Chapter 13: Belated Affection Is Cheaper Than Grass!

The Great Tyrant couldn’t help but smile, I won’t forget your treasure basin.

Ah Bao grinned widely, finally feeling at ease as she drifted off to sleep.

After the Great Tyrant brought Ah Bao back to Yihe Palace, Concubine De quickly came over to snuggle with her.

She had missed Ah Bao dearly, not having seen her in the past three days.

Ahem, the Great Tyrant intentionally made some noise.

Only then did Concubine De snap out of it. Your Majesty, is your throat bothering you?

The Great Tyrant: …

Ever since Concubine De left the Cold Palace, the Great Tyrant felt like she had become a bit colder toward him.

Concubine De placed Ah Bao in the nursery, and when she returned, she saw that the Great Tyrant was still standing in the hall. Your Majesty?

The Great Tyrant: ?

Her expression seemed to be saying, Your Majesty, why haven’t you left yet?

The Great Tyrant felt a sense of neglect!

Ahem, ahem, he coughed twice more.

But since he didn’t want to disturb little Ah Bao in the adjoining room, his coughs were especially soft.

With no one else in the hall, Concubine De heard it quite clearly.

Your Majesty, have you caught a cold?

I’m not sure.The Great Tyrant was still standing there.

Coincidentally, I had some pear soup made earlier. Would you like to have some to soothe your throat?

The Great Tyrant raised an eyebrow, and his previously gloomy mood lifted. Did you make this especially for me?

See? He knew it—Concubine De still cared about him.

Look, she even had pear soup prepared in advance for him. How thoughtful.

Your Majesty misunderstood. I just wanted something sweet these past few days, so I had Zhilan make it.

The pear soup the Great Tyrant had just sipped suddenly didn’t taste sweet anymore.

Your Majesty, why do you look like that? Does the soup not suit your taste? Concubine De quickly moved the bowl closer and took a sniff.  It doesn’t smell strange…

Why did the Emperor have such a constipated expression?

It was as if the soup tasted terrible.

No, it’s quite good, the Great Tyrant muttered gloomily.

Noticing that the Emperor didn’t seem pleased, Concubine De asked, Your Majesty, you’ve been busy these past few days. Have you not had dinner yet?

The Great Tyrant’s eyes lit up. No, I haven’t.

So, you’re going to invite me to stay for dinner, right?

Oh, then you should return to your palace for dinner soon. It wouldn’t be good to harm your health by going hungry.

The Great Tyrant’s expression twitched: ?

He glanced up at Concubine De, who seemed completely unbothered.

Concubine De was exceptionally beautiful.

The title of the most beautiful woman in the Tiansheng Dynasty wasn’t given lightly.

In the past, people only admired Concubine De for her breathtaking looks, beauty like a celestial being.

But today, upon closer inspection, her beauty held a certain liveliness to it.

It wasn’t the shallow, ordinary beauty of a vase.

It was an inner allure, a kind of fatal attraction that made one reluctant to leave the closer they got.

Your Majesty… is there something on my face? Concubine De frowned. Why did she feel like the Emperor was acting a little strange today?

The Great Tyrant shifted his gaze and said calmly, Tonight, I’ll have dinner here.

“Ah?” Concubine De widened her eyes in surprise.

The Great Tyrant frowned slightly, “Does Concubine De not wish to dine with me?”

“Ah, no… not at all. Of course, I’d be happy to dine with Your Majesty. It’s just that I’ve been preferring vegetarian meals lately, and I worry Your Majesty might not find it to your taste. Perhaps it would be better if you returned to your own palace for dinner.”

She was clearly trying to send him away.

The Great Tyrant could hear it in her tone.

Others would be eager for him to dine with them daily, yet Concubine De seemed intent on pushing him out.

It had to be because he had sent her to the Cold Palace eight months ago, leaving her neglected for a year, which hurt her feelings.

Thinking of this, the Great Tyrant’s restless mood immediately calmed.

“Actually, I’ve been eating too many heavy meals lately. It wouldn’t hurt to have something lighter for a change,” the Great Tyrant said, taking another sip of the pear soup.

Hmm, still sweet.

Concubine De: …

Ah Bao took a short nap, and when Xi’er carried her out from the adjoining room, she saw the Great Tyrant and Concubine De dining together.

What’s going on? Why is my lousy dad eating with my mom?

The Great Tyrant, in the middle of his meal, couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth after hearing Ah Bao’s inner voice.

Little rascal!

Why shouldn’t he dine with her mother?

After all, this was his wife.

Dad, you’re just eating. Why are you looking at my mom so weirdly? Could it be that you’re reflecting on your mistakes, regretting sending her to the Cold Palace back then?

Sigh—belated affection is as worthless as grass! If you knew this day would come, why act like that in the first place?

Dad, keep this up, and you’ll end up driving your wife away!

At first, Concubine De didn’t sense anything odd about the Great Tyrant.

But after hearing Ah Bao’s inner thoughts, she sneaked a glance at the Great Tyrant, only to realize that his gaze did seem rather strange.

Indeed, the Emperor was not well!

Even their daughter could tell that something was off about him.

This wouldn’t do.

She had to think of a way to get him to leave quickly.

You could never fully understand the Emperor’s mind, and right now, she only wanted to focus on spending time with her daughter. Men could step aside for the time being!

Suddenly, the food didn’t taste as good to the Great Tyrant anymore. He looked up at Ah Bao, who was in the cradle, and met her large, bright eyes.

Ah Bao flashed the Great Tyrant a sweet smile, as if to say, [Hello, Father.]

The Great Tyrant: …

If he couldn’t hear her inner thoughts, he might have been completely fooled by this little rascal’s cute, innocent appearance.

After finishing dinner, the Great Tyrant returned to the study to deal with state affairs.

The next afternoon, a major event occurred in the palace.

The Empress Dowager had returned!

And it was Concubine De who handled this.

The Empress Dowager’s return to the palace was done in secret, with only a few people involved.

Concubine De held Ah Bao while standing at the back of the crowd. From a distance, Ah Bao saw a jade palanquin moving past.

Walking beside it was her lousy dad.

After the Empress Dowager safely returned to her palace, Eunuch Xi whispered to the Great Tyrant, “Your Majesty, three assassins were discovered at the Eastern Palace Gate. Two are dead, and one is wounded. The imperial guards have captured all of them.”

A coldness spread across the Great Tyrant’s handsome face, and his phoenix eyes darkened instantly. Ah Bao was right.

There had indeed been assassins hidden at the Eastern Palace Gate.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager had returned safely. If he hadn’t listened to Ah Bao’s warning and had taken the Eastern Palace Gate route…

Though he was confident he could protect the Empress Dowager, she would have been terrified, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Keep the survivor alive! Investigate thoroughly who sent the assassins!”

“Understood.”

The Great Tyrant approached and told Concubine De about the situation.

Concubine De was shocked, feeling a wave of lingering fear.

This was the safety of the Empress Dowager at stake, and there was no room for carelessness.

They kept their voices low, and Ah Bao, having just woken from a nap, drowsily caught bits of their conversation, hearing words like “assassin” and “investigation.”

It seems assassins were found at the Eastern Palace Gate.

Luckily, Mom had the foresight to have Grandma change her route in advance.

Big thumbs up for my smart mom!

The Great Tyrant finished giving his instructions and looked at Ah Bao.

He felt a little frustrated that the little rascal didn’t praise him, her heroic and wise father.

Lousy dad is probably still annoyed, wondering who sent the assassins.

If I remember correctly—it was Concubine Li.

Concubine Li?

The Great Tyrant’s expression darkened.