sound of the study door opening, and subconsciously raised her head to look over - Bier saw the Prime Minister of the Empire, who had not been seen for a long time and looked quite dusty, walking into the study.

Xiao Niao smiled at her faintly, held the door handle with his right hand, and closed the door slowly and silently.

Bi'er subconsciously wanted to call her out.

But Xiao Niao quickly made a hushing gesture at his lips, and pointed at the officials who were still busy around him, indicating that she didn't need to worry about him and just continue working.

The adjutant could only hush and looked at the Prime Minister of the Empire hesitantly - she hadn't seen the bird for almost half a year, and they had only exchanged letters once or twice in the meantime.

The shrike's appearance doesn't seem to have changed much, but it seems a little unfamiliar.

This strangeness made Bier feel a little uncomfortable. She wanted to talk to Xiaoniao about something, either work or just a simple greeting.

After all, Xiao Niao had just been to the battlefield. As a subordinate entrusted with an important task, it was normal for Bier to care about the health of her immediate superior.

But in the moment when Bi'er hesitated whether to speak, the Prime Minister of the Empire had quietly walked to the long table, picked up an account book and began to look through it.

The adjutant suddenly felt a little nervous. Before leaving, Xiao Niao handed over many financial-related contact tasks in the Prime Minister's Office to Bier - this was a very important job, and Xiao Niao's actions were undoubtedly a manifestation of his appreciation and cultivation.

At this moment, Bier's heart slowly tightened as she watched Xiaoniao flipping through the account book page by page.

Xiao Niao flipped through most of the account book in his hand, and then randomly picked out two books from the arranged documents.

Xiao Niao watched for about ten minutes and remained very focused throughout the whole process.

From his facial expression alone, it was impossible to tell whether the Prime Minister of the Empire was satisfied or unhappy, which made Bier feel even more nervous.

Bi'er was born in the Earl's family and was the eldest daughter born to his wife.

Logically speaking, it is unlikely that her family would let their daughters go out to work like those powerless and impoverished nobles - the Earl's family is rich enough to let their children not work.

This matter is a bit complicated to explain from the beginning, but I can summarize it briefly: Bi'er is a secret spy sent to the Prime Minister's Office by the old noble forces.

Yes, a spy. She was the spy sent to Xiaoniao by those unwilling old guys.

If you trace this matter deeper, it is related to Hongyue. As everyone knows, Hongyue Knight has been with Xiaoniao since she was a child, and due to various reasons, Hongyue usually wears a helmet and does not show her true face.

But in some special social occasions, it is impossible to bring a fully armed knight with a mask around. Fortunately, this problem is easy to solve: Xiao Niao asks Hongyue to take off the armor and hide the weapon more secretly, so that he can go into battle lightly.

Thus, an exceptionally beautiful woman would occasionally follow Prime Minister Butcher to social dinners for the nobility. She was so beautiful that people could hardly take their eyes off her, but she almost ignored anyone's advances - only when Butcher spoke to her would her face show a little warmth.

Humans are visual animals

People will instinctively give preferential treatment to those with good-looking faces. Xiao Niao also deliberately devoted resources to training Hongyue because of this face. After several desperate attempts, she finally realized the fact that Hongyue was a fool.

She had seen it so many times that she was somewhat numb to the face that seemed to be carved by the goddess of beauty herself, but others did not think so at all.

For a period of time, the upper class in the capital was spreading strange and romantic rumors about Xiao Niao, basically all kinds of rumors.

Then, these rumors somehow reached the ears of those old guys, and combined with the fact that Prime Minister Butcher only recruited half-men and some noble women as officials—wow! These people suddenly figured it out!

Good! Good job, Butcher! You act like such a gentleman on the surface, but who knows how much fun you have in private!

Only hiring female lieutenants, right? Tired of running an office?!

It’s really so enviable... so shameless!!!!!!

Then they thought again: No, this is a good opportunity, this shrike has a flaw!

These old nobles then began to hatch some more traditional conspiracies: send one of their own to lurk near the bird, and then use internal and external forces to solve this serious threat!

However, this person of their own could not arouse the other party's vigilance, so they decided to play to the bird's needs and sent a beautiful young girl to steal intelligence while corrupting the butcher bird's will!

That's how Bi'er was chosen.

Her father just made it to the top of the upper class and was considered one of the good guys in the eyes of the old nobles. She herself was smart and adaptable, and because she had received a good education, she successfully passed the exam set by Xiao Niao.

Duke Brandon, the supporter behind the scenes, had high hopes for Beau and promised her father many benefits. He also repeatedly told Beau to be careful and not to reveal her existence.

After all, the other party is the brutal butcher bird. If he is caught as an undercover agent, he will surely die a miserable death, right?

However, on the second day after being promoted to the Prime Minister's Office, Xiao Niao called her to the study, glanced at the girl who was trying to remain calm, and then spoke lightly:

"Brandon sent you, didn't he?"

Bi'er's mind went blank for a moment, and she was about to collapse: her undercover career started in a hurry and ended unexpectedly. She left regretfully just after she went on stage.

Miss Bi'er felt numb inside, thinking that she was going to be chopped to pieces by the butcher bird - and that her whole family would be chopped down along with her.

That period was when Xiao Niao attacked the nobles most frequently and with the most brutal methods. Every few days, people from old families would be dragged out and beheaded for committing crimes.

The emperor even had to increase the number of executioners to prevent them from collapsing at their jobs due to high-intensity overtime work.

She was chosen by Grand Duke Brandon and assigned to an undercover job, which involved huge risks and psychological pressure.

The night before Bier left home, she hugged her whole family and cried bitterly. Her mother cooked whatever she wanted to eat, and her father tried his best to help her realize any unfulfilled wishes she had.

Before leaving, Bier said goodbye to her younger brothers and sisters one by one. Her little sister was reluctant to leave her and almost burst into tears.

In this situation, it can be said that except that the people are still alive, it is no different from a memorial service.

Everyone in the family felt that they were throwing their good daughter into a dangerous situation. Bier was also deeply affected and secretly determined to keep the secret. Even if the Butcher Bird really caught her, she would try her best not to implicate her family.

But the result was: she was caught the next day.

What should I do in this situation? Should I deny it or just say, "Kill me if you want to, leave my family alone!"

But just when Bier's hands and feet were weak and her heart was trembling with fear, the butcher bird suddenly chuckled, interrupting her wild thoughts.

"Stay here and work for a while," Xiao Niao said. "Work hard and don't do unnecessary things. I'll keep an eye on you."

Bi'er spent her second night in the Prime Minister's residence feeling uneasy and could hardly sleep the entire night.

She handled official business under Xiao Niao's arrangement with trepidation, learned all kinds of unheard-of knowledge, followed the Prime Minister to different negotiation occasions, and negotiated and consulted with officials from various departments.

At first, Bier thought that the Butcher Bird wanted to catch the big fish behind by himself, or that it was simply out of mischief and was planning to torture her before killing her.

But after a while, Beau discovered that Butcher seemed to be really... cultivating her.

Teach her all kinds of knowledge, let her get used to handling official business, and let her learn how to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Not only she received such training, but many people around Xiao Niao also received such training.

Just because Bi'er handled every matter with extreme nervousness and caution, and performed exceptionally well, she received extra resources.

She was gradually promoted to the side of the Prime Minister of the Empire - just as Duke Brandon had originally envisioned, standing very close to Xiao Niao.

Once, Bi'er finally plucked up the courage to ask the bird the question that had been tormenting her for a long time: Why?

Why did you keep me by your side and train me like this after you knew I was a spy?

Are you not afraid of me turning against you, or stabbing you in the back?

What?