Chapter 24

It's been three days.

The ministers kneeled on the ground and Yu Guang secretly glanced at the little dumping in the emperor's arms. The emperor's mouth was drawn straight, his face was complex, but he looked handsome anyways.

Three days ago, the emperor picked up a small dumpling. According to the guards who witnessed the incident, the child looked very miserable.

Dirty like a beggar, with dry hair tied up in a knot, thin and small, mixed in the crowd. The child's eyes appeared particularly large as they looked blankly around. According to Master Lin's words, that ugly beggar could be a little thief.

That day, the emperor passed in front of her and the little dumpling, that jumped from god-knows-where, rushed over to hug the emperor's thigh while grinning. Her voice was unexpectedly nice and tender:" Daddy!"

What did 'daddy' mean? Masten Lin couldn't understand it. The emperor, who was much wiser and mightier, also couldn't understand it.

His first reaction was, surprisingly, not to throw the dirty dumpling away or order her blood to be splashed on the spot, but frown and ask: "Daddy?"

The little girl looked up, her face revealed a pair of big dark eyes that looked at him in admiration: "Although Daddy changed his hair, YinYin didn't forget him!"

What happened later, Master Lin couldn't believe his eyes.

He followed the emperor's movement and, after the emperor heard those words, his tight brows didn't lose. When Master Lin thought that the dumpling's blood was about to be splattered on the ground, the emperor stretched out his clean hand and lifted the dirty dumpling from his leg.

"Get out," he said.

After the dumpling was pushed away, she stumbled for a while. The tall man turned around and left, but only walked four or five steps away. The dumpling didn't cry but, instead, chased him with short legs.

"Dad, dad, wait for me!"

"Daddy, why aren't you talking?"

A low milky voice was heard behind him, accompanied by a small, almost imperceptible nasal sound that made Master Lin look back. The dumpling's legs were too short and, even if it was five or fix steps, it took a while for the kid to catch up to them.

People came and went on the street and a small group of children was playing around, surrounded by adults. That child was not tall enough and was soon drowned in the crowd.

Master Lin, a steel man, felt his heartache. After a moment looking at it, he couldn't bear it anymore and spoke: "Your Imperial Majesty? That child is still chasing after Your Majesty."

Master Lin is not defenseless and neither the emperor's physical power is low. This is to say, even if the dirty dumpling has some bad intentions, the child doesn't have enough power to do anything to them.

That child was too thin and small. It looks like it's been a long time since she had a good meal.

Hearing that, the frontman was not shaken at all. The sharp and beautiful face was indifferent and didn't move even a strand of hair. His steps also continued large and rhythmic, neither fast nor slow.

Master Lin was bitter for not getting an answer. He wanted to slap himself, why didn't you worry about your own business? How is this alright? It has caused the emperor to reject you. Do you want to fix it?

Master Lin, as the leader of the guardsmen, is also a great figure in the emperor's eyes. He dare not say how well he knew the emperor, but he had two or three points with him.

The emperor was a teenager who, at the age of ten, had his mother's support to dominate the imperial court and reach out for the top position at the dynasty. The court became chaotic.

The current emperor calmly reacted, playing his game secretly, asking the emperor to enter the court, and then took down all his relatives one by one. Later, in the presence of all ministers, the ten-year-old did not even blink as he chopped the previous emperor's head.

Blood splattered everywhere. Bright red blood sprayed on the young emperor who remained cold and gloomy. All ministers were scared and several timider ones even fainted on the spot or urinated their pants.

And even if some didn't faint, they still had nightmares for a while. Many officials left in fear and, during the early dynasty, the palace remained very empty.

Against everyone's thoughts, the culprit, the emperor's mother, was imprisoned inside the palace and remained confined there. No one was allowed inside, not even the daylight.

The emperor never smiled after that.

His methods of ruling started to become more and more overbearing and no mistake was tolerated. Even a confidant minister was now hesitant to act, as the emperor didn't mind killing people.

Sometimes, Mister Lin wondered if the emperor even saw him as a person…

What's more shocking is… that the emperor didn't kill the dirty dumpling that chased them, even though the child damaged his imperial robes.

Blinking, Master Lin could only pray for that mysterious entity. As if that little dumpling had the heavens on her side, she approached with 'tam-tam tam' sounds, rushing up like an artillery shell and slammed against the man's legs.

She bounced back and fell to the ground on her ass. She subconsciously looked up to comfort her father. "It doesn't hurt. I'm not hurt, Dad, I'm not.

Master Lin: "…"

The man looked back at her indifferently, eyes like those of beast, without the slightest hint of emotion in his eyes, like a stone.

"Don't follow me anymore."

The man's voice is different from ordinary people's. He looks handsome and beautiful, but his voice is low and hoarse, like a broken blower or rusty chains that are difficult to pull. It doesn't sound nice, it's even scary.

Master Lin looked down at his sword and clenched the hilt, thinking that the dirty dumpling was probably thinking about quarreling with the emperor. What should he do? Should he hand the sword to the emperor or prevent the emperor from practicing evil?

He was trembling, there were lives at risk!

The dumpling blinked and got up from the ground. Instead of being frightened, she hugged the emperor tight again and even dared to rub her little dirty face against his leg.

When she saw the black stains on his robe, the dumpling's little fat face became hot and pink.

Even feeling guilty due to making something bad, the dumpling still refused to let go of his tights.

"Dad, dad…"

YinYin looked down at the floor, her voice small with a trace of helplessness and grievance. She said: "I-I'm scared…"

"The people here are weird. There have long hair and wear lots of clothes. Y-YinYin doesn't know them."

"Don't leave YinYin…"

Her fingertips moves slightly, her hair fell into her eyes and her hair hasn't been combed for a long time. Her hair was messy, dirty, and tangled.

"Your majesty?"

Wei Jue abruptly turned back and started walking again.

Master Lin calculated silently how long would take for the little child to catch up.

But he waited and waited and didn't see the small dumpling that chased them. So she gave up like that?

He looked back and saw nothing. There was only and an endless crowd of people, with no signs of the thin and filthy dumpling.

Master Lin sighed and muttered, "Was that a scam? Tsk, can a dirty child like that even be used for a scam?"

While lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that the footsteps next to him suddenly changed their pace and departed. He said that to himself, without realizing that the person in front of him stopped as he said that and then quickly walked away.

The next day, after the court was dismissed, the two people walked out of the palace again.

Earlier, a secret report said that the Northern Kingdom's prince was traveling undercover and had sneaked into Dachen with no clear intention.

No one in the court recognized the Prince. The Emperor, who has an incredible memory had met the Prince a few years ago so he decided to go out and find the Prince himself. He said that he was just checking, but he could have just let Master Lin do that instead? What was he worried about? He doesn't need to be afraid of just a little foreign prince!

But why exactly did the Emperor leave the palace himself; did he just want to go out and get some fresh air? Master Lin didn't understand, and he didn't dare to understand. He was all but just a follower, a servant following the mighty Emperor.

This Xiyuan restaurant was the largest in Chang'an. There was a constant flow of guests in and out, and everyone was full of enthusiasm. Just before noon, the fragrance from the restaurant had filled the area. The dishes in Xiyuan Restaurant have always been famous for their well-matched texture, taste, and fragrance. People often say that they can smell the food even from across the street. With just the smell, people will have the appetite to eat two extra bowls of rice!

In front of the restaurant, a few beggars stood with their bowls in their hands. Occasionally, a hungry beggar was tempted by the smell and rushed up to the front door, attempting to beg food from the guest while the restaurant manager wasn't looking.

The diners beside the front doors seemed both kind and teasingly. They threw out a piece of chicken wings that they had already chewed on, causing two beggars to fight for the wings on the ground.

The guest laughed at the scene. Soon, the manager heard the commotion and came to chase them out, "Go away! Is this a place for you to stay?"

"If you offend these nobles, you won't be able to repay even with your life!"

While the manager yelled angrily toward the beggars, a little dumpling hiding behind the stone lions in front of the restaurant overheard the conversation and peeked out her little head. She covered her face in shock and commented softly, "So mean!"

Compared to the day before, Dumpling was much cleaner. At least her delicate, cute face was visible, and her small pair of hands were washed spotless. Perhaps because she was still too young to tie her hair, the knot on top of her head still seemed like a mess.

"That uncle is a gentleman; he gave them chicken wings to eat. The manager is a bad guy!"

The system chuckled, "Little cub, someone who offers chicken wings is not necessarily good, and someone angry might not be bad."

"But, how?"

The system told her to keep watching.

When the busy manager was called away by the other customers again, the two beggars came back. They once again begged for food from the diners beside the front door, yet this time, they simply kicked them away.

Xiyuan's guests were either wealthy businessmen or powerful nobles. The ones Dumpling saw were some rich merchants. Their attendants immediately pulled the beggars out of the doors and kicked them a few more times.

After the attendants kicked them enough, they even spat and sneered, "Just you? Our master was in a good mood to tease you around the first time. How dare you, just because of a chicken wing you want to act like a dog in front of our master? Hay also, in case you don't know, when my master is not in a good mood, you are just asking to be kicked."

Yinyin's eyes widened and she crouched behind the stone lion, "They, they are all so mean…"

The system remained silent for a long time. It let what just happened to sink in, then said, "Little cub, the manager knew what will happen to the beggars that's why he chased them away. Next time when you look at someone, you have to look at their heart, not just the surface."

The system's profound words went to waste. Just as it said that the Dumpling's eyes lit up and said, "So, daddy doesn't mean to be mad at me yesterday, right?.. Hem… although he… he was very mean, he still… loved Yinyin. Just like this big brother, he acted mean, while his intention was still good."

Dumpling covered her small face in her hands, smiling in joy, "Daddy did so for my good. I must be considerate too."

System: "..."

Hopeless! This little human cub is a loyal little pup of the villain! The system was given with such first-class brainwashing skills, yet even with its handsome+smart-IQ, number-5-of-all-systems, it still handles a child!

Beating beggars were not anything rare. After the attendants left, the two beggars quickly stood up and ran away while holding each other up.

The system tried to redeem itself, and profoundly said again, "Little cub, didn't you see? If your daddy dislikes you, you will be beaten like these two beggars. Not only will you be starving all day, but you will also be kicked!"

"Also, little cub, here you have to call your dad 'father', not daddy!"

Dumpling nodded her little head but then felt that the system was wrong, "Uncle System, there is one thing you are wrong: Daddy loves me."

"Well … it's 'father'. FATHER loves me!"

Suddenly, Dumpling saw something in the corner of her eyes, and her eyes widened. She pointed toward the man in black robes who was about to step into the restaurant, and yelled, "Daddy!"

System: "..."