CHAPTER NINETEEN — LETTING LOOSE A DOG TO DRIVE AWAY A MAN
Mu Shaoyi stood rooted to the spot, staring at Tang Ke Xin as though he had never seen her before. His mind struggled to catch up with what his eyes had witnessed. He knew Master Hui Yuan had cured her foolishness, but he had never imagined this—this calm, lethal precision, this terrifying competence.
He had seen hidden weapons before, subtle contraptions capable of killing silently. But none of them compared to the simple wire she had just used. The ease with which she had unleashed such destructive force left him shaken.
This was no longer the foolish girl who had once clung to him.
This was someone formidable—someone he could barely comprehend.
The steward, too, was utterly dumbfounded. In his fifty years of life, thirty of which had been spent serving in the Prime Minister's estate, he had believed himself well‑versed in the world's oddities. Yet nothing had prepared him for this.
Moments ago, he had thought the young miss was merely playing with wires like a child. Now he realised that if the target had not been wooden stakes… it could have been a man.
"Dong'er, see our guest out," Tang Ke Xin said coolly.
Her tone held no warmth, no hesitation—only quiet authority.
"Tang Ke Xin, what do you mean by this?" Mu Shaoyi snapped, anger flaring. "Do not forget—it was you who pestered me to marry you. You who begged the Empress to grant the engagement!"
His voice trembled with fury—and something else he refused to name.
Tang Ke Xin did not even look at him.
"Do not worry," she said lightly. "I shall find a way to annul the engagement."
Mu Shaoyi froze.
He had expected tears, pleading, perhaps even hysteria. But this?
This calm dismissal?
This effortless severing of ties?
A strange, unwelcome tightness gripped his chest.
"You—" he gritted out, "if you think playing hard to get will work on me, I advise you to stop."
"Release the dogs," Tang Ke Xin said.
Dong'er blinked. "Miss… Dong'er is afraid…"
She remembered all too well the two wolfdogs Tang Ke Xin had rescued from the back gate—massive creatures with sharp fangs and sharper instincts. Even with martial training, Dong'er found them intimidating.
"What is there to fear?" Tang Ke Xin replied mildly. "Dogs are better than people. They are loyal. They never bite their own."
Her words were casual, but the meaning beneath them was unmistakable.
Mu Shaoyi stiffened.
Was she… referring to him?
Before he could respond, the courtyard erupted with deep, resonant howls. The wolfdogs bounded forward, their presence alone enough to send most men fleeing.
---
Inside the main hall, the Prime Minister looked up sharply as the butler's expression changed.
"What is happening outside?"
"Master… Young Master Mu came," the steward said, still pale.
"Mu Shaoyi? Here?" The Prime Minister frowned. "What did the young miss do?"
The steward swallowed. "Miss… released the wolfdogs to chase Young Master Mu away."
"What?"
The Prime Minister nearly choked. "She released the wolfdogs?"
He could hardly believe it.
"Fetch the young lady at once," he ordered. "I must speak with her."
---
When Tang Ke Xin entered the hall, the Prime Minister fixed her with a stern look.
"The steward tells me you set the wolfdogs on Mu Shaoyi. Explain yourself."
Tang Ke Xin bowed her head. "Father, I know I was wrong."
"Hmph. At least you admit it," he said, his tone softening slightly.
"I should not have used wolfdogs to chase Young Master Mu," she continued earnestly.
The Prime Minister nodded, relieved.
But Tang Ke Xin lifted her head again, her expression perfectly sincere.
"Wolves are fierce and loyal. Using them to chase Young Master Mu would be an insult to their dignity. Next time, I shall not use wolfdogs. I shall use mice instead."
The Prime Minister nearly fainted.
"You—you—you—!"
Before he could explode, a sudden burst of laughter echoed through the hall.
Tang Ke Xin stiffened. She turned instinctively toward the doorway.
Several figures were entering.
And among them—
a face she recognised.
A face that made her heart jolt violently in her chest.
Why is he here?
And why… at this moment?