Chapter 13

Zhang Da was left utterly bewildered, and his colleagues were equally puzzled. However, being singled out by their emperor was never a good sign—one misstep could lead to a scolding. Those on closer terms patted his shoulder sympathetically, saying, “Take care, Lord Zhang.”

“……”

This matter had to be traced back to when the Little Dragon Cub woke up.

The Qin Emperor couldn’t deny the relief he felt upon seeing the Little Dragon Cub awake. The culprit had been punished, and according to the imperial physician, the victim would recover fully after some rest, even making up for the deficiencies from the womb.

The Qin Emperor was thoroughly satisfied. Just when he thought his troublemaking son—who had been howling in pain and confined to bed—would finally behave, the little cub started acting up.

After the fever subsided and the gentle, handsome elder brother left, the cub tugged at his hand and uttered a few words: “Daddy, ride… horsey.”

For a moment, the Qin Emperor couldn’t recall the promise he’d casually made to coax the cub into taking medicine. He thought to himself, if his daughter wanted to ride a horse, let alone that, she could even take one for a stroll!

He placated her absentmindedly, “You’re still too young. When you grow up, you can have as many horses as you want. I’ll even find you a great general as your teacher.”

The Little Dragon Cub was displeased. She pointed at him and clarified, “Ride… Ride Horsey.”

This time, it was crystal clear. The Qin Emperor finally understood—and immediately regretted it. After a long pause, he asked hesitantly, “You want to ride… me as a horse?”

The Little Dragon Cub nodded vigorously. Daddy got it right!

The Qin Emperor: “……”

To say the Qin Emperor had never deceived anyone would be a lie. In his youth, to consolidate power, he had tricked treacherous ministers before eliminating them. To unify the six warring states, he employed divide-and-conquer tactics—befriending one today only to turn on them later. Such instances were countless. Even as a child in Handan, he had navigated the local aristocratic circles to survive until his return to inherit the throne.

But today was different. Staring into the cub’s large, innocent black eyes, the Qin Emperor fell silent for a long while before asking, “You heard everything?”

Not only had she heard it, she remembered it vividly. The Qin Emperor recalled how, right after he’d made that promise, the cub had obediently taken her medicine…

“……”

Zhang Da entered the emperor’s study full of confusion and left with even more questions. Upon returning home, fellow officials sent messengers to inquire, “What did His Majesty want with you?”

After some thought, he replied, “His Majesty… was perhaps moved by the sincere bond between me and my son.”

Colleagues: “……” What a liar!

Zhang Da didn’t think he was lying. If the emperor hadn’t been moved by their father-son relationship, why would he have singled him out and listened so attentively to trivial matters like how he let his son Ride Horsey?

Zhang Da buried this revelation deep in his heart, his perception of the emperor shifting. Perhaps His Majesty wasn’t as cold and unfeeling as the rumors claimed. Even the most iron-willed ruler yearned for warmth—just like the emperor. But given his imperial dignity, he couldn’t openly admit it. Nodding to himself, Zhang Da, as the only loyal minister privy to this hidden side of the emperor, felt it his duty to set the record straight!

The walk back to the palace was short, but the Qin Emperor had never moved so slowly. Frowning, he pondered how to weasel out of this.

As for the scene Zhang Da had described…

Ride Horsey? Impossible. Absolutely impossible in this lifetime.

The innocent and carefree Little Dragon Cub had been full of energy all morning, lured by the carrot of “Ride Horsey.” Apart from slight red marks on her little face, there was no sign of the fever that had left her weak and listless just yesterday.

The palace servants attending the imperial bedchamber were relieved and delighted. Thankfully, the little princess had recovered so quickly and was so lively—surely His Majesty would be overjoyed to see her.

The Qin Emperor, long legs striding forward, entered the hall at that very moment.

Hong Tao, the palace maid recently assigned to serve the little princess, noticed the Emperor’s stern and displeased expression. Assuming it was due to court matters, she thought of the little princess happily playing on the Tiger Skin Cushion, her lively and adorable demeanor sure to lift the Emperor’s spirits. Seizing the opportunity, she chimed in, “Your Majesty, the little princess has improved greatly since this morning! Not only did she obediently take her medicine, but she also drank an extra half-bowl of milk!”

The Qin Emperor had grown particularly sensitive to the word “medicine.” Hearing it, his expression turned subtly complex. “Where is the princess?”

Hong Tao, who had stepped out to fetch toys for the little princess, replied, “Following the imperial physician’s orders, we’ve kept the princess indoors to avoid the wind. She’s playing in the inner chamber now.”

Whether it was father-daughter telepathy or mere coincidence, a sweet, childish voice called out from the inner chamber at that very moment: “Fa… Fafa-fa…” The Emperor, who had been about to turn away, paused.

Soon, the flustered voices of the nursemaids and maids echoed, “Little Princess, you mustn’t go outside! The physician said you’ll catch a chill!”

As the Emperor stepped further inside, his eyes fell upon the little cub crawling on all fours across the floor. Despite her clumsy, chubby movements, her spirited energy left the servants helpless to stop her.

She reached his legs, clinging to them with both hands before attempting to climb higher. The Emperor looked down to find her bright, round eyes gazing up at him. “Fafa! Ride… ride!”

Only then did the servants realize—the little princess had spoken! She had called for her father!

Zhao Gao, who had been silently observing behind the Emperor, spoke up with a smile. “The little princess’s intelligence is unmatched. To speak before even reaching a month old—her talent surely rivals the Crown Prince’s.”

The Qin Emperor bent down and scooped up the determined little bundle, dismissing everyone with a wave. Lowering his head, he negotiated with the Little Dragon Cub: “Today, I asked Zhang Da about it. He’s a dull-witted man with clumsy words and hasn’t yet taught me this game. Once I’ve learned it, we’ll ride then, alright?”

The Little Dragon Cub didn’t actually understand what “Ride Horsey” entailed. During her brief ventures into the mortal realm, she’d occasionally heard of it—a game loving fathers played with their children. The thought of her Dragon Father carrying her on his back… just imagining it made her so excited she could hardly wait.

When she grew bigger, she’d carry *him* instead.  

Her true form could soar through the heavens. If she ever returned to the upper realm and transformed, she could whisk her Dragon Father through the skies and earth—how wonderful that would be!

Because she didn’t realize how simple “Ride Horsey” was—requiring no skill at all—the Little Dragon Cub was easily fooled by her scheming father. But she wasn’t *that* easy to fool. After nodding her little head, she stretched out five tiny, chubby fingers and wiggled them.

Actually, she’d meant to hold up two fingers, but her young digits refused to cooperate. Unable to manage a proper “two,” she instead presented all five before the Qin Emperor.

If palace servants had been present, they surely wouldn’t have understood the meaning, but the Qin Emperor recognized it immediately. He paused, then said coldly, “No. Only once.”

The Little Dragon Cub kept stretching out her hand, stubborn to the core—all five fingers remained extended despite her desperate efforts to make a “two.”

The Qin Emperor gritted his teeth. This little rascal had actually learned to bargain! “Three times. Installments.”

The Little Dragon Cub was pleasantly surprised, nodding her little head eagerly. Three times was even better than the two she’d wanted—Dragon Father truly loved her most!

Hearing this inner monologue, the Qin Emperor: “…”

The hall was empty. Any regrets now?

The next moment, a pair of chubby little hands cupped his face, planting a wet, smacking kiss right on his cheek. The Qin Emperor froze in place.

After the kiss, the chubby little cub praised in her milky voice, “Father is the best!”

Suddenly, a smile broke across his face, inexplicably pleased. Fine—what difference did it make whether it was one Ride Horsey or three?  

—

Ying Zheng had never been one to tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye. Even though the Little Dragon Cub seemed to have fully recovered, and the culprit had already been punished—making it seem like the matter was over—he still pursued it to the end.

Every palace servant on duty that day, from maids and eunuchs to guards, received five lashes and had a month’s wages deducted. Those familiar with His Majesty’s usual methods breathed sighs of relief—compared to past punishments, this was extremely lenient. At least it was just some physical pain and a month’s pay. Keeping their lives was enough to make them weep with gratitude.

According to the chatty Hong Tao, while the Emperor was giving the order, the little princess had been fussing and causing a ruckus beside him. Perhaps her overwhelming cuteness had softened His Majesty’s heart, reducing the punishment from fifty lashes to just five.

Heaven knew fifty lashes could kill a person—if not outright, it would still inflict unbearable suffering. Could anyone move after that without resting for at least half a year? The old eunuch in charge of floggings didn’t care whether you were male or female or what condition you were in—he struck with full force, leaving skin torn and blood flowing. One misstep, and you’d be meeting your ancestors.

The palace servants, upon hearing this, felt immense relief. Their gazes toward the little princess softened to the point of dripping tenderness. In their hearts, they chanted endlessly—praying to all the gods and the ancestors of the Ying clan. Thank goodness the little princess was unharmed! Such an adorable, kind-hearted treasure truly deserved to be the Emperor’s most beloved princess, the most delightful little one in the palace!

From now on, they swore to reflect deeply and guard the little princess with their lives. Even if it meant risking their necks or offending the young prince, they would never let her be stolen again!

Unbeknownst to the Little Dragon Cub, her act of tempering her volatile Dragon Father’s wrath had inadvertently won her the first batch of die-hard Qin Dynasty fans, laying the first foundation for her future dominance of the inner palace.

As for Huhai, the true culprit, he faced another round of interrogation from his father. Still unable to move after the beating, he received no sympathy from the Emperor, who had him carried in. Looking down at him, the Emperor demanded, “Huhai, who instructed you to take your royal sister away?”

How shrewd was the Qin Emperor? If there was one place in the world that could be called the safest, it was the Qin imperial palace—and his own chambers were the most heavily guarded fortress within it. Forget a child like Huhai—even the most skilled assassins couldn’t come and go unnoticed, let alone escape unscathed. How could a ten-year-old boy spirit a child away without anyone noticing?

Huhai blinked, looking genuinely confused. “No one told me to do it, Father.”

Huhai would have loved to pin the blame on someone else, but he had always owned up to his actions. Causing trouble was one thing—shifting blame was another.

If such an improper matter were discovered by Father Emperor, he would lose all face and dignity. How could he then confidently claim to become a righteous and honorable man like his father in the future?

Especially now that the Little Imperial Sister was nestled in Father Emperor’s arms, staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. For some reason, under that pure and guileless gaze, he always found it difficult to lie and would inevitably appear somewhat guilty and flustered.

The Qin Emperor fixed his gaze on his son, confirming he wasn’t lying, then changed his approach. “Then who helped you commit this mischief?”

Huhai’s lips twitched at the word “mischief.” He dared not look at Father Emperor or the Little Imperial Sister, nor could he raise his head to glance at Uncle Gao standing not far away. He had promised not to reveal Uncle Gao’s involvement—after all, Uncle Gao had always been so kind to him.

After a long silence, the young boy murmured, “No one helped Huhai. Huhai followed the eunuch in by himself.”

He vividly recounted how he had trailed behind the cleaning eunuch to sneak in and then disguised himself to leave the palace, even praising his own cleverness at the end.

The method truly was his own idea. Uncle Gao had only helped arrange his entry—the rest relied entirely on his quick thinking. Having done plenty of mischief before, he was no stranger to such sneaky escapades.

The Qin Emperor was both exasperated and amused by his foolishly stubborn son. Turning to Zhao Gao, his gaze darkened. “Zhao Gao, I entrusted you with the duty of supervising and instructing the young prince. How have you fulfilled this responsibility?”

“Huhai has shown no improvement over these years. Do you admit your fault?”