173: A sudden call

She had only rejected Hain for a few days, yet everyone was already enveloped in the low pressure he was radiating.

Except for Tu Nan, no one knew why, save for Secretary Wang who came to report.

His shrewdness allowed him to successfully detect a clue, and he hovered in front of Tu Nan several times, looking as if he wanted to put in a good word for his superior.

Unfortunately, he never found the right moment to speak with her alone.

And then, there was no need to worry about this matter anymore.

The same went for Tu Nan.

Because... in the face of the latest events, this matter seemed so insignificant.

When Tu Nan, carrying the Children, boarded the starship exclusive to the Imperial Guard, 'escorted' by a whole squad of Male Beasts wrapped in red ceremonial cloaks who were uniform in height, weight, and build.

She still hadn't fully figured out exactly what point about her was worth Your Majesty's attention.

It couldn't be that because Your Majesty repeated 'interesting' twice, the Palace Steward immediately sent people to pack her up and offer her as tribute, could it?

"Do not worry." Hain was dressed in formal attire, his figure standing tall and elegant as he protected her by her side.

"Your Majesty has his own reasons for doing things, and I will be with you." He said so.

But Tu Nan could not help but worry.

She hated unexpected events, and all the preparations she was currently making had not yet been fully put in place.

This would put her in a very passive position, although she was already mentally prepared.

That was... when facing the ruler of such a vast Empire, no matter how much preparation one made, it could never be foolproof.

Her thoughts returned to that morning...

Hain suddenly got up, grabbed the clothes he had taken off the night before that were draped by the bed, put them on, and went to Tu Nan's wardrobe to get her some clothes.

Tu Nan immediately realized something was wrong.

Without special circumstances, Hain, who practically had a germaphobic streak, would never wear the previous day's clothes.

"There is a situation, put these on."

Sure enough, Hain's expression was grave.

"Three Rank A, coming this way. I will go check. You go to Yi Xingye's place."

He flashed out the door.

Tu Nan did not listen to him.

After having Amy take the Children to find Yi Xingye, she buttoned the last button and walked towards the door.

If the situation was so critical that even Hain could not solve it, what difference would it make where she was?

It was better to go and see what exactly had happened.

A full twelve people stood in her living room, confronting Hain.

Their deep red, fitted military uniforms clung to their strong, lean bodies, and each person stood as straight as a ruler.

The person in the lead, holding the hilt of the ceremonial longsword at his side, was saying something to Hain. Hearing the commotion, he turned his head slightly.

He happened to see Tu Nan appearing in the living room.

Miss Gu, who had been incredibly diligent lately, had gotten up earlier than anyone else and was standing in the corner, silent as a cicada in winter.

Seeing Tu Nan appear, she was so excited she became incoherent.

"Pearl! You... Your Majesty... Your Majesty has summoned you."

Everyone's gaze fell accurately upon her.

The stranger brought his feet together, held the hilt of his sword, bowed slightly to salute her, and revealed a slight smile.

"Is this the one? Please step forward, Your Majesty has an order."

Your Majesty?

Tu Nan involuntarily searched for Hain.

He strode to Tu Nan's side and extended his arm.

Tu Nan paused slightly, her eyes lowering to look at this action which clearly carried a protective meaning.

She gently placed her hand on his, and led by Hain, walked calmly in front of that group of red-clad men.

"Your Majesty has an order: Immediately bring Miss Tu Nan back to the palace for an audience."

After solemnly conveying Your Majesty's message, the red-clad man's expression relaxed slightly, and he spoke to Hain in a relaxed manner.

"Your Majesty says your vacation this time has been long enough and asks if it is time for you to return."

Hain bowed slightly to show respect for the Emperor and immediately replied.

"Very well, I will return with you."

He looked at the group of people standing behind him, narrowed his eyes, and still couldn't help but ask.

"Captain Peng, do you have any other missions to execute?"

Just to pick up Tu Nan, what was the necessity of using a configuration of this scale?

A Captain of the Imperial Guard and three Rank A individuals would be enough to suppress a small rebellion in a region.

There was no reason for it to be for Tu Nan, a weak Female Beast.

"This is the only mission; once we pick up the person, we return directly."

Peng Tianyu, this veteran Captain of the Imperial Guard, revealed an inscrutable expression.

"I haven't figured it out all the way here, and I thought I might get some guidance when I saw you."

He raised an eyebrow, "After all, you are the favorite in front of Your Majesty."

"You flatter me; it cannot compare to you Imperial Guard serving by Your Majesty's side."

Tu Nan stood to the side listening to the two exchange pleasantries, discovering that Hain had not been able to obtain any more information.

This was not good.

There must be something she hadn't thought of that had happened.

What could it be? Was she important enough to warrant a special decree from Your Majesty?

"Then? Shall we?"

Captain Peng seemed very eager to complete the mission immediately.

Tu Nan curtsied slightly, her ears twitched, and she lowered her posture to ask.

"Officer, may I ask if Your Majesty is summoning only me, or my Children as well?"

"Oh..." Captain Peng seemed to have just remembered and added, "Your Majesty said to bring your Children along for him to see as well."

Looking at it this way, did it seem like the application she had asked the two of them to submit to Your Majesty had been approved?

But for someone in a position like Captain Peng, how could he wait for her to ask before remembering the full scope of the order?

He looked as if he were waiting for her to ask.

Was it possible that if she hadn't asked, this order wouldn't exist?

This was exactly the same situation as when Hain asked earlier.

Hurried footsteps came from behind, and Tu Nan turned around.

It was Lance. Completely ignoring the pile of high-ranking Male Beasts in the living room who looked very difficult to deal with, she charged towards Tu Nan and grabbed her.

"What is going on! Who are these people?" Lance looked at the group of people, then glared at Hain.

"Did you cause this? Or Kong Jiamu?"

She did not believe Tu Nan had the ability to cause such a big event; no matter how one looked at it, it was those two Male Beasts who had dragged Tu Nan into it.

Tu Nan tugged at her and sighed.

"They are looking for me."

Lance's eyes widened almost out of their sockets, and Tu Nan pinched her hand to make her snap out of it.

"Go quickly, help me print a copy of the 'report' for the current stage."

Lance was still hesitating, and Tu Nan pushed her directly.

"I have a use for it, go."

Lance ran wildly towards their office. Tu Nan turned back and saw that Captain Peng was watching with interest and did not stop her; her bad inner suspicions eased slightly.

It seemed... not an arrest.

"May I go pack some luggage? It won't take too much time, and the Children need some preparation for going out."

Captain Peng looked at her, then glanced at Hain, whose face was unhappy, waved his hand back, and sat down on the sofa in a relaxed, wide-legged posture.

"Go ahead, it's good that you are cooperative. I will wait here, will Lord Hain chat with me?"

He detained Hain, seemingly not thinking that Tu Nan had any room to slip away under his nose on her own.

Tu Nan smiled gratefully and pulled Gu Lvhai, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Let's go, help me pack my things."

Just like that, she took a few steps back, straightened her back, and walked out of the living room.

Leave, then leave, no problem.

It was just earlier...

By half a month?