Chapter 12 The Little Emperor's Death Gaze
After a resounding rendition of "Phoenix Legend," the atmosphere at the banquet became strangely harmonious.
Perhaps their souls had been cleansed by that "devilish sound," as the noble ladies who had originally wanted to cause trouble were now much more obedient, fearing that this unconventional regent's wife would play some other "divine song" that would blow their heads off.
After several rounds of drinks, the Empress Dowager excused herself to change her clothes and left the banquet, and the atmosphere in the hall relaxed a little.
Shen Jin was surrounded by several high-ranking officials who offered him drinks and discussed military affairs in the northern border. Jiang Mianmian was happy to have some free time and was preparing to take advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to make a move on the plate of crystal grapes that she had been eyeing for a long time.
Just as her hand was about to touch the plumpest grape—
A childish yet deliberately deep voice rang out above her head:
"The Regent's Wife".
Jiang Mianmian's hand trembled, and the grapes rolled to the ground.
【Oh no! My grapes! Who scared me like that? Don't they know you can scare someone to death? Pay me back for my grapes!】
She looked up abruptly, about to kill the other person with her eyes, but when she saw who it was, she instantly switched to a respectful smile.
Standing before her was none other than the current emperor, the eight-year-old little emperor—Shen Xingchen.
At this moment, the little emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his chubby little face stern, trying to widen his eyes and scrutinize her with an air of "ruling the world." This was the legendary—death stare.
Unfortunately, because he wasn't tall enough, he could only look up at Jiang Mianmian, which instantly diminished his imposing presence by half.
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Jiang Mianmian blinked, looking completely innocent.
Shen Xingchen snorted coldly, waved away the palace servants on either side, took a small step forward, lowered her voice, and warned in what she thought was a fierce tone, but was actually a childish one:
"Woman, don't think you can do whatever you want in the palace just because you married the Imperial Uncle. I'm watching you! Are you a spy sent by the Empress Dowager? Are you trying to harm the Imperial Uncle? Let me tell you, the Imperial Uncle is my only family. If you dare to harm him, I... I will exterminate your entire family!"
After he finished speaking, he bared his teeth forcefully, trying to show off his fangs (although he was still losing his baby teeth and was missing a front tooth).
If it were anyone else, hearing the words "extermination of nine generations of relatives" would probably have made them kneel down in fear.
But who is Jiang Mianmian?
She is a woman who has weathered many storms in the apocalypse and even chatted and laughed with the zombie king.
She looked at the little kid trying so hard to act like an adult, at his chubby cheeks trembling slightly from straining, and at his splayed front teeth...
Her heart was instantly overwhelmed by an emotion called "a loving mother's smile (crossed out)."
[Pfft—! This poor kid is too cute! That's not a death stare, that's a kitten's growl!]
[Execute your entire family? Do you even know who your nine generations of relatives are? Besides, look at your sallow complexion, pale lips, and profuse sweating—that's classic hypoglycemia and malnutrition!]
[Did this child skip dinner? Well, the food at these palace banquets looks delicious, but it's all cold; it's hardly filling. This little one is still growing, and he's pretending to be fierce even though he's hungry...it just makes me want to cuddle him!]
Shen Jin, who was dealing with the ministers not far away, had his back to them, but his ears were always perked up.
Hearing Jiang Mianmian's inner thoughts of "a kitten's roar" and "wanting to pet it," his hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and he almost lost his composure.
To her, the blasphemous phrase "exterminating nine generations of one's family" actually sounded...adorable?
Seeing that Jiang Mianmian didn't speak, Shen Xingchen thought she was intimidated by him and felt smug.
Suddenly, a discordant sound shattered his dignity.
"Gurgle—"
The sound was loud, long, and melodious.
It was coming from under the bright yellow dragon robe worn by the young emperor.
Shen Xingchen's originally tense face instantly turned bright red, and that "ruling the world" aura collapsed instantly, turning into an awkward situation called "social death".
He instinctively clutched his stomach, his eyes darting around in a panic, and stammered, "I...I...I'm having my dragon energy leaking out! It's not because I'm hungry! Absolutely not!"
Jiang Mianmian tried her best to hold back her laughter.
[Dragon energy leaking out? Hahaha! That's an amazing excuse! This kid is a logical genius! Fine, fine, if you say it's dragon energy, then it's dragon energy. As long as you're not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed.]
[But seeing how the child's hands are trembling from hunger, it's quite pitiful. Fine, since you just praised my piano skills, I'll feed you this once.]
Jiang Mianmian looked around to make sure no one was paying attention (Chen Jin had his back to them), then quickly reached into her sleeve (actually from her spatial storage) and pulled out a piece of Sachima wrapped in oil paper, still warm...
She secretly made this in the small kitchen of the Prince's mansion, originally intending to save it for a late-night snack.
"Your Majesty," Jiang Mianmian lowered her voice and leaned closer mysteriously, "I just passed by the Imperial Kitchen and casually 'picked up' a pastry. I heard that this can replenish the dragon's energy, would you like to try some?"
Shen Xingchen was stunned, looking at the strange rectangular, golden-yellow thing that was covered with sesame seeds and raisins.
A sweet, milky aroma wafted into his nose.
He swallowed hard, but remained wary: "What is this? Are you trying to poison me?"
"Poison you? This piece is so small, it's not even enough to fill a tooth gap! Take it or leave it, I'll eat it myself!"
Jiang Mianmian pretended to take it back: "Since Your Majesty doesn't believe me, then I'll just replenish my energy myself..."
"Wait!"
Shen Xingchen panicked and grabbed her wrist, his movements as fast as a monkey snatching food. "I...I didn't say I wouldn't eat! Since it's a tribute, I naturally have to try it first!"
He snatched the Sachima from the ground up, disregarding all decorum, and took a big bite.
Soft, sweet, and crispy, with the sweet and sour taste of raisins and the rich aroma of sesame.
This was a taste he had never experienced before! It was a million times better than those cold, hard pastries from the imperial kitchen!
Shen Xingchen's eyes lit up instantly, like two sparkling black gems.
He quickly stuffed a piece of Sachima into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster eating.
"Mmm...delicious..."
Because his mouth was stuffed with food, he even forgot to address himself as "I" (朕), and his speech became slurred.
Seeing him wolfing down his food, Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but reach out and gently pat his soft, smooth head.
"Eat slowly, don't choke. Have some tea."
She handed him a cup of tea.
Shen Xingchen took the tea and gulped down a large mouthful, finally swallowing what was in his throat. He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling completely revived, and the irritability caused by hunger vanished.
It was only then that he realized what had just happened.
This woman... actually touched his head?
That's the dragon head! Only the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Uncle are allowed to touch the dragon head!
Shen Xingchen looked up abruptly, wanting to get angry, but when she saw Jiang Mianmian's smiling eyes, which were full of no scheming or flattery, she swallowed back the words on her lips.
He even unconsciously licked the sesame seeds from the corner of his mouth.
"What...what kind of pastry is this?" he asked awkwardly. "Why have I never seen it before?"
"This is 'Kids' Happy Pastry'," Jiang Mianmian said with a straight face, spouting nonsense.
[Actually it's called Sachima, a traditional Manchu delicacy. But in this fictional world, explaining it would be too complicated, so let's just call it Happy Crisp.]
"Soothing a child..." Shen Xingchen blushed. "I am not a child! I am the Emperor!"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty." Jiang Mianmian nodded perfunctorily, then pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from her sleeve. "Would you like these 'Emperor's Happy Candies'?"
Shen Xingchen looked at the brightly packaged candies and struggled for three seconds between her inner restraint and her craving for sweetness.
Finally, the desire is for a complete victory.
"Since it is... since it is specially made for the Emperor, then I will reluctantly accept it."
He grabbed the small handful of candy and quickly stuffed it into his sleeve, afraid that the Empress Dowager would see it and confiscate it.
After doing all this, he glanced at Jiang Mianmian, his eyes becoming somewhat complicated.
This woman doesn't seem so bad after all?
Although she was stunningly beautiful and played the zither terribly, she had snacks and candy. Moreover, the way she looked at him wasn't as stern as the Empress Dowager's, nor as hypocritical as the ministers'; rather… it was more like looking at her own pet dog?
"Cough cough."
Shen Xingchen cleared his throat, his face hardening again, abandoning his feigned maturity. "Since you're so sensible, then I'll spare your life for now... for now. However, you must remember to serve your royal uncle well from now on, and don't cause any trouble! Otherwise..."
"Otherwise, you can exterminate my entire family. I understand," Jiang Mianmian replied with a smile.
Shen Xingchen blushed, gave a haughty snort, put her hands behind her back, and walked away with an air of utter indifference. Her retreating figure, however you looked at it, exuded a guilty conscience, as if she were being beholden to someone who had fed her.
Not far away, Shen Jin finally turned around.
He looked at the little emperor who had just been giving him a "death stare" but was now running away with a sleeve full of candy, and then at Jiang Mianmian with a maternal smile on her face.
A helpless yet gentle smile appeared in his eyes.
This lazy bum not only infuriated him, but also managed to so easily handle that stubborn little emperor.
Kid-friendly treats? Emperor's Happy Candy?
Just how many strange and unusual things does she have?
Shen Jin walked over and sat down next to Jiang Mianmian, feigning ignorance as he asked, "What did His Majesty say to you just now? When he left, his steps seemed... much lighter?"
Jiang Mianmian immediately stopped smiling and looked serious: "Your Highness, His Majesty was just instructing me to uphold the virtues of womanhood, serve Your Highness well, and set an example for all women."
[Actually: Once you've eaten my candy, you're mine. This little emperor is quite easy to bribe; looks like I'll have a powerful backer in the palace from now on! As long as there's enough candy, the emperor will come with me!]
Shen Jin: "..."
Treat me well? Plenty of candy?
It seems that this uncle and nephew, one captivated by the delicious food and the other conquered by sweet talk, have completely shattered the prestige of the Regent's Palace and the Imperial Palace tonight.
"The princess is very clever," Shen Jin said meaningfully.
"Your Highness flatters me," Jiang Mianmian said modestly, clasping her hands in a fist salute.
Just then, a commotion suddenly arose outside the main hall.
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened at the Imperial Garden!"
A young eunuch stumbled in, looking flustered. "The Second Prince... the Second Prince is drunk and causing a scene in the Imperial Garden. He... he beat up the Grand Tutor's granddaughter!"
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The Second Prince? That notorious spoiled brat?
Jiang Mianmian's eyes lit up.
[Hey? Something juicy goings up? A drunken brawl? How could I miss out on this kind of fun? Let's go, let's get some juicy gossip!]
She stood up excitedly and tugged at Chen Jin's sleeve: "Your Highness, shall we go and see too? As elders, how can we be absent at a time like this?"
Shen Jin looked at her eyes, which were filled with the thought that "the world is not chaotic enough," and shook his head helplessly.
Let's go.
He let her pull him along as they walked out of the hall.
Since she wants to see a show, I'll go with her. I just wonder, tonight, will it be that spoiled second prince who's going to be unlucky, or...?
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