Chapter 100: The Abandoned Little Emperor (4)
The fiery red fox fur cloak draped over the couch, revealing the bright yellow imperial robes beneath. Xiao Miyun, the most esteemed person in the Xiao Zhou dynasty, sat before Su Mingxiu. She shouldn’t have to fear anyone.
But her youthful face was filled with unconcealable fear.
Like a rabbit caught in a hunter’s trap, her eyes and nose red with fright, her weak spot held captive, she remained motionless, resigned to her fate.
Su Mingxiu, remembering the Xu family’s plan and looking at Xiao Miyun’s current state, even though she guessed that with Xiao Miyun’s intelligence, she probably wasn’t truly interested in the Xu family’s offer and was merely stringing them along, she still felt a surge of displeasure—
She loosened her grip slightly, then lifted Xiao Miyun’s chin, her deep gaze scrutinizing the familiar face, her eyes like sharp blades, dissecting the little emperor’s delicate features.
Xiao Miyun didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, a thin layer of sweat appearing on her forehead, whether from the pain earlier or from fear now, she didn’t know.
She didn’t even dare to meet Su Mingxiu’s eyes.
Nor could she guess what the Prince of Zhenbei was thinking.
If Xiao Miyun didn’t share Suhui’s appearance, Su Mingxiu might not have been so angry. She knew that the original owner’s plan was to gradually transfer power to the emperor. Her own sensitivity to cold, her uninhibited intrusion into the Qian Yuan Palace in the middle of the night, only served to send a clear message to the court:
Xiao Miyun was nothing more than a puppet in her hands, a tool for her to control the imperial court.
“What… is your relationship with her?”
Su Mingxiu’s voice was very low, almost a murmur, as if she didn’t expect an answer from Xiao Miyun.
As expected…
The little emperor only looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.
The Prince of Zhenbei, who had entered the palace late at night, wasn’t wearing her usual purple official robes, a symbol of power and authority. Instead, she was dressed in dark black, which made her skin appear even paler, colder than the melting snow outside the palace.
Xiao Miyun looked at her pale fingertips, wondering if this woman was a spirit descended from a snowy mountain. Otherwise, how could she explain her frail appearance yet possess such power to change dynasties?
“Forget it.”
Su Mingxiu muttered to herself and released Xiao Miyun’s ankle. Two bright red marks were left on the little emperor’s delicate skin, more tender than a flower.
Her right ankle, as if subjected to torture, was slightly swollen where it had been gripped.
The moment Su Mingxiu let go, the little emperor quickly retracted her foot. But recalling Su Mingxiu’s words, “Forget it,” she had a bad feeling. She wanted to cultivate her own power under Su Mingxiu’s protection, to eventually control this vast empire, but she wasn’t ready to challenge Su Mingxiu directly.
Her wings hadn’t fully grown, how could she leave the nest?
So, ignoring the pain in her ankle, Xiao Miyun forced a smile and even moved closer to Su Mingxiu, as if overcoming her instinctive fear, trying to appear affectionate.
“Right Chancellor… is something troubling you?”
Su Mingxiu didn’t answer. She was about to leave when her gaze fell on Xiao Miyun’s injured ankle. Finally realizing that she had used too much force and hurt the child, she instructed the palace maid waiting discreetly nearby to fetch medicine from the Imperial Hospital.
“It’s… it’s nothing… Zhen isn’t injured,” Xiao Miyun, truly frightened by Su Mingxiu’s unpredictable temper, only wanted to know why this killing god had come to the palace so late at night, and what she had been muttering to herself earlier. “Did Zhen do something wrong? Did Zhen disappoint the Right Chancellor?”
“No.”
Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, a playful smile appearing on her lips. When she wasn’t smiling, she seemed cold and aloof, untouchable. Now, with this gentle smile, she seemed even more unfathomable.
Hearing her answer, Xiao Miyun relaxed slightly, thinking that even the all-powerful Su Mingxiu must have her blind spots. Her meetings with Xu Yan hadn’t been frequent, it shouldn’t have been such a coincidence.
As the medicine was applied to her skin, Su Mingxiu’s touch was exceptionally gentle, the pain within Xiao Miyun’s tolerance. Her thoughts raced, and she gradually relaxed.
Until Su Mingxiu’s gaze fell on her waist, noticing an exquisite pouch, and casually commented: “Why aren’t you wearing the jade pendant with the dragon pattern you used to like?”
Xiao Miyun, who had been drowsy from the warmth of the Qian Yuan Palace after being outside in the cold for so long, was instantly jolted awake. She let out a dry chuckle and replied: “Zhen prefers the craftsmanship of the Weaving Bureau recently, so Zhen had them put the jade pendant away.”
She discreetly observed Su Mingxiu’s expression, trying to detect any clues. But the person with downcast eyes seemed more interested in her injury, her full attention on massaging Xiao Miyun’s ankle, even warming it up.
Only after a palace maid presented a warm towel did the Prince of Zhenbei slowly wipe the remaining medicinal oil from her hands.
Suddenly…
Sun Feiyan’s voice came from outside the palace. “This minister has urgent matters to report to Your Majesty.”
Xiao Miyun instinctively looked at Su Mingxiu, her relaxed state vanishing, replaced by tension. Having just returned from General Sun’s residence, knowing how much the general avoided her, Sun Feiyan requesting an audience at this hour… It must be on Su Mingxiu’s orders.
Meeting her gaze, Su Mingxiu raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “Why is Your Majesty looking at this minister like that?”
The little emperor cursed her inwardly for pretending but had to say in a welcoming tone: “It’s freezing outside, and General Sun has an old injury, quickly invite her in.”
Sun Feiyan entered, carrying a chill with her. She was met with the little emperor’s friendly smile, then shivered under her armor, enveloped by the warmth of the Qian Yuan Palace.
But it wasn’t noticeable. She respectfully saluted both of them, first the emperor, then the Right Chancellor, and, without indulging her curiosity, reported directly: “Your Majesty, our scouts have reported that the Xu family is hiding three thousand guards at their manor outside the city, posing a potential threat to the capital—”
Xiao Miyun’s eyelids twitched.
She heard Su Mingxiu ask with a smile: “Oh? Is that the Pingyang Xu family who abandoned the former emperor and fled? Now, returning with such fanfare, could it be that they intend to hold the emperor hostage and control the court?”
Before Xiao Miyun could understand what they were doing, Sun Feiyan beckoned someone behind her, who presented a tray. On it lay a bloodstained jade pendant, its intricate pattern making Xiao Miyun instinctively clutch the bedding to steady herself.
It was the dragon-patterned jade pendant she had just claimed to have put away.
“This minister also found Your Majesty’s imperial token on one of the people leaving the manor.”
As Sun Feiyan’s voice fell, the Prince of Zhenbei’s gaze, filled with suspicion, landed on Xiao Miyun. “Oh? What a coincidence. Just now, Your Majesty told me that you prefer the pouches from the Weaving Bureau these days, so how did this jade pendant end up in the hands of someone outside the palace?”
Within seconds, Xiao Miyun realized that her plan to collude with the Xu family and gain control of her own guards was about to be exposed. Now, the most important thing was to protect herself.
So she slammed her hand on the table beside her without hesitation. “Audacious thieves! They dare to infiltrate the palace and steal the emperor’s belongings! This is outrageous! Right Chancellor, General Sun, please thoroughly investigate this matter! Zhen’s safety depends on you!”
Sun Feiyan kept her head lowered. Even without looking at the little emperor’s expression, she could guess the relationship between Xiao Miyun and the Xu family. She was only surprised by Xiao Miyun’s ability to turn her face so quickly.
She thought of the saying, The most ruthless place is the imperial palace.
As a rare thought crossed General Sun’s mind, Su Mingxiu also observed Xiao Miyun’s change in expression. But the smile on her lips didn’t change, making it impossible to tell if she believed Xiao Miyun or not.
“Since Your Majesty has given the order, we dare not disobey—”
“The Xu family is hiding guards outside the capital, spying on the palace, and stealing imperial artifacts. They clearly harbor rebellious intentions. In Your Majesty’s opinion, what should be their punishment?”
Xiao Miyun couldn’t care less about her injured ankle now.
She only regretted that Su Mingxiu hadn’t hit her hard enough to knock her unconscious. Now, she had to break her own barely grown wings with her own hands.
But she didn’t dare to hesitate. As if under a spell, her gaze fixed on Su Mingxiu, she heard her own clear voice answer the Prince of Zhenbei’s question: “They shall be charged with treason.”
“Their entire clan shall be executed.”
She saw the woman in black smile even wider, as if hearing her favorite part of a song, a hint of pleasure in her eyes. Her voice was light as she said: “Did you hear that, General Sun?”
“This minister obeys the decree,” Sun Feiyan lowered her head even further.
As she retreated, she heard the Prince of Zhenbei’s further instructions: “Wait, please carefully investigate the shady dealings within the palace, General Sun—”
As she spoke, Su Mingxiu’s voice was still gentle, even looking at Xiao Miyun with concern: “Since the Xu family dares to reach so far, we should carefully investigate who else in the palace harbors such rebellious intentions. Cut off every finger that reaches out, break every inch that extends.”
Xiao Miyun couldn’t help but feel her hands turning cold.
She moved her hands under her sleeves.
She didn’t know if Su Mingxiu had noticed.
In any case, as the Prince of Zhenbei stood up, she casually glanced at the jade pendant and said to Xiao Miyun, as if discussing with her: “Some old things, once they’re dirty, should be thrown away.”
“Your Majesty’s birthday is approaching. I’ve already had people deliver the gifts to the palace. You can see if there’s anything you like.”
She waved her hand, and seemingly out of nowhere, soldiers from the Zhenbei Manor streamed in, carrying countless gifts, filling the entire Qian Yuan Palace.
Countless treasure chests awaited Xiao Miyun, but she could only watch helplessly as the decisive Prince of Zhenbei dismantled her plan in an instant, delivering a crushing blow, then leaving her with a mountain of gold and silver.
Xiao Miyun sat on the couch, the blush on her face still lingering, even the wet marks on her pants hadn’t dried yet.
After Su Mingxiu left, she angrily kicked a small wooden chest in front of her. The chest toppled over, and the sound of shattering jade echoed from within.
Xiao Miyun: “…”
She quickly opened the chest and saw that the corner of the pink jade carving of the Peach Garden had been broken.
For some reason, she felt even angrier.
Ah!
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