The Emperor held the child as he hurried away, looking for all the world like a man caught in the act.
Watching from the side, Wang Defa felt his temples throb. The Emperor had been acting truly bizarre lately—simply too bizarre. Having him secretly raise cows and sheep was one thing, but to think the Emperor had actually wanted to keep pigs! Could the Little Princess drink pig’s milk? Fortunately, he had managed to talk him out of it.
After carrying Su Mianmian all the way to the Imperial Study, the Emperor sat down on his gold-dragon-carved chair in a huff, holding her as they stared at each other.
"Call me 'Daddy.'"
Su Mianmian: ?!
Are you sick in the head?
Can anyone relate? The tyrant has gone insane.
I’ve only been born a few days, and you want me to call you Daddy?
If I dared to say it, would you even dare to answer?
Although Su Mianmian didn’t say a word, her expression made it clear that nothing good was going through her mind. The Emperor felt quite hurt. He had clearly been treating this little rascal well, so why was she so hostile toward him?
"Your Majesty, the items have been found."
Just then, Wang Defa walked toward them, clutching a stack of testimonies. The Emperor took the documents, a flash of deep thought in his eyes.
"It is time to deal with Consort Shu."
He had ordered his men to find evidence. At first, Siqin had refused to confess, but today, she had suddenly changed her tune and even ratted out the others. It seemed someone had given her a nudge from behind the scenes. However, the Emperor didn’t care who was behind it, as long as he had the evidence.
When Consort Chun heard that her materials had reached the Emperor, she gave a faint smile, keeping her achievements and glory well-hidden.
The Emperor looked at the papers in his hand, then back at Su Mianmian in her swaddling clothes, and somehow, he guessed the reason. Could it be that this little one was holding such a grudge because, when they first met, he hadn't believed she was his own flesh and blood?
If that was the case... then he was in the wrong! It was his fault. The Emperor slumped, deflated.
Su Mianmian stared in confusion. Was the tyrant putting on a face-changing act for her?
The Emperor pulled her closer and shook her tiny hand. "Daddy has found the evidence against that wicked woman who tried to harm you, and I’ll be finished with her shortly."
*Hmm?* Su Mianmian rolled her eyes, her gaze brightening.
*Fine, since you’re helping me get revenge, I’ll curse at you a little less from now on.*
If only this tyrant could keep being this smart...
Su Mianmian wrinkled her small face, lost in thought.
The Emperor’s expression softened significantly when he saw his own sister. "Xin'er, what brings you here?"
The Eldest Princess smiled, handed the items to Wang Defa, and turned back to him. "It has been a long time since I’ve seen the Emperor, so I came to visit."
Su Mianmian craned her neck to peek out, and upon catching sight of a beauty with a face like a lotus, she couldn't help but let out a silent, lovesick scream.
*Wow, wow, wow! Where did this celestial beauty come from?*
*Oh, look at me, beauty! Look at me—don't make me beg you!*
The Eldest Princess was so startled by the sudden baby voice ringing in her ears that she nearly tripped. Fortunately, years of court etiquette allowed her to maintain her composure. Where did that voice come from? Her beautiful eyes shifted, landing on Su Mianmian.
Su Mianmian: *Ahhhh! The big beauty is looking at me! Oh, I don't want to wash my face today—no, tomorrow, or even the day after!*
Uh. The Eldest Princess and the Emperor both broke into a cold sweat simultaneously. The Emperor even wanted to cover his ears and pretend he hadn't heard his daughter’s shameless inner thoughts.
The Eldest Princess was certain now: the voice was coming from Su Mianmian. Although the situation was bizarre, royals were made of sterner stuff than the average person. After a moment of shock, she regained her poise perfectly. She stepped forward, a smile hidden in her eyes.
"Imperial Brother, is this the Little Princess?"
The Emperor nodded and held the child out for her to see. "Her name is Su Mianmian."
Seeing Su Mianmian smiling non-stop, the Eldest Princess realized the baby liked her and lost her nervousness. She immediately took the jade bracelet from her wrist and tucked it into Su Mianmian’s swaddling clothes.
"Auntie didn't know you were here and didn't prepare anything in advance, so take this as a first meeting gift."
Looking at the exquisite quality of the bracelet, Su Mianmian was completely won over."Wow, not only is she beautiful, but she's rich!"
The Emperor glanced at the bracelet and paused, stunned. "Isn't this part of your dowry?"
The Eldest Princess didn't seem to care much. "I have plenty of things; giving her one piece is of no consequence."
Wait, her dowry!
Su Mianmian's joy at receiving the bracelet vanished instantly. In the original story, the only royal princess getting married at this time was the Eldest Princess, Xuanyuan Xin'er.
She cannot marry that man!
Su Mianmian began to protest violently.
"My dear aunt, you cannot marry that man!"
The Eldest Princess and the Emperor were both taken aback by these words. The future husband was the top-ranking scholar—a handsome man of remarkable literary talent. Why on earth could she not marry him?
Su Mianmian wished she could speak; otherwise, she would have bitten that scumbag to death.
"That scumbag may have literary talent, but his heart is pitch black. He craved wealth and status, so he personally begged the Emperor for the grace to marry the Princess. Once he had her in his grasp, he brainwashed her every day, claiming that if it weren't for her, he would have been able to realize his ambitions in the imperial court."
Oh, little thing, so he’s a two-faced snake, is he?
"The key is that my aunt actually fell for his brainwashing. She felt guilty toward him, not only allowing him to take concubines but also subsidizing him with her entire dowry. And what does he do? After the country is destroyed, he hands my aunt over to the enemy forces to be humiliated, and, listening to his concubine, he even causes the death of my aunt's son! Bah, the wretched scumbag, he deserves to die!"
After venting, Su Mianmian continued to wave her arms, her eyes filled with murderous intent, completely failing to notice the sudden change in the expressions of the Eldest Princess and the Emperor.
The Emperor certainly trusted his sister, but he had no idea how to bring this up to her. He couldn't just blurt out, "I don't think your man is any good; you should swap him for someone else."
The Emperor’s face shifted several times before he finally spoke with tact.
"Xin'er, how do you feel the top scholar treats you?"
The Eldest Princess, already deep in doubt, instinctively defended him upon being asked. "Imperial Brother, he treats me very well. He has promised that he will only love me in this life and will always hold me in the depths of his heart."
"You don't live inside his heart, how would you know who he loves? He’s nothing but a durian—all prickles on the outside and full of people on the inside."
The Emperor: ...
Su Mianmian rolled her eyes. "Auntie, you are a Princess! He isn't supposed to love anyone else to begin with, is he?"
If she remembered correctly, a Princess's consort was not allowed to take concubines anyway. On the contrary, she thought to herself with a giggle, the Princess could have several men...
The Eldest Princess hesitated. "He also said that once I marry him, I will be in charge of the household affairs."
Usually, if the mother is still alive, those duties would remain with her. But the husband-to-be had told her that she would take over immediately, without needing to consult his mother. Surely that was a sign of his love for her?
Speaking of this, Su Mianmian became even more incensed.
"His family is hundreds of taels of silver in debt just from paying for his studies; he's just desperate to find someone to take over that mess! You think he loves you? No, he loves your money!"
Su Mianmian pouted. Her aunt was a beauty in every respect, but she had terrible judgment. "Please, just dump that scumbag. I’m begging you, don't go digging for wild vegetables in the wilderness, okay?"
...
"But—"
The Emperor quickly waved his hand. Enough, he couldn't take it anymore; his ten-meter blade was practically begging to be unsheathed.
"Xin'er, one cannot judge everything by its surface. I must reconsider your marriage to him."
Had she heard this before, the Eldest Princess would surely have been displeased, but today, she glanced at little Su Mianmian and slowly lowered her head. "Yes."
Imperial Brother would have to have people investigate him thoroughly. Although she was still willing to believe in her future husband, if she didn't investigate, she would always have a thorn in her side.
After the Eldest Princess left, the Emperor immediately dispatched men to investigate the top scholar, determined to uncover everything about his ancestors back to the eighteenth generation. They were even ordered to find out at what age he wet the bed and at what age he first tried to kiss a little girl.