Facing the pure, innocent eyes of those little wolf cubs, who looked so pitiful as if they could be beaten whenever one wished, Emperor Longchang raised his hand several times, yet could never bear to bring it down.
"Enough, enough. This time, it was I who miscalculated." Emperor Longchang sighed, the anger fading from his face. "Since you five little ones are so mischievous, I've decided to give you a small punishment as a lesson."
"Men, lock them in cages, set up small-scale spatial isolation arrays, and find two—no, ten—eunuchs to guard them in shifts. Do not let them leave your sight for even a moment." Emperor Longchang gave the order. "Starve them for five days—no, three days will do."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuchs immediately bent at the waist to accept the order, then began searching everywhere for suitable cages to carry out Emperor Longchang's command.
"There must be no shortage of water in the cages, and soft silk must be spread inside." After adding that instruction, Emperor Longchang set off for Humble Governance Pavilion with a dark face.
He could not stay another moment in this devastated imperial garden.
His heart ached, his chest felt stifled—just looking at it made him miserable.
Only after a full two days did Emperor Longchang's gloomy mood recover considerably. Much of his anger toward the wolf cubs had faded as well, and he began missing them again.
They had been hungry for two days. They should be much better behaved by now, right?
Early that morning, Emperor Longchang once again made his way to the imperial garden to visit the little wolf cubs.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
At the sight of Emperor Longchang, the eunuchs on duty hurriedly bowed in salute.
"Have the five little ones been good?" Emperor Longchang asked, his hands