Chapter 198: Little Ancestor, Please Go Back to the Palace

“Master, I saw the dead maidservant standing behind the little princess and trying to push her. When she missed, the maidservant fell in,” an old woman recalled. “At the time, the little princess turned and smiled at the maidservant. Ah, what an innocent little girl. How could anyone bear to harm her?”

The Great Uncle: …

“Master, the little princess has fallen from the swing set,” another old woman reported in a panic.

“No, the swing set broke but didn’t hit the little princess. It hit a guard next to her.”

The Great Uncle: …

Is someone trying to harm Ah Bao in his residence?

The Great Uncle quickly realized, his eyes reddening as he went to find Ah Bao, who was sitting on the steps, munching on sunflower seeds.

She was unharmed.

Ah Bao waved at him with a small hand, greeting him. “Hi.”

“Ah Bao, let me take you back to the palace.”

Ah Bao pouted and shook her head. “No, no, no.”

【No, no, I haven’t had enough fun here. The Duke’s residence has food, drinks, and fun】

“Ancestor, please go back to the palace. I beg you.”

His heart was telling him that the Duke’s residence couldn’t accommodate Ah Bao.

With Ah Bao around, things kept going wrong—no, it was the people in the Duke’s residence who were dying, getting injured, and facing one bizarre incident after another.

If Ah Bao stayed in the Duke’s residence, he feared it might not survive.

“No, no.” Ah Bao was adamant about not returning.

The Great Uncle cried, weeping with regret. He realized how foolish he had been to lure Ah Bao here.

“Master, the southern building is on fire!”

“Master, the western courtyard is also on fire!”

“Master, the Duke’s residence is finished. We have no water to put out the fire.”

The Great Uncle’s brows twitched. He collapsed on the ground, unable to get up. “Tell me, where is the fire now?”

The steward trembled, “It’s all burned. Everything that could burn has burned. Only the main hall is left.”

The Great Uncle’s vision went dark, and his heart ached.

In the end, they couldn’t save the Duke’s residence!

“Master…”

“Get lost! I don’t want to hear about anything else!” The Great Uncle yelled angrily, wailing.

The old steward was driven out, scratching his head, and looked up to see a group of people entering the Duke’s residence.

At the head of the group was the Emperor of the Tiansheng Dynasty.

“Old servant pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor.”

“What’s going on with the Great Uncle? Did he not receive the news of my visit to the Duke’s residence? Why has he not come to meet me?”

When the Great Uncle saw the tyrant, he rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.

Without delay, he knelt and performed the ritual greeting, glaring fiercely at the steward beside him. “The Emperor has arrived, and you didn’t notify me? You old servant!”

“Master, I did inform you. You told me to leave and said you didn’t want to hear anything…”

The Great Uncle’s expression froze. He thought another fire had started somewhere, but it turned out to be the Emperor’s arrival.

“Uncle, where will you host me?” The tyrant glanced around. How had the Duke’s residence become so desolate in just a few days?

“Your Majesty, only the main hall is left. Uh… with so many people, it might be a bit crowded. But we’ll make do,” the Great Uncle said anxiously.

In January, the weather was still cold.

In the main hall, officials from the court sat on small stools in the courtyard, their hands tucked into their sleeves, shivering in the cold wind.

The tyrant sat on a large stool. He missed Ah Bao dearly after a day apart. It was a blessing that she wasn’t hurt.

“Your Majesty, we’ve used all the water to put out the fire. I apologize, we don’t even have tea for you all. Please make do for now,” the Great Uncle said, his voice hoarse from anxiety.

Ah Bao, hearing this, quietly put a few sunflower seeds into her small pouch.

No water.

The sunflower seeds were salty, and there was no water to drink.

The tyrant looked at him speechlessly, wondering how the Duke’s residence had suddenly become so impoverished.

“Father… you’re late.”

【Ah, if only you had come a bit earlier, I could have treated you to a feast】

The tyrant thought, “…”

So close!

He could almost taste the feast prepared by his daughter. How he regretted not being able to get here sooner!

The officials tried to listen for the little princess’s thoughts but heard nothing.

Hmm.

Strange, why can’t they hear the little princess’s thoughts anymore?

The tyrant, observing closely, quickly realized what had happened.

Ah, the officials couldn’t hear his daughter’s thoughts anymore.

This meant he was now the only one who could hear his daughter’s thoughts, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

He and Ah Bao shared a heart-to-heart connection.

The usually Great Uncle’s residence was now so poorly equipped that even tea was lacking, and the officials shivered in the cold wind.

The Great Uncle tearfully saw the guests off.

Ah Bao, resting on the tyrant’s shoulder, with her bright eyes, said, “Uncle, the gate is broken.”

The Great Uncle’s mouth twitched. With only the main hall and the gate left, he vowed never to sneak the little princess away again.

Stealing the little princess once had nearly destroyed his entire residence.

“Here’s a gift for you, Uncle.” Ah Bao took out a glittering gold object from her small pouch.

The Great Uncle was dazzled by the gold. What a shiny gold piece.

Ah Bao, being such a little money lover, giving him a gold piece seemed unlikely, but this piece looked like it had complex characters?

【This is the character from my golden basin wall, imbued with my spiritual energy】

“Bury the foundation…” Ah Bao struggled to pronounce the three words.

【Uncle, make sure to bury it in the foundation of the new residence. This is a return gift for using the Duke’s residence as a ritual venue】

The tyrant glanced at the gold character the Great Uncle was holding, rolling his eyes internally. Why did his daughter give the Duke something and not him?

Even so, he didn’t want his daughter’s intentions to go to waste.

“Uncle, since your residence is no more, why not bury the gold symbol in the foundation when rebuilding? It might bring good fortune. Ah, my daughter has never given me such a gift. Uncle, you must keep it safe.”

The Great Uncle was pleased and smiled, “Thank you, little Ah Bao. I’ll take good care of it.”

Ah Bao grinned happily.

On the way, the officials whispered to each other, “Why can’t we hear the little princess’s thoughts all of a sudden?”

“Me too. It’s troubling, like losing something important in life.”

“I think the divine light effect must have worn off. I remember, three days ago, at this time, we entered the divine hall. The divine light’s effect must only last three days.”

Everyone thought this explanation made sense.

“Will there be another divine light event? Let’s try to catch it.”

“Perhaps let the little princess visit the divine hall again?”