Chapter 8: Beast Garden's Aura of Fighting

  In front of him was a very large courtyard, with many iron cages placed inside, holding some tigers and leopards, the roar just now came from these animals. As soon as Zhao Yan entered, he smelled a foul smell, similar to the smell of zoos in later generations.

  In the empty space in front of the gate, Cao Ying was talking about something with several maidservants. Not far from them, outside a cage, a man with many small braids on his head was holding a small animal and crying softly. The small animal in his arms also made ** sounds from time to time, as if it was in great pain.

  Zhao Yan knew that some ancient nobles liked to keep fierce beasts, such as the Tang Dynasty nobles who liked to raise leopards, and the Song Dynasty nobles were probably similar. The place in front of him, which was like a private zoo, was likely where Zhao Yan kept his fierce beasts. He didn't expect that the previous Zhao Yan had this hobby, but raising so many animals, with just four or five tigers alone, would cost a lot every day. Moreover, this was only one corner of Zhao Yan's luxurious life, no wonder he had to borrow so much money outside.

  It was unexpected that he could have a private zoo, which made Zhao Yan's mood great. He stepped into the garden, planning to appreciate the animals here. As for Cao Ying's affairs, he didn't want to interfere and had no right to do so. After all, this house is now controlled by Cao Ying. Cao Ying, who was talking to the servant girls, also saw Zhao Yan coming in, but she just looked at him lightly without saying anything. Instead, the servant girls bowed to him one after another.

  "Prince, you've finally arrived! Please hurry and advise the princess not to sell all these ferocious beasts. They're all that you've collected with great difficulty!" Before Zhao Yan could even approach the cages, the man who was holding a small animal and sobbing quietly suddenly knelt down and rushed over, wailing loudly at Zhao Yan.

  "Sold?" Zhao Yan was stunned when he heard this, and only then did he get a clear look at the man with the small braids. The man had a face full of wrinkles, dark skin, and white hair, looking to be over sixty years old. His cheeks were flushed red from the sun, and his unusual hairstyle and clothing made it clear that he was not Han Chinese. As for the small animal in his arms, it was a small black dog, but this little black dog seemed to be ill, constantly letting out painful whimpers.

  "Get up quickly, why do the animals here have to be sold?" Zhao Yan asked with a gloomy face. Just now he was still happy that he could own a private zoo, but in the blink of an eye this zoo was going to be sold out. This made Zhao Yan's mood suddenly turn from sunny to cloudy. The most important thing is that Cao Ying didn't discuss this matter with him beforehand.

  "The Wangfu needs to cut expenses, and you, Duke, are also aware of this. The beast garden here is too expensive, consuming a large amount of meat every day, and it's too close to the inner courtyard, where all the ladies reside. Every day, they hear the beasts roaring and screaming, which can easily startle them. That's why I decided to sell the beast garden."

  "This……" Zhao Yan heard Cao Ying's answer, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. Reducing the expenses of the mansion was indeed something Cao Ying had mentioned before, because she herself owed too much debt outside, so the royal family needed to tighten their belts to get by. However, Zhao Yan hadn't expected Cao Ying to be so swift and decisive, selling off such a large beast garden just like that.

  "Su Ma, I know you have feelings for the beast garden and are also an old man in the palace, but the beast garden will definitely be sold. You can go to the villa outside the city to help raise some livestock, and I absolutely won't let you wander the streets!" At this time, Cao Ying turned her head again to speak to Hu Ren who was kneeling on the ground.

  Su Ma heard Cao Ying's words and looked up at Zhao Yan's expression, which made him finally understand that the king's mansion was now controlled by the queen, and the beast garden would definitely not be preserved. Thinking of the countless efforts he had put into this beast garden, every animal here was like his own son, but now he could only watch them being sold away with his eyes open. This made Su Ma also burst into tears, kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down his face, and at the same time, he held the small black dog in his arms tightly.

  Seeing the look of Lao Suma, Zhao Yan was also very helpless. This was because he had accumulated a huge debt outside, so he didn't have the face to ask Cao Ying to stay in the Beast Garden. In the end, he could only shift his gaze elsewhere. However, when he saw the empty land behind Lao Suma, his expression changed greatly. On the empty land lay a giant beast with all black fur, which looked like both a lion and a tiger at first glance. But Zhao Yan, who came from a later generation, recognized it at once - this was a Tibetan Mastiff. However, judging by its stiff body, it had been dead for a long time.

  Although Zhao Yan didn't raise dogs in his later years, he was familiar with the famous Tibetan Mastiffs. Especially in parks and streets, it's common to see some guys walking their dogs with gold chains around their necks and dog leashes in hand, the gold chain and dog leash shining together, at first glance they look like brothers.

  The other end of the dog chain is mostly some large dogs, among which those who walk Tibetan Mastiffs have the most face, regardless of whether they are purebred or hybrid, as long as they look like Tibetan Mastiffs. People rely on the prestige of their dogs, and dogs rely on the prestige of their owners, swaggering down the street, with pedestrians scattering in all directions wherever they go. If they can scare some little kids to tears, that's even more impressive.

  Zhao Yan quickly walked to the side of the dead Tibetan Mastiff, looking at this dead Tibetan Mastiff and secretly calling it a pity. The size of this Tibetan Mastiff was larger than any he had seen in his previous life, and its coat color was pure and shiny. Even Zhao Yan, who didn't understand dogs, could see that this Tibetan Mastiff's breed was extraordinary at a glance. If it were placed in the modern era, selling it for tens of thousands would be no problem.

  "Su Ma, how did this Tibetan Mastiff die?" Zhao Yan asked loudly towards Su Ma.

  However, Su Ma heard this and was stunned, even Cao Ying beside him looked at Zhao Yan with some surprise. After a moment, Su Ma replied with great sorrow: "Prince, Bao Hu Er is your most beloved pet, it... it is..."

  Old Su Ma said, with more tears flowing from his cloudy eyes, it was clear that this Tibetan Mastiff was also one of his favorites. However, when he mentioned the cause of the dog's death, he suddenly became hesitant and seemed to be holding something back.

  "This dog was poisoned by me!" Cao Ying took over Su Ma's words and spoke, her eyes scanning the dead Tibetan Mastiff, but showing a few points of disgust.

  "Why?" Zhao Yan angrily asked in a loud voice. If the Tibetan Mastiff had died of illness, it would have been fine, but now it was poisoned to death by Cao Ying. This made Zhao Yan unable to understand. After all, no matter what, the Tibetan Mastiff was also a life, and he did not want to live with a woman who did not respect life.

  "Hmph, Prince Junwang is indeed forgetful. If you don't understand, you can have someone ask around on the streets of Tokyo to see how many people have been bitten by this dog and how many people want to skin it alive?" Cao Ying replied angrily. In the past, Zhao Yan's favorite thing to do was take his large dog, called Bo Hu Er, for a stroll on the streets. The dog, which was sent from Tibet, had a ferocious temperament and would often injure people. Not only did Zhao Yan not care, but he would also cheer and laugh on the side. It could be said that a small part of Zhao Yan's notorious reputation came from this vicious dog.

  When Zhao Yan heard Cao Ying's words, cold sweat also broke out on his forehead, and the expression on his face was even more embarrassing. After all, a dog is still a dog, no matter how vicious it is. The most important thing is the dog's owner. On the surface, Cao Ying was scolding the dog, but in fact, she was scolding Zhao Yan, this master, for being too hateful. Although these things were done by the previous Zhao Yan, the current Zhao Yan could not defend himself.

  "Cough, cough... which one... hmm... since it's a vicious dog and has bitten people before, then it's not worth sparing its life. Right? This dog hasn't killed anyone before, has it?" Zhao Yan pushed all the blame onto the dog with a thick face, then expressed some concern, he was really afraid that the previous Zhao Yan would leave him with a few homicide cases."

  "County King, don't worry, Bao Hu Er was very well-behaved before, just sometimes a bit mischievous, likes to play jokes on people, and only accidentally hurts people, but absolutely has never taken anyone's life!" Old Su Ma next to him heard Zhao Yan say that Bao Hu Er was a vicious dog, and hurriedly snatched the opportunity to defend his beloved dog.

  "As long as no one was killed, that's all!" Zhao Yan finally put down his heart and said. Although he wasn't a kind person and would find ways to retaliate against those who had provoked him, this did not include the innocent civilians who hadn't provoked him.

  "Woof... woof..." At this moment, the little dog in Old Su Ma's arms let out a painful whimper again. Its two eyes opened a slit, revealing a pitiful expression.

  "What's wrong with this little dog?" Zhao Yan asked again at this time.

  As soon as Zhao Yan asked about the small dog in her arms, Old Su Ma burst into tears again and said: "Report to the Duke, it's all because of my carelessness. When Bo Hu'er left today, I wanted him to eat something good, so I mixed ** with egg whites for Bo Hu'er to eat. As a result, after Bo Hu'er died, I was too heartbroken to clean up, and the newborn puppies ate all the remaining **. The other puppies that had eaten earlier are now dead, leaving only this one alive, but it doesn't look like it will live much longer either. Moreover, these puppies were all Bo Hu'er's children, and after his death, I didn't even leave behind a descendant for him. I'm so sorry to him!"

  Lao Su Ma was crying even more sorrowfully, as if he had lost his own son. He wasn't a Han Chinese, to be precise, only half of his blood was Han, the other half was Tubo blood, and he grew up in Tubo with his Tibetan mother since childhood, so he had deep feelings for the Tibetan Mastiff. Ba Hu Er was even raised by him personally, now that he killed Ba Hu Er himself, the pain in his heart can be imagined.

  "What are you waiting for, hurry up and find a veterinarian to take a look!" Zhao Yan felt that Lao Su Ma was pitiful for crying, but also thought that Bo Hu Er was even more pitiful. Following an unscrupulous owner, he ended up with a lifetime of infamy, and in the end, not only was he poisoned to death, but his descendants were also implicated.

  "It's useless, Old Su Ma was a good veterinarian to begin with, and this dog has been poisoned with arsenic for almost two hours now, the toxin has already reached its internal organs. Even if Da Luo Jin Xian were here, he wouldn't be able to save it. But in any case, it's better this way, with one less vicious dog around, some people will also have fewer curses to bear!" Cao Ying said lightly.

  Cao Ying's repeated sarcastic remarks made Zhao Yan somewhat angry, and she glared at her before snatching the puppy from Old Su Ma's arms, saying coldly: "This is also a life, I'm not as heartless as some women, today I must save it!"

  Zhao Yan finished speaking and turned to leave the Beast Garden, while Cao Ying looked at his back, revealing a disdainful smile. She didn't believe Zhao Yan's last words at all. Arsenic was a highly toxic substance, and even if a small dog ate it two hours ago, let alone an old tiger, it would be dead by now.