Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Beautiful and Strong Miserable Dad 10
At the capital's bustling dock, a squadron of armored Imperial Guards stood out amid the bustling crowd. The leading general, a burly, menacing general, possessed a natural ability to deter others, effectively occupying a void amidst the crowd.
Zhuozhuo was carried off the boat by Feng Pansheng. Her sleepy eyes were dazzled by a bright light. Before she could react, she started to cry. She raised her hands to cover her eyes blankly, "Daddy..."
Feng Pansheng held Zhuozhuo's little head in his arms. "Don't be afraid, Zhuozhuo. Close your eyes. It will be fine in a moment."
Zhuozhuo hummed, patted Feng Pansheng's arm gently with his little hand, and said in a baby voice, "Daddy isn't afraid either. Zhuozhuo will protect you!"
Although she didn't understand, she could sense that Feng Pansheng had been in a bad mood since the boat approached the shore. Thinking about it, Zhuozhuo felt that there was someone in the capital that Feng Pansheng disliked, or perhaps someone he was afraid of.
Daddy is so nice, anyone who makes him unhappy is a bad guy!
Thinking this way, Zhuozhuo wasn't sleepy at all. She straightened up in Feng Pansheng's arms and scanned the crowd with a sharp gaze. Almost immediately, she spotted the group of people in the gleaming armor. Zhuozhuo quickly leaned over to Feng Pansheng's ear and reminded him, "Daddy, look, are those bad guys?"
Feng Pansheng nodded with a smile and warned, "There are a lot of bad people in the capital. Zhuozhuo can only trust Bai Zhu Qiuyu and the others. Don't listen to anything else they say, and don't follow them. Remember?"
"Remember!" Zhuozhuo was full of energy and glared at each of the Royal Guards angrily until his eyes were sore. Feng Pansheng covered his eyes with a helpless look.
Zhuozhuo pressed her forehead against Feng Pansheng's palm, spinning it around like a rattle, giggling to herself. That would have been fine, but she insisted on asking Feng Pansheng if it was fun. Feng Pansheng smiled and said it was, then abruptly pulled his hand away.
As Zhuozhuo screamed in surprise, her forehead collided with Feng Pansheng's, making a crisp "dong" sound. Zhuozhuo didn't mind the pain, and cheered "butting horns" and started to push hard, "I'm better than Daddy, ha!"
Feng Pansheng said, "Why do I feel like I'm better than Zhuozhuo? Come on, don't hold back, let's compete."
"Hmph, come and fight me if you don't agree!" Zhuozhuo was full of energy and was even shouting slogans to herself. However, she was still at a disadvantage. She was not discouraged at all. Instead, she pushed her head harder. Her little face turned red and hot sweat slid down her cheeks.
At that moment, their foreheads slipped and shifted due to sweat. Feng Pansheng quickly stopped his inertia and grabbed Zhuozhuo, who had thrown herself onto his shoulders. He gently wiped the sweat off Zhuozhuo's face with a handkerchief, looking at her red forehead with a mixture of heartache and relief. "Zhuozhuo wins this time."
Zhuozhuo's first reaction was not happiness, but pouting and asking, "Why?"
"Because Daddy is an adult, he's naturally stronger than a child, and Daddy doesn't have Zhuozhuo's fighting spirit. Although Zhuozhuo is still young, he has the courage to challenge adults and never gives up until the last moment. Zhuozhuo is really amazing."
Feng Pansheng spoke seriously. He had no intention of coaxing the child out of him; he truly thought Zhuozhuo was exceptional and remarkable. Such a lovely, brave, and fearless child was his daughter. God must have been blind. And a good blindness.
Zhuozhuo accepted Feng Pansheng's explanation and said proudly with her chin raised, "Daddy, I'll eat more and grow up quickly. Soon I'll be stronger than you." She hugged Feng Pansheng's neck and rubbed her face against his, then said softly, "When I grow up, I will give in to Daddy."
Feng Pansheng's heart was almost melted by the burning warmth, "Why should I give in to Daddy?"
"Because Daddy works so hard, I like Daddy, and I want to make Daddy happy."
Feng Pansheng rubbed Zhuozhuo's little head and said with a chuckle, "Don't give in. If Zhuozhuo can beat Daddy, Daddy will be very happy."
Zhuozhuo nodded and said lovingly, "I will protect Daddy!"
"good."
Many people were watching the father and daughter's affectionate embrace, causing the already crowded T-pier to become completely blocked. Feng Pansheng, holding Zhuozhuo, walked to the carriage under the escort of Bai Zhu and others, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards. General Zhao Chengzu bowed and saluted, "Prince Li, the Emperor has ordered you to appear before the Emperor immediately."
The smile on Feng Pansheng's face disappeared, and his eyes became as deep as a deep pool. He was about to speak when a small figure suddenly blocked his way. Zhuozhuo glared at Zhao Chengzu and said fiercely, "Where are you taking my father? I won't allow it!"
Zhao Chengzu, who had long seen Feng Pansheng's sweet interaction with a baby, said: "..." He knew that the child was Feng Pansheng's daughter! Feng Pansheng was truly audacious. He had committed such a serious crime and yet dared to bring a child to challenge the emperor.
Zhao Chengzu looked past Zhuozhuo at Feng Pansheng and saw that Feng Pansheng was looking at Zhuozhuo with a gentle smile on his face. That expression made even this rough fellow want to strike him down. He said in a gruff voice, "Please cooperate, King Li, and don't let me resort to violence."
"You still want to hit my dad?" Zhuo Zhuo was stunned. "How can you hit someone so casually? Who is your dad? I'm going to tell you, dad!" After saying this angrily, she turned around and hugged Feng Pansheng, whispering, "Daddy, let's run quickly. There are so many of them."
Feng Pansheng picked up Zhuozhuo and covered her with his wide sleeves. "No need to run. Zhuozhuo, are you still sleepy? We won't be able to go home until tonight."
"I'm not sleepy anymore." Zhuozhuo stole a glance at Zhao Chengzu and muttered softly, "Dad, do you know this person?"
"Yes, this is your...Grandpa Emperor's subordinate." The smile on Feng Pansheng's lips turned cold, and his tone was a bit playful and mocking.
"Oh." Zhuozhuo understood that Grandpa Huang was a bad guy.
"King Li!" Zhao Chengzu tried to get Feng Pansheng to behave properly, but before he could finish his words, Feng Pansheng suddenly patted his right shoulder. He was completely bewildered. Watching Feng Pansheng enter the carriage, Zhao Chengzu raised his hand to signal everyone to depart, and his right shoulder guard suddenly shattered and fell off.
Zhao Chengzu: "..."
She said she was no longer sleepy, but Zhuozhuo was still shaken to sleep while sitting in the carriage held by Feng Pansheng. When she woke up dizzy, what she saw was a magnificent but empty hall.
Zhuozhuo was a little scared. He hid himself in the corner of the bed and piled the quilt in front of him to block it. Then he started shouting: "Daddy!"
No response.
"Uncle Baizhu? Sister Qiuyu? Sister Qiufeng?"
Tears welled up in Zhuozhuo's eyes. "Where is Daddy?"
9972 didn't want Zhuozhuo to misunderstand that he was abandoned. Just as he was about to explain, he heard Zhuozhuo say, "Grandpa Huang must have taken Dad away."
[…]That’s certainly true.
Zhuozhuo clenched his little fist and said, "I want to save Daddy!"
With an idea in mind, Zhuozhuo was no longer afraid. She climbed down from the tall and large bed, then went around the screen and various furnishings. After running in the wrong direction several times, she finally found the door. She knocked on the door hard and shouted, "Is there anyone outside? Open the door!"
The door opened, and a strange maid in pink ran over in a hurry, shouting, "Why did you run out? Can't you call for help when you wake up?"
As she spoke, the pink-dressed maid came to pick up Zhuozhuo. Zhuozhuo ran around her, shouting even louder than her, "Who are you? I want my daddy!"
The pink-dressed palace maid, looking pleased with herself, said impatiently, "Your father? Haha, be quiet. You're yelling and screaming in the palace. Do you really think you're the emperor's son?"
9972 was so furious that he wrote down everything the pink-clothed palace maid said, waiting for Zhuozhuo to complain to Feng Pansheng.
Zhuozhuo looked at the pink-dressed palace maid angrily: "Bad guy!"
She turned and ran, out of gates and over high thresholds. She met more and more people on the road, and the pink-clad palace maids chased after her, shouting, "Catch her!"
The palace maids and eunuchs didn't know what was going on, but they all instinctively rushed to catch the man. Zhuozhuo couldn't escape and shouted angrily: "Bad guys! Bad guys! Go away! I'm looking for Grandpa Huang! Where is Grandpa Huang!"
When she called out like that, the palace maids and eunuchs dared not move. A pink-dressed maid ran after them and announced, "This is the child Prince Li brought back from the people." Seeing everyone's disrespectful expressions, she looked at Zhuozhuo and said sarcastically, "You're so clever! Your first time in the palace, you already know how to call me Grandpa Emperor. How sweet of you."
Zhuozhuo ignored the man completely. She looked at everyone and suddenly pointed at a young palace maid in green holding a broom and said, "You! Come here!"
The green-clad palace maid came over timidly: "Your servant Yuzhu, what are your orders, my master?"
"Hold me." Zhuozhuo opened her arms. She couldn't run any longer and had to ask an adult to hold her. This sister's clothes were washed white and had patches on them. She must be short of money. But she had money.
The green-clad palace maid glanced at the pink-clad palace maid, ignored her threatening look, and picked up Zhuozhuo.
Zhuozhuo took off the kitten pendant from her waist, stuffed it into the green-clad maid's arms, and said childishly, "Sister, this is your reward."
Then, without waiting for the green-clad palace maid to refuse, Zhuozhuo pointed to a clever-looking young eunuch and said, "Lead the way. I want to go find Grandpa Huang."
The young eunuch knelt on the ground in fear, "I don't know the whereabouts of the emperor!"
Zhuozhuo tilted his head, "Then do you know where my father is?"
The young eunuch was speechless. For the past half month, everyone in the imperial court and harem had been anxiously waiting to see when Prince Li would return to the capital to face the emperor, speculating on his fate. As soon as Prince Li arrived today, word spread throughout the palace, and many people knew where he was.
But the young eunuch didn't dare to take Zhuozhuo over.
The green-clad palace maid suddenly whispered in Zhuo Zhuo's ear, "I will take my master there. She wants to ask King Li to rescue me from the palace."
Zhuozhuo nodded and whispered: "I can give you a lot of money. My father is rich." If she had known that this sister who looked like she had never been out of the house knew the way, she would not have pointed out the little eunuch. It was a waste of time.
After receiving the promise, the green-clad palace maid held Zhuozhuo and walked forward silently, not even turning back when the pink-clad palace maid called her.
The pink-dressed palace maid was so angry that her face was ferocious: "If you want to die, no one can stop you!" You treat any master as a noble, a shallow-sighted fool who doesn't even know how he died!
Zhuozhuo lay on the shoulder of the green-dressed palace maid and made a face at the pink-dressed palace maid.
The sun was setting in the west, and the stone steps and the ground, which had been exposed to the sun for most of the day, were extremely hot. The rolling heat waves blew on people's faces with the wind, as if they were going to steam them to death.
Feng Pansheng knelt at the foot of the stone steps of Huaqing Pool. His calves could no longer feel the burning temperature of the stone slabs. He ignored the obscure and complex gazes falling on him and silently calculated the time in his mind.
Zhuozhuo went to bed late today and would wake up in about two quarters of an hour. Bai Zhu and the others were stopped outside the palace, and he had to go back to watch over her before she woke up, otherwise she would be terrified when she saw the unfamiliar environment and the palace maids with impure intentions.
Thinking of this, Feng Pansheng, who had been kneeling nonchalantly, could no longer kneel, feeling as if ants were crawling all over his body. He couldn't help but wonder, if Zhuozhuo had woken up earlier, would he be crying for his father? Would he be neglected and bullied by the palace servants who flattered him?
Heavy footsteps were getting closer. A bright yellow robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon flashed before my eyes. The majestic voice of Emperor Zhengping echoed overhead, "Prince Li, what do you want to say?"
Feng Pansheng looked up at the towering, mountain-like figure of the Zhengping Emperor. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his calm tone was tinged with sarcasm: "I hope Your Majesty can obtain evidence before punishing me. After all, the Great Zhou is governed by law. You always punish me based on some unfounded conjectures and speculations. It's really emotional. If this continues for a long time, how can you convince the people?"
"Rebellious son!" Emperor Zhengping shouted angrily, and suddenly pulled out the sword of Zhao Chengzu who was attending him, and put it across Feng Pansheng's neck. Bright red blood immediately flowed down.
Feng Pansheng's expression remained unchanged. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a familiar voice. His face changed, and he turned his head to look, ignoring the sharp blade.
"Who are you? Don't bully my dad!"
Zhuozhuo's powerful roar frightened all the palace servants and guards to their knees.
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