"Your Highness..."
The man in black dropped to one knee when he saw the newcomer. "I only wanted to eliminate a potential threat for Your Highness. She saw you take action last time."
The newcomer was Jun Yuyuan. He looked down at the man on the floor, his eyes as chilling as snow piled atop an iceberg.
"She is Ye Yubei's most beloved daughter. If you killed her, do you think Ye Yubei wouldn't trace it back to me?"
"If he decided to kill me, do you think I could escape this vast imperial palace of the Northern Li Kingdom?"
"Your Highness, I failed to think this through. Please punish me."
Jin Yun knelt on both knees and lowered his head even further. He had nearly ruined the crown prince's grand plan; even ten thousand deaths could not absolve him.
"Leave. There will be no next time," Jun Yuyuan said coldly.
"Yes."
Jin Yun stood, and with a flicker of movement, vanished from Ye Tangtang's room.
Jun Yuyuan's gaze fell on Ye Tangtang. The little girl lay in bed, bundled up like a little sticky rice dumpling, with half her tiny head poking out.
Despite all the commotion, she was still sleeping like a little pig, drooling. Who knew what delicious food she was dreaming about?
"Idiot. You almost died-or, as you would put it, croaked. I saved you. How do you intend to thank me?"
Jun Yuyuan pinched Ye Tangtang's fair, tender cheek. It was like a little white dough ball and felt... rather nice.
Ye Tangtang seemed to sense someone touching her face. Her little mouth moved, then she went on sleeping.
"What a little pig... all that noise didn't even wake you?"
"Wow! Points!"
Ye Tangtang hugged Jun Yuyuan's hand and rubbed her face against it. Points, points! She dreamed of so many points.
She could draw little chocolate cakes now, and soft little dinosaur pajamas. So yummy...
Jun Yuyuan startled, thinking Ye Tangtang had woken up. But when he looked, she was dreaming.
Jun Yuyuan: "..."
She even thought about points in her dreams. Just how badly did she want them?
Jun Yuyuan sat beside Ye Tangtang, one hand clasped against her chest. At the soft sensation, the youth abruptly pulled his hand back, a faint ripple stirring in his eyes.
"Go to sleep properly. Can't you behave even in your sleep?"
Jun Yuyuan shook his head helplessly, withdrew his hand from her embrace, and lightly tapped Ye Tangtang's forehead with his slender fingers.
"Mmph..."
Ye Tangtang rubbed her forehead. Who?! Who was picking on her?
Ye Tangtang wanted to open her eyes and look, but she was far too sleepy and didn't want to open them.
Early the next morning, Ye Tangtang learned that she had gained another 500 points!!
[Little Useless System, does dreaming count too? I remember dreaming about the male lead last night, and I even touched his hand. This morning, the points arrived. How can something this good happen?!]
Ye Tangtang nearly jumped with excitement and went straight for fifty draws in a row!
[Little pajamas! Pajamas, pajamas, come to me! I need you, mwah!]
[Spirits of heaven, spirits of earth, bodhisattvas everywhere, show your divine powers! Let me draw little dinosaur pajamas this time!! Cute little bunny pajamas would work too.]
Ye Tangtang prayed to Buddha and begged heaven for ages, only to draw a mystery box. When she opened it, it turned out to be a camera... a Sony, no less.
Ye Tangtang stared at the camera in her hands, lost in thought. This was pretty good too. She could take pictures of her beautiful mommy and capture all her gorgeous moments!
Ye Tangtang got dressed and happily ran outside with the camera. "Mommy dearest, I got something good again today!"
"Tang Tang, what are you holding? A little box?" Shen Qingqing asked.
"Mommy, this is a camera. It can take a picture of you."
Shen Qingqing looked puzzled. "Take a picture?"
Not only Shen Qingqing, but the palace maids looked puzzled too.
Ye Tangtang rubbed her chin. "Hmm... in the terms you use here, it would be drawing pictures of all of you."
"Mommy, I can't explain it clearly. Let me take a picture of you first. Come on, come on."
Holding a round silk fan, Shen Qingqing stood beside a plum tree and casually struck a simple pose. Ye Tangtang captured it with the camera.
[Waaah, Mommy really is a great beauty. Even a casual photo looks this pretty.]
[She's so gorgeous! Back where I came from, she might already be a huge internet celebrity.]
Shen Qingqing stared at the person in the picture, her eyes widening in shock. Was that her?
This was... far too lifelike. And the picture had been drawn in an instant.
This thing her daughter called a camera was truly incredible.
"Tang Tang, you..." Shen Qingqing trailed off. Her daughter had become very strange lately, but she preferred this lively, mischievous version of her.
"Mommy dearest, isn't it pretty? Let me take a few pictures of you too, Sister Qiushuang, and everyone else."
"Yes, yes! Little Princess, take one of me too. I really want one."
Chunyu and the others lined up to have Ye Tangtang draw their pictures one by one, each of them bubbling with excitement.
Click, click, click-Ye Tangtang finished in no time. Job done, time to eat.
Chunyu and the others held their pictures excitedly. The resemblance was astonishing.
The little princess really was a genius. She even had something like this.
"Thank you, Princess."
"You're welcome, you're welcome. It was no trouble at all. If you ever want more pictures taken, just come find me~"
Ye Tangtang waved a casual hand. This really was ancient times; a single camera had them this excited.
Beside them, Shen Qingqing packed Ye Tangtang's little cloth bag. She had classes all morning today. Tang Tang really was a little genius, earning a Gold Medal on her very first day of school.
"Mommy, I don't want that ugly bag. I have a new one!"
Ye Tangtang took out the little bunny bag she had drawn just yesterday. The fluffy pink bunny bag was especially adorable, with two big ears. Though it wasn't very large, it was big enough for her books.
"Tang Tang, is this your new cloth bag?"
Shen Qingqing took it and examined it curiously. This was her first time seeing such an unusual bag. It really was pretty.
"Tang Tang, do you have any more of those pads?" Shen Qingqing asked quietly.
"Yes, several packs. I can't use them anyway, so you can have them all, Mommy."
Ye Tangtang took all the sanitary pads out of her pocket and gave them to Shen Qingqing, whose face lit up with delight. So many! They would almost last her a year.
Her daughter truly was a precious darling.
Shen Qingqing kissed her daughter's little cheek.
Ye Tangtang: [(,,•́ . •̀,,) Mommy dearest kissed me all on her own.]
[I'm so shy.]
Yet the very next second, she flopped against Shen Qingqing's chest.
[Wow! They've gotten bigger. So soft... let me bury my face...]
Shen Qingqing: "..."
Sure enough, she couldn't give this girl an inch.
Shen Qingqing grabbed her daughter by the back of her collar and hauled her away.
Ye Tangtang: "(இωஇ)"
"Mommy dearest, what's wrong?"
Shen Qingqing: "..."
She wore that innocent face every day, yet her head was full of all sorts of nonsense.
She was helpless too. How had she given birth to a daughter like this?
Before you continue