The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 223 Crazy Critic and His Crazy Critic Son (Second Update)

Chapter 223: 223 Crazy Critic and His Crazy Critic Son (Second Update)

Murong Yi had more than fifty sons alone, not to mention his many daughters.

Among such numerous children, it was quite difficult for him to recognize a specific child at a glance.

Murong Yi was an old lunatic, extremely lecherous and full of vigor.

To satisfy his certain needs, he ordered the embroideresses of Zijin Palace to redesign the attire of the harem’s concubines and palace maids the day after his enthronement.

This outfit was unique, with an open mid-section and overlapping collar without ties, which could be ripped open with a tug; the lower garment was a skirt, with nothing beneath apart from the outer layer.

This measure was so that Murong Yi could catch a woman at any time and place to have his way with her.

In the palace, from concubines down to the lowliest of palace maids, every woman with a hint of beauty fell under his touch.

The vast Imperial Palace was clean except for the buildings; almost no woman was untouched.

After these women gave birth, as long as the identity was verified and the birth date matched, confirming they were his progeny, Murong Yi would accept them all.

That’s how his multitude of children came to be.

Beyond that, Murong Yi’s behavior was wildly debaucherous.

Once, during court assembly, he noticed a palace maid with a fair appearance serving tea. He grabbed her slender wrist, pushed her down over the throne, and started to undo his own lower garments, intending to have his way with her right in the grand hall.

The accustomed palace servants hurriedly opened up the screens to form a circle for privacy.

Murong Yi always caused a big commotion each time he forced himself on a woman; if she did not cry out, or her cries failed to satisfy him, she would be punished.

The loud cries of men and women echoed throughout the vast Taihe Hall, so embarrassing that the ministers flushed red. They all stood with hands folded, daring not to make any movement, lest they invite disaster upon themselves.

Murong Ce was conceived in such a manner.

After the palace maid gave birth to Murong Ce, she was promoted and became a mistress.

Yet among the three thousand beauties of the harem, this palace maid was not considered very beautiful and was soon forgotten by Murong Yi.

Therefore, the palace maid took out her anger on Murong Ce, not only beating him but also pricking him with needles, burning him with fire, cutting him with knives, and even making him endure the cold, clad in nothing during the snowy days of the twelfth lunar month.

Murong Ce grew up in such an environment filled with violence and extreme paranoia until the age of ten, skillfully seizing the opportunity to be sent as a hostage to Houtang.

As he had predicted, the day after Murong Yi confirmed that he would become a hostage, an imperial edict was issued, appointing him as the Crown Prince of Houliang and immediately sending him to Houtang as a hostage.

Upon arrival in Houtang, Murong Ce thrived like a fish in water. On one hand, he used his identity as the Crown Prince of Houliang to practice martial arts, study, and learn to read; on the other hand, he secretly cultivated his power within both Houtang and Houliang.

In just a few short years, he grew into a towering tree, with thick gnarled branches and deeply entwined roots, immovable.

If he had not been a lunatic, he would indeed be a person worthy of the world’s admiration.

Having grown up amid violence, Murong Ce knew the power of violence well and believed that everything desired could be obtained through force.

His nature was exceedingly perverse and brutal, taking violence to an extreme.

Everyone in Chang’an knew that Murong Ce was a madman who must not be offended.

Moreover, as the national power of Houliang gradually surpassed Houtang’s and continued to grow stronger, no one dared to do anything to him.

Murong Ce spent seven years as a hostage in Houtang, his hands stained with the blood of countless innocent people.

He was so presumptuous that he dared to execute a subject in front of the Tang Emperor.

Murong Yi, aware of Murong Ce’s perverse actions, not only did not scold him but instead rewarded him greatly, thinking that Murong Ce was his progeny who dared to do what all under heaven would not.

Furthermore, the fact that he killed a subject in front of the Tang Emperor, such provocation that the Emperor dared not even utter a word, truly elevated the prestige of Houliang, and Murong Yi grew even fonder of Murong Ce.

Indeed, the thought processes of a lunatic are quite different from those of ordinary people.

At the age of seventeen, Murong Ce caused trouble in the streets with a group of unruly young nobles, and it was then that he encountered Li Xianyun.

The thirteen-year-old Li Xianyun was with her maid, purchasing some items for school.

Murong Ce had not noticed her at first; it was a dissolute young aristocrat, extravagant in pleasures, who spotted her first.

He pointed at Li Xianyun and said to a companion, "Quick, look at that chick, she is really pretty."

In Houtang, women were eligible for marriage at the age of fifteen, and those under fifteen were not yet fully grown and referred to as "chicks" by lecherous men.

The companion appraised Li Xianyun up and down. Although her little face was youthful, her figure was already that of an adult woman, with a waist that could be cinched and curves where there should be, resembling a tender and enticing flower bud, tempting at a glance, let alone for play.

"Why not capture her and let the brothers have some fun?"

"Brilliant, superb."

The two profligates walked up to Murong Ce like dogs, wagging their tails, "Master, could you let the brothers play with that chick?"

The profligates following Murong Ce were all sons of influential families, yet they were treated like dogs by him.

Murong Ce did not allow them to call him by his name, only as "Master," and those profligates were more than willing to oblige.

Everyone says it is good to have shelter under a big tree, and with a big tree like Murong Ce, whom even the Emperor of Tang dared not provoke, securing his support meant that no matter how great a crime one committed, there would be someone to cover for them.

Everyone was vying to become Murong Ce’s dog.

Murong Ce followed the man’s gaze and saw Li Xianyun turn her head and smile at her maid, a gentle and pure smile that he had never seen before.

This caused him irritation; he himself lived in a purgatory and did not allow anyone else to possess happiness.

Murong Ce greatly enjoyed the sensation of tearing apart beautiful things; that incomparable pleasure made him insatiable.

Murong Ce gave a slight nod.

With the master having spoken, several profligates then surrounded her.

Li Xianyun shielded Youlan behind her and watched the circle of profligates with a cold eye, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what do you think you are doing?"

The leader sneered, "What do you think we are doing? Naturally, we are going to teach you how to become a woman and let you experience the ecstasy of it."

As a group of men closed in, Li Xianyun rebuked, "If you take another step forward, I won’t be polite."

The profligates laughed uproariously.

One profligate laughed until tears came, wiping the tears from the corner of his eye, "No, no, beautiful girl, please be as impolite as you can, the less polite, the better."

As the men approached with lewd laughter, Li Xianyun took out a medicine bottle and scattered its contents toward the profligates.

The group was initially stunned, then bent over with their hands on their faces, screaming.

"Bitch! What have you done to us?!!"

Li Xianyun kicked two men in their privates with her foot, and both men, in pain, fell to the ground clutching themselves and rolled around.

Li Xianyun grabbed Youlan’s hand and stepped over the bodies of the two men, breaking through the encirclement.

She had just walked a few steps when she bumped into a man.

The man appeared lean, yet his chest was firm and strong, causing Li Xianyun’s little face to ache sorely from the impact.

She quickly covered her nose, thankful that it was not bleeding.

Li Xianyun looked up at Murong Ce, "Excuse me, please let me pass."

Murong Ce stood still, staring at her with the eyes of a predator watching his prey.

Li Xianyun, holding Youlan’s hand, walked around him and quickly left.

After walking a considerable distance, Li Xianyun still did not stop, and Youlan had to jog to keep up.

"Master, what happened?" Youlan asked, puzzled.

Li Xianyun did not turn back, but responded, "Hurry, the man I bumped into just now is bad news. If he comes to his senses and catches us, we won’t end well."