Chapter 107: The Abandoned Little Emperor (11)
Due to the Ayue incident, the little emperor’s birthday celebration almost lost its protagonist. Thankfully, the Prince of Zhenbei arrived in time and safely escorted the emperor back to the capital. The next morning, the palace paths were decorated with festive colors.
Tribute and gifts from foreign envoys and regional governors flowed into the court.
Xiao Miyun sat on the dragon throne during the court session. Unlike the elation she had imagined, she found that receiving these gifts only filled her with unease… If it weren’t for Su Mingxiu’s support, would she, on her own merit, be worthy of receiving such lavish gifts?
Could she be an emperor worthy of her officials and her people?
Lost in thought, the time spent on the dragon throne felt exceptionally long, even torturous. After the court session ended, as she went to the side palace to change her clothes, she breathed a sigh of relief, holding a cup of warm tea, reluctant to move.
She didn’t have to worry about how to store these birthday gifts, the officials from the Ministry of Rites would register and store them for her.
Her only task was to maintain the demeanor of the Xiao Zhou emperor, appearing calm and composed before the officials and foreign envoys, unaffected by yesterday’s kidnapping.
“Your Majesty,” a palace maid whispered, reminding her that it was almost time for the palace banquet.
Xiao Miyun raised her hand, the light golden sleeve, made of fine Shu brocade, sliding down her arm. She suddenly asked, “Why didn’t the Right Chancellor attend court today?”
She was used to having someone sitting beside her. Not seeing Su Mingxiu at the court session today made her feel a bit uneasy. Thankfully, it was almost the New Year, and everyone was busy preparing for the festivities, so there wasn’t much trouble.
“The Zhenbei Manor sent a message earlier, saying that Wangye is unwell and requested a leave of absence today.”
This was strange.
Xiao Miyun had slept in the same bed as Su Mingxiu last night. She knew whether this person was truly sick or not. Su Mingxiu always looked frail and sickly, but she had never trembled even when killing someone.
She scoffed inwardly, then thought that perhaps the situation was different this time. After all, Su Mingxiu had transferred the Turkic poison to herself yesterday. Perhaps she was forcing herself to appear strong this morning.
In any case, without the Prince of Zhenbei, the tiger, those foreign envoys might not behave themselves at tonight’s banquet.
Xiao Miyun unconsciously pinched her palm, wondering if she should visit the Zhenbei Manor. But she couldn’t miss the banquet, so after much hesitation, she decided to proceed to the banquet hall as planned.
After a few rounds of drinks, music started playing, and beautiful dancers in flowing robes entered the hall.
Xiao Miyun sat at the head table, her gaze repeatedly drifting towards the empty seat on her right. Just as the dance ended, a Turkic envoy stood up, holding a wine cup, and toasted her:
“May the Emperor of the Great Zhou dynasty enjoy many more years of prosperity.”
The little emperor’s face was expressionless. Her delicate features, like a meticulous painting, gave her a natural air of authority when she wasn’t smiling.
She also raised her cup. Because of her young age, the palace maids serving her had been instructed to prepare special wine pots with a hidden compartment, one side filled with wine, the other with warm water. They always poured her warm water, making it seem like she had a high tolerance for alcohol.
After finishing her drink, she saw the bearded Turkic man shift his gaze towards the empty seat beside her. “I heard that your Great Zhou’s Prince of Zhenbei is a valiant warrior, having lost four horses on the battlefield. Why is she absent today? Could it be that her old injuries are acting up, and she’s… nearing her end?”
Xiao Miyun, who had been worried about Su Mingxiu’s condition, immediately changed her expression upon hearing this provocative question. “How dare you!”
She threw her cup at the envoy’s table, the white jade shattering on the floor.
“The Prince of Zhenbei is the God of War of the Great Zhou dynasty, protected by our ancestors,” Xiao Miyun’s expression softened after throwing the cup. Having defended Su Mingxiu, she didn’t want to appear weak, so she reached for the fruit platter on the table. “As for why she’s absent from tonight’s banquet, Zhen also finds it strange. After all, she’s never missed a court session—”
“Perhaps a dirty rat has jumped onto the table, spoiling her appetite, so she decided not to show up today to avoid being disgusted.
If she were to draw her sword, it would be tainted. If she didn’t, it would make the rat complacent, thinking it could usurp the master’s position.”
After she finished speaking, the initially tense officials in the hall couldn’t help but smile.
It was clear who the “rat” referred to.
The Turkic envoy, who spoke fluent Chinese, naturally understood her meaning. His expression changed rapidly. He thought inwardly, The reports said that the little emperor and the Prince of Zhenbei were locked in a power struggle, but now it seems… it’s not that bad?
But he quickly remembered his purpose, to assess the little emperor’s condition after being struck by Jisi Le… and to see how much longer the Prince of Zhenbei had to live.
Thinking of this, he quickly composed himself, apologized for his earlier remarks, and offered a traditional Turkic dance as a tribute to the emperor.
The dance itself wasn’t particularly special. The dancers were veiled, their wrists and ankles adorned with small golden bells. After the performance, Xiao Miyun felt like her ears were ringing.
But she suppressed her emotions and simply put on a calm expression, as if thinking: That’s it?
The Turkic envoy: “?”
No reaction?
He stared at Xiao Miyun for a long time, then, thinking quickly, moved on to the next part of his plan. “The soldiers of the Great Zhou are known for their strength, but our grassland warriors are no less capable. To celebrate Your Majesty’s birthday, we have brought our strongest warrior, willing to challenge your generals to see the difference between our two nations.”
This was a challenge disguised as a friendly competition.
Xiao Miyun understood. She had originally planned to randomly choose an imperial guard, but seeing the two-meter-tall warrior standing up, looking like a wild man from the mountains, her eyes widened slightly.
But she knew that no one could help her now, so she pinched her thigh under the table to calm herself down. Looking at the imposing figure, his presence radiating pressure, she said in a strained voice: “Our Great Zhou is filled with talented individuals, each capable of both literary and martial arts, that’s how they earned their positions in the court. Testing only their literary or martial skills would be too one-sided.”
The specialized civil and military officials below: “?”
Their hands, holding their cups, trembled slightly.
But since the emperor had made this claim, they, as her subjects, had to play along for the sake of the country’s reputation.
A middle-aged official immediately stood up and boasted: “Indeed, this minister, in his youth, was also a city governor, defending our borders.”
Then, an imperial guard also stood up, straightening his back. “This minister could recite the Hundred Family Surnames and the Thousand Character Classic at the age of three, and my essays during the military exams were also top-ranked.”
The Turkic envoy and the warrior who had stood up, ready to fight, were both confused.
They didn’t understand Xiao Miyun’s meaning. The little emperor smiled at the two officials with satisfaction and said: “If you want to know the difference between the Turkic forces and the Great Zhou, it’s simple. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I shall set the rules—first, please have your warrior compose a ci (a type of Chinese poetry).”
She didn’t even mention poetry, afraid that the warrior would come up with some doggerel, which would force them to move on to the next round.
This warrior had grown up wrestling on the grasslands. Killing with a blade was easy for him, but composing a ci… what was that?
“Pfft.”
In a secluded area outside the banquet hall, a figure in a luxurious purple robe covered their mouth, initially to suppress a cough, but upon hearing these words, they chuckled softly.
This little emperor was quite the bluffer. If the envoy wasn’t clever enough, he might be fooled.
The warrior, stumped by the request, instinctively looked at the envoy’s leader. As expected, the leader frowned deeply. He tried to volunteer himself, but Su Mingxiu insisted that the same person had to participate in both the literary and martial competitions.
This was tricky.
After a moment of hesitation, the leader stood up. “Then allow me to experience the talent of your Great Zhou’s scholars and warriors.”
He quickly composed a ci, quite standard and unremarkable. Now, it was the Great Zhou’s turn.
Before Xiao Miyun could speak, Cheng Qing stood up from his seat and bowed to her. “This minister requests to represent Your Majesty.”
The little emperor’s eyes lit up. With him participating, regardless of the martial arts competition later, they definitely wouldn’t lose the literary one. At worst, it would be a tie.
“Wangye?”
The person who had accompanied her from the Zhenbei Manor asked with concern. These were people who had fought against the Turkic forces alongside Su Mingxiu. They knew the Turkic people’s nature. Xiao Miyun’s trick might work for a while, but not forever.
If they couldn’t demonstrate their absolute strength, the Turkic envoys would definitely think that the Great Zhou was weak. At this time, if the Turkic army invaded, the Great Zhou wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.
Su Mingxiu, however, glanced at Cheng Qing meaningfully. “It’s fine.”
She said, “Since Grand Tutor Cheng has volunteered, he must have a plan.”
But the others in the hall didn’t know the details. Seeing Cheng Qing step forward, they looked at him with concern. They weren’t worried about the ci composition, and indeed, Dr. Cheng’s performance didn’t disappoint them. What they were worried about was the martial arts competition afterwards…
There was no one on the grasslands who didn’t know martial arts. After all, they probably learned how to ride a horse before they could even walk. This Cheng Qing looked frail and weak, could he really fight?
Some officials comforted themselves, thinking, At least we can win one round.
But those officials from the Honglu Temple (Ministry of Rites, responsible for foreign affairs), who understood the Turkic people, were worried, especially when Cheng Qing walked towards the Turkic warrior. Everyone held their breath.
In terms of height, build, and aura, the Turkic envoy seemed to have the upper hand.
After the eunuch announced the start of the competition, Xiao Miyun instinctively looked away, not wanting to watch. One second, two seconds…
After an unknown amount of time, she heard: “Grand Tutor Cheng wins!”
The little emperor let out a feigned sigh of relief, then, before she could even finish, she blurted out: “What?”
Who won?
She looked closely and saw the Turkic envoy kneeling on the ground, his face filled with shock. He had somehow fallen, so his posture as he looked up at his opponent looked rather comical.
Cheng Qing, however, only bowed and said, “You have my respect.”
He glanced at the emperor and said calmly: “This minister is fortunate to have lived up to your expectations.”
Xiao Miyun was overjoyed. Even before the banquet ended, rewards were sent from the palace to the Cheng residence. She even started thinking about how to promote Cheng Qing.
Only towards the end of the banquet did she calm down from her excitement, thinking that Cheng Qing’s victory couldn’t be a coincidence… So he also knew martial arts?
But she had never seen him display any such skills, why would he hide them?
“Is this why Your Majesty came to this minister’s manor late at night?”
A quarter past the Hai hour (9-11 PM).
Su Mingxiu, who had returned to her manor earlier, looked at the little emperor, who had snuck out of the palace in disguise, and raised an eyebrow. She placed the book she was holding on the table. Xiao Miyun nervously glanced at the title, relieved to see that it was a serious book.
“I mainly came to check on the Right Chancellor’s health,” she said, sitting down and trying to maintain a dignified posture, like she did during the banquet.
Su Mingxiu noticed her gaze, a smile appearing in her eyes, giving weight to her otherwise light tone. “Does Your Majesty hope that this minister is truly sick, or just pretending?”
“Uh…” Xiao Miyun found that this Regent was truly difficult to communicate with, always asking such unanswerable questions.
“With the Prince of Zhenbei around, our Great Zhou can protect its people. What does the Right Chancellor think Zhen hopes for?” She threw the question back at Su Mingxiu.
But the mad king only smiled and didn’t answer, her gaze returning to the book before her. It was the little emperor who broke the silence, asking someone to bring in the gift.
“The Right Chancellor never celebrates birthdays, Zhen doesn’t know the reason, but since Zhen promised a gift, Zhen shall present it in advance—”
She raised her chin, gesturing for the palace maid to place the gift on the table and retreat.
Su Mingxiu extended her pale hand, the blue veins on the back of her hand clearly visible, making her wrist seem even more frail beneath the wide sleeve. She opened the wooden box and, seeing the contents within, raised a single eyebrow in surprise.
She picked up the dark object inside…
It was a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
Made of sixteen-segment Bodhi seeds, each seed exceptionally small. The smaller the seeds, the more precious they were, not to mention the intricate patterns of the sixteen segments, a treasured gift for those seeking good fortune.
And these Bodhi seeds were said to ward off disasters, dispel evil, and cleanse sins.
But Su Mingxiu looked down at them for a long time, then chuckled softly. “Your Majesty is giving me this, what are your intentions?”
Did she want her to live a peaceful life despite her sins, or did she hope that these prayer beads could absolve her of her karmic burden?
“Ordinary people seek such profound Buddhist objects for protection and peace, could there be any other meaning? Or perhaps… the Right Chancellor doesn’t like this gift?”
Su Mingxiu casually placed the prayer beads on her left palm, her thumb moving rhythmically, the gentle clinking of the beads echoing in the room.
“Bodhi seeds dispel evil and protect one’s peace. Does Your Majesty wish to cleanse my sins, or for me to live a long and peaceful life?”
Just as the little emperor was about to answer, Su Mingxiu interrupted her, her dark eyes looking at her intently: “Your Majesty should choose your words carefully. You can’t have both. If you make the wrong wish, it won’t come true.”
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