Chapter 7 A string of candied hawthorns, winning over the down-on-her-luck little princess
After an unknown amount of time, a violent coughing sound came from the dragon throne.
"Cough...cough cough!"
The previously chaotic imperial physicians were overjoyed: "His Majesty is awake! His Majesty is awake!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Emperor Chu Yuan of the Great Chu Dynasty trembling as he straightened up, supporting himself on the armrests of his dragon throne. His face was still as pale as paper, but his cloudy eyes revealed a terrifying clarity.
He first glanced at the poisoned needle nailed to the handrail, which had corroded the surrounding wood to a dark black, then slowly shifted his gaze to the Imperial Preceptor Linglan, who was nailed to the pillar by a long sword.
When Linglan met the emperor's gaze, she was terrified and screamed, "Your Majesty, spare me! It was the Crown Prince! It was His Highness the Crown Prince who ordered me to do it!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Chu Chongyun shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "Father! Your son is innocent! It was him! He was the one who spread rumors and bewitched your son!"
Chu Yuan closed his eyes wearily, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was endless coldness and disgust.
"Chu Chongyun".
"Your subject is here!"
"You are truly my good son." The emperor's voice was hoarse, yet every word was piercing. "I am not dead yet, and you are already in a hurry to find people to curse me, and you even want to kill my savior."
"No, Father! Your son did not!"
"Drag him away!" Chu Yuan slammed his hand on the armrest. "He is confined to the Eastern Palace and is not to step out without my decree! Thoroughly investigate all of the Eastern Palace's associates and leave no one alive!"
This statement is tantamount to abolishing the crown prince position.
Chu Chongyun collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, and was dragged away by two imperial guards without any courtesy, desperately crying out, "Father, spare my life!"
After dealing with the Crown Prince, Chu Yuan's gaze fell on Mu Fang.
He looked at the general he had feared for many years, at the lingering aura of iron-blooded menace emanating from him, and at the sleeping baby in his arms, a stark contrast to the menace. His expression was complex.
"Mu Fang".
"Your subject is here," Mu Fang replied in a deep voice, holding his daughter.
"You have done a good job protecting the emperor."
"It is my duty."
Chu Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly: "My duty? All my officials and thousands of guards are no match for you with a single sword. I was wrong."
He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, echoing throughout the hall: "Issue my decree! General Mu Fang, loyal and brave beyond compare, has rendered meritorious service in protecting the Emperor. He is hereby reinstated to his original rank, promoted to the first grade, and granted the title of Duke Protector of the Nation! Furthermore, he is hereby appointed Commander of the Imperial Guards, and from this moment forward, shall be fully responsible for the defense of the palace!"
The announcement of this reward caused an uproar throughout the hall.
This is more than just restoring someone to their original position; it's putting the lives and fortunes of the entire palace into Mu Fang's hands!
What incredible trust!
Mu Fang was also taken aback, but then he knelt on one knee and said, "Your subject accepts the imperial decree and thanks you!"
He did not refuse. When the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Now that the ruler commands the subject to live and to defend, he will defend.
The emperor nodded with satisfaction, his gaze finally falling on Mu Yu in Mu Fang's arms, the majesty and murderous intent in his eyes instantly transforming into a rare gentleness.
"This little girl... is her name Mu Yu?"
"Yes, my daughter Mu Yu."
"She's a lucky star," Chu Yuan sighed, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Whatever reward she desires, I will grant it."
Just as Mu Fang was about to politely decline on behalf of his daughter, the little one in his arms stirred, smacked her lips twice, and mumbled indistinctly in her sleep, "Candied hawthorn... and... sparkly..."
The somber atmosphere in the hall was completely dispelled by this dream-talking.
Even Chu Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, which aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently again.
"Good! Good! Reward them all!" he said with a smile. "Guards, reward the Duke of Huguo's mansion with ten thousand taels of gold, a hundred pearls from the East Sea, and a thousand bolts of brocade! Also, bestow upon the young princess a gold medal, which allows her to move freely within the palace without anyone interfering!"
Looking at Mu Yu sleeping soundly, he knew in his heart that this child was no ordinary person, able to see through the Grand Preceptor's disguise.
Whether it's a demon or a deity, let's leave that aside for now.
But today, she truly saved my life. Rather than pushing her away, I'd rather keep her under my nose.
When Mu Yu woke up, she found herself lying on a fragrant, soft couch.
She rubbed her eyes, a strong feeling of hunger washed over her, and her stomach rumbled incessantly.
"Father, I'm hungry..." she called out softly.
"Awake?" Mu Fang's voice immediately rang in her ears, filled with endless concern. He brought over a bowl of warm rice porridge. "Here, Xiao Yu'er, have some porridge to warm your stomach."
Mu Yu drank most of a bowl of porridge from her father's hand before she felt like she had come back to life.
She looked around and found herself in a magnificent side hall. On the table in the hall were piles of golden melon seeds and all kinds of exquisite pastries that she had never seen before.
Her eyes lit up immediately.
"Daddy! There's so much delicious food!"
She struggled to get down from Mu Fang's arms, ran to the table, picked up a lotus flower pastry and stuffed it into her mouth. She also grabbed a handful of melon seeds and carefully stuffed them into the small pouch at her waist, filling it to the brim.
Mu Fang found it both funny and heartbreaking to see his daughter acting like such a little money-grubber.
He briefly recounted what had happened in the palace that day, emphasizing the emperor's rewards.
Mu Yu only half understood what she was hearing, but she grasped two key points: first, she had lots and lots of delicious food; second, she could hold a shiny sign and "stroll" around the palace at will.
Let's go shopping!
The young princess's life ambition, in addition to eating her way around the world, has now expanded to include traveling the world!
She immediately pulled out the heavy gold medal from the pile of rewards. It was engraved with intricate dragon patterns and felt cool and comfortable to the touch.
"Father, I want to go shopping now!"
"It's almost dark outside..."
"I want to go!" Mu Yu hugged Mu Fang's leg and started to whine.
Mu Fang had no way to deal with her, so he could only send a clever little eunuch to accompany her, repeatedly instructing him not to let the little princess out of his sight.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded in the Great Chu Imperial Palace.
A four-and-a-half-year-old toddler, with a gold medal around her neck bigger than her face and a string of candied hawthorns drizzled with honey—freshly obtained from the imperial kitchen—was curiously looking around the magnificent palace, her short legs pacing along.
Her "eye of destiny" had already been activated long ago.
The patrolling guards were dressed in pure white, the palace maids carrying food boxes were dressed in light white, and in the distance, an old eunuch supervising the palace servants was surrounded by wisps of gray.
It's so much fun, like watching a colorful shadow puppet show.
She munched on a candied hawthorn as she strolled leisurely toward a rockery. The flowers there were especially beautiful.
Just as she rounded the artificial hill, a suppressed sob and a scolding reached her ears.
"What are you crying about! It's just a broken hairpin. It's your good fortune that our master has taken a liking to it!"
"Princess Jianing, don't be so shameless. Your mother is out of favor, don't you know what kind of life you're living in the palace?"
"Be smart, or you'll suffer less in the future!"
Mu Yu peeked out and saw a thin, small girl being pushed to the ground.
The little girl looked a few years older than her, dressed in a faded old palace dress, simple clothes, and with tear stains on her face; she looked extremely pitiful.
In Mu Yu's eyes, the little girl had only a faint white aura that seemed ready to be extinguished at any moment. The palace maids and eunuchs surrounding her were all surrounded by an unsettling gray aura.
Another bunch of bad guys!
Mu Yu couldn't stand seeing others bully people.
She stormed out, hid the candied hawthorn behind her back, and shouted, "So many of you bullying a young lady, how shameful!"
The palace servants turned around and saw a beautifully sculpted baby. They were taken aback at first, then their faces showed disdain.
"Where did this wild girl come from? Get out of the way! Don't delay our business!" A leading palace maid waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies.
"I'm not leaving!" Mu Yu puffed out her little chest. "You guys are the bad guys! You're all covered in dust and stink!"
"You little slut, you're asking for death!" The palace maid seemed to have been hit where it hurt, a fierce glint flashed across her face, and she reached out to grab Mu Yu.
Mu Yu was prepared.
She wrinkled her little nose and made a fierce face in the direction of the palace maid.
"May your misfortune be averted! May moss grow on the soles of your feet!"
The water level in the small pond in her mind's eye dropped a little bit more.
The palace maid had just rushed to Mu Yu's side when she suddenly stumbled, as if she had stepped on a slippery watermelon rind. She lost her balance, screamed "Ah!" and fell straight into the lotus pond next to her!
"Thump!"
Water splashed everywhere, startling a flock of gulls and egrets.
The remaining eunuchs and palace maids were all terrified, staring dumbfounded at their companions floundering in the water.
Mu Yu took the opportunity to run to the little princess named Jia Ning, helped her up, and then, like a treasure, handed her the candied hawthorn hidden behind her back, which still had a faint tooth mark on it.
"Here you go, little sister! The Turtle Prime Minister said that eating something sweet will make your heart feel less bitter!" she comforted in her childish voice. "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you from now on!"
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