Chapter 36 The Rebellious Period of a Mischievous Child
Since the "cricket tragedy" that night, the young emperor Shen Xingchen has been in an unprecedentedly low mood.
Although Shen Jin did not actually make him copy "On Governing the Country" fifty times in the end, the blood pressure from his uncle and the grief of losing his beloved "General" made the eight-year-old emperor develop a rebellious thought for the first time that "my fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of Heaven".
A corner of the Imperial Garden in the Royal Palace.
Shen Xingchen squatted on the ground, drawing circles with a twig while muttering, "Drawing circles to curse the Grand Tutor... curse the homework... curse the Imperial Uncle..."
"His Majesty."
A high-pitched, feminine voice sounded behind him.
Shen Xingchen turned around and saw that it was Gui Gonggong, the personal eunuch who usually served the Empress Dowager.
Holding a string of candied hawthorns, Eunuch Gui smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles: "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Has someone upset you?"
Shen Xingchen stared at the string of bright red candied hawthorns, swallowed hard, but still kept a straight face and said, "I'm fine. My royal uncle said I can't just eat other people's food."
"Oh dear, the Regent is meddling too much."
Eunuch Gui sighed sarcastically, "Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, the very heaven of this land. All under heaven belongs to the king. You can eat whatever you want, do whatever you want. Why should you care about others' opinions?"
Shen Xingchen was taken aback: "I...I can do whatever I want?"
"Of course!"
Eunuch Gui leaned closer and whispered enticingly, "As long as His Majesty 'takes over the reins' and reclaims power, even the Regent will have to kneel at your feet and obey your decrees. You can skip your homework if you don't want to, and play with a whole room full of crickets if you want to. Who would dare say no?"
"Taking power in person..."
Shen Xingchen's eyes slowly brightened.
That was the freedom he had always dreamed of!
No homework? No fear of the Imperial Uncle? And you can play with a room full of crickets?
"Yes! I want to rule in my own right!"
Shen Xingchen suddenly stood up, clenching his little fists. "I'm eight years old now! I'm a mature emperor! I can't let my uncle ride roughshod over me anymore!"
A glint of triumph flashed in Eunuch Gui's eyes. The Empress Dowager was right; children are the easiest to fool. As long as he sowed discord between the child and the Regent, the Empress Dowager's return to power would be imminent.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Eunuch Gui immediately knelt down. "Then Your Majesty can issue the decree at tomorrow's morning court session..."
...
The next day, at the Regent's Palace.
Jiang Mianmian was nestled on the tatami mat, studying a piece of "fried chicken" in her hand.
She directed the kitchen to coat the chicken legs in flour and fry them. Although they lacked breadcrumbs, they were already about 70-80% crispy.
[Hmm, not bad, not bad. If you add some ketchup or cumin powder, it's practically an ancient version of KFC!]
[Shen Jin went to court, so no one's watching me. I'm going to finish this whole thing!]
Just as they were enjoying their meal, Shadow One suddenly appeared at the window like a ghost.
"princess."
"Pfft—cough cough!" Jiang Mianmian almost choked. "Big brother, can we use the front door?"
Yingyi's expression was somewhat strange: "Your Highness, something has happened in the palace."
"What? Is the Empress Dowager up to her old tricks again?" Jiang Mianmian wiped her mouth.
“It’s not the Empress Dowager, it’s the Emperor.” Yingyi sighed. “This morning at court, the Emperor suddenly made a move, saying that he has grown up and wants to ‘rule in his own right,’ and also… he wants to remove the Prince’s regency power and let the Prince go home to retire.”
Jiang Mianmian dropped the chicken leg from her hand.
【ha? 】
That little brat? Taking over the reins of government?
He doesn't even recognize the character "叒" in "又双叒叕" (yòu shuāng ruò ruò), yet he wants to govern a country? Who gave him this courage? Fish Leong?
"What did the prince say?" Jiang Mianmian asked.
"The prince didn't speak, but his face was frighteningly dark." Ying Yi smiled bitterly. "The court is in complete chaos right now, and the Empress Dowager's faction is taking the opportunity to stir up trouble. The prince is afraid of frightening the emperor, so he has temporarily suspended court. However, the emperor has locked himself in the imperial study and is on a hunger strike, saying that he will not eat until the prince relinquishes power."
"Hunger strike?"
Jiang Mianmian rolled her eyes.
[Isn't this tactic too outdated? Crying, making a scene, threatening suicide?]
However… this is clearly someone instigating things behind the scenes. Shen Jin, that straight man, will definitely only resort to head-on confrontation; the uncle and nephew might really become enemies.
Sigh, for the sake of my long-term livelihood, and for the stability and unity of the big operation, it seems I'll have to take matters into my own hands.
Jiang Mianmian stood up and patted the oil residue off her hands.
"Shadow One, go prepare the car. And..."
She pointed to the plate of freshly fried chicken legs on the table, then to a pot of milk tea next to it, "Pack all of these up. Oh, and get a bigger food container, make a 'family bucket'."
Shadow 1: "Family...bucket?"
"Yes, it's the kind of bucket that makes people so happy they forget their troubles."
...
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.
The gate was tightly shut.
Shen Xingchen sat on the dragon throne, her stomach growling with hunger, but she stubbornly pursed her lips.
"I won't eat! I want to rule in my own right! I want freedom!"
The eunuchs outside the door were pacing anxiously.
Just then, a strange fragrance wafted in through the crack in the door.
It was the aroma of sizzling oil, mixed with a sweet, milky scent—a veritable olfactory nuclear attack.
Shen Xingchen's nose twitched.
It smells so good...
What does this taste like? It's a hundred times more fragrant than the roast duck from the imperial kitchen!
"Squeak—"
The door to the Imperial Study was pushed open a crack.
A head popped in.
"Oh, Your Majesty, still fighting for 'freedom'?"
Jiang Mianmian walked in with a smile, carrying a huge food box that exuded a deadly aroma.
The moment Shen Xingchen saw her, a feeling of grievance welled up inside him, but remembering that he was "rebelling," he forced himself to suppress it and said with a straight face:
"Imperial Aunt! Are you here as a persuader too? Let me tell you, it's no use! My mind is made up!"
"A lobbyist? Let whoever wants to be one be one."
Jiang Mianmian placed the food box on the dragon table and opened the lid herself. "I'm here to deliver takeout. I heard His Majesty is on a hunger strike? That's perfect. I'll just have to eat these freshly cooked 'Golden Crispy Chicken,' 'Spicy Chicken Wings,' 'Portuguese Egg Tarts,' and 'Bubble Tea' myself."
As she spoke, she picked up a golden and crispy chicken leg and took a bite right in front of Shen Xingchen.
The crisp sound echoed in the quiet imperial study.
Shen Xingchen's saliva instantly overflowed.
"Gurgle—"
The loud noise came from beneath the dragon robe.
Shen Xingchen's face turned bright red, but she still stubbornly insisted, "I...I'm not hungry! This is just a trick by the eunuchs! I want to rule in my own right!"
"Taking power personally..."
While chewing on a chicken leg, Jiang Mianmian said casually, "It's good to be in power. Once you're in power, you're an adult, and no one can control you anymore."
Shen Xingchen's eyes lit up: "Royal Aunt, you also support me?"
"Support, of course I support."
Jiang Mianmian nodded, then changed the subject, "But Your Majesty, do you know what it means to rule in person?"
Shen Xingchen puffed out his chest: "It means I can do whatever I want!"
"wrong."
Jiang Mianmian held up a finger and shook it. "That's a tyrant. Do you want to be a tyrant?"
"Of course not! I want to be the greatest emperor of all time!"
“That’s right.” Jiang Mianmian sighed, looking at him with sympathy. “Being a wise ruler, after assuming personal rule, means…”
She suddenly leaned closer to Shen Xingchen and began her devilish whispers:
"This means that one must get up at 3 AM every day to attend court, rain or shine, and cannot sleep in."
"That means you have to review hundreds of kilograms of memorials every day, until midnight, and your wrists will break."
"It means that you have to worry about floods, droughts, plagues, and wars all over the country. If you don't handle them well, the people will curse you, and the historians will record it as an incompetent ruler."
"Most importantly..."
Jiang Mianmian pointed to the chicken leg on the table, "Once you become a real emperor, in order to maintain your dignity and health, the imperial kitchen will strictly control your diet. You can't eat fried, sweet, or delicious food! You can only eat until you're seven-tenths full at each meal, and you can only take three bites of each dish!"
As she described it, Shen Xingchen's face gradually turned paler.
Waking up in the early morning?
Approving hundreds of kilograms of memorials?
Can't I eat delicious food?
This...this sounds even more terrifying than the Imperial Tutor's homework?!
“But…” Shen Xingchen was still struggling, “But Eunuch Gui said that once I assume power, no one will dare to control me…”
"Grandpa Gui was lying to you."
Jiang Mianmian ruthlessly burst the bubble, "Think about it, even though you have homework now, if something terrible happens, won't your royal uncle be there to protect you? If there's a war on the border, won't your royal uncle risk his life?"
"Your royal uncle is acting as regent, but he's bearing the burden for you, silly child!"
"He did all the hardest, most arduous, and most offensive work, so you could just stay in the palace reading books, playing with crickets, and occasionally even come out for a roasted sweet potato. That's what you call—winning without lifting a finger!"
Sorry, Shen Jin, I've made you one of the top ten most touching figures in the game. But to make this brat give up, I have to sacrifice your image a bit.
"Carrying the burden forward... then winning effortlessly..."
Shen Xingchen muttered to herself, her worldview having been greatly shaken.
So, the reason why the Imperial Uncle was so fierce was because he was too tired?
So, the reason he didn't let me take charge of the government was so that I could enjoy my childhood a few more years?
Seeing that the chicken was almost done, Jiang Mianmian pushed the plate of fried chicken towards him:
"Your Majesty, this 'family bucket' is only for happy children. Once you become a worried adult, eating it will cause indigestion, weight gain, and hair loss. Do you still want to rule in your own right?"
Shen Xingchen looked at the tempting chicken leg, then thought about the terrifying life of waking up at three in the morning.
"Wow--!"
The young emperor suddenly broke down in tears, grabbing Jiang Mianmian's waist and crying, "I won't rule anymore! I don't want to lose my hair! I want to eat chicken legs! I'm so sorry, Uncle! Waaaaah..."
Jiang Mianmian patted his dog's head with satisfaction.
【Done. This is called reverse psychology. You think you can outsmart me?】
“That’s right.” Jiang Mianmian stuffed a chicken leg into his mouth. “Come on, you need to eat your fill so you have the energy to do your homework… oh no, I mean, the energy to be a happy mascot.”
...
Outside the Imperial Study.
Shen Jin stood quietly, listening to the crying and chewing sounds coming from inside, as well as Jiang Mianmian's words, "carrying the burden forward."
His originally gloomy face had long since melted away like ice and snow.
Carrying a heavy burden forward?
Should we hold up the sky for him?
Over the years, no one had ever understood his situation like this. Everyone thought he was a tool of the court and harbored treacherous ambitions, but she, in this seemingly absurd yet most straightforward way, told the young emperor the truth.
The purpose was to coax the child into eating chicken legs.
But his cautious heart was warmed by these words.
"Your Highness..." Yingyi asked softly from the side, "Shall we go in?"
"No need."
Shen Jin turned around, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Let her feed her. As for the family bucket meal, if there's any left, save some for me too."
He also wanted to taste this "happiness".
...
That evening, in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Grandpa Gui knelt on the ground, his face swollen like a pig's head.
"Useless!" The Empress Dowager smashed her teacup in anger. "Didn't you say the Emperor was already interested? Why did he suddenly change his mind? He even issued an edict saying he should study hard and would never assume power before the age of twenty?"
"Your Majesty, spare me!" Eunuch Gui cried. "It was the Regent's Consort! She brought a bucket... a bucket of fried chicken! And she managed to turn His Majesty against the Emperor! She said that ruling in his own right would cause him to lose his hair, and His Majesty was so frightened that he cried..."
Empress Dowager: "..."
Fried chicken? Hair loss?
What kind of nonsense is this?!
Jiang Mianmian! It's Jiang Mianmian again!
Was this woman sent by heaven to bring her bad luck?!
The Empress Dowager slumped onto her phoenix throne, her head throbbing with pain. Her meticulously planned power grab had been thwarted by a bucket of fried chicken.
This once-great nation is likely to be ruined by foodies!
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