Chapter 106: The Abandoned Little Emperor (10)
The little emperor’s guess wasn’t entirely baseless. Based on past events, this wasn’t the first time she had noticed Su Mingxiu treating her differently.
This mad king didn’t care about social norms. Being able to say those words in front of the Turkic woman meant that she truly didn’t care about the consequences. So why not simply let her be killed?
Su Mingxiu had always been affectionate towards her, and now, she was even willing to risk her life to save her. If there wasn’t some special affection involved, Xiao Miyun wouldn’t believe it.
Either Su Mingxiu had strange feelings for her, or… she was transferring her affections to her.
Su Mingxiu naturally heard the little emperor’s words clearly. She didn’t have to answer, but somehow, she suddenly replied: “Indeed, very similar.”
Not just similar, but identical.
Xiao Miyun was stunned for a moment, trying to recall if any of her siblings had looked like her.
But she quickly realized that her brothers were all dead… As for sisters, the female offspring of the Xiao Zhou dynasty could be counted on one hand.
Unfortunately, having grown up in a secluded part of the palace, she hadn’t met most of her relatives. So, unable to find an answer, she asked directly: “Who?”
But Su Mingxiu didn’t answer. She helped Xiao Miyun sit up, examined the terrifying handprint on her back, then put down her clothes and asked someone to bring something over.
A golden tray was placed before the bed by a maid. On it were a porcelain bottle of strong alcohol, a sharp, gleaming curved knife, and many steaming hot towels.
Xiao Miyun: “?”
Since becoming emperor, she had never suffered such a serious injury. Seeing the knife, she felt a pain all over her body.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice trembling as she clutched the quilt.
“Cut open the wound and draw out the poison,” Su Mingxiu replied casually, but her words almost made the little emperor faint.
Her throat tightened, her voice hoarse. “What if… we don’t?”
“Nothing much,” Su Mingxiu replied casually. “Just… excruciating pain in your bones every new and full moon, and whenever it rains or snows…”
Xiao Miyun didn’t want either option.
Seeing her hesitation, Su Mingxiu didn’t give her any more time to think, in case the little emperor changed her mind. She pressed on Xiao Miyun’s pressure points, catching her as she fainted.
Xiao Miyun was awakened by the pain. The wound on her back made her tremble. Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar purple sleeves.
She was filled with curses, but then she heard a cough, followed by a lazy voice: “Awake? Are you feeling unwell, Your Majesty?”
Xiao Miyun thought, Don’t you know where I’m feeling unwell?
But hearing her cough, she remained silent for a moment, then mumbled, her face pressed against the bed: “Just a little pain in my back.”
“It should hurt,” the person sitting beside her said, turning a page of the storybook that the little emperor had refused to continue reading. Actually, Su Mingxiu had read countless stories, and this one was quite boring. But her cold poison was acting up, so she used this to distract herself and pass the time.
She said: “This will teach Your Majesty a lesson, to be more discerning in the future.”
If this were before, Xiao Miyun would have resented Su Mingxiu for her seemingly heartless words. But now, having experienced this incident, she had matured overnight and knew that things weren’t always what they seemed.
She pretended not to hear and only asked: “Why isn’t the Right Chancellor sleeping yet?”
“Enjoying the story Your Majesty likes.”
“Zhen doesn’t like it! Ouch!”
“Hmm… don’t move, if you reopen the wound, don’t bother the physicians, just endure it.”
The atmosphere between them was unusually harmonious. Perhaps because the little emperor had dropped her clumsy act, Su Mingxiu also responded sincerely.
The room fell silent for a while. Xiao Miyun noticed that the scent in the room had changed. It was no longer the heady sandalwood incense, but a faint medicinal fragrance.
It wasn’t bitter, but rather slightly sweet, calming and soothing, even easing the pain in her back.
But the little emperor still couldn’t sleep. Her eyes were tired, so she leaned against the pillow, her head tilted, and casually started a conversation: “The Right Chancellor’s birthday seems to be approaching…”
Su Mingxiu, who was reading, paused, a smile curving her lips: “Which gossipmonger told Your Majesty that?”
The original owner’s entire family had been executed on her birthday. That day had been a turning point in her life. So, even after gaining power and influence, she never celebrated her birthday.
The officials knew this taboo and never mentioned it. Even the palace pretended to be oblivious. Su Mingxiu was surprised that Xiao Miyun knew.
But Xiao Miyun clearly didn’t understand the implications. She simply projected her own habits onto Su Mingxiu. “It seems the Right Chancellor doesn’t like celebrating birthdays, why?”
“There are so many holidays, some people like to celebrate them, some don’t. Does Your Majesty intend to ask about each one?”
“Uh…” Xiao Miyun pouted. “Zhen thinks birthdays are special occasions, Zhen wants to give a gift to my dear minister, does the Right Chancellor want it or not?”
“Since it’s a gift from Your Majesty, it’s naturally precious, this minister will be deeply grateful.”
Ignoring her insincere tone, Xiao Miyun, treating this birthday gift as a way to repay her life-saving debt, asked: “Will the Right Chancellor like Zhen’s gift?”
“Yes.”
“Is it because Zhen is giving it to you, or because it’s from the emperor and you have to like it, or… because you consider Zhen as your beloved, so you cherish everything related to Zhen?”
Su Mingxiu closed the book and turned to look at the fifteen-year-old girl.
A mere child, in modern times, a middle school student, was actually discussing romance and the “substitute lover” trope with her?
“Your Majesty doesn’t seem to be afraid of this minister anymore.”
She changed the subject, her dark eyes meeting the little emperor’s. She noticed that Xiao Miyun quickly averted her gaze, but after a while, she looked back at Su Mingxiu.
“You made Zhen the emperor before, and Zhen was afraid that Zhen had no value to you, that Zhen could die at any moment, so Zhen was always afraid of you.”
“But you saved Zhen twice. If Zhen considers every day from now on as a bonus, even if you kill Zhen in the future, Zhen will have lived a full life.”
What else could she do?
Even if she was saved countless times, would she still have to kill Su Mingxiu? Regardless of whether she could succeed, she couldn’t live in constant fear.
She could only let go and find a balance between them.
These words weren’t something an emperor should say. Su Mingxiu wanted to reprimand her. But thinking about her injuries and her effort to maintain this conversation, she only said: “Your Majesty is delirious from the pain, go to sleep.”
She gently waved her hand, and the candles in the room were extinguished, the lingering smoke curling in the darkness.
“But the Right Chancellor hasn’t answered Zhen’s question yet.”
“What question?”
“Zhen hasn’t given you the gift yet, how can you know if you’ll like it?”
Su Mingxiu was silent for two seconds, then replied with a smile: “Because it’s just polite talk. Whether I like it or not depends on what it is.”
She gave a non-answer.
Xiao Miyun replied dryly: “Oh.”
After a pause, she said seriously: “Zhen will definitely give the Right Chancellor a gift you’ll like.”
Is that so?
Su Mingxiu unconsciously touched her bare neck and chuckled softly, not commenting.
She didn’t think… the little emperor would have the guts to give her that kind of birthday gift.
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