TNIBFT -Chapter 150 Everything Awaits His Majesty’s Decision

“Children?”

Widow Zhang was momentarily stunned. Her eyes darted around as she thought for a moment before replying, “I heard they haven’t been going to school lately. Ye Tian’s hot pot restaurant is doing very well—those three kids are probably helping out there.”

A hot pot restaurant?

Shangguan Ning frowned. She had never heard such a strange name before.

Zhao Mingyuan, standing beside her, asked in a low voice, “What is a hot pot restaurant?”

“Oh, it’s just a big copper pot with chili stew inside—meat and vegetables together. Haven’t you tried it in the city?” Widow Zhang asked instinctively. After all, Ye Tian’s hot pot restaurant could now be called one of the finest in Sifang City.

Zhao Mingyuan felt a bit embarrassed. They had been discovered the very first day they entered the city—where would they have found the time to eat?

“This is outrageous! The children are only five years old—how dare he make them work?”

Shangguan Ning’er was furious.

Those three children were princes of the Great Zhou, nobles of imperial blood—yet Ye Tian dared to treat them like this.

“What’s so strange about that? This is already considered good. You must be the children’s uncle, right?” Widow Zhang looked up, nervously studying Shangguan Ning. Shangguan Ning remained silent.

Widow Zhang continued, “This is nothing compared to before. Ye Tian used to be lazy, loved gambling, and would beat or scold the children at every turn. He even sold his daughter once. Do you know how those children survived? Not only did Ye Tian neglect them, they had to go out begging to bring him food. If they brought too little, they were beaten; if the food wasn’t good, they were beaten too. All year round, there wasn’t a single spot on their bodies that wasn’t bruised.”

“Three five-year-old children looked like they were only three—truly pitiful. Whenever they came begging at my house, I’d rather go hungry myself than let them get beaten. After all, we all have hearts of flesh—it was enough to make anyone cry.”

Widow Zhang put on a show, raising her hand to wipe at tears that didn’t even exist.

Shangguan Ning’er trembled with anger.

Ye Tian!!

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to kill him. That bastard—how could a father treat his own children like this?

When His Majesty had been unconscious, she wept every day out of longing for her children. To her, they were more precious than life itself. And Ye Tian?

Inside the room, several Great Zhou generals stood with clenched teeth. All of them were Qin Fengyi’s trusted subordinates, veterans who had followed her through life and death. They had come to Great Liang under military orders to find the young princes.

At the thought of their princes being tormented like this by their own father…

The eyes of these hardened men reddened. If His Majesty were here, she would have twisted Ye Tian’s head clean off.

“Is what you said true?”

Shangguan Ning’er demanded coldly, her killing intent no longer concealed.

Widow Zhang trembled in fear. She immediately dropped to the ground, crying, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask around the village. If I’ve said even a single false word, you can kill my son and me right now!”

“Who in these surrounding villages hasn’t seen Ye Tian beating his children?”

Shangguan Ning’er felt a suffocating heaviness in her chest. She glanced coldly at Widow Zhang on the ground, then said to Zhao Mingyuan, “Keep them under watch. If they don’t behave tonight, silence them immediately.”

“Yes!”

Zhao Mingyuan took Widow Zhang and her son away.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Shangguan Ning’er sheathed her flexible sword and looked at her subordinates. “I will enter the city now, kill Ye Tian, and bring the princes and princess out. You head north—we’ll regroup at the usual place.”

“My lord, you mustn’t!”

Someone immediately stepped forward. He had an ordinary appearance, the kind that would disappear in a crowd. Bowing his fists, he said, “Ye Tian is, after all, the children’s biological father. If we kill him rashly, we may not be able to answer to His Majesty. This is not a matter of state—it is a family matter, and should be decided by His Majesty.”

“Indeed. We don’t even know whether that widow’s words are true. Killing Ye Tian without certainty is a responsibility we cannot bear.”

“Exactly!”

The others echoed in agreement.

They had followed Qin Fengyi through countless life-and-death battles. She had never shown interest in men, yet she had children with Ye Tian—this alone proved that he was different.

Moreover, the Empress had always been fiercely protective and utterly unreasonable when it came to her own. If they truly touched Ye Tian, they would likely have their entire clan exterminated.

They simply didn’t have the courage!

After thinking for a moment, Shangguan Ning’er looked at her subordinates and said, “You all disguise yourselves and go into the village to gather information. As for how Ye Tian should be dealt with, we’ll wait for the Emperor’s reply!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

The group clasped their fists and accepted the order.

One by one, they left the room. Shangguan Ning’er stood by the window, gazing out into the pitch-black sky. She couldn’t believe that a father could treat his own children like this. The Emperor was a peerless, heaven-favored woman—could there really be a man in this world who wouldn’t cherish her?

She reached out and shut the window, blocking the howling northern wind outside.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, someone rushed back into the room.

“My lord!”

Shangguan Ning’er turned. The man’s face was filled with fury, his eyes red as he said, “That scoundrel Ye Tian truly deserves to die!”

“He abuses the children—beating and scolding them at every turn, feeding them worse than pigs and dogs, and not even allowing them to sleep indoors. In this freezing Sifang City, where water turns to ice, I don’t even know how those children managed to survive…”

As he spoke, the Great Zhou soldier nearly broke into tears.

The dignified princes of Great Zhou—the bloodline of the War Goddess Empress—figures before whom even the Emperor of Great Liang would bow, were actually living such lives in this tiny Sifang City.

Soon, more people returned one after another, each report more infuriating than the last.

Several tall, sturdy men fell silent.

Shangguan Ning’er clenched her teeth in hatred and said helplessly, “Send word back to Great Zhou. Everything will await the Emperor’s decision!”

“Now that we know the princes are in the city, you all leave Mingfeng Village early tomorrow morning. Don’t leave any traces behind. I’ll secretly infiltrate the city and rescue the prince and princess as soon as possible. We’ll stay in contact by signal.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

…

Sifang City, the Shi Residence

Shi Shanxiang and his son Shi Xuan sat at the Eight Immortals table, eating together. The table was filled to the brim with four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes.

“Xuan’er, eat—go on, eat!” Shi Shanxiang said kindly, constantly placing food into his son’s bowl.

Shi Xuan kept a cold face and ignored him. Seeing more food being placed into his bowl, he said with clear disgust, “That’s enough!”

“I told you, I don’t want duck meat.”

Shi Shanxiang paid no mind to the scolding and continued to ingratiate himself with a smile. “Then have more fish. It’s fresh—you love steamed fish the most, don’t you?”

“I’ll remove the bones for you.”

Shi Xuan looked annoyed, his face full of impatience. He slammed his chopsticks heavily onto the table.

Shi Shanxiang immediately said, “It’s all that brat Shi Hao’s fault—so disrespectful, daring to talk back to his elder brother. If he doesn’t reflect properly this time, don’t worry—I won’t bring him back.”

Hearing this, Shi Xuan’s expression improved slightly.

He picked up his chopsticks again and said, “Don’t ever let me see your precious son again.”

“In this house, it’s either him or me. If you really can’t bear to part with him, I won’t stop you—go live with your beloved son.”

Shi Shanxiang smiled awkwardly and nodded repeatedly. “You’re the eldest son and grandson. I’ll have to rely on you in the future.”

Before he could finish speaking, a servant rushed in anxiously and shouted:

“Something’s wrong!”

“Something’s wrong…”