[Emperor Father finally did something human for once.]
Ye Yubei: "...?"
Had nothing he did before counted as human?
"Qingqing, I'm sorry you had to witness such a farce."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. You handled this very well."
Shen Qingqing had thought those two would meet violent ends. After all, she knew Ye Yubei's temper very well. He couldn't tolerate so much as a grain of sand in his eyes, and a human life meant nothing to him-it was worth even less than an ant.
Ye Yubei coughed softly a few times. Was Qingqing praising him?
Sparing two people had earned him both his daughter's praise and Qingqing's approval. What a windfall.
Besides, those two people's families had extensive connections at court, so he couldn't kill them on a whim.
The Xue and Feng families would owe him a favor, too.
"Emperor Father is so wonderful! Emperor Father is the best daddy!" Ye Tangtang looked up and buttered up the tyrant.
Ye Yubei pinched his daughter's cheek. She had refused to acknowledge him as her Emperor Father just a moment ago, and now he was the best daddy?
The whole family returned together, but Shen Qingqing shut Ye Yubei out again, leaving him with a faceful of dust.
As the ruler of an entire nation, how could he possibly coax a woman?
Then he haughtily turned and walked away.
Ye Tangtang looked up and asked, "Mommy, why did you kick Daddy out?"
"It's not that. Mommy just wants to focus on raising you properly, Tang Tang."
"Okay, Mommy. Since Emperor Father isn't here, can I sleep with you?"
Ye Tangtang threw herself into her darling mommy's warm embrace.
Shen Qingqing refused without hesitation. "No. You're a big girl now, Tang Tang. Go sleep in the side room by yourself. Mommy has already had someone clean it for you."
Ye Tangtang pouted unhappily.
[Mommy really doesn't love me anymore •́‸ก. Boohoo, Mommy doesn't love me! I'm a poor little thing with no mommy to cherish me.]
[Mommy is the best in all the world. A child without a mommy is like a blade of grass...]
This time, Shen Qingqing had made up her mind. Her daughter had to sleep by herself. Tang Tang was twelve now; she couldn't keep clinging to her.
Ye Tangtang was taken to her own room. Worried about her daughter, Shen Qingqing watched over her until she fell asleep, then kissed her forehead before reluctantly leaving.
"Chunyu, Xiahe, you two stay here and watch over the princess. If anything happens, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Only then did Shen Qingqing retire. Her Tang Tang was already twelve and would soon be old enough to marry. She had to plan carefully for her daughter's future.
Hearing her mommy leave, Ye Tangtang instantly opened her big, dark eyes. She still had something important to do tonight.
She was going to soak in Tingxin Lake and catch a cold so she wouldn't have to attend school tomorrow. She really was a little genius!
Night fell.
There were far fewer guards in the palace than during the day.
The clear moon hung high overhead, and a cold wind swept past. Ye Tangtang shivered.
In this weather, would she freeze to death if she took a dip in the lake?
[Little Useless System, you want me to take a cold bath, but what if I freeze to death?]
[Relax. You won't die.]
[Really?]
She kept feeling that this Little Useless System was setting her up.
Other people's systems were badass and gave them cheats. Her system? Pah! Nothing but useless trash!
Footsteps sounded ahead. With her exceptionally keen hearing, Ye Tangtang immediately hid behind a rockery.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted. After serving those nobles all day, I can finally get some proper rest."
"Exactly. Servants like us really have miserable lives. We get up earlier than chickens and go to bed later than dogs."
"Enough talk. Let's go back and rest. We have to get up at five tomorrow."
They were two young eunuchs on duty. Hidden behind the rockery, Ye Tangtang cautiously poked out half her little head.
Why did those two young eunuchs look so familiar?
Where had she seen them? Where was it?
She couldn't remember. Her brain wasn't all that sharp to begin with.
Suddenly, a black figure flashed across a roof beam, so fast it almost seemed like an illusion!
"Who's there!"
One of the young eunuchs immediately turned around. The black figure appeared before him, half his face hidden in darkness. His skin was sickly pale, his long black robes fluttered in the wind, and the sword in his hand gleamed with cold light.
"You... who are you?"
"You don't deserve to know my name."
His blade rose and fell. Both men collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood as they died.
Ye Tangtang's eyes flew wide. She clapped a hand over her mouth, not daring to make a sound. This... this was one dangerous big shot!
He hadn't noticed her, right? She had hidden so well.
Yet the very next second, an icy sword pressed against her delicate neck. She looked up and met a pair of familiar, shadowed eyes.
It was him!
Jun Yuyuan!
[Mommy! It's the male lead! I stumbled onto him killing people to silence them. Is he going to kill me to silence me, too?]
[No way, no way! I gave him a lollipop. We're friends now. He wouldn't kill me, right?]
Ye Tangtang waved both little hands, spouting nonsense with a perfectly serious face. "Um, Jun Yuyuan, I didn't see anything just now. There's something wrong with my eyesight. It might be temporary blindness."
Jun Yuyuan chuckled. So it was this little thing. Temporary blindness, huh? She made it sound so convincing.
This little thing must have survived this long entirely on the strength of her mouth.
He withdrew his sword, sliding it back into its sheath with a swish.
Ye Tangtang breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Had one lollipop really bought off the male lead?
"What are you doing here?"
"I... I just thought it was too hot, so I wanted to take a bath here. I didn't expect to run into you. We really must be fated, huh?"
Ye Tangtang scratched her head with a bright smile.
[What kind of fate is this? How did I manage to run into him here? And right when the male lead was killing people! Judging by those practiced moves, he's clearly killed plenty of people before.]
[This is terrifying. I'd better stay away from him from now on. My lousy little life comes first, after all.]
Jun Yuyuan said, "It's too hot? Are you sure?"
Ye Tangtang wore a fluffy little cloak and looked like a little dumpling, with only her delicate little face showing.
"Yep, it's really too hot. I honestly didn't see anything just now. I'll be going. Bye-bye! Let's never meet again."
Ye Tangtang waved her little hand and prepared to leave.
[Go, go, hurry! I don't want to spend another second with this murderous maniac.]
She had barely taken two steps when she collided head-on with a rock-hard wall. Ye Tangtang lifted her little head and looked at the boy, who stood more than two heads taller than her. Her heart quaked.
[Little Useless System, hurry and get a Soul-Reviving Pill ready for me. He might kill me to silence me.]
[But Tang Tang, once you're... you're dead, you won't be able to take it.]
Ye Tangtang: [Then I'll take it first.]
[But you don't have any points.]
Ye Tangtang: [Dead!]
[Whatever! If I die, I die. Before I die, I'm getting those points and drawing a Soul-Reviving Pill.]
Then Ye Tangtang spread her arms and hugged Jun Yuyuan's lean waist.
Something soft pressed against him, carrying a milky fragrance. Jun Yuyuan's body stiffened, and he froze on the spot...
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