It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Xiao Niao just felt a little sorry for Gwyneth. She had a hunch: this child would shiver at the sight of fish for at least several months.

Even when she escorted Gwyneth out of the Prime Minister's Office, the girl's face was still pale.

Xiao Niao felt apologetic, so he carefully escorted the person to the carriage and told the driver to drive more steadily and avoid bumps on the road.

Gwyneth sat in the carriage, knees together very politely, looking through the window at the bird and talking to the driver.

Too many things happened in this day: her long-held belief was hit hard, and the soup in front of her almost made her hear the whispers of the ancient gods.

The double stimulation, both psychological and physiological, made the girl dizzy. Only then did Gwyneth's violently beating heart calm down a little, and she was able to think calmly again.

The time she spent struggling was surprisingly short - perhaps it was because Gwyneth liked a half-person, and she was unwilling to waste any minute struggling and hesitating, letting the precious time, which was already limited, slip through her fingers.

In the face of life and death, everything else is secondary and unimportant.

It doesn’t really matter that Xiao Niao is a girl. In fact, it’s better if she is a girl. This is equivalent to holding a huge handle on the Prime Minister of the Empire.

Gwyneth was confident that she could convince her father. She planned to launch a combination of affection and persuasion, and over time she would be able to make her father give in - but she had no idea how to get the overly rational Prime Minister of the Empire to nod in agreement.

Now that she knows her secret, she can use it to do whatever she wants to the bird!

Gwyneth imagined herself cornering Xiao Niao, leaving him with nowhere to escape, and then said, "Butcher, you don't want others to know that you are a girl, do you?"

Although Gwyneth was still young at this time, she had already learned how to use despicable means to get what she wanted, and had initially acquired the qualities that a villain BOSS should have.

"Gwen?"

Just when Gwyneth was daydreaming, Xiao Niao's face appeared outside the car window - she thought Gwen had not yet recovered from the bowl of devastating soup, and there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

Gwyneth paused for two seconds and replied guiltily that everything was fine.

She was still thin-skinned after all, and she still felt a little embarrassed in front of the real person.

Xiao Niao didn't notice Gwen's abnormality. At this moment, she felt a little guilty and felt sorry for the girl - after all, this was caused by the knights under her command. The girl stayed to have a meal, but suffered such an unexpected disaster.

If the bird knew what this girl was thinking about right now, I think her expression would be very interesting.

But there are no ifs in this world. Xiao Niao cannot read minds and does not know what is in other people's minds. Her vigilance and caution are not directed towards people she trusts, so she is unaware of the hidden desire that arises deep in Gwyneth's heart at this time.

The wing of her left hand unconsciously rested on the edge of the car window. She felt that her naughty child had caused trouble for others and was wondering whether she should give Gwyneth some compensation.

Gwyneth noticed the bird instinctively resting its wings on the windowsill.

Her heart moved slightly.

Wings are the most vulnerable part, the proof of being half-human that cannot be concealed. Butcher never reveals her weaknesses to others, but now she has them within reach.

Did this mean she had earned a place in Butcher's heart—and could she ask for something? Butcher had promised her one request.

What expression would Butcher make if I said I wanted to touch that wing?

What if I kiss her?

"I,"

Gwyneth looked a little nervous.

"...Can I touch your wings, Master Butcher?"

Xiao Niao looked at her in surprise, not understanding why Gwyneth suddenly made such a request.

"I'm just a little curious... You're the first half-human with bird-like features I've ever seen, um..."

Gwyneth's eyes were evasive, and she was obviously regretting what she said.

Saying something like: "...I'm sorry, is this too offensive?"

This is indeed an unfriendly request. It is like asking to touch the ugly and indelible scars on someone else's body. It is impolite just to say it.

Xiao Niao glanced at her hesitantly, but didn't sense any ill will towards him from the girl.

Maybe she just had never seen it before, so she was curious? Xiao Niao thought.

The little bird felt a little soft-hearted when he saw Gwyneth looking at him anxiously.

"Okay," Xiao Niao handed her his left hand, "It's no big deal, you can touch it."

"But don't tell anyone," she added.

Gwyneth then carefully reached out and took the wing that the bird handed over.

Neither of them realized that they were actually holding hands blatantly in broad daylight.

Those soft feathers were pressed against Gwen's palm, as smooth as silk. She didn't dare to use force and just held them loosely for fear of hurting them.

She just touched it lightly and felt so satisfied before she even held anything in her hand.

At this time, Gwyneth suddenly remembered what Xiaoniao had said to her that day.

That was the first time that this person's closed heart opened to herself, and she said she wanted to go home.

For some reason, Gwyneth suddenly felt a little scared.

Where was Butcher's home? It couldn't be the capital or Highgarden. Could this person have been born far away? Perhaps it was because it was so difficult to get there that Butcher said that.

This thought suddenly made her heart feel empty, and some indescribable emotions surged in her heart.

Gwyneth clenched her fingers tighter, letting those slender, hollow bones press tightly against her palms.

------

About two days after that, Xiao Niao was suddenly summoned by the emperor in the morning.

She put aside the work she was handling and prepared to go to the palace.

Xiao Niao had already heard some rumors before. The document handed to her by the adjutant Bi'er that day was somewhat related to this sudden summons: some bad rumors were heard in the capital, which were about the Yuyi Guard.

Of course, the existence of the Feathered Guard will be discovered sooner or later. It is incredible that it took the nobles so long to realize the existence of this spy agency. Xiaoniao himself found it a little incredible.

She actually had some psychological expectations that the Feathered Guards would expose this matter, but the timing of the nobles' discovery was a bit too unfortunate - it was just shortly after the army returned triumphantly.

This gave Xiao Niao a bad feeling in his heart.

She walked out of the main house of the Prime Minister's residence and came to the yard, with the Red Moon Knight following behind her.

The carriage was ready. The two pack horses pulling it were both in harness and basking in the dappled sun, their feet taking turns stepping on the ground. The driver held the reins in his hands, tidying them up and patiently waiting for Xiao Niao to arrive.

Xiao Niao suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, got into the car and drove towards the palace.

Although she had anticipated this matter, she couldn't say that she had made foolproof preparations.

The specific political environment of the empire is very different from that of ancient China, and the social public opinion environment is also very different. The situation she faces is also fundamentally different from that of the Ming Taizu.

The existence of secret agencies is a double-edged sword. It can consolidate imperial power but can also have a very negative impact on the construction of the legal system. Even the emperor who founded this system could not find a particularly good way to deal with the latter.

Xiao Niao was extremely cautious when he first forged this sword, limiting the surveillance targets to officials and dangerous elements. He also planned to gradually weaken and eventually abolish this system as the imperial order gradually stabilized.

She couldn't always use fear and violence to manage her officials. This was definitely not a long-term solution to ruling a country - countless people had already proved this to Xiaoniao with bloody lessons.

The nobles' questioning will come sooner or later, but it will not have a subversive impact on the bird.

As the owner of the imperial power, Lawrence I's reaction is self-evident - Lawrence the Boar will definitely stand on her side and judge the cheating.

As the Prime Minister of the empire, when Xiao Niao was questioned and attacked by the nobles, the officials with vested interests would spontaneously fight back - not to mention that among these people there were many half-human compatriots who were devoted to her.

Xiao Niao had considered this matter a long time ago.

The nature of this matter is actually similar to when those nobles jointly accused her of cruelty. The biggest impact is that her reputation will be damaged, but it will not cause any serious damage.

But in the short term, she will definitely be affected to some extent.

All kinds of thoughts flashed through Xiao Niao's mind quickly. A few minutes later, she felt the carriage stopped.

The carriage had already arrived outside the imperial city, and the ministers of the inner court had been waiting for her there for a long time.

The incident happened rather suddenly. After a brief greeting between the two, the inner court minister quickly led Xiao Niao into the palace.

They passed the back garden halfway.

The weather was already very cold at this time, but there were still a large number of oleanders blooming in the flower garden. What was strange was that the flowers around it all looked withered, and only this one flower was still blooming brilliantly.

"Oleander is poisonous, Prime Minister

It's a little further away." The inner court minister who led the way reminded her.

Xiao Niao hummed nonchalantly, glanced past the beautiful blooming flowers, and hurried towards the meeting hall.

------

-

After entering the meeting hall, Xiao Niao was quite surprised to find that Lao Yezhu was the only one in the room.

The scene she had anticipated of many officials arguing endlessly and the old nobles attacking her unexpectedly did not occur.

Emperor Lawrence I looked a little tired, as if he had been busy for a while before.

Xiao Niao observed his expression and easily realized that Lawrence had probably dealt with a round of questioning from the nobles before.

Lawrence saw Xiao Niao come in, so he called out to her, "Sir Butcher, you're here—let's get down to business."

This matter happened just as Xiaoniao had imagined before - the nobles discovered the affairs of the Feathered Guard, and then started to make a fuss because of their dissatisfaction. Some of them even jumped up and down, as if they were afraid that the emperor would not notice them.

What gave Lawrence the most headache was that his wife Queen Catherine was also among these people jumping around and constantly putting pressure on him.

Queen Catherine did not do this out of any special political stance. She was simply strongly dissatisfied with the fact that Lawrence even monitored his two biological sons.

Catherine only cares about her own children. She may not be that smart or calculating, but her love for her two children is real and unconditional.

So when her son's rights were violated, Catherine attacked the emperor like a mad lioness.

The attacks from all sides made even the emperor Lawrence feel a little overwhelmed.

This incident was not simply a rebellion by the old nobles, a large number of grassroots officials also expressed dissatisfaction with it.

Lawrence could ignore the clamor of those old guys and forcefully implement his will, but he couldn't kill all the people who worked for him.

This is simply a matter of national conditions. Imperial officials are not very accepting of the intelligence agencies, and the emotional backlash is quite strong.

The Emperor and Xiao Niao revealed: "The Feathered Guard will be temporarily suspended for a period of time. On the surface, I have to give them an explanation."

Xiao Niao understood: this was a symbolic punishment, meant to keep him out of the spotlight.

She nodded to the emperor, indicating that she understood and would comply with his orders.

The two have been king and minister for many years, so they have some tacit understanding.

The serious business was over, but looking at Lawrence's expression, he seemed to be relaxing at all. He picked up the wine glass on the table, poured it himself, put his mouth to the rim of the glass, and drank most of it.

The fact that he drank so heavily in broad daylight was enough to show how upset Lawrence was.

Seeing this, Xiao Niao couldn't help but advise: "Your Majesty, please drink less. Excessive drinking can easily make you sick, and it's not good for your knees either."

Lawrence shook the wine glass, obviously not taking it seriously: "I'm not a consumptive. I'm in good health. Drinking a little wine is nothing."

As he spoke, Lao Yezhu looked at Xiao Niao, and seeing how thin her shoulders were, he felt that this girl should pay more attention to her health.

He then said, "You should take better care of your health. The lifespan of a half-human is shorter than that of an ordinary person. You worry so much every day, be careful not to shorten your lifespan."

Lao Yezhu was not shy about mentioning this matter. He had already seen that the prime minister he had chosen was quite open-minded about this matter.

Xiao Niao glanced at the drunkard and said, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country. You should drink in moderation."

Lawrence laughed dumbly. He shook his head at the bird and said unhappily:

"You're really worrying too much. Will I die before you?"

Chapter 68: People will still sing that ballad a hundred years later

Recently, the Red Moon Knight seemed a little depressed.

She was a rather stubborn person, and there weren't many people or things she really cared about. Sword practice was one, the little bird was another, and if she squeezed in a dazed kitten, the rest of the space would be filled with nothing but the distracted little cat, leaving absolutely no room for others to interfere.

But such people often live very purely, do everything seriously, and do not take other people's opinions seriously. Instead, they appear to be particularly free and happy.

The only thing that could make even the simple-minded Hongyue unhappy was something beyond her ability and could not be solved by force alone.

Hongyue has heard a lot of rumors about Xiaoniao in recent times. Most of them come from those nagging nobles, but there are also many voices coming from the bottom of society.

These people have different positions, but basically they say all sorts of things.

Xiao Niao's reputation in the capital was already mixed, and there were many people who secretly hated her because they had suffered at her hands - some of them were unpleasant-speaking guys who spread the rumors to the ears of the Red Moon Knight.

Hongyue could defeat an entire team of powerful square-flag knights and beat up bandits with her bare hands, but she couldn't make them all shut up.

She was angry and depressed, and even secretly hoped that the nobles who spread bad things about Xiaoniao would come to provoke her on their own initiative, so that Hongyue would have a good reason to challenge them to a knight duel and smash the hilt of her sword hard into those stinky faces.

But everyone knows that Hongyue is the most powerful knight in the entire capital.