Chapter 17 : Mother, I will protect you

[Using her own methods against her is truly brilliant.]

[My mom is not only beautiful but also incredibly smart. Her way of exacting revenge is just amazing.]

Concubine De felt quite pleased with the praise from Ah Bao.

Her daughter complimented her!

Concubine Li couldn’t stay any longer and wanted to leave immediately.

Ah!

She already felt her face starting to itch. What should she do?

It’s over.

She’s going to have a rotten face.

She was beginning to smell.

How effective was Liu Renfang’s medicine?

“His Majesty is here—”

Just a day later, the tyrant couldn’t resist and came to Yihe Palace again.

Freshly returned from the morning court, the tyrant hurried over.

He missed his little princess Ah Bao.

[Hey, it’s Daddy coming.]

Daddy?

The tyrant’s mood, which had been soured by several ministers over political matters, brightened up as soon as he heard Ah Bao’s soft “Daddy.”

None of the other princes called him “Daddy,” so it was a new and different feeling for him.

Concubine De quickly greeted with Ah Bao in her arms, “This humble servant greets Your Majesty~”

Concubine Li followed suit, “This humble servant greets Your Majesty.”

Ignoring everyone else, the tyrant walked straight to Concubine De, taking Ah Bao from her hands. “Ah Bao must have known I was coming and has probably been waiting for me to see her.”

Little girl, call me “Daddy” again.

[What a vain father!]

[But you came too late; you missed a good show.]

Hearing about a good show, the tyrant was curious.

He looked around at everyone, “Why is Yihe Palace so lively today? Concubine Li, why are you here? What happened?”

The sudden arrival of the emperor was unexpected for Concubine Li.

Her eyes darted, and she quickly devised a plan. She kneeled down in front of the Emperor, almost breaking her knee, “Your Majesty, please help this humble servant. Sob, sob, sob.”

Concubine Li’s voice was loud and dramatic, “I came with good intentions to visit Concubine De, but unexpectedly, Concubine De took this opportunity to poison me, trying to ruin my face.

Now my face itches terribly, sob, sob—”

Concubine De stood calmly, regarding Concubine Li’s outcry as a mere joke.

Just as the tyrant was about to speak—

[Nonsense—]

[Vain father, don’t listen to Concubine Li’s babbling. She’s reaping what she sowed.]

[Fortunately, I have a smart mother who let Concubine Li suffer the consequences.]

Look how distressed Ah Bao is.

The coarse language was already spoken.

Concubine De took a step forward slowly. “Your Majesty, what Concubine Li said is true. I merely returned what belonged to its owner. As for the poisoning, I ask Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly.”

“Concubine De, what do you mean by that? Do you think I would poison the chicken soup I personally brought you? If you were poisoned after drinking the soup, everyone would suspect me.

Do you think I would do something so foolish?”

Where there are many women, there are many disputes.

The palace fights, both overt and covert, are definitely present.

Now, facing the argument between the two women, the tyrant glanced down at the adorable little bundle in his arms.

If Concubine De had an issue, it meant Ah Bao had an issue, which meant he had an issue, and that meant the Tiansheng Dynasty had an issue.

The tyrant’s aura instantly dropped by eight degrees. “Let’s have Imperial Physician Xue come and investigate thoroughly to find out where the poison came from.”

Concubine Li had an air of fearlessness.

Her poison’s location was a top secret.

Not to mention the Imperial Physician, even the head of the Imperial Medical Department would be unable to uncover it.

[Concubine Li’s cleverness has backfired. She has taken advantage of public psychology—such a stupid act, no one would do it.]

[Concubine Li, however, tried to go against the grain.]

[Often, the most unlikely scenario is the truth!]

[Vain father, have the Imperial Physician check the food box; the poison was in the food box.]

[But don’t let Liu Renfang investigate; that old man is in cahoots with Concubine Li.]

“Physician Xue, start by checking the food box brought by Concubine Li. Leave not a trace unexamined,” the tyrant commanded with authority.

Concubine Li, who had been feeling triumphant, suddenly went weak and nearly fell to the ground.

[Oh! Could it be that father and I are of one mind?]

[Vain father, truly the emperor; his intervention is stunning.]

“Your Majesty, we have found it!” Imperial Physician Xue reported with little effort, identifying the source of the poison from the food box.

The food box had only been handled by Concubine Li.

“Good job, Concubine Li. You dared to openly harm Concubine De. Someone, take Concubine Li—” the tyrant said sternly.

The atmosphere in Yihe Palace became tense with the tyrant’s fury.

Just as everyone was feeling nervous and fearful, a flash of sword light appeared in the air, and a guard, mad with rage, charged toward the tyrant.

“Tyrant! Die!”

The guard charged so quickly that the tyrant, holding Ah Bao, didn’t have time to react.

A voice cried out, “Your Majesty, be careful!”

Concubine Li had already thrown herself in front of the tyrant.

Hiss—

The sword pierced Concubine Li’s heart.

“Someone! There’s an assassin!” After a moment of chaos, the assassin was subdued.

“Speak! Who sent you?” The tyrant held Ah Bao tightly, as if protecting his precious treasure.

The assassin, pinned to the ground and face against it, struggled defiantly, “Tyrant, even if I die, I won’t fall into your hands. With a tyrant like you, the Tiansheng Dynasty will perish sooner or later, hahahaha hic.”

The assassin bit down on the poison hidden in his teeth and committed suicide.

“Your… Your Majesty, the assassin is dead,” the trembling Eunuch Xi reported.

The tyrant’s face was dark. The assassination had come so suddenly, and the assassin had died so quickly.

It inevitably made one think of hidden dangers within the palace.

[Ha, this is the fastest cannon fodder I’ve ever seen die, faster than when I was in the cold palace.]

The tyrant: “…”

What is this silly girl talking about!

In the cold palace, it wasn’t an accident.

[Poor my tyrant father, unaware of the danger he’s in.]

The tyrant’s heart tightened.

Are there indeed lingering threats in the deep palace?!

[Of course, there are no lingering threats in the palace because this assassin was a lone actor, not a group.]

This was an unexpected twist for the tyrant.

Since it wasn’t a group and the assassin was dead, what other dangers could there be?

[Because the assassin was sent by Concubine Li. She staged a drama to gain favor: first harming my beloved mother, then blocking the blade to save the tyrant.

Men, when a woman shows such deep affection, you can’t help but want to cherish her every day.]

[Tyrant Father, you’ve truly fallen for Concubine Li’s scheme. The downfall of the Tiansheng Dynasty began with your blind favoritism towards Concubine Li.]

[Concubine Li, relying on her supposed act of saving the emperor, has secretly bewitched you, using a love spell.

She directs you east, and you dare not go west. Soon, you will become her pawn.]

[In the end, on the day of the dynasty’s fall, Concubine Li will kick you off the golden throne, delivering a gentle final blow.]

[When a woman turns ruthless, even the tyrant father must step aside!]