The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 355 Drawing a Circle on the Ground as a Prison (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhao Ti looked up at the rooftop and saw a slender, exquisite purple figure amidst the smoke and dust, with her hair styled in a scorpion-like bun and a smug expression. It was none other than A Zi.

Duan Zhengchun looked embarrassed and roared at the top of his lungs, "Azi, what are you trying to do now? Didn't I tell you to stay inside and reflect on your mistakes? Why are you out here!"

At this moment, the dust and smoke slightly obscured A Zi's eyes. She could only see a number of figures and heard Duan Zhengchun's voice. She couldn't help but shout, "Prince Zhennan, you have locked me up and won't let me out of the house. What kind of father is this? From today onwards, I will no longer acknowledge you and will not call you father!"

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun trembled with anger and pointed to the roof: "Azi, what, what did you say?"

Ruan Xingzhu hurriedly said from the side, "Azi, how can you speak to your father like that? It's too high and dangerous up there. Come down from the roof and let your mother talk to you properly."

Azi said, "I don't recognize you as my mother anymore. You two only care about your own happiness and never care about me. Now that I'm grown up and no longer trouble you, you've started to lecture me. I will never suffer like this again."

As Zhao Ti listened, he shook his head and looked at A Zhu behind him. A Zhu was staring at the roof in shock, biting her lip gently, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Zhao Ti asked, "What do you think?"

Azhu grabbed his sleeve, then reached out and held his hand tightly, her eyes fixed upwards, silent.

Duan Zhengchun's arms trembled uncontrollably as he said to Azi, "Azi, get down quickly. I will forgive your rebellious words, otherwise, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Azi still had one hand on her hip, while playing with the little braid next to her head with the other: "Don't keep calling me 'father.' I don't even acknowledge you anymore. Do you still want to be my father? You're such a shameless old man, so disrespectful."

"You, you..." Duan Zhengchun was so angry that his eyes were seeing stars, and he almost couldn't catch his breath: "Get down here right now."

“Azi, listen to your mother. Come down and talk properly. Your mother will forgive what you just said, and your father won’t hold it against you. After all, you are our daughter, and we won’t be angry with you,” Ruan Xingzhu said earnestly.

"Hmph, who cares about your forgiveness? You talk a good game, spouting grand principles, morality, filial piety, and so on. But why did you abandon me when I was born? Why are you now giving me such earnest advice?" Azi sneered.

“You wretched girl, you wretched girl…” Duan Zhengchun’s face was ashen: “Is this how you talk to your parents? When you arrived at Xiaojing Lake, you beat and smashed things, poisoned the lake, and set fire to the house. Your mother and I have already forgiven you. What more do you want?”

"What else do you want me to say?" Azi snorted. "As for what I want... I'm not going to serve you anymore. Since I didn't burn or poison you, I'm leaving. I'll fly far away and you'll never find me again!"

“Azi, you, you…” Ruan Xingzhu’s face turned pale and her voice trembled.

“You wretched girl, come down right now! If you don’t come down, I’ll have someone come up and capture you…” Duan Zhengchun rambled incoherently.

"You wish! Capture me? Don't forget that I possess the Divine Wood King Cauldron, which is covered in poison. Even if your four henchmen attacked together, they would still be poisoned. Prince Zhennan, you don't want your henchmen to be poisoned beyond cure, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun rolled his eyes and swayed slightly. Ruan Xingzhu quickly steadied him.

"Hmph, I'm leaving now. The green hills remain, the green waters flow on, the mountains don't turn, but the waters do. I will remember the time you imprisoned me..." As she spoke, Azi swayed her slender waist and tried to escape from the other side of the house.

A'Zhu gripped Zhao Ti's hand tightly and whispered, "Young Master, this..."

Zhao Ti frowned and looked at the roof, coldly shouting, "You bastard, get down here right now!"

"Huh?!" Upon hearing this on the rooftop, Azi froze, as if she had been frozen in place, and slowly turned around after a long while.

As the smoke cleared, she cautiously looked around, glancing at Ruan Xingzhu, then at Duan Zhengchun, and then at the area in front of Duan Zhengchun. Suddenly, she shuddered and her expression turned panicked.

Zhao Ti looked at her coldly: "Are you going to continue making a fool of yourself?"

Azi's expression changed several times in an instant, and her feet involuntarily moved slightly towards the other side of the roof.

"Can you leave?" Zhao Ti asked.

“Your Majesty…” Azi stopped what she was doing, her eyes sparkling, and her sweet face adopted a fawning expression: “Why did Your Majesty come here? I didn’t mean to leave, it was just an unconscious habit.”

"Get down here!" Zhao Ti said, his hands behind his back.

"Yes, yes... I'll be right down." Azi leaped down from the rooftop, then hesitated before approaching: "Your Majesty, what brings you to Little Mirror Lake? Are you here for leisure or business? When will you leave?"

Zhao Ti snorted, "Are you asking me, or am I asking you?"

"I know I was wrong. Of course, it is Your Majesty who should question me. How dare I question Your Majesty?" Azi's eyes flickered and then turned to Azhu behind her.

"What have you been doing here?" Zhao Ti asked.

"I... I only helped Mother clean the house, poisoned the lake to catch fish for Father to eat, and demolished a few old and dilapidated houses by fire."

"Heh." Zhao Ti sneered, "Your parents must be furious with you."

“This…” Azi blinked, walked up to Duan Zhengchun and Ruan Xingzhu, and put on a well-behaved look: “Father and Mother, I was wrong. I was confused for a moment and did something wrong. Please forgive me this time, you adults are forgiving.”

Duan Zhengchun and Ruan Xingzhu were dumbfounded. They looked at Azi, then at Zhao Ti. Ruan Xingzhu said, "This, this..."

Duan Zhengchun said, "Zhu Mei, you see, I was right. Only Young Master Zhao can discipline our daughter."

Zhao Ti said unhappily, “What kind of hurtful words are these, Prince Zhennan? Azi is your daughter, not mine.”

Duan Zhengchun chuckled dryly, "Even so, Azi doesn't listen to me or Zhumei at all, but she obeys your every word, Young Master. Otherwise, how could she have followed you to Dali back then..."

"Completely obey?" Zhao Ti said, "The Prince of Zhennan only judges by appearances. Does he not know that your daughter is fickle and says one thing but does another?"

Duan Zhengchun said with a wry smile, "But it's still better than not putting on an act in front of me at all. It proves that you still have great respect for the young master."

Azi glanced at Duan Zhengchun, then at Zhao Ti, her face full of cleverness: "Father is right. Of course, I respect the King, but I am not acting, nor do I have any ill intentions. I am just being mischievous."

“Mischievous and naughty?” Zhao Ti said, “Would someone who has lost their martial arts skills still be mischievous and naughty?”

Azi was immediately startled, then pitifully said, "Your Majesty, I really can't live! I practice the Starry Sky Sect's poison technique. Once it's abolished, all the poisons will attack my heart, and I'll die a horrible death, a death that can't be any more horrible..."

Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows and said, "If you keep making a scene like this, I'll cripple your martial arts sooner or later. So what if you die? Countless cats and dogs die every day in this world, it won't make a difference if you, Azi, die too!"

Azi immediately lowered her head, looking at the tips of her shoes: "I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again, I will obey from now on, whatever Your Majesty says, I will do, and I will never be hypocritical or disobedient."

Zhao Ti glanced at Chu Wanli: "Draw a circle around her and make her stand there. She's not allowed to leave the circle. If she does, cripple her martial arts."

Chu Wanli's lips twitched, and he drew the sword from his waist: "Young master, draw, how big should the circle be?" Zhao Ti said: "One zhang in diameter is fine, anything bigger is useless."

Azi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, how can someone so small stay still? They'll probably suffocate to death."

Zhao Ti said, "If we can't stay in the perfectly good house, then we'll only have the circle to stay in."

Azi said, "But, but didn't the King not come before..."

After Zhao Ti watched Chu Wanli finish drawing the circle, he turned away from her and asked Ruan Xingzhu, "I heard that the tea in Xinyang is quite good. Is it ready?"

Ruan Xingzhu glanced at Azi, who was anxiously pacing around like an ant on a hot pan, and hurriedly said, "The new tea has just been brewed, and I will brew it for you to enjoy right now."

Zhao Ti nodded in agreement, and Ruan Xingzhu led the way into the house.

Azhu followed behind, always feeling a pang of pity, and would turn back to look at Azi.

When Azi saw Azhu looking at her, she immediately put on a charming and pitiful expression: "This sister is so beautiful, may I ask your name?"

“I…” A’Zhu only managed to say one word before remembering Zhao Ti’s warning. She quickly stopped talking, turned around, lowered her head, and continued walking forward.

A hint of curiosity flickered in Azi's eyes as she muttered softly, "Has the King found a new favorite? Won't Sister Wan'er and Sister Ling'er be left alone in their empty rooms? Alas, it's true what they say, 'We only ever hear the laughter of the new, never the weeping of the old.' The King is truly a heartless and ruthless man, a model for me indeed. I wonder if the King would be pleased to have the position of leader of the Starry Constellation Sect given to me, and if he would praise me..."

Zhao Ti entered the house at this time, and Ruan Xingzhu went to brew tea. He and Duan Zhengchun sat down.

Duan Zhengchun said with a helpless expression, "Young Master, I am truly sorry."

Zhao Ti said, "I'm already here, what's the use of apologizing? What exactly is the intention behind the letter from the Prince of Zhennan to Wanqing? Let's just say it now."

Duan Zhengchun spread his hands: "What other intentions could she have? Young Master has seen it too. Xingzhu and I really can't control Azi. She dares to set fires and poison people, completely disregarding the relationship between father and daughter and mother and daughter, and she even wants to escape..."

Zhao Ti sneered and remained silent. Duan Zhengchun continued, "But she respects you, young master. The moment you uttered a word, she immediately obediently came down from her room, not daring to contradict or refute you. She even drew a circle around herself and dared not run away. It's clear that only you, young master, can suppress her..."

Zhao Ti said, "But Azi is the daughter of the Prince of Zhennan, and she is of the Duan family bloodline. She has the surname Duan, not Zhao."

"That's only natural." Duan Zhengchun said with shame, "I am incompetent and can't control her. I can only ask for your help, young master. I thought that she could go and stay with her two older sisters for a while. With your teachings on how to be a person, she will surely listen. In time, her temperament may change and she will no longer be so vicious and ruthless, acting without considering the consequences and causing trouble everywhere."

"The Prince of Zhennan has a clever plan," Zhao Ti said calmly. "Isn't he afraid that instead of learning anything good from his sister, he'll corrupt Wanqing and Ling'er as well?"

"This..." Duan Zhengchun stammered, "Wanqing and Ling'er are pure-hearted and can distinguish right from wrong. They know what is right and what is wrong. Where, where... could they be easily led astray by Azi? Besides, with you by their side, young master, they certainly won't, they won't."

Zhao Ti snorted and didn't say anything. At this moment, Ruan Xingzhu came in with tea, poured four exquisite teacups on the table, each about six-tenths full, and then looked at A Zhu: "Miss Yu'er, come and have some tea too."

Upon hearing this, A'Zhu nervously grabbed Zhao Ti's sleeve, unsure how to refuse.

Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "She doesn't usually drink tea, and she's shy and not good with words, so please don't offer her any."

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu examined A'Zhu more closely and smiled, "Miss Yu'er seems intelligent and quick-witted, but I didn't expect her to be so shy and not good at speaking..."

A'Zhu nodded blankly to Ruan Xingzhu behind Zhao Ti, revealing a forced smile.

Ruan Xingzhu said, "Hey, I think Yu'er's smile is somewhat similar to Azi's."

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun hurriedly looked over and exclaimed in surprise, "It does indeed resemble him somewhat."

Ruan Xingzhu sighed, "Seeing Miss Yu'er reminds me of A'Zhu. A'Zhu must be about the same age as Miss Yu'er now. I just don't know where she is now."

Zhao Ti said calmly, "What were you two doing back then? Now Azi is in this state, and Azhu is nowhere to be found. It's all because of your decisions back then. What's the use of lamenting now?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengchun blushed and said, "I didn't know about what happened back then."

Zhao Ti said, "Ah Zhu, the Prince of Zhennan, can say she didn't know, but would she dare say she didn't know when it came to Ah Zi? We didn't prepare in advance, discuss this matter with the lady, and propose a solution to prevent her from repeating the same mistake in desperation?"

Duan Zhengchun: "I..."

Ruan Xingzhu lowered her head and said, "Young master, please don't say anymore. This matter is entirely my fault. I was young and ignorant at the time, panicked and out of my mind. I was afraid of being punished by my family, so I made such a big mistake, and now I regret it too late."

Zhao Ti coldly replied, "Ignorance in youth is no excuse. If that could be used as an excuse, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

"Yes, young master is right..." Ruan Xingzhu lowered her head and said in a low voice. Although she did not know Zhao Ti's identity, Duan Zhengchun had given her instructions before and was extremely respectful, so she did not dare to talk back.

Zhao Ti glanced at A Zhu beside him and continued, "As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. What you cause, you reap what you sow. A Zi is a perfect example right now. She disowns her parents, poisons them, and sets fires. Does that sound good or glorious to others?"

Duan Zhengchun and Ruan Xingzhu were both embarrassed and speechless, almost burying their heads in their clothes.

Zhao Ti said, "The Prince of Zhennan will inherit the throne of Dali in the future. Although Dali is known for its open-mindedness, I'm afraid that if the people knew about this, there would be a lot of criticism."

"This..." Duan Zhengchun's face turned ashen. Even if Dali were more open-minded, abandoning one's children would still be hard to justify. Besides, the royal family could afford to support them; if they couldn't, they could give them away. There was absolutely no reason for them to abandon their children willingly.

"And Madam Ruan..." Zhao Ti pondered, "Abandoning two daughters in a row, I'm afraid it's not entirely because you're afraid of your family finding out, is it? Even if your family is large and difficult to investigate, how could your family not have heard anything about having two daughters?"

Ruan Xingzhu said, "My daughter was young at the time, and she was indeed single-minded, only thinking about the punishment her family would bring upon her, that..."

Zhao Ti looked at Ruan Xingzhu and said slowly, "Even if Azi acts strangely and speaks viciously, there is one thing she is right about: you two only think about having fun and don't consider anything else. You just think that the child is interfering with your fun. One of you pretends not to know and the other acts heartlessly."

"We, we..." Ruan Xingzhu looked flustered and turned to Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun sighed and said, "Sister Zhu, please don't argue. We did have such thoughts back then. Now that so many years have passed, why can't we admit it?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xingzhu lowered her head again and remained silent.

Zhao Ti picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, looked at the two of them for a few moments, glanced at the sky outside, and said, "Alright, I won't scold you anymore. Prepare a meal. You must be tired from your journey. Arrange some lodgings for you to rest."

Duan Zhengchun hurriedly agreed, led Zhao Ti and A Zhu to a tidy room, and then went out to supervise the banquet.

Looking out the window, one could see the setting sun casting its golden light on the beautiful scenery of Little Mirror Lake. A'Zhu hesitated and said, "Young master, I...I want to go for a walk."

(End of this chapter)