VHBF – Chapter 26 Emperor Daddy (Part 3)

The imperial palace of the Great Chen Dynasty followed the architectural style of the previous dynasties. The structures were built with strict, square lines—solemn and imposing, but inevitably cold and lifeless, just like the master of this palace.

The palace servants hurried about with their heads lowered, each focused on their own duties. No one dared to whisper or slack off.

Inside the Emperor Wei’s bedchamber.

The hall was quiet, but the waiting servants couldn’t help secretly exchanging glances. Just now, His Majesty had carried a child into the palace. It had already been more than half a quarter of an hour, yet no one dared believe what they had seen.

What kind of man was the current emperor of the Great Chen?

Among past rulers, there had been foolish ones, lecherous ones, brutal ones, diligent and wise ones. But none were like their emperor—cold-blooded and iron-fisted, domineering and merciless.

And yet, aside from this, one couldn’t find real fault with him. As an emperor, he governed the country of Great Chen exceedingly well. In particular, Great Chen’s military strength was unmatched, and the foreign tribes scarcely dared to invade or pillage.

Still, he could hardly be called a benevolent ruler who cherished his people. He was cold and ruthless. Forget about a three-year-old child—even a flower or a blade of grass, no matter how beautiful or delicate, would never stir his pity.

That was why, when the tall, striking man expressionlessly carried in a filthy little bundle, the servants nearly dropped their jaws. Was their emperor somehow switched with another?

The man in the black robe shifted the child into one hand, dangling her as he strode into the hall, and casually tossed her onto the carpet. He pointed at a palace maid and ordered her to take the girl away and wash her.

But it had been many years since any children had been in the palace. Naturally, there were no clothes for one either. The palace maid knelt from a distance, trying her best to suppress her trembling. “R-Replying to Your Majesty, the palace has no… no clothes that would fit such a young little miss.”

The man’s gaze on the child was deep, unfathomable, no one knew what he was thinking.

Eunuch Dou hurriedly stepped forward, pulling the maid away. “If there are none, then think of a way! What’s the use telling His Majesty this? You think the Emperor can conjure clothes out of thin air? Go fetch some finer fabrics and alter a few outfits smaller for the little miss to wear.”

The maid quickly agreed, but couldn’t resist glancing back into the hall. Could such a young child be… His Majesty’s own blood?

The little dumpling squirmed uneasily under her daddy’s gaze. At first she had been delighted, waving her chubby hands to be picked up. But after a while, she grew awkward and fidgeted with her small body. “Da-Da-Da…”

Nervousness turned her “daddy” back into just “Da.”

The man said nothing as he stood, his figure towering over eight chi. The little dumpling didn’t even reach his thigh. Tilting her head back, her large round eyes followed his every move.

When Eunuch Dou entered, he happened upon this scene and couldn’t help but secretly smile before stepping forward. “Your Majesty, would you like to take a bath?”

The little dumpling blinked in confusion and whispered, “Uncle System, what does ‘bath’ mean?”

The system nearly went mad. “Bath! Bath, it means washing up! You’re so filthy you’ve already dirtied your daddy’s robes!”

Yinyin lowered her head, glancing at the tattered rags she wore. She tugged gently at her daddy’s robe hem with her small hand, giving it two soft tugs, her milky voice sweetly pleading,  “Yinyin also wants a bath!”

The man cast her a cold, indifferent look and told the maid to carry her away. “Fine.” A single, curt word.

The dumpling: “…”

Nestled in the maid’s arms, she sighed gloomily. “Uncle System, you were right. Daddy really does dislike me for being dirty.”

She pouted, lips puffed out. Always honest and impulsive before her daddy, she cupped her hands around her mouth and suddenly called out, “Daddy, wait for Yinyin to come back all clean and white!”

Her childish voice added, “Once I’m all clean and white, Daddy must like me!”

The maid nearly dropped the little girl from shock. Calling the infamous tyrant of Great Chen “Daddy”? And in such a spoiled, shameless way too? This child must be out of her mind!

But then again, if she weren’t his own flesh and blood, why else would His Majesty bring a child back to the palace? He was hardly the type to like children.

With His Majesty’s temperament, he would only see a child as noisy, ignorant, useless, and bothersome.

One need only look at the men under his command. In His Majesty’s eyes, the world contained only two kinds of people: useful, and useless.

If you were useless, no matter how small or cute you were, you would never catch his interest. Worse, if you annoyed him, losing your life would be nothing out of the ordinary.

The maid stopped in her tracks, trembling but not daring to raise her head, awaiting His Majesty’s judgment.

Even if His Majesty didn’t punish her, Eunuch Dou surely would.

The tall man paused. After a moment, he gave a low, hoarse reprimand, his tone indifferent,  “Noisy.”

The maid, quick to read faces, saw that the emperor said no more after that. She hastily carried the little dumpling away.

Once the hall was empty, Eunuch Dou stepped forward, bowing as he asked, “Your Majesty, this little miss you brought back is…?”

The man lowered his gaze. “Convenience.”

Eunuch Dou only thought the emperor was bored and had brought back a little pet for amusement. He didn’t take it seriously and suggested, “This child is still young, ignorant of rules and etiquette. Shall this servant arrange for a governess to teach her?”

The man was silent for a long time before finally uttering one word: “Fine.”

What disappointed little Yinyin was that, even though she obediently bathed until she was squeaky clean, when she came back, she still didn’t see her daddy’s figure—much less receive her daddy’s love and praise.

The little dumpling was dressed in a pink palace dress. Since there were no children in the palace, this hastily made outfit wasn’t particularly exquisite or luxurious, but on her, it looked exceptionally adorable.

Yinyin had never worn such a complicated and long skirt before. She kept fidgeting, tugging awkwardly at the hem with her little hands.

Xiaoliu, the young palace maid serving her, was a diehard lover of all things cute. Her hands itched as she coaxed the little dumpling, “Little Miss, how about this servant ties your hair for you?”

The little one’s messy hair had already been washed clean. Her fine, soft strands were short and sparse, and they dried quickly after a light rub.

She quickly covered her head with her hands. “No!”

“Daddy has to tie my hair into braids!”

The maid pulled a bitter face. “Please don’t call him that—he must be addressed as His Majesty!”

“Daddy!”

“It’s His Majesty!”

The little dumpling grew furious. Everyone kept saying her daddy wasn’t her daddy. Puffing up her freshly scrubbed, tender cheeks, she stressed earnestly, “This big sister—Daddy is my daddy!”

Maid Xiaoliu: “…”

As the sun was about to set, the palace maid ran to the imperial study and found Eunuch Dou.  “Chief Eunuch, the little miss won’t stop crying and clamoring to see His Majesty. What should we do?”

She added, “And where should we settle her for the night?”

There was no shortage of palaces in the imperial compound, but for a three-year-old child, it was impossible to leave her alone. If she was of little importance, assigning a few eunuchs and maids to watch over her would suffice—it all depended on the emperor’s intentions.

Eunuch Dou thought for a moment. Remembering His Majesty’s calm, indifferent tone—no different from usual—other than personally carrying the child back, there was no sign of any particular meaning behind it.

So he said, “His Majesty is busy right now. Just arrange for her to stay in Jingyuan Palace.”

Jingyuan Palace wasn’t far from Longqian Palace, where the emperor resided, but it had long been vacant, with few attendants ever passing by.

Years ago, a concubine in the harem had some screw loose. While other concubines were terrified of the emperor and avoided him at all costs, she somehow had the audacity to waylay him late at night, trying to seduce him.

Later, it was said the emperor cut her down with a single sword. Since he hadn’t been accompanied by anyone that night, no one knew exactly what had happened. Rumors said she died a miserable death right at the gates of Jingyuan Palace.

That place happened to be on the path between the imperial study and Longqian Palace. The next morning, many were horrified by the scene, and from then on, no one dared take that route—except the emperor himself.

Eunuch Dou, of course, didn’t believe those rumors. He knew exactly what had happened. She had simply been an assassin, dispatched by the emperor without ceremony. Could anyone expect her a proper burial?

He didn’t dwell on it and casually assigned the little girl to that palace.

After giving his instructions, he waved his horsetail whisk. “Don’t disturb His Majesty unnecessarily. The northern kingdom is stirring; His Majesty is extremely busy.”

He pointed out two young eunuchs and two second-class maids. “You go and serve the little miss.”

It was a casual arrangement, and from his tone, there was no sign of special treatment. If the child were truly important—or if her identity was extraordinary—surely she wouldn’t be sent to Jingyuan Palace with only four attendants.

And since Eunuch Dou was His Majesty’s trusted aide—always carrying out his wishes—it was natural to assume this was also the emperor’s will.

After the maid left, the four attendants assigned to the girl exchanged looks and reached the same conclusion: Serving some mysterious little brat had no future! No prospects at all.

So, that very evening, the attendants were replaced by another group:

• An old eunuch with sluggish movements and a crippled body.
• A scrawny eunuch who looked like a gust of wind could blow him away.
• A palace maid so fat she resembled a pig.
• And an old nursemaid with a ruined face.

The old nursemaid had a backstory. When the emperor was still young, she had once helped him in a small way, which allowed her to survive later upheavals in the palace.

Someone of her age and disfigurement should have long been dismissed from the palace. But with that sliver of favor, she managed to live on safely.

Yet she was so old, so hideous, and so frightening that no one wanted to work with her. The emperor wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters, so she was ostracized, nearly relegated to the laundry bureau.

And the laundry bureau was sheer misery—hands soaked in cold water all year, endlessly scrubbing clothes. Even the young could hardly endure it, let alone an aged old woman.

So when she was told she would now serve a three-year-old child, even if she had been forced into it, she didn’t resist. After all, tending to a little one was far better than the laundry!

At that moment, the little dumpling was sitting on the floor. Her short legs couldn’t cross properly, so she sprawled them out on the carpet. The maid introduced the group: “Little Miss, this is Nanny Wan, this is Maid Qiao’er, this is Eunuch Lin…”

She paused, then pointed to the sickly, frail eunuch who looked like a puff of wind could topple him. “And this is Wuming.”

The little dumpling, who had just been fussing about wanting to see Daddy, was now distracted by the odd new group. She stared at them with wide, curious eyes.

The little one sat on the only freshly laid carpet in the hall. Her clear, round eyes sparkled as she looked at them—like a kitten blinking innocently—melting hearts at first glance.

The four of them glanced once, then quickly looked away. “Greetings, Little Miss.”

Not knowing what title to use, they settled on “Little Miss.”

Yinyin didn’t understand what that meant. Not wanting to make the same silly mistakes she had earlier, she asked her system: “System Uncle, what does ‘Little Miss’ mean?”

The system thought for a moment, then hesitated, “Uh… it probably means the daughter of your daddy. Your daddy is the emperor, the master of the whole palace. He’s the big master, and you’re the Little Miss. Sounds right.”

Hearing this, the little dumpling’s tiny heart bubbled with joy. She declared, “System Uncle, I like this title!”

So when the aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters before her called her “Little Miss,” Yinyin was delighted. She flashed them a sweet smile and greeted them with a soft, milky voice: “Hello everyone!”

The sight of the tiny pink dumpling waving and greeting so sweetly could melt anyone’s heart. But the four acted as if they hadn’t seen it, lowering their heads and getting to work.

Jingyuan Palace had been uninhabited for a long time. It was desolate, cobwebs hanging everywhere, and thick dust covering the furniture. Cleaning it thoroughly was no easy task, so they focused on tidying a small side hall to give the child a place to sleep for the night.

Each of the four attendants had their flaws. Qiao’er, though fat, was capable—but got hungry easily. Once hunger struck, she stopped working.

The other three were either old, frail, or too small. Their cleaning was painfully slow, like a few turtles crawling around.

By the time they finally finished tidying the palace inside and out—

They turned back, only to find that the obedient little dumpling sitting there earlier was gone!!!

At the gates of Jingyuan Palace—

A patch of shrubbery was rustling suspiciously. Inside crouched the little dumpling, her wide eyes staring unblinkingly at the outside world. “System Uncle, can Daddy really come this way?”

The system’s voice wavered, “M-maybe?”