The Emperor waved his hand dismissively. "My dear Consort, just put those away. I see the Little Princess has plenty of jade jewelry already, but the quality is rather mediocre. I shall pick out some finer pieces another day and have them sent to you."
Consort Chun appeared overwhelmed by this unexpected favor. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
*My great tyrant, you are just too charming,* Su Mianmian thought, her eyes glued to the scene, unable to even blink. She watched with lingering attachment as the servants carried the chests away.
They say money is a man's most attractive quality for a reason.
When Su Mianmian first read the novel, she knew she could never be the heroine. It wasn't for any other reason than that every time she saw the hero toss a check at the heroine, only for her to reject it with a look of wounded pride, her heart would ache. She would ache to jump into the novel, snatch up the check the heroine had discarded, and hold it to her chest, kissing it repeatedly.
Thinking of the tyrant promising her more jade, Su Mianmian’s eyes crinkled with happiness.
*Looking at the tyrant now, he is so easy on the eyes. Truly, wealth is the best cosmetic for any man.*
The Emperor coughed into his fist. This child, she really is...
As the night grew late, the Emperor slept on the outer side of the bed. Consort Chun had intended to take Su Mianmian away, but seeing the Emperor’s reluctance to let her go, she decided to let the father and daughter spend a little more time together.
Su Mianmian had only been born a few days ago; logically, she shouldn't be able to turn over, but with spiritual energy on her side, rolling over was a trivial matter. She kept her eyes open, waiting for the great tyrant to fall asleep, then stealthily rolled over, aiming her little bottom at him.
She couldn't help it; she loved her beautiful mother, and she smelled so wonderful.
*Mm~*
She drifted off to sleep, feeling completely content. After the baby was sound asleep, the Emperor opened his eyes and quietly turned her back around.
Consort Chun, who had not yet fallen asleep, witnessed his actions and couldn't help but look conflicted. She had never realized before that His Majesty could be so childish.
***
Su Mianmian was startled awake by the brilliant shimmer of gold filling the room. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw four massive pillars, gleaming and radiant—exactly like her own unattainable dreams.
She couldn't help but sniff the air. *Oh, oh, oh, the scent of money.*
Is this solid gold? Can I dig it out and take it with me?
While she was still drowning in infinite fantasies, the Emperor’s clear, refined voice reached her ears. "My lords, dispense with the formalities. Rise."
She jerked her head to look down and saw a sea of heads. They were all dressed in official robes.
*No way, what is the tyrant’s problem? He actually brought me to the morning court! These old stubborn fools are surely going to tear me apart with their criticisms. Is he trying to kill me with kindness? This is definitely it. Woe is me, my dear mother, will I ever see you again?*
Listening to her mental ramblings, the Emperor’s brow twitched. This girl certainly had a flair for drama. He simply wanted his daughter to see how wise and formidable her imperial father was, hoping to change her habit of calling him a tyrant every day.
The officials, having heard the voice, rose and froze at the sight of the infant in Wang Defa’s arms.
"My lords, do you have something to say?"
The officials pushed and shoved each other for a long time before finally nudging the Chancellor forward to speak. "Your Majesty, who is this?"
The Emperor was all smiles. "This is my Little Princess. I brought her to court today so she could start recognizing faces."
The Chancellor was clearly stunned by the Emperor’s train of thought. A child this young—could she really recognize anyone?
"Do you all have any objections?" Seeing their silence, the Emperor spoke first.
The Minister of Rites immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty, a woman attending court is an omen of national ruin! This must not be allowed!"
"Indeed, Your Majesty, this is highly inappropriate. We implore you to reconsider," the Minister of Revenue added.
"Never has a woman graced the imperial court. This act, Your Majesty, will surely invite criticism from the common people. Please, think twice."
...One after another, they began to chime in, falling to their knees in a row.
The Emperor chuckled. He had been looking for a good excuse, and they had walked right into it.
"An omen of ruin, is it?" He picked up a stack of letters and threw them directly in front of the Minister of Rites. "Embezzlement and bribery totaling ten million taels of silver. And you dare say my princess is an omen of ruin? I think you are the true ruin of this nation!"
"Guards! Strip him of his rank and title, drag him out, and behead him!"
The Minister of Rites had never imagined that his decades of careful deception would be exposed. He immediately burst into tears, snot and all, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent!"
Su Mianmian watched, dumbfounded. *Wow, the tyrant is so cool.*
The Emperor couldn't be bothered to deal with him further. He snatched up another item and tossed it before the Minister of Revenue. "You want me to think twice? I think you’re the one who needs to do some reflecting!"
"Look familiar? You’re even greedier than him—fifteen million taels! Why don't I just let you be the Emperor, eh? Drag him out and behead him!"
Within seconds, the Minister of Revenue was dragged away. A chorus of wails erupted from outside the hall, and everyone felt their scalps tighten, staring in terror at the man sitting on the Dragon Throne. The Emperor had never investigated them before—how could he have gathered so much evidence all at once? Was he just pretending all this time? Those who had been embezzling trembled like leaves in the wind.
The Emperor looked amused. "Do my lords truly think I am so incompetent that I cannot see through your intentions?"
No one dared to answer. One by one, they hunched down like quails.
The Emperor’s gaze swept toward one man. "What about you, Commissioner of Waterworks?"
The Commissioner felt his heart tighten. He stepped forward, shaking. "This humble official dares not, Your Majesty."
"I think you dare quite a lot." The Emperor had no intention of letting him off. He grabbed a memorial and hurled it at the man’s head. "Floods in the Yanzhou region, and you told me everything was fine! You concealed the reports and shielded your corrupt cronies. What incredible audacity!"
Thinking of this, the Emperor was filled with rage. Because of this man, the people were suffering and displaced. If the commoners believed their sovereign was indifferent to their survival, that would be the true omen of national ruin.
"Drag him out and execute him by slow slicing!"
Upon hearing this, the Commissioner rolled his eyes back and fainted on the spot.
What followed was a one-man massacre by the Emperor. The entire court was gripped by fear, each man terrified that he would be the next. Su Mianmian watched in a stupor.
*How is this going so differently from the original story?*
Only after the Emperor had purged a large group of parasites did he finally pause. He beckoned to Wang Defa, who immediately stepped forward. The Emperor took Su Mianmian and laid her directly on the Dragon Throne.
Su Mianmian found herself sprawling on her back. *???*
"My lords, does anyone else have anything to say?"
"We dare not!"
Everyone knelt. They now only prayed that the Emperor wouldn't turn his blade toward them. Who would dare say anything? Even if the Little Princess were sitting on their necks and defecating, they wouldn't dare utter a sound. *So what if she sits on the Dragon Throne? Let her sit!*
The Emperor was in a great mood, teasing his daughter and glancing at the group of stubborn old fools. *Bah, a bunch of idiots. What is wrong with my daughter attending court? According to her, that 'hero' character even promoted women in business and government. I must plan this well; I cannot let my daughter think I am inferior to that man.*
The Emperor had enjoyed his slaughter in the morning court, but both the inner palace and the outer court were in chaos. When Consort Shu learned that the Emperor had taken the Little Princess to the morning court, she nearly snapped her fingernails off.
"That damnable thing!"
She grabbed a teacup and smashed it to the floor. Shards of ceramic sliced the faces of several servants, but no one dared to make a sound, enduring the pain as they knelt and begged for mercy.
"Your Ladyship, please calm your anger."
Consort Shu stood up. *No, I must go see for myself if the Emperor truly values that little brat so much.*
She gave an order, and her servants prepared everything a consort should bring to the Imperial Study. Holding a bowl of tonic, Consort Shu dressed herself to be as alluring as possible and rode her palanquin to the Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shu requests an audience."
The Emperor was reviewing memorials; he frowned slightly at the news. "Let her in."
"This concubine greets Your Majesty." Consort Shu slowly curtsied, her eyes lifting toward the Emperor, her gaze practically dripping with seduction.