Chapter 80:
Li Er looked at White Dragon in front of him, utterly bewildered. Meeting each other’s gaze, White Dragon responded with another contemptuous snort. It seemed to be quite mocking.
Li Er’s obstinate temperament flared up, partly due to the excitement of the hunt and partly due to his own stubbornness.
“I must tame you today!” Li Er muttered to himself, attempting to stand up.
However, the White Dragon seemed to understand his words at this moment. Seeing Li Er attempting to stand up, White Dragon swiftly approached him. The massive horse’s face lowered, staring down at Li Er.
Meanwhile, one of its hooves continued to tap restlessly on the ground. It appeared ready to respond should Li Er make any sudden moves. Li Er found himself immobilized. He was already sitting on the ground with no leverage.
He realized that the horse had perceived him as an adversary. Li Er felt an unusual sense of panic. He was in an utterly awkward situation.
Just then, a noise came from the next room, the voices of Su Li and Changle conversing.
“Didn’t Your Majesty wait for a while? Where is he?” Changle’s voice was heard.
“Father loves horses. He must have heard White Dragon’s commotion and couldn’t resist checking on it in the next room,” Changle explained.
Oh no!Li Er felt a rare sense of unease. He was embarrassed beyond belief. About to get up, he heard movement at the door. Raising his head, he saw Su Li and Changle standing there.
Seeing Li Er sitting unceremoniously on the ground, both Su Li and Changle wore quizzical expressions. The two quickly understood the situation by looking at the confident White Dragon and then at Li Er.
“This remarkable horse fascinated me greatly…” Li Er’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he opened his mouth to explain.
Su Li nodded with an understanding look on his face. Observing Li Er’s seated predicament, Su Li knew what had happened. He had accidentally witnessed the awkward scene of his father-in-law but tactfully chose to stay silent. He also cast a discreet glare at White Dragon.
Su Li knew the horse’s explosive temperament, but he hadn’t expected White Dragon to kick anyone. Nevertheless, White Dragon at least took Su Li’s words to heart. Otherwise, with White Dragon’s divine strength, one strong kick and Li Er might have met his end.
Prince Li Chengqian might have to consider succeeding to the throne directly. However, White Dragon didn’t comprehend Su Li’s intention. Instead, it raised its head and playfully shook its face towards Su Li.
Although White Dragon understood human nature, it couldn’t understand human language. Its temperament was extremely explosive, and it only listened to Su Li.
On the other hand, Changle, wearing a concerned expression, approached and helped Li Er up from the ground.
“Father, White Dragon has a fiery temperament. It doesn’t like strangers approaching. Please check if you’re hurt,” Changle said, and she was concerned.
Li Er was caught red-handed by his daughter, and his face reddened.
“Just a horse. How could it hurt me?” Li Er’s tone was slightly indignant.
Seeing Li Er’s embarrassed state, Su Li couldn’t help but smirk.
White Dragon eased up. In reality, Li Er wasn’t harmed. Now that his daughter had revealed the situation, Li Er’s momentary embarrassment was overshadowed by his disposition. Without acting like anything was amiss, Li Er stood up and, with a serious expression, began to speak.
“Changle has already awakened, and there’s nothing to worry about at the princess’s residence. Since you’re just a captain-in-law, your official rank is third class. But it’s not a real position, so you’ll need to engage in some activities. Whether in military or political matters, do you have any ideas?”
Li Er seamlessly presented his own issue. After all, his position as a captain-in-law was entirely due to Princess Changle. It was a subsidiary of marrying the princess and not an official title, holding no real power.
Li Er probably believed Su Li, a capable man, wouldn’t be content with staying in the Princess’s Mansion without any accomplishments or influence.
“No other thoughts…” Su Li spoke after a brief moment of silence.
To be honest, Su Li didn’t want an official position. Being an official meant having to go to work. Sure, he could slack off at work, but at the very least, he would have to go to the office, right?
Su Li had no ambitions for power and no intention of amassing wealth. Now that Changle had awakened and they were enjoying their newlywed days, who would want to go to work when they could spend time at home?
As for whether others might think he was being unproductive and living off someone else’s success? Su Li could only say that living off someone else’s success was quite enjoyable.
Li Er brought up the topic of Su Li’s potential in the military, “I heard that you have great strength and exceptional courage. How about serving in the army?”
As he said this, Li Er scrutinized Su Li.
Until then, Li Er had difficulty understanding how someone with Su Li’s physique could possess such immense strength.
With this statement, Su Li immediately understood Li Er’s implication. Considering what happened in Forest Garden yesterday, which concerned the safety of the Little Princess and Changle, it was impossible to hide the truth. Now that Li Er knew about Su Li’s remarkable strength, he was bound to have expectations.
In Su Li’s mind, however, his fate had always been under his control. He wouldn’t let anyone, including Li Er, dictate his life. Su Li might entertain the idea of being on the battlefield, given that which man hadn’t dreamt of wielding power on the battlefield? But not at this moment. As a time traveler with a system, Su Li wouldn’t let others shape his life, not even Li Er.
Li Er might want to use his abilities, but why should Su Li comply?
Su Li believed in controlling his destiny. While going into battle might be appealing, Su Li couldn’t let anyone else dictate his actions, even if it was Li Er.
Su Li aimed to enjoy himself and experience an adventure. He had gained extraordinary power through hard work and point accumulation. But this didn’t mean he would run to the battlefield just because Li Er suggested it.
Su Li wasn’t Li Er’s puppet. He wouldn’t throw away his autonomy and become a tool for Li Er’s commands. A modern person with incredible strength naturally wants to experience a powerful adventure. However, becoming a tool for Li Er’s orders would go against Su Li’s wishes.
Su Li’s thoughts raced as he searched for a reasonable reason to decline Li Er’s request. Ignoring Li Er’s Emperor status, they were related by marriage. If Su Li refused outright, his wife might take issue regardless of Li Er’s reaction. Before Su Li could speak, Changle, who was nearby, spoke up first.