"Wah!"
"Ah!"
Two sounds rang out simultaneously: one, the startled cry of a young child; the other, the alarmed shout of an old man.
The old man landed squarely on his backside atop the dragon vein, pointing a trembling finger at Su Mianmian. "You little brat, where are your manners?"
Su Mianmian: *Who started it first?*
"Right, right, you're always right. It’s my fault for having no manners."
Her tone was infuriatingly smug, yet her words were technically beyond reproach, leaving the old man purple with rage.
"Who exactly are you!"
Su Mianmian, busy patching the dragon vein, pointed to the sky. "I am a deity from the heavens, specifically here to help the Beixuan State mend its dragon vein. If you aren't going to help, don't just stand there and get in the way."
As the saying goes, when you're out and about, you create your own credentials.
Besides, Su Mianmian wasn't technically lying.
The old man: ...
He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was being looked down upon by a little brat!
The old man kept nagging until he finally managed to pry some information out of Su Mianmian, then he smugly gave his old waist a wiggle.
"You rascal."
"I am your great-great-grandfather."
Su Mianmian: *Takes a deep breath.*
She turned to look at him. "If you don't leave now, I’m going to kick you flying."
The old man looked aggrieved. "I really am your great-great-grandfather."
He fished out a genealogy book and shoved it in Su Mianmian’s face. "Look, I am the thirty-sixth emperor, and your father is my grandson!"
...
Su Mianmian glanced at the genealogy and confirmed he was telling the truth.
She waved a hand at him dismissively. "Fine, fine, I know. Look at how broken this dragon vein is. If you aren't going to help, just go home and go to sleep."
The old man felt wronged. It was precisely because he was such a chatterbox that his ancestors had kicked him out in the first place. Now, his descendant was chasing him away too.
*Sob, sob, sob.*
Besides, it wasn't that he didn't want to help; though they had been emperors in life, they were now mere spirits and couldn't interfere with the destiny of the dragon.
Watching Su Mianmian mend the dragon vein bit by bit, her little face etched with strain, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride.
Such an exceptional little fairy was his own descendant.
After working for several hours, Su Mianmian felt completely drained.
Only a small portion of the dragon vein had been repaired.
As she stood up, she nearly toppled over.
Su Mianmian looked at her tiny hands and sighed helplessly.
It was all a bit too much.
Seeing her unsteady on her feet, the old man stepped forward to help her and headed toward the imperial palace.
By the time they reached the palace, Su Mianmian had already fallen into a deep sleep. The old man pinched her cheek.
"You’re much cuter like this."
With that, he placed Su Mianmian’s spirit back onto her bed and vanished.
A few days later, Yongshou Palace.
The Emperor looked at the imperial physicians, his expression dark. "Why hasn't the Little Princess woken up yet!"
The physicians knelt in a row, shrinking back in terror. "Your Majesty, we have spent the night scouring every medical text, but we cannot identify the Princess’s ailment. Her pulse is perfectly normal."
Perfectly normal?
She hadn't woken up in two days, and they called that normal?
Should they wait until his daughter was in a coffin before it was "normal"?
The Emperor almost threatened the physicians with the execution of their entire families, but remembering Su Mianmian’s unique circumstances, he held back.
He barked at them, "Go! Find the cause! If the Little Princess doesn't wake up today, don't bother coming back!"
The physicians scrambled away faster than they had arrived.
The Emperor was so angry his liver ached.
Consort Chun had been kneeling before the Buddha for the entire night, and the Emperor felt a deep sense of anxiety watching her.
He also felt a pang of guilt. He had taken his daughter out, and now she was back and unconscious. What kind of situation was this?
The Emperor leaned close to his daughter, whispering a threat:
"Wake up soon, you little rascal, or I’m going to spank you."
*Be a good girl, don't make your father worry.*
As soon as Su Mianmian woke up, she heard him threatening to spank her.
She punched him right in the eye.
*You heartless, scumbag father!*
*I’ve been working my tail off to mend the dragon vein, and you—the moment I wake up, you want to spank me!*
*Fine, fine! This house is clearly no place for me. I’m leaving as soon as I grow up.*
As Su Mianmian let out her grievances, the Emperor covered his eye, trying to extract useful information from her circular rambling.
Discovering that his daughter had ended up like this because she was mending the dragon vein, he felt a mix of bitterness and sweetness.
He gathered Su Mianmian into his arms and coaxed her gently.
"You haven't woken up for two days. Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were?"
"No matter what happens, you must not hurt your own body."
Hearing this, Su Mianmian’s expression shifted.
*My fault. I didn't realize I’d been unconscious for so long. I’ll never do it again.*
The Emperor: *Glad she knows she's wrong.*
*My beautiful mother must have been crying her eyes out every day, heartbroken over me. No, I have to go see her.* ...
*You heartless little brat!*
Consort Chun hugged Su Mianmian, weeping uncontrollably, which successfully softened Su Mianmian’s heart.
She repeated "Beautiful Mother, I was wrong" in her mind countless times before she finally managed to soothe her.
Consort Chun hung peace amulets all over Su Mianmian, only then feeling a slight sense of relief.
For the next few days, Consort Chun watched her like a mother wolf protecting her pup.
The Emperor didn't even dare to carry her to the morning court, fearing the murderous glares Consort Chun would send his way.
For Su Mianmian, life became much more boring.
She could only see her mother and Lu Jingyi.
The Emperor had been bringing Lu Jingyi along for his studies. His original residence was crowded and chaotic. Since he was only ten and Yongshou Palace was spacious enough that only Consort Chun lived there, the Emperor arranged for him to stay there.
Su Mianmian could enjoy Lu Jingyi’s handsome face every day.
She had long since built an immunity—or rather, it was impossible to build an immunity.
She let out internal squeals of delight every day.
It once made the Emperor so angry he wanted to make Lu Jingyi change palaces.
*Such a young age, and yet so seductive—a little demon!*
Consort Chun remained calm about it; she was used to it by now.
Su Mianmian just loved beautiful things; it didn't matter who it was, if they looked good, she liked them.
She would even drool over a fair-skinned, sweet-looking young eunuch.
As Consort Chun sewed clothes for Su Mianmian, she wondered who she took after.
Neither she nor the Emperor were such... superficial people!
*Mother, it’s so boring.*
Su Mianmian swayed back and forth, her mouth working.
*Mother, my eyes are lonely, and my body feels so empty~*
Consort Chun: ...
She covered her ears. *Can't hear, can't hear.*
It was the first time she realized that being able to hear thoughts wasn't always a good thing; the noise was giving her a headache.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The maids' greeting came from outside the door. Just as Consort Chun was about to rise, the Emperor took her hand and walked over to their daughter’s bedside.
*Now that I look at this scumbag father, he actually looks quite refined. Truly, distance makes the heart grow fonder.*
The Emperor: *Speechless!*
He really wanted to show her some "fatherly love" (a good swat).
He sat by the bed and said enticingly:
"I have to leave the palace for a trip in a few days."
Consort Chun paused. "Does Your Majesty have some urgent business?"
As soon as she asked, she realized it might be a confidential matter, and she didn't want to seem as if she were meddling in politics.
Fortunately, the Emperor didn't mind. He patted her hand. "I’m going to help the Eldest Princess take care of a fraud."
What?
Consort Chun didn't understand, but she couldn't ask directly, so she swallowed her curiosity.
She didn't understand, but Su Mianmian did.
She flailed her limbs, wriggling like a maniac.
*Scumbag father, take me with you! Take me! I want to see too!*
The Emperor pretended not to see. "I just came to check on you both. I’m leaving the palace now."
*Don't be like that, scumbag father—no, dear father, Daddy, I beg you! Please, please take your precious daughter with you!*