"You eat first. I still have some matters to attend to."
Ye Yubei rose with a perfectly calm expression and left the Palace of Gathered Elegance with Eunuch Wang supporting him. The moment he stepped outside, he asked, "Which one is Lady Liu?"
"Your Majesty, Lady Liu entered your harem two years ago. She has never received your favor and lives with Consort Shu in the Palace of Auspicious Jade."
Ye Yubei said, "Let's go have a look."
"Your Majesty, are you..."
Ye Yubei's face darkened. "Nothing. I simply want to have a look."
"Proceed to the Palace of Auspicious Jade."
Ye Tangtang was happily gnawing on a duck leg. When she finished and looked up, where had her scumbag father gone?
How had her whole, full-sized scumbag father vanished?
"His Majesty has left."
Ye Tangtang said, "Mommy, what suddenly happened to my scum... imperial daddy? Why did he leave in such a hurry?"
"Perhaps something urgent came up. Never mind him. Let's keep eating."
It was just as well he had left. His presence only made her feel constrained.
Shen Qingqing had already come to terms with it. So what if she had once loved him? Twelve years in the Cold Palace had let her see Ye Yubei for who he truly was. Nowhere was more heartless than the imperial family.
She should never have hoped for Ye Yubei's love.
Now, all she wanted was to raise her daughter well, feed her until she was fair and plump, and let her be a happy little princess every day.
The meal on the table was swept away like clouds before a gale, leaving every plate empty.
The corner of Shen Qingqing's mouth twitched. "..."
"Mommy, did I... eat a little too much? •́‸ก"
Shen Qingqing gently rubbed her daughter's little head. "Not at all. You're still growing, Tang Tang. You need to eat plenty so you can grow fair and plump."
Ye Tangtang burrowed into her mother's arms again and rubbed against her, indulging herself thoroughly before finally letting go.
Hehehe, so soft.
"You little vixen. It's only been a day, and you're already this impatient. Good thing His Majesty never comes to the harem, or I'd never have had the chance to discover what a clingy little vixen you are."
"Oh, stop it. His Majesty hasn't set foot in the harem for years. I've never even seen him since I entered the palace."
"Leaving such a beauty here in the harem-well, lucky me."
"Slow down."
"How could I possibly slow down?"
"You're awful~"
Lady Liu leaned against the wall, her eyes closed in pleasure, feeling as though she was about to ascend to heaven.
Ye Yubei stood outside, listening to the filthy words within. Veins bulged on his forehead. Clenching his fists, he raised a foot and kicked the door open.
The two inside were caught completely off guard, especially the man, who was so frightened that he immediately...
Lady Liu shuddered and immediately pulled away, grabbing her clothes to cover her exposed chest.
"You... who are you..."
Eunuch Wang could barely bear to look. This was... outrageous.
Simply... simply too obscene to behold!
"How dare you! You don't even recognize His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty..."
Lady Liu trembled in fright and knelt on the floor, clutching her clothes, her mind utterly blank...
She had intended to complain to His Majesty after finishing this. His Majesty... why had His Majesty come? Didn't he never visit the harem?
"Drag them away and beat them to death."
Ye Yubei uttered only those few words before turning to leave.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare me... Your Majesty, please spare your consort! I know I was wrong!"
Lady Liu's wretched cries rang throughout the Palace of Auspicious Jade.
"What happened?"
Consort Shu propped her forehead on one hand. That little bastard Ye Tangtang had made her tremble all over with rage, and cold air still radiated from her body.
She would complain to His Majesty in a moment. That little bitch Ye Tangtang had only just left the Cold Palace, yet she already dared to be so arrogant.
"Your Highness, they say Lady Liu was having an affair... His Majesty just caught her, and he flew into a rage."
"What! How dare she!"
"Yes. For some reason, His Majesty suddenly came to the harem and headed straight to the Palace of Auspicious Jade."
Such a coincidence?
Consort Shu asked, "Where is His Majesty?"
"Your Highness, His Majesty has already left."
"He left..."
Consort Shu sat back down, a cloak draped around her shoulders, shivering from the cold. She would certainly not let today's incident slide. That little bitch Ye Tangtang, and Shen Qingqing too-just they wait.
Ye Yubei's expression was as dark as stormy waters, and fury radiated from his entire body. It was actually true. How had that little girl Tang Tang known about this?
She had even said the green pasture atop his head was big enough for horses to gallop across. Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!
Still, even he felt he had turned green through and through.
Ye Tangtang had completed today's gossip task and earned 100 points. She could draw for food again.
But single draws rarely yielded anything good, so she would wait for a ten-draw. Ye Tangtang pointed at the ice cream on the large screen. That was her dream. Unfortunately, its drop rate was far too low.
Since coming to this world, she had yet to taste ice cream.
[Tang Tang, are you craving ice cream?]
[Little Useless System, what rotten scheme are you plotting now?]
All this Little Useless System ever did was swindle her. Last time, she had finally managed to save up so many points, only to lose them all.
From now on, whenever she had points, she would spend every last one on food and stuff it into her belly.
[How would I dare plot anything rotten? I'm merely offering you a suggestion, Tang Tang. There's an easy way to earn points fast. Just go talk to the male lead, and you'll get 100 points. That's a whole ten-draw!]
Ye Tangtang was tempted, but when she thought of the look in Jun Yuyuan's eyes, she decided against it. Forget it, forget it. She wasn't going. He was far too scary.
But... but ice cream was just so delicious.
[Fine, I'll go. I'll get 100 points just for talking to him?]
[That's right, Tang Tang. You really only need to talk to him. You don't have to do anything else. If you want to kiss him... that's allowed too. The higher your intimacy, the more points you'll get.]
[Pah! Little Useless System, after all that talk, you still just want me to do tasks. I told you, I'm not doing them. Jun Yuyuan can kill whoever he wants. It has nothing to do with me.]
[If he destroys the Northern Li Kingdom, you won't survive either.]
[Then I'll die. I'll be better behaved in the next world.]
The system: [...]
This host was far too committed to doing nothing. Could someone please come and straighten her out? She was utterly fearless!
[Then what about your beautiful mommy?]
Ye Tangtang suddenly hesitated. If she died, perhaps she could go to the next world, but what about her beautiful mommy?
No, no. Nothing could happen to her beautiful mommy.
Ye Tangtang sneaked out of the Palace of Gathered Elegance. Afraid she might get hungry, she stuffed two osmanthus cakes into her tiny purse and hung the bulging pouch at her waist. Other people's purses held money; hers held food...
"Hahahaha, look at him! Doesn't he look like an idiot? And he's a prince, too. What a disgrace."
"A prince? He's nothing but an idiot. His Majesty doesn't care about him at all."
"Come here. I'll give you a meat pie."
Several eunuchs were teasing a boy of around thirteen or fourteen. He had delicate features and wore clean clothes. His black eyes were clear and bright, untouched by a speck of dust.
Ye Tangtang stopped in her tracks.
This was...
[Ye Linmo, the reigning emperor's Sixth Prince. Born mentally impaired and the son of a mere palace maid, he endured fifteen years of abuse. Later, he turned to darkness and became one of Jun Yuyuan's great generals, joining him in overthrowing the Northern Li Kingdom.]
[He's... the second male lead, a villain!]
Before you continue