SBCEJM -Chapter 28 Digging Deep into the Empress — So the Emperor-and-Empress CP Was a Childhood-Raising Romance?!

The Emperor’s line of “Court dismissed if there’s nothing else” ultimately failed to come true.

The officials who had just been craning their necks, eagerly waiting for more gossip, instantly straightened their expressions and switched back into “court session mode.”

One by one, they stood solemnly and listened attentively.

Then discussions resumed over matters like borderland military farming and autumn tax reductions, everyone once again arguing passionately and spraying spit everywhere.

Standing in the ranks, Feng Zexuan was so sleepy her head kept bobbing like a pecking chick.

【Sigh, what a waste of excitement. I thought we’d get off work early today.】

【Turns out I was dreaming. Our Emperor really is a workaholic boss devoted to his job.】

On the dragon throne, Xiao Juechen’s jawline—which had been tense enough to cramp—finally relaxed slightly.

At least this Feng Zekai still had some sense.

The affairs of a nation are countless. Host should listen and learn more so you may share His Majesty’s burdens! the system declared in its mechanically enthusiastic tone.

【Give me a break. I just want to lie flat and be a salted fish. Listening to state affairs makes my brain hurt.】

【Boring. Give me a fresh scandal!】

Feng Zexuan’s curiosity toward Empress Liu—the woman capable of “forcing herself onto the Emperor”—had reached explosive levels.

【System, hurry up and dig deep into Empress Liu! This lady sounds fierce as hell. I need to properly inspect the goods!】

Instantly, every official in court perked up their ears longer than donkey ears.

It’s here! It’s here!

Lord Feng’s “Imperial Gossip Lecture Hall” was getting an extra session!

On the dragon throne, the veins at Xiao Juechen’s temples throbbed wildly.

Inspect what goods?!

That’s my Empress! Since when do you get to inspect her?!

The Minister of Revenue, who had been speaking passionately moments ago, unconsciously lowered his volume by several degrees and slowed his pace, terrified that he might accidentally interfere with everyone’s gossip session.

At the front, Feng Huai’an’s vision went black, his blood pressure shooting straight to the heavens.

My little ancestor! You just offended His Majesty half to death, and now you’re planning to dig into the Empress’s underwear too?

Even exterminating nine generations of our Feng family probably won’t satisfy His Majesty anymore…

【You got it, Host!】 the system replied eagerly. 【The hot gossip package “The Tiger General’s Granddaughter and the Crybaby Emperor” is now served fresh and guaranteed juicy!】

Xiao Juechen: “???”

Cry… crybaby?

【Empress Liu’s given name is Mengli. She’s the legitimate granddaughter of former Grand General Liu Qing—a true tiger daughter of a military family.】

【The Liu family controls one-third of Great Xia’s military power. When General Liu stomps his foot in the army, even the imperial capital shakes.】

【Ever since childhood, this Empress preferred weapons over makeup. She grew up training in military camps beside her grandfather and developed formidable martial skills. Ordinary men couldn’t get within arm’s reach of her.】

【Whoa, she’s that cool? No wonder she managed to handle the Emperor!】

Feng Zexuan even let out a rogue whistle in her mind.

Xiao Juechen felt as though an invisible hand had ripped the skin clean off his face and thrown it onto the palace floor for repeated trampling and grinding!

【Speaking of which, these two were childhood sweethearts!】

【Back when His Majesty was young, his birth mother was only a neglected palace maid. He himself was practically invisible in the palace—everyone could step on him.】

【The princes and princesses disliked him, and even eunuchs and maids dared bully him.】

【At the time, His Majesty was a fragile little weakling with zero combat ability. Whenever he got bullied badly, he’d hide behind the fake mountains in the imperial garden and cry by himself, bawling his eyes out.】

【Pfft… bawling his eyes out?】

Feng Zexuan nearly snorted like a pig from laughter.

【Who would’ve thought the current decisive and awe-inspiring Son of Heaven used to be this kind of whimpering little crybaby character?】

【This contrast… I ship it!】

Whim… whimpering…

Xiao Juechen’s handsome face had already darkened into the color of a pot bottom.

The officials all kept their heads lowered desperately, wishing they could transform into turtles and stuff their heads inside their court robes, not daring to breathe loudly.

It’s over. His Majesty’s about to draw his sword. He’s really about to draw his sword!

But… damn it, this was genuinely hilarious! They couldn’t hold it in anymore!

【One time, six-year-old Liu Mengli entered the palace with her grandfather and happened to see several young eunuchs ganging up on our little crybaby Emperor—shoving him around and flicking his forehead.】

【Our Empress Liu exploded on the spot! Without another word, she sent a flying kick over—splash, splash, splash! Like dumplings dropping into boiling water, she kicked all those eunuchs straight into the lotus pond!】

【Then she walked up to the crying little prince with tears and snot all over his face, looked at those watery peach blossom eyes of his, ruffled his head messily with her tiny hands, and declared domineeringly: “Hey, crybaby! From now on, I’ll protect you!”】

【Wow! Beauty saving the hero! A raising-romance trope! Younger wolf-dog boyfriend paired with a domineering older sister! I hereby lock this CP forever!】

Inside Feng Zexuan’s head, a ten-thousand-word fanfiction essay had already begun writing itself.

Yet on the dragon throne, Xiao Juechen had frozen completely.

That murderous aura which had nearly burst forth and overturned the entire hall was forcibly pressed back down by this sudden memory.

Dust-covered scenes split open once more.

That scorching afternoon…

That little girl with two tiny hair buns, fierce like a baby tiger, standing in front of him and driving away everyone who bullied him…

So… it was her!

He had actually forgotten something so important!

【Unfortunately, fairy tales in adulthood are always stained with transactions,】 the system sighed softly as its tone shifted.

【He needed the Liu family’s military power to ascend the throne.】

【She, meanwhile, willingly threw herself into the deep palace cage just to preserve the heartbeat she felt from that fleeting childhood moment.】

【And so what looked like a match made in heaven became a political marriage.】

【He truly did rely on the Liu family’s influence, stepping over the corpses of his brothers to climb onto the supreme throne.】

【But how did he repay her?】

【To balance court factions, he filled the palace with consorts—today promoting a Noble Consort, tomorrow bringing in another beauty, stuffing the harem full of pretty women. Wasn’t that just deliberately making life miserable for the Empress?】

【Hah, men!】

Feng Zexuan’s inner voice overflowed with disdain.

【Crossing the river and then tearing down the bridge. Using her family background and feelings, then turning around to embrace beauties left and right. If this isn’t a scumbag, then what is?】

【Judgment complete!】

【He’s basically a rotten cucumber—golden and shiny on the outside, but rotten to the core inside!】

“BOOM—!”

That inner thought struck Xiao Juechen’s mind like heavenly thunder.

Exploded.

He completely exploded.

He, the chosen Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler of the realm—

Had actually been compared by his own subject, in his mind no less, to something so vulgar and disgraceful!

A rotten cucumber?!

This was an earth-shattering humiliation!

An uncontrollable bloodthirsty fury erupted from his chest and surged straight to his head!

Feng!

Ze!

Kai!

I will exterminate your nine generations!

I will tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!!!

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Feng Huai’an’s heavy court robes. His knees nearly buckled on the spot.

It’s over. Completely over!

The Feng family was doomed today!

Just as the killing intent thickened into something almost tangible, when everyone in the hall thought blood would splash across the floor in the next second—

Feng Zexuan’s inner voice drifted out again faintly.

【Sigh… though, to be fair, it’s no wonder the Empress is hopelessly devoted to him…】

【That face really is top-tier divine beauty.】

【Sword-like brows, starry eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips slightly pursed—he looks like he was sculpted according to Nuwa’s graduation project.】

【Even now that he’s older, he’s still a mature handsome man whose looks enrage both gods and mortals alike.】

【If I were the Empress, staring at that face every day… I’d probably tolerate it too.】

The icy, suffocating killing intent that had nearly solidified abruptly jammed to a halt, like someone had seized it by the throat.

Xiao Juechen… subconsciously raised a hand and touched his incomparably handsome face.

Indeed… I am peerlessly handsome.

All the officials: “……”

They learned something today! Truly learned something!

So this was the proper way to flatter someone—taking sudden twists and turns before hitting straight into the heart!

If insults should stab the heart, then praise should too!

Feng Huai’an had only just started to relax when his rebellious child’s inner voice rang out once more—