Noble Consort Ruan took a look at him, then smiled at her aunt, “Father is so caring.”
After talking for a while, Aunt Ruan left. Before leaving, she smiled and said to Lin Ting, “Your Highness, this dog is named Chang Er.”
As soon as she left, Noble Consort Ruan, who was lazily leaning on her daybed, ordered a palace maid, “Send the dog to the prince’s room.”
Lin Ting’s fingers trembled. He took two steps forward, knelt down, and whispered, “Mother, I don’t want to raise it.”
Noble Consort Ruan was inspecting her nails, as she asked in a soft voice, “Why don’t you want to raise it? Don’t you like these the most?”
Lin Ting knelt and said nothing.
Noble Consort Ruan looked over and her voice gradually became severe, “You’re afraid I will order you to kill it again, is that right?”
Lin Ting’s back suddenly straightened out. Clenching his teeth, it took a long time before he plucked up the courage and said, “Yes. I don’t want to raise it nor to kill it. Mother, please fulfill my request.”
Noble Consort Ruan was so furious that she laughed. She sat up straight and looked at him for a long while, and spoke solemnly, “Ting’er, get up.”
Lin Ting gritted his teeth and stood up slowly. When he raised his head, there was the stubborn look of a hot-blooded youthfulness in his eyes.
Noble Consort Ruan sighed, she stretched out her hand to pull him to her side, and asked softly, “That time when I told you to kill that rabbit, do you blame me and despise me for it?”
He did not speak. He just shook his head.
Noble Consort Ruan looked at him and said, “You feel that your mother is cruel, because you still don’t understand how to survive as a part of the imperial family. You are so weak and kind-hearted; it would have been fine if you were born in an ordinary family, but you are born in the imperial family. This place is a battlefield, where everyone carries a weapon with them. You may treat others kindly, but others may treat you without any single shred of sincerity. You must rely on yourself to fight for everything in the future. If you do not learn to be cruel now, how can you learn to fight in the future?”
Lin Ting whispered, “I have never wanted to fight for anything.”
Noble Consort Ruan laughed to herself mockingly, “Whether you want to fight or not, you are born into this position, everything has already been set in stone.”
Lin Ting’s eyes were becoming redder. As he was still trying to say something, she waved her hand, and sat back lazily, “Fine, I have a migraine for the past few days, so I won’t lecture you any more. If you don’t want to raise it, just throw it away.”
Lin Ting was overjoyed. But before he could express it, he heard his mother coldly say, “Throw it into the beasts’ enclosure.” Then she instructed the chief eunuch beside her, “Wangyang, you accompany the prince and watch him do it with your own eyes. Report to me once he has done it.”
The beasts’ enclosure was a place where ferocious birds and ravenous beasts were being kept inside the Imperial Palace.
Such a weak puppy would only become food for the beasts.
Lin Ting stared at his beloved mother in disbelief. He moved his lips, but he could not say a word.
Lin Ting said nothing on the way to the beasts’ enclosure as he held the puppy. Wangyang was loyal to Noble Consort Ruan, naturally he would not disobey her order. Wangyang could only persuade Lin Ting, “Your Highness, my Lady is doing this for your own good. When Your Highness grows up, you will understand. You should just pretend it’s already dead and throw it with your eyes closed. It will be over soon.”