Chapter 3: The Tyrant’s Little Lucky Star

The tyrant furrowed his brows. “Ah Bao is too frail; it’s not suitable for her to be raised in the Cold Palace…”

Concubine De panicked upon hearing this, thinking the emperor was going to take Ah Bao away.

“Your Majesty, don’t worry, I will take good care of Ah Bao.”

“You are Ah Bao’s mother. If Ah Bao cannot stay in the Cold Palace, then naturally, you cannot either.”

Concubine De was astonished.

“Move back to Yihe Palace,” the tyrant said before leaving with his entourage.

And just like that, on the very first day after giving birth to the Tenth Princess, Concubine De was released from the Cold Palace and returned to Yihe Palace.

People began to gossip, saying that as the legitimate daughter of the Grand General’s household, Concubine De must indeed have exceptional skills.

After eight months in the Cold Palace, she managed to get the emperor himself to bring her out!

…

Qixiang Palace

“Your Highness, Your Highness—”

Concubine Li was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, meticulously choosing from an array of hairpins of various sizes.

“Chun’er, why are you so flustered?”

“Your Highness, the emperor just came out of the Cold Palace and stormed back to the Yangxin Palace.”

A smile spread across Concubine Li’s face. “That wretch Concubine De must be crying her heart out now. And that little brat of hers, did they drown her in the lotus pond?

No, I must dress up nicely today and go see my poor, fragile sister Concubine De, who has just suffered the loss of her daughter.”

“It’s not like that, Your Highness…”

“Quick, tell me which hairpin looks best on me. This one is too thin, not attractive enough. Yes, this one—this is the one the emperor just gifted me a few days ago…”

“Wah—Your Highness, Concubine De has already returned to Yihe Palace with the little princess in her arms. You can’t go to the Cold Palace; you’ll have to visit Yihe Palace instead.”

“What did you say?”

Chun’er: “It seems that Lord Li was also thrown into the dungeon by the emperor, and now he’s being interrogated at the Ministry of Justice. And for some reason, the emperor pardoned Concubine De and released her from the Cold Palace.”

Crash!

The large, golden hairpin in Concubine Li’s hand fell to the ground.

“Didn’t you say the emperor was furious?”

“Yes, furious—furiously dealing with Lord Li.”

Concubine Li slapped Chun’er across the face. “Idiot! Why do you always speak in half-sentences? Why not finish in one breath?”

Li Yuqing had been thrown into the dungeon, and in a place like the Ministry of Justice, where neither humans nor ghosts dared to linger, they would surely soon uncover all of Li Yuqing’s secrets.

This was a disaster!

A total disaster!

They hadn’t managed to take down Concubine De, they hadn’t killed the little princess, and instead, they had sent Li Yuqing straight to prison.

What kind of mess was this?

“Is the emperor really ignoring the prophecy about the celestial signs? That little princess is supposed to be a disaster star.”

“According to the people under me, the emperor is very fond of the little princess. He held her for a long time and didn’t want to give her back to Concubine De.”

He wished he could keep her close to him all the time, like a personal accessory.

He even personally gave the little princess her name.”

With every word Chun’er spoke, Concubine Li felt more and more heartbroken.

Each word was like a stab to the heart!

…

The Ministry of Justice acted with remarkable speed.

And since Li Yuqing was a coward, he confessed everything as soon as they started using torture during the interrogation.

In the imperial study, the tyrant was reviewing memorials when he saw a confidential report, marked with red words, presented by Lord Zuo of the Ministry of Justice.

As he read through the contents, the tyrant’s handsome brows furrowed deeply.

“It’s exactly as Ah Bao said.”

It turned out that Li Yuqing had indeed bought his way into his position.

The investigation into the matter of buying official positions uncovered the involvement of two court ministers.

Even more crucially, Li Yuqing had become so audacious that he entangled himself with the affairs of the imperial harem.

He had even formed a connection with Concubine Li.

After Concubine De gave birth, Concubine Li grew restless, leading to Li Yuqing’s memorial that fabricated the disaster star story, taking advantage of a thunderstorm on a clear day.

Over the past few days, the tyrant had recovered from his initial shock.

He could hear his daughter’s inner thoughts.

Little Ah Bao not only retained memories from a past life but could also foresee the future.

A disaster star?

She was more like a little lucky star sent by the heavens to save the Tiansheng Dynasty from its doom.

The tyrant’s heart, usually so hard, ached at the thought that he had almost believed Li Yuqing’s lies and drowned little Ah Bao.

‘Snap’—the tyrant closed the report.

Concubine Li still had her uses, so he would let her live a little longer.

But as for the other two ministers, hmph!

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen little Ah Bao in a few days.”

He couldn’t deny that he missed Ah Bao a bit.

“Prepare to head to Yihe Palace,” the tyrant ordered, standing up as Eunuch Xi approached to assist him.

The tyrant paused for a moment, “Oh, and let’s stop by the national treasury first.”

He hadn’t yet given Ah Bao a gift to celebrate her birth.

Eunuch Xi, who had served the tyrant for many years, understood his intentions perfectly. “Your Majesty, are you planning to personally select a gift for the Tenth Princess?”

“In the past, I just handed out a gold locket for the other princes and princesses at their births.

But Ah Bao is the youngest; I can’t just give her something so simple.”

Eunuch Xi smiled and bowed his head, “Your Majesty truly dotes on the Tenth Princess.”

This was the first time he had seen the emperor so invested in any of his offspring.

“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, someone has already taken care of the gift.”

“Hmm?”

“Yesterday, Taoist Baiyun came by. Your Majesty was busy with state affairs and couldn’t meet with him, but he left something behind for you.”

Eunuch Xi signaled to the other eunuchs, who promptly carried a large chest into the imperial study.

When the tyrant opened it, a flash of golden light burst out.

Inside, there was also a letter.

It was clearly a letter from Taoist Baiyun addressed to the Emperor of Tiansheng, explaining the contents of the box.

The tyrant looked at the large box and laughed heartily.

Taoist Baiyun and the tyrant had been friends for twenty years, and they had become close friends over the years.

Taoist Baiyun often traveled, appearing and disappearing without notice, so it was unexpected that he would come to the palace so soon after Ah Bao’s birth.

…

Yihe Palace.

“Your Highness, the Emperor has come to our Yihe Palace and brought a large chest, saying it’s a gift for the Tenth Princess’s birth.”

Concubine De quickly stood up, preparing to receive him.

But she still held Ah Bao tightly in her arms, unwilling to put her down for even a moment.

Though she had two sons before Ah Bao, sons just didn’t provide the same warmth and closeness as a daughter did. She remembered that she hadn’t been this attached to her sons after their births.

Sometimes it’s not just the child who can’t bear to be apart from their parent; it’s also the parent who can’t bear to let go.

After Ah Bao had her fill and slept soundly, she vaguely heard Zhilan mentioning a box and a birth gift.

She had just woken up, still a bit groggy, but hearing Zhilan’s words made her instantly alert.