It was just an ordinary conversation, but as Ruan Xiao listened, his expression softened a bit.
He even felt a little sympathy.
Everyone in the family was busy and hadn’t taken Shushu out to play, so he should probably be grateful that His Majesty was able to take her out.
Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that His Majesty had ulterior motives and wanted to whisk his Shushu away.
And he had proof!
For instance, the holy bracelet on Ruan Shu’s wrist.
It was a precious artifact passed down through the dragon clan to the next generation. Dragons were inherently possessive, and if his daughter weren’t a living person, Ruan Xiao would suspect His Majesty might try fighting him to claim her.
“In the future, if you want to go out, just tell me, or ask your grandfather or brothers to take you.”
With so many people in the family, there had to be someone available to take Shushu out, right?
Ruan Shu replied softly, “Okay.”
Of the small kumquats Ruan Shu had collected, five were left with her, and the rest were taken by her father.
He set some aside for Ruan Qingran and Ruan Xinglan to study, while the rest went with him to the military division.
Ruan Shu intended to send the five kumquats to Almer.
But Almer stopped her. These were too precious; he was busy and couldn’t come to retrieve them himself, but his chief knight could.
By the time the knight, Oss, arrived, Ruan Shu had already packaged them carefully for him.
Oss knew what was in the box and understood its importance, so he held it with both hands, handling it as though it were sacred.
“Thank you, Miss Ruan.”
Oss bowed to Ruan Shu with the highest etiquette.
As His Majesty’s most trusted and loyal guard, he was privy to many secrets His Majesty wouldn’t hide from him, like the precious orchid currently safeguarded at the institute under maximum protection, or the golden kumquats His Majesty brought back.
Knowing the effects of these kumquats and their unique pollution-free status, Oss had almost thought His Majesty was playing a joke on him.
But after testing, he’d been left with a heady sensation, walking on clouds—His Majesty had been telling the truth!
And not only that, Miss Ruan had now provided His Majesty with five more of these kumquats!
The knight held the box with utmost care and left.
Ruan Shu messaged Almer to confirm, then went to check on her plants in the greenhouse.
To her surprise, her cousin was also there.
“Cousin.”
As Ruan Shu entered, the tall man was crouched down, his expression unusually serious as he pulled out a stray weed, roots and all.
The Ruan family’s small greenhouse held much greater significance to the rest of the family than it did to Ruan Shu herself.
Almost every day, a family member would come by to inspect it, ensuring that even the smallest weed wouldn’t survive a day.
“Shushu.”
Upon seeing Ruan Shu approaching with a small spray bottle, a handsome young man with bronzed skin broke into a smile.
Ruan Linzhan was a calm and gentle person—much more genuinely so than Ruan Xinglan, who only pretended to be mild-mannered. He was a responsible, upright individual, with a strong sense of duty and loyalty to his country and family, embodying the qualities of an ideal commander.
Though he was technically “resting” at home for a few days, he was still working from home, keeping his team in mind.
“The fruit saplings over there have sprouted.”
Perhaps it was due to Ruan Shu’s daily visits to feed the seeds in the greenhouse with energy, but these seeds seemed to be growing much faster than the four pots she had cared for before.
When she entered, she noticed that many sweet potato shoots had sprouted. In just a couple of days, they would be ready to transplant into the freshly dug soil.
She walked over to water the fruit saplings with her spray bottle.
“Cousin, where can I find a mutated plant garden? Can you take me to see one?”
Ruan Linzhan nodded. “Sure, it’s a bit late today, so we won’t have much time to explore, but I can take you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Cousin!”
Ruan Shu’s eyes sparkled with delight, her gaze bright and pure.
Ruan Linzhan wanted to ruffle her hair, but upon seeing the dirt on his hands, he thought better of it.
Once Ruan Shu had watered all the plants according to her instincts, she went over to her cousin and held onto two of his fingers with her small hand.
Looking down, Ruan Linzhan’s eyes softened as he led her out of the greenhouse, sharing interesting stories about his experiences in the military outpost in the border star regions.
…
As the effects of the kumquats became public knowledge, the entire military was shaken.
This was too significant to keep hidden. In just a day, every military division within the Star Beast Empire held an emergency meeting, attended by not only the marshals but also Almer and a few elders from the Council of Elders.
The meeting had barely started before the elders and the marshals were at each other’s throats.
“There are only so many kumquats, and you want to hoard all of them in the name of ‘research’? Who do you think you are?”
He Feng, known for his fiery temper, had long been irritated by the Council elders. In his view, they’d sat in their lofty positions for far too long, becoming little more than armchair commanders.
At that moment, He Feng transformed into “He the Rebuker,” sparing no words as he directed his frustration at the Council members.
“Is this your property that you’re asking for it so confidently? His Majesty hasn’t even demanded it, yet here you are, acting all entitled just because you’re older?”
“When there are benefits to be had, you’re the first to pounce. But when it’s time to contribute, you disappear faster than anyone else.”
“Research? The only thing you’re good at is barking orders. You think that’s research? What a joke.”
The Council members’ faces flushed in anger, their beards quivering. “You… He Feng, how dare you speak this way!”
He Feng sneered, “I don’t rely on you to make a living. Why wouldn’t I dare?”
Watching the Council members tremble in rage brought some satisfaction to the marshals, though there were certainly mixed feelings among them as well.
For instance, there was the First Legion, which had connections with members of the Council of Elders.
Grand Marshal Bruce not only wielded power over the First Legion but was also a noble duke and, most importantly, possessed half dragon blood, making him part of the royal lineage.
Bruce’s expression was dark and unyielding. “Marshal He, please mind your words. No matter what, the elders are still our seniors, and their intentions are focused on the future of the Star Beast Empire. In times like these, we should all set aside personal interests.”
Marshal Shui Shishi smiled slightly. “Duke Bruce speaks easily, but perhaps it’s not us who need to set aside personal interests?”
He Feng let out a derisive laugh, clearly unfazed by Bruce’s disapproving look. “The Council of Elders is practically counting their abacus beads in our faces, so there’s no need for you to blatantly lie, Duke.”
Bruce took a deep breath, steadying himself. He knew he might have been a bit too hasty today.
But then again, who wouldn’t be rattled after learning the effects of those kumquats?
Bruce’s gaze landed on Ruan Xiao.
“Since Marshal Ruan was able to provide these kumquats, the family must still have that mutated kumquat tree, yes?”
This was something everyone had suspected, but no one had voiced it directly. Now that Duke Bruce had brought it up, all eyes at the conference table turned toward Ruan Xiao.