The banquet began amid song and dance. Ye Tangtang watched the beauties before her dancing in sexy, midriff-baring outfits, drooling with desire.
[You're so pretty, gorgeous! You're so cool! I'll wave your flag like crazy!!]
[Finger hearts for you, gorgeous~~]
[That isn't a waist-it's a curved blade that takes lives...]
[Wow! So big! Let me bury my face in them!]
[857, 85785857...]
Ye Tangtang swayed to the rhythm, eating as she rocked back and forth, looking for all the world as though she had some sort of illness.
Watching her gave Shen Qingqing a headache, and she patted her daughter.
Ye Tangtang was so engrossed that she never even noticed what her mother was doing. She kept swaying to the beat!
[Let's get wild!]
If there had been a drum, Ye Tangtang could have started playing right there. Actually, she really had learned to play the drums before. If she ever got the chance, she would definitely give a performance.
Jun Yuyuan: "..."
Had Tang Tang come down with something? Could it be epilepsy? Ye Yubei decided he had better have an imperial physician examine her later.
Jun Yuyuan forcibly suppressed the curl of his lips. This little thing had such a lively inner world. She looked like such a quiet, gentle little girl, yet her thoughts were so... wild.
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and pressed a hand to her forehead. Her daughter's racket beside her was giving her a headache. How could such a sweet, delicate-looking little girl have so much going on inside her head?
Ye Linze laughed until his stomach hurt. This little sister of his was just too entertaining. Hahahaha!
Ye Linxuan was hardly any better off. He tried so hard to hold back his laughter that he nearly suffocated. The moment a single laugh escaped, Consort Xian caught him.
"Linxuan, what exactly are you laughing at?"
Her son had always been calm and self-possessed, rarely losing his composure.
"Mother, n-no, nothing. I wasn't laughing."
Ye Linxuan shook his head, forcibly suppressing the smile tugging at his lips.
The system: [Tang Tang, could we keep a slightly lower profile? We're in the imperial palace, after all, with so many people watching.]
The system really could not take it anymore. The system wanted to give her two resounding slaps on the spot, but had no way to do so.
Ye Tangtang was swaying so wildly that she could not possibly hear the system. Then everyone's gaze landed on her.
Ye Tangtang immediately sat properly, her posture dignified and elegant. She had... she had gotten so carried away that she had nearly forgotten she was in the imperial palace and thought she was in a nightclub...
Thank goodness nobody else could hear her. She had to stay calm. She was still a dignified, elegant little princess.
Ye Yubei said, "Ahem. Tang Tang, stay behind afterward. Emperor Father has something to tell you."
"Yes, Emperor Father."
"Mm. Eat."
Ye Tangtang lowered her head and continued eating.
[Little Useless System, why does my scumbag dad want me to stay? Is he going to punish me? I'm so sweet and sensible, loved by everyone, with flowers blooming wherever I go. He wouldn't hit me, would he? Would he? Would he?!]
Not only did the system ignore you, the system even shot you a glare.
*[...]*
Sweet and sensible, loved by everyone, with flowers blooming wherever she went?
Pah! Spit!
The system: [Mm-hmm. Tang Tang is so sweet and sensible, loved by everyone, with flowers blooming wherever she goes. Maybe he wants to reward you.]
[Hahaha! Then can I ask for three princess consorts first? No, no, I'd better ask for seven. Three is too few.]
Ye Yubei: "..."
Thinking about husbands at such a tender age-she truly had no shame.
[I learned it all from my scumbag dad. Look at how many women he has. I'm his daughter, so asking for seven isn't excessive at all.]
Ye Yubei: "..."
She truly was his daughter. Of all the things she could learn from him, she had to pick this.
Ye Yubei's head ached... When would his daughter learn something good from him?
His mastery of both literary and martial arts, for instance, or his strategies for governing the nation. His virtues were too numerous to count.
[Hahahaha! But my scumbag dad dies horribly. I definitely won't follow his example there. An invincible master of lying low like me will surely survive to the very end.]
Ye Yubei's expression grew complicated. Dog king? What was that supposed to be?
Shen Qingqing: "..."
Ye Tangtang kept stuffing food into her mouth.
[You know, the palace pastries really are delicious. Every meal I eat is one fewer left. My days as a princess are nearly over anyway, so I'd better eat more.]
[Little schoolboy, with your schoolbag on your back, off you go to school...]
Ye Yubei suddenly asked, "Tang Tang, do you want to go to school?"
[No, I don't! I don't want to at all! I just want to eat, laze around, and wait for death like a salted fish! I want to cuddle my gorgeous mommy every day. Mommy is so soft~ Awooo.]
Ye Yubei: "..."
Shen Qingqing: "..."
Could she throw away such a lustful daughter?
"Emperor Father, Daddy, I..."
Ye Yubei continued, "You're not so little anymore, Tang Tang. Report to the Royal Academy tomorrow. Your older brothers and sisters all attend the Royal Academy."
Without Tang Tang clinging to her, wouldn't he be able to spend time with Qingqing...
Ahem, ahem.
Ye Yubei glanced at Shen Qingqing, then immediately looked away.
She was just a woman, wasn't she? He... he did not care about her in the slightest. And she was a woman who failed to appreciate his favor, at that.
"Yes. Thank you, Emperor Father."
The little figure inside Ye Tangtang's head had already burst into tears.
[Scumbag dad! Scumbag dad!! I don't want to go to school!]
[May you choke on your food, splutter on your water, trip when you walk, get hit by a rock when you go outside, and even fall into the pit when you use the toilet!]
Ye Yubei: "..."
Who curses their own father like that? This child...
Ye Linze laughed aloud once more. Only his ninth sister would dare curse their Emperor Father like that.
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and pressed a hand to her forehead, her head buzzing from all the noise.
The Third Princess stared at her Emperor Father in disbelief. He was actually letting that wretched girl from the Cold Palace attend school with them.
The Third Princess was about to speak when the Empress beside her stopped her. The Empress shook her head, signaling her not to say anything more.
"Mother... that little bitch Ye Tangtang is going to school too."
"It doesn't matter. Our Xue'er will always be the most exalted legitimate princess."
Empress Lu looked at Ye Tangtang, a cold gleam flashing through her eyes. On the surface, she remained the gentle, dignified Empress.
Ye Tangtang felt a frightening gaze settle on her. She raised her head, but there was nothing. The Empress was smiling gently at her.
[Holy crap! Why is this vicious woman smiling at me? Am I seeing things?]
[Isn't she the sinister, ruthless Empress? They call her the captain of the palace's miscarriage squad. If I hadn't been born in the Cold Palace, I might never have made it.]
[Thank heaven Mommy gave birth to me safely.]
Ye Yubei: "...?"
What was a miscarriage squad captain supposed to be?
His Empress was clearly kindhearted, dignified and virtuous, gentle and gracious. She kept the harem in perfect order.
Empress Lu said with a smile, "Tang Tang is such a beautiful girl. When you grow up, you'll surely have beauty enough to topple cities and kingdoms."
Ye Tangtang replied politely, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
[Do I need you to tell me that? This princess knows exactly how beautiful she is. I merely outshine Xi Shi, surpass Diao Chan, rival Zhaojun, and eclipse Yuhuan. Barely passable. Just average, really.]
The system: [...]
The system had never seen such a shameless host.
Before you continue