VHBF – Chapter 28 Emperor Daddy (Part 5)

Outside Longqian Palace, a sea of people were kneeling.

The palace attendants didn’t even dare let their bodies tremble, properly bowing low to the ground.

At the forefront was none other than the Emperor’s most favored eunuch, Chief Eunuch Dou, along with all those involved from Longqian Palace to Jingyuan Palace. Not a single one was spared—every last person was forced by the guards to kneel on the ground.

The guards stood in a ring around them, holding bright silver spears that gleamed coldly in the moonlight—terrifying, as though a single order from the Emperor would see them pierced clean through.

Commander Lin stepped forward to report, “Your Majesty, the people of Huan Yue Palace have been subdued.”

Lin Yi secretly glanced at the little one dozing in the Emperor’s arms, tiny hand tightly clutching his robes even in sleep.

He continued cautiously: “The palace attendants have been dealt with, but Consort Duan…”

The man cradling the child with apparent nonchalance spoke in a deep voice: “Consort Duan harmed the imperial heir. Strip her of her title, reduce her to commoner status, and send her to keep the Empress Dowager company.”

When he was a youth, his throat had been damaged in a fire, leaving his voice hoarse and grating. Paired with the heavy, emotionless tone, the words froze the very air.

Lin Yi’s head snapped up in shock. He knew very well what was going on with that brat—the scruffy child His Majesty had picked up while traveling incognito. How on earth had she suddenly become the Emperor’s heir???

Wei Jue looked down at the small hand gripping his robe. His tone was faint, but carried undeniable weight: “My daughter, the Princess. Any objections?”

Lin Yi hurriedly shook his head. “No objections, none at all!” The Emperor’s gaze was terrifying—only a fool would dare doubt him. Who could possibly refute His Majesty’s decision? The one who tried would not even live long enough to regret it!

Lin Yi then asked how the other palace attendants should be dealt with.

The Emperor cast him a cool glance. That look alone made Lin Yi’s blood run cold. The kneeling servants seemed to sense their doom, kowtowing and begging frantically for mercy. Knowing the Emperor’s ruthless reputation—slaughtering without so much as a blink—they were surely doomed!

Crying and pleas filled the air. Some even smashed their foreheads bloody just for a chance to survive. Better beaten or expelled than to lose their lives.

Wei Jue, clearly growing impatient, furrowed his brows and was about to order Lin Yi to take them away when, just then, the little one in his arms stirred.

The child blinked groggily awake, instinctively burrowing her head against her father’s familiar chest. “Mm… Daddy,” she murmured.

The man reached out and stroked her fluffy hair. “Awake?”

His voice—raspy, metallic, almost villainous—might sound frightening to others, but to the child it was heavenly. When she’d been kidnapped and bullied, the only thought she’d clung to was that Daddy would come punish the bad guys for her.

Now, hearing his voice, she snapped fully awake. Her big round eyes filled with tears in an instant, and her little face scrunched up miserably. “Daddy!”

Like she’d finally seen her one true pillar of support, she clung to him and began bawling at the top of her lungs. The grand hall grew deathly silent, broken only by her sobs of grievance.

“Wuuu… Daddy, the bad aunty bullied Yinyin…”

Her speech was halting to begin with, but crying made it worse. She babbled about a bad aunty bullying her, about how her feet hurt…

Earlier, when Consort Duan had forced her to stand for an hour without food or water, and finally locked her in a dark room, Yinyin hadn’t cried or begged for mercy. She’d held onto the belief that Daddy would come save her.

But now that she truly saw him—and was in his arms—her bottled-up grievances came rushing out. Her tiny heart ached, and through sniffling sobs she whimpered, “Daddy… they bullied Yinyin.”

“The pretty bad aunty made Yinyin stand. She didn’t give Yinyin food, didn’t give Yinyin water. She’s so bad—she put out so many yummy things but didn’t let Yinyin eat any!”

The world was far too strange for a three-year-old who’d never seen much of it. When she’d been desperate and helpless, she’d even thought of calling the police—grown-ups weren’t allowed to bully children!

But System Uncle had told her this world had no police.

Clinging to her father’s arm, Yinyin rubbed her cheek against it like a little puppy. “And the palace sisters bullied Yinyin too!”

She tugged up her sleeve, revealing pale little arms covered in bruises. Against her lotus-like skin, the purple marks were especially jarring.

Wei Jue’s gaze lingered long on those injuries, his dark eyes unreadable.

The little one sat in his arms, tattling endlessly. When at last she was done, having vented her grievances, she gradually calmed down—though soft hiccupy sobs still escaped.

She wiped her tears, then burrowed her head shyly against him, her voice sweet and full of relief: “Yinyin knew Daddy would come save her.”

Though the man gave no reply, neither did he cast the noisy, snot-and-tear-streaked child aside. To the palace servants, this was more shocking than anything.

When had the Emperor ever tolerated anyone like this? Normally, no one could even touch his robes—yet this little wild thing had smeared his dragon robe with tears and snot!

And he simply let her.

At length, his low voice broke the silence: “Lin Yi, why are you still standing there? Deal with them.”

Then he rose, intending to leave with the child in his arms.

Realizing his life was hanging by a thread, Eunuch Dou could no longer keep his dignity. He’d misjudged badly, underestimating how much this child from outside the palace meant to the Emperor.

He kowtowed frantically. “Your Majesty! This servant was wrong—wrong to assign Little Mistress Yinyin to Jingyuan Palace, wrong to neglect her so that Consort Duan could take her away. I was wrong! Please spare me!”

Eunuch Dou had always relied on his shrewdness and competence to stay in favor, growing complacent over the years. Had he asked the Emperor before making arrangements, rather than deciding on his own, today’s disaster could have been avoided.

Lin Yi sneered coldly. “Eunuch Dou, as the saying goes, like master, like servant. Though you’re no master yourself, your underlings followed your example—disobedient, disrespectful, carelessly swapping attendants for the little princess. Jingyuan Palace has been abandoned for years, already in disrepair, and you only sent four people. The princess is three years old—how could they possibly manage?”

He looked at the four kneeling attendants—elderly, frail, crippled. Even the pampered daughters of common households had better maids, let alone the Emperor’s acknowledged princess.

Eunuch Dou’s heart filled with regret. He turned, tearful, to the Emperor’s back. Swallowing his pride, he wailed, “Little Mistress Yinyin, please have mercy! This servant will repay you by working like a beast of burden in the future!”

The other attendants quickly followed suit. They had seen clearly—the Emperor cared for the child immensely. Perhaps she was truly his blood. They banged their heads against the floor, crying, “Save us, Princess! We know our wrongs!”

Yinyin tilted her head, tugged her daddy’s collar, and asked uncertainly, “Daddy, are they calling me?”

Wei Jue looked into those clear, innocent eyes—confused yet guileless. He didn’t need to ask to know what she was thinking.

“Children shouldn’t concern themselves with such things,” he said after a pause.

But Yinyin was a polite child. Tugging at his robes, she insisted softly, “Daddy, they’re calling Yinyin. And they’re crying.”

Unable to bear others’ tears, the little girl wriggled down from his arms and toddled over on her short legs.

Her big eyes, still watery from crying, blinked at them curiously. In her soft childish voice, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

She fished in her sleeve and pulled out a clean white handkerchief, handing it to the nearest, most pitiful one—Eunuch Dou. His hands trembled as he accepted it, not daring to meet her clear, innocent gaze.

“Here, wipe it,” she said softly. “You’re bleeding. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

Having scraped her own head before, she knew how painful it was. Her voice grew gentler, as if speaking softly could lessen the pain.

Eunuch Dou clutched the pristine kerchief—it smelled faintly of the child’s milky sweetness. He dared not dirty it, yet his heart burned with shame.

He had dismissed her as a filthy beggar when she first entered the palace, failing to make proper arrangements. Yet now this little one stood before him, offering comfort.

He broke down, sobbing harder. How wretched the princess was, only three years old and suffering so cruelly at Consort Duan’s hands.

The child frowned in distress at his tears and tried to comfort him. “Yinyin hurts too, but didn’t cry. Uncle Dou is so big—you shouldn’t cry either!”

His heart turned to mush. Just as he was about to beg forgiveness from the three-year-old, that familiar icy gaze cut across him. Eunuch Dou trembled violently and quickly lowered his head.

Forcing a smile, he said, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt. Princess, please return to His Majesty’s side.”

Yinyin opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a pair of large hands plucked her up. The man’s displeased voice followed: “Lin Yi, thirty strokes each, then expel them from the palace.”

And with that, he strode away carrying her.

Behind them, the servants wept with relief as though pardoned from death. “Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Princess!”

They knew well—without the princess, they would be corpses already.

Even breaking one of the Emperor’s teacups had led to executions before. Yet they had nearly lost the princess and let her suffer!

Clearly, His Majesty treasured her beyond measure.

Lin Yi stared blankly at his Emperor’s departing figure, the child dangling in his grip like a little fish, kicking her legs and insisting, “Daddy, put me down! Yinyin hasn’t finished talking to Uncle Dou—it’s rude to leave!”

Unconsciously, Lin Yi’s lips curved. Perhaps having such a cute child wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe when he got home, he should tell his mother he’d agree to start meeting prospective brides?

Then he shook himself sharply. What was he thinking?! The real issue was—His Majesty truly saw this child as his own flesh and blood???