Chapter 178: The Secret to Gaining Favor: Acting Cute and Innocent
Mr. Li exited the room.
The Beili Emperor glared at Xiang Minghou.
Xiang Minghou craned his neck, staring at the doorway.
The Beili Emperor let out a heavy sigh. The dignified Great General was utterly flustered by a little girl. If someone were to find this weakness, his Great General could be easily manipulated.
A weakness?
A question suddenly formed in the Beili Emperor’s mind: if this child were captured by an enemy army besieging the city, would Xiang Minghou save the little girl or open the city gates?
The Beili Emperor’s expression turned complex in an instant. Though it was a hypothetical, a general absolutely could not have a wavering heart.
A general, like the Imperial Family, should have no emotions or attachments. Only then could one feel at ease using him.
After waiting for a long while and seeing no one enter, the Beili Emperor was about to speak when his gaze was drawn to a round, pink ball.
The little girl was huffing and puffing, sticking her bottom in the air with her head on the floor. With a push of her hands, she somersaulted over, then immediately did it again. It was as if a little pink ball was rolling toward them.
The Beili Emperor was a bit dumbfounded by the sight, but the little one’s huffing and puffing, her cheeks flushed red from the effort, was rather amusing.
"Pangtuan." Xiang Minghou was also stunned. Seeing the little one’s face flushed from exertion, his heart ached for her.
Ye Qianning did another somersault. Hearing her name, she looked up and saw her father. She instantly burst into tears and scurried toward him on her little legs. "Daddy, Daddy..."
"Pangtuan, my daughter." Xiang Minghou rushed forward and swept the child into his arms.
"Daddy, they bullied me! They bullied Fourth Granny!" Ye Qianning wailed.
It was the first time Xiang Minghou had seen his daughter cry like this, and his heart clenched. "Are you hurt? Let Daddy see if you’re hurt. Daddy will call an Imperial Physician for you."
"Daddy, WAAAH... I’m okay, but my heart hurts for Fourth Granny! Fourth Granny is dying! She’s dying!"
"It’s all Daddy’s fault for being careless. If I had guarded against Prime Minister Gao’s men more strictly, they wouldn’t have been able to snatch Fourth Granny so easily. It’s all my fault. Don’t worry, Daddy will definitely go and behead that dog of a Prime Minister Gao."
"WAAAH..."
"Enough!" The Beili Emperor, his face dark, threw down another memorial scroll.
’Are these two pretending I don’t exist?’
Xiang Minghou and Ye Qianning were both startled, and the crying stopped abruptly.
Ye Qianning sniffled, turning her head to look. Her little mouth was downturned, as if she wanted to cry but didn’t dare.
Though the Beili Emperor was unsentimental, the child before him was truly beautiful, her chubbiness only making her more adorable.
"Put her down." Though his face was stern, his voice had softened considerably.
Xiang Minghou was on guard.
"Put her down. It’s not as if We are going to eat her," the Beili Emperor said, displeased.
Xiang Minghou reluctantly lowered the little girl from his arms.
Ye Qianning held back her tears, her little hands clutching her clothes as she stared at the Beili Emperor with her big eyes.
The Beili Emperor met her gaze and felt a slight pause in his heart. ’This child... though she’s crying, there isn’t a trace of fear in her eyes. In fact, there’s even a hint of wanting to be coddled...’
’It’s hard to believe such a small child could be so ruthless.’
"Why did you enter the hall like that just now?" he asked.
"The Emperor told me to roll in."
"..."
The Beili Emperor thought about it and realized it was true. But she had been doing somersaults, not exactly rolling.
"Come here," he said again.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ye Qianning scurried over on her little legs as if she had been waiting for him to say it.
This gave the Beili Emperor pause again. In all of Beili, who wasn’t afraid of him? Even his own sons, daughters, and consorts were extremely wary of him...
However, before the Beili Emperor could figure it out, Ye Qianning’s small frame had sidled up to him and wedged its way into his lap. She looked up at him, her face a picture of grievance.
The Beili Emperor’s anger dissipated by thirty percent. His body stiffened, unsure whether to hold her or push her away.
Mr. Li watched with his heart in his throat. ’This little girl is really daring!’
Ye Qianning pouted her little lips and sniffled, looking as if she would burst into tears the very next second if she wasn’t comforted.
"Alright, alright, don’t cry." The Beili Emperor, as if forced into an unfamiliar task, awkwardly rubbed her face with his large hand.
Not comforting her would have been better. The moment he did, Ye Qianning’s tears flooded out like water from a broken dam, impossible to stop. Her muffled sobs left the Beili Emperor both embarrassed and at a loss.
Xiang Minghou was also dumbfounded. One moment, the Emperor was saying the child couldn’t be spared, scaring him so much he was about to make a move. The next moment, he was consoling her.
’It must be because my daughter is so cute.’
"Don’t cry, don’t cry. If you keep crying, your little face will be a mess." The Beili Emperor had never comforted a child before, and his movements were stiff.
Mr. Li, who was skilled at reading people, quickly brought over a plate of pastries. "Miss Xiang, don’t cry. Look, there are delicious pastries here."
Ye Qianning’s hand, which was rubbing her eyes, paused. She glanced at the pastries, sniffled, hiccuped, and sure enough, her small hand reached out and took one.
The Beili Emperor shot Mr. Li an appreciative look.
Mr. Li beamed, now knowing how to handle the situation.
Although Ye Qianning was still sniffling, she had stopped crying. She brought the pastry to her mouth, took a bite, and showered the Beili Emperor’s robes with crumbs.
The Beili Emperor didn’t seem to mind. He stared intently at the child. A little doll carved from pink jade. If she weren’t so chubby, at six years old, she would already possess city-toppling beauty. This child would grow up to be extraordinary.
Ye Qianning took a few more bites, then tilted her head. Her voice, still babyish, was a little hoarse. "What are you looking at, Your Majesty?"
"We are, of course, looking at how cute you are," the Beili Emperor said with a knowing smile.
"Everyone says that about me." Ye Qianning lowered her head, took another serious bite of her pastry.
"We hear you led people to attack the Prime Minister’s residence." The Beili Emperor’s gaze was fixed on her.
Ye Qianning’s mouth, busy chewing the pastry, paused for a moment. She nodded.
"Why?"
Ye Qianning swallowed the pastry and furrowed her little brow. "He hurt my Fourth Granny."
"Just because of an old woman?" The Beili Emperor’s voice softened as he spoke to the child.
"Fourth Granny is the most important person to Pangtuan. If anyone hurts my Fourth Granny, I’ll give up my own life to get justice for her." Ye Qianning clenched her small fists, her face a mask of anger and seriousness.
"Is it worth risking your life?"
"It is." Ye Qianning nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Fourth Granny has had a very hard life. Her husband and two sons died on the battlefield. She has to take care of her paralyzed mother and her gravely ill father all by herself, all while raising me. On top of that, she has to endure being bullied by those with money and power. We haven’t done anything wrong. It’s already so hard just to live an honest life. Why do they bully us? Why? Your Majesty, you tell me why."
As Ye Qianning spoke, tears streamed from her eyes.
Xiang Minghou’s eyes reddened. In the Capital City, right under his nose, she had been hurt so badly...
The Beili Emperor had never been questioned like this before. Ripples spread through his heart. In these chaotic times, to have no husband or sons to rely on and be bullied by everyone... it was indeed pitiful.
’Why...’
"Fourth Granny always endured it. She never dared to talk back when she was bullied and cursed at. But I won’t stand for it! If they bully us, I’ll hit back! Even if I can’t win, I’ll still fight! I want them to know that I’m not to be messed with! I’m not afraid of being beaten. The worst that can happen is I lose my life. If you don’t kill me today, I’ll burn your whole family to the ground tomorrow!" The more Ye Qianning spoke, the more furious she became, crushing the pastry in her hand to bits.