Su Mianmian took one look at his expression and instantly knew what the tyrant was thinking.
[Good grief, everyone, the Grand Academician only wants to have a look at me because he has a great relationship with my little uncle.]
[Haven't you ever heard that a nephew takes after his uncle?]
In the original novel, the readers even shipped the little uncle and the Grand Academician as a pairing.
They had known each other since their youth, sharing a deep mutual appreciation.
He was his confidant and his closest companion.
Long before he achieved glory and success, the little uncle had already held him in high regard, even bringing him to the General's Estate to live and eat under the same roof.
[Saying that he fancies my little uncle makes a whole lot more sense than saying he fancies my mother.]
Hearing this, the Emperor was amused. So the man was actually fond of his brother-in-law? Well, that changed nothing.
Magnanimously, he said, "Go ahead and look."
Lin Chengxu unfolded the swaddling clothes and gazed at Su Mianmian for a moment, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
What an exquisitely delicate child. Though she didn't look much like him, he was sure that when he learned of the Little Princess's birth, he would be overjoyed.
After having a look at the Little Princess, Lin Chengxu took his leave.
Su Mianmian couldn't help wearing a sly little grin. He was clearly rushing off to break the news to her little uncle, judging by how anxious he looked.
"Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue requests an audience," Grand Eunuch Zhang's voice rang out.
"Send him in."
A moment later, the Minister of Revenue entered and bowed respectfully to the Emperor.
"Your subject Liu Xu pays his respects to Your Majesty."
The Emperor looked at him, a smile touching his face. "Looking at the dark circles around your Excellency's eyes, you must have been working very hard lately."
As an official he deeply valued, he naturally offered a little extra concern.
"For the sake of all people under heaven, this subject dares not call it hardship," Liu Xu replied with a sincere expression.
[He's got one wife kept at home and a hundred and eight concubines tucked away outside. With no rest to be had day or night, of course he's working hard.] Su Mianmian couldn't resist a mental jibe.
The Emperor nearly coughed out loud. What?
A hundred and eight!
He didn't even have that many wives.
At this thought, the look he gave Liu Xu turned rather peculiar.
"Minister Liu, what important business brings you to see Us?"
Liu Xu bowed deferentially and said, "Winter is just a few months away, and thinking of the soldiers stationed at the border, this subject wishes to ask Your Majesty for a favor."
"Please, Your Majesty, grant a larger allocation of military provisions so the soldiers can get through the winter comfortably."
Hearing this, the Emperor's unsightly expression eased slightly. He was just about to speak when Su Mianmian interrupted him.
[Listen to him talk nonsense!]
[What larger allocation of provisions? Are those meant for the soldiers? They'll all end up straight in his own pockets!]
[The money stashed in his household probably outweighs the imperial treasury, yet he's still eyeing the soldiers' funds. What a conscience-less wretch.]
Outweighs the imperial treasury! The Emperor was stunned. Good grief, not only did this man have more wives than him, but he also had more money than him!
His face stiffened as he forced down his temper.
No, the Emperor suppressed the anger rising in his heart.
He needed to investigate first; he couldn't condemn someone based purely on his daughter's words.
"This matter will be discussed another day."
[What's wrong with the tyrant? Could it be he suspects something's amiss?]
Su Mianmian shook her head. With his brain, he shouldn't be able to notice anything.
The Minister of Revenue hadn't expected to be rebuffed, but since the Emperor had already said the matter would be discussed another day, he couldn't very well press the issue.
If he aroused the Emperor's suspicion, the losses would outweigh any gains.
After he left, the Minister of Rites entered right behind him.
"Your subject Zhang Liang pays homage to Your Majesty."
"Minister Zhang, rise," the Emperor said, lifting a hand as he reined in his temper.
This man was a pillar of the nation and a veteran minister of the court; he had always been gracious to the veterans.
[Oh, here comes another one,] Su Mianmian thought idly, blowing a bubble.
[This Minister of Rites is quite a piece of work too. He looks like a well-read, virtuous official, but in reality, he plays harder than anyone else.]
[Not only is he the very first to surrender to the male lead after the tyrant gets hacked to pieces, but he even gets himself into the inner palace, seizes a great beauty, and goes right at it in front of the tyrant's corpse. Disgusting, utterly disgusting!]
[And the grand tyrant actually praised him as loyal. Yep, staging a workout right in front of your corpse and specially crowning you with a green cuckold's hat—what a loyal subject, truly a loyal subject!]
Upon hearing this, the Emperor nearly died of anger, and the look he cast at the Minister of Rites grew tinged with fury.
Clueless as to why, the Minister of Rites stated the purpose of his visit. Expecting a surefire success, he was instead unceremoniously chased out by the Emperor.
As he was bundled out the door, he remained completely baffled, unable to make head or tail of it.
What sort of madness had this damned tyrant caught?
The people trusted by the Emperor had been thoroughly roasted by Su Mianmian one after another, and he was finding it a bit too much to bear.
He slumped back against the dragon throne to ponder the meaning of life.
For the very first time, he began to doubt himself.
Could it be that he truly was a muddle-headed ruler?
How could every single person he trusted turn out to have issues?
Unaware of what was going through his mind, Su Mianmian kept up her mental chatter.
[Sigh, my blind imperial father, just look at what kind of people you've surrounded yourself with. With such "loyal ministers" around, how could you fail to lose your kingdom?]
[I reckon even if the male lead doesn't send troops to attack, your country won't last another few years.]
If she hadn't read the entire book, Su Mianmian would have suspected that her emperor father had bound himself to some sort of villain-attracting system.
If they weren't villains, he simply didn't love them.
The Emperor's mood had barely settled before these words made it completely impossible for him to sit still.
He ordered for his secret guards to be summoned.
Investigate! Go and investigate thoroughly for Us! Receiving their orders, the secret guards wasted no time and immediately set out to investigate.
"Wah, wah, wah—" Su Mianmian suddenly burst into tears without warning.
She didn't want to cry, but she was a baby; when she got hungry, she cried—it was only natural.
[Grand tyrant, are you trying to starve your daughter to death, wuuu wuuu.]
[Is she going to go down in history as the first princess to starve to death?]
The Emperor kneaded his aching temples and picked her up himself. Irritating as the little thing was, he couldn't bear to actually let her starve.
"Your Majesty, this slave will carry the Little Princess back to her palace. The Little Princess is probably hungry," Wang Defa hastened to chime in.
The Emperor stopped him. "No need, I'll take her back myself."
If he didn't carry this little brat back, heaven knows how she would roast him in her thoughts next.
Once the child was handed over to Consort Chun, the Emperor watched her sigh in relief, and he turned away in a huff.
Did he look like someone who ate people?
What was with all that trembling fear?
Clutched safely in her birth mother's arms, Su Mianmian ate her fill and narrowed her little eyes in satisfaction.
She beamed like a toothless simpleton.
She had been here for two days already, and the recovery of spiritual energy in her body was so slow it could give a tractor a run for its money.
She had to think of a way to boost her spiritual energy quickly.
Seeing her little face scrunch up into a pensive expression, Consort Chun couldn't help smiling.
She immediately slipped a bracelet strung with sky-blue jadeite onto the baby's wrist.
"Darling, do you like this?"
Su Mianmian waved her hands, her eyes widening into perfect circles. There was spiritual energy in this jade pendant!
Though it was extremely thin, even a mosquito's leg was meat.
Who knew how long it would be before she grew up enough to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on her own? But with these external aids, her pace of cultivation would be much faster.
Su Mianmian strained and squeaked out a cry.
[Mother, the more of this stuff, the better! I can use it for cultivation!]
As soon as she thought it, a wave of frustration washed over her face. What good was that? Her mother couldn't hear her anyway.
It was enough to drive a little cub crazy with worry.
If she didn't cultivate quickly, how was she supposed to protect her mother?
Wuuu wuuu wuuu!
Su Mianmian wailed at the top of her lungs!