VHBF – Chapter 24 Emperor Daddy (Part 1)

It had already been three days.

The ministers knelt on the floor, sneaking glances out of the corners of their eyes at the little dumpling hanging in the emperor’s arms. Their lips twitched, their faces shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors, and the sight was truly something to behold.

Three days ago, His Majesty had somehow picked up a little filthy bundle. According to Commander Lin, who had personally witnessed the scene, the child looked utterly pitiful when she was found.

She was grimy all over like a little beggar, her hair in messy knots, thin and small, lost in the crowd. Her pair of disproportionately large eyes, made all the bigger by her skinny frame, looked around in confusion. As Commander Lin described it, “She was so ugly, even kidnappers probably wouldn’t bother stealing her!”

At that time, the emperor had been traveling incognito. The dirty little dumpling suddenly darted out of nowhere, grabbed hold of his thigh, tilted her head back, and grinned foolishly. Her voice, unexpectedly sweet and soft, called out:

“Daddy!”

Commander Lin hadn’t understood what “Daddy” meant. He figured the wise and mighty emperor probably hadn’t understood either. His Majesty, who was notoriously fastidious to the point of obsession, froze in shock.

His first reaction wasn’t to shake off the filthy child, nor to order her killed on the spot, but rather to frown and ask:

“Dad… dy?”

The little girl raised her head. From her blackened face shone a pair of bright, clear eyes. Looking at him with pure admiration, she said,

“Even though Daddy’s hair has grown long, Yinyin didn’t forget you!”

What happened afterward was something Commander Lin could hardly bear to recall.

Following closely behind, he had seen the emperor’s brows tighten further at those words. Just when Commander Lin thought the child would surely be killed on the spot, His Majesty reached out his clean, long, noble hand and tore the dumpling from his leg.

“Move aside,” he said.

The child, pushed away, sat there stunned. The tall man had already turned to leave, striding four or five steps ahead. She didn’t cry. Instead, with her short little legs pattering, she chased after him.

“Daddy, Daddy, wait for me!”

“Daddy, don’t you want Yinyin anymore?”

Her milky little voice, tinged with a faint nasal sound, echoed behind them. Commander Lin glanced back and saw the dumpling struggling—her legs too short to close even a few steps’ distance quickly.

On the bustling street, the tiny child trailed after, swallowed up by the crowd of adults towering above her. She wasn’t even as tall as their thighs. In the blink of an eye, she nearly disappeared among them.

Commander Lin, a hardened iron-blooded man, couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. After hesitating a moment, he finally said, “Your Majesty? That… child is still chasing behind.”

It wasn’t that Commander Lin was careless. The emperor’s martial prowess was unmatched, and besides, how could such a small, starved-looking child—who clearly hadn’t eaten properly in a long while—possibly be an assassin?

But the emperor gave no response. His face, sharp-edged and incomparably handsome, remained utterly expressionless. His steady footsteps carried on, neither fast nor slow.

Commander Lin’s heart sank. He wished he could slap himself. Why meddle in what’s none of your business? Now you’ve made His Majesty displeased—don’t you want to live anymore?

Commander Lin, as commander of the imperial guards and a favored attendant of the emperor, didn’t claim to know His Majesty fully, but he knew him at least a little.

The emperor had ascended the throne as a boy. At ten years old, when his own mother, the empress dowager, tried to seize power for her family, the young emperor had responded with cold calculation. In a deadly trap of his making, he captured his maternal uncle. Right there in court, in front of all the ministers, the boy emperor—barely ten—personally severed his uncle’s head without blinking an eye.

Blood sprayed three feet high, splattering across his young body. Cold and merciless, he terrified the officials. Several fainted on the spot; some even wet themselves.

Those who didn’t faint lived with nightmares afterward. Many ministers reported sick and skipped court, leaving the grand hall unusually empty for days.

And it hadn’t ended there. The emperor’s own mother, the empress dowager, had been stripped of power and confined to the deep palace ever since. No one could go in, no one could come out—cut off from the sun.

From then on, the emperor had never smiled again.

His rule grew increasingly iron-fisted, brooking no opposition. Even his closest advisors were little more than puppets. At times, he seemed to kill simply for amusement.

Commander Lin sometimes suspected that His Majesty no longer regarded people as human at all…

So how could such a ruthless ruler care about a filthy little thing that had dirtied his dragon robe?

While Commander Lin drifted into these thoughts, the little dumpling, as if blessed by heaven, caught up. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her “Daddy,” and she charged forward like a tiny cannonball, crashing into his leg.

Bounced back by the impact, she landed on her bottom. Yet she tilted her head back with a silly grin and reassured him,

“Hehe, it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt! Daddy, I’m not hurt at all.”

Commander Lin: “…”

The man turned his head, gaze cold and indifferent—like a beast in slumber, utterly devoid of emotion. His presence was lofty, godlike, carved of stone.

“Don’t follow me again.”

His voice was unlike that of ordinary men. Though he was beautiful as a celestial being, his voice was low, rough, and hoarse, like a broken bellows or a rusted chain being dragged. Not pleasant at all—in fact, terrifying.

Commander Lin lowered his head to his sword, gripping the hilt tightly. If this dirty child cries and bothers His Majesty, what should I do? Offer my sword? Or stop His Majesty from committing another sin?

A shiver ran through him. Better to save my own life!

But the dumpling wasn’t frightened. She blinked, got back up, and once again hugged his leg. She even rubbed her filthy face against his robe.

When she saw the dark smudge she left, her chubby little face flushed red. Rubbing revealed unexpectedly fair, tender skin beneath. Still guilty, she clung tightly to his leg.

“Da… Daddy…”

Yinyin lowered her head, her voice soft and uncertain, tinged with grievance.

“I… I’m scared.”

“Everyone here is so strange. Their hair is long, they wear so many clothes. Yinyin doesn’t know anyone at all.”

“Please don’t leave Yinyin behind…”

The emperor’s fingers twitched. His gaze fell on her messy black hair—soft strands knotted and tangled from neglect.

“Your Majesty?”

Wei Jue suddenly came back to himself, turned, and walked away again.

Commander Lin silently counted how long it would take before the little dumpling chased after them again.

But he waited, and waited… and she never came. After chasing them for so long, had she finally given up?

Looking back, he saw nothing but the endless stream of people. The scrawny, dirty dumpling was nowhere to be found.

He sighed. “Could she have been snatched by kidnappers?”

“Tsk, she’s so filthy and thin—would kidnappers even want her?”

He mulled it over, not noticing that His Majesty’s steps had faltered briefly before resuming in longer strides.

The next day, after court, master and servant left the palace again.

There had been reports that the crown prince of the northern kingdom had secretly entered Great Chen in disguise. His motives were unknown.

None in the court knew the northern crown prince’s face, but His Majesty, who had seen him years ago and possessed a flawless memory, went out incognito himself to investigate.

At least, that was the official reason. Commander Lin, however, doubted his emperor feared anyone—least of all a foreign prince. Why, then, was he going through the trouble? Could it be that His Majesty simply wanted a breath of air? Commander Lin didn’t dare speculate. He just followed like a shadow.

Xiyuan’s restaurant was the largest in Chang’an, bustling with guests at midday. The fragrance of dishes wafted out, famous for their color, aroma, and taste. Ordinary folk joked that even across the street, the aroma alone was enough to make one eat an extra two bowls of rice.

At the door, a few beggars stood with bowls. Sometimes, desperate ones would rush forward to beg.

A diner near the entrance, seemingly out of kindness or perhaps amusement, casually tossed over a half-eaten chicken leg, sparking a scramble among the beggars.

The customer laughed until the shop boy hurried over to chase them off. “Go, go, go! Do you belong here? If you offend a noble, not even your worthless life can pay for it!”

The shop boy’s harsh scolding made a little head peek out from behind the stone lion at the entrance. She clapped a hand over her mouth and whispered,

“So fierce!”

Compared to yesterday, the dumpling was much cleaner now. Her delicate, adorable little face could finally be seen. Her small hands were freshly washed, though her hair was still a matted mess she didn’t know how to tie.

“That uncle is a good person. He gave them chicken! But that shop boy is bad!”

The system sneered, “Little cub, someone who gives chicken isn’t necessarily good. Someone who scolds harshly isn’t necessarily bad.”

“Wh-why?”

The system told her to keep watching.

Sure enough, when the busy shop boy was called away again, the two beggars crept back. Fawning, they flattered the customer, only to be kicked over.

This customer, clearly a wealthy merchant, had his attendants drag the beggars out and beat them soundly before spitting on them.

“Pathetic! You think our master really cares about you? That chicken leg was just for fun. You dare stick to us like dogs? When the master isn’t pleased, that’s when you get beaten!”

Yinyin’s eyes went wide in fright, shrinking behind the stone lion. “Th-they’re so mean…”

The system, silent until now, finally said, “See that? The shop boy knew the truth, that’s why he chased them off. Sometimes, you can’t just look at appearances—you have to see the heart.”

Its heartfelt lecture went straight into a child’s ears, and the little dumpling’s eyes sparkled.

“So yesterday, Daddy wasn’t rejecting me, right?”

“He’s really fierce, really scary… but it must be because he loves Yinyin!”

“Just like that big brother—he looks mean, but he was only trying to help!”

She cupped her face, glowing with joy. “Daddy must also be doing it for my own good. I should be understanding!”

System: “…”

Hopeless! This little human cub was truly a loyal bootlicker for her villainous “Daddy.” Her self-brainwashing was so powerful that even a top-ranking, handsome, genius system like itself couldn’t undo it!

For beggars, beatings were nothing unusual. The two quickly staggered away together.

The system tried one last time. “Little cub, do you see? If you can’t gain your daddy’s favor, you’ll end up like them—hungry, beaten, and abandoned! And here, you must call him ‘die’ (father), not ‘daddy’!”

The dumpling nodded, then tilted her head. “System uncle, you’re wrong about one thing—Daddy does love me.”

“Mm… Daddy loves me!”

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up. She pointed at a tall man in black robes about to step into the restaurant.

“Daddy Daddy!”

System: “…”

_{Awww, our cute and dirty yinyin. Look how cute she is. I love her so much already in this new ancient history arc. When in story she is fattened up again by her emperor father, I will attach another picture.}