Chapter 446

Chapter 446: The Gears of Fate

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

The carriage creaked as it moved forward.

The road was covered with scattered paper money, and citizens knelt on both sides of the street, burning offerings.

The Emperor had passed. The entire nation was in mourning.

Lu Chao Chao was the future Empress. The Southern Kingdom had dispatched many soldiers to ensure her safety.

She arrived outside the Worship Hall.

Inside, princes and imperial grandchildren knelt in rows. At the forefront was the Third Prince. His birth mother was a princess from Eastern Ling, sent in a political marriage.

It was said that the Third Prince was exceptionally intelligent in his youth, but as he grew older, he became increasingly timid.

Yet now, he appeared somewhat… different.

Upon reflection, it made sense. The Empress controlled the harem, and Nan Feng Yu possessed divine power. Under their overwhelming presence, no one dared to stand out. Survival required concealment.

At this moment, the reputedly capable Seventh Princess stood behind the Third Prince.

Xu Shi Yun frowned slightly. In just one night, the once-fractured imperial siblings seemed to have united into a single force.

After all, the new ruler was merely three and a half years old and had been raised in Northern Zhao, with no foundation in the Southern Kingdom.

Who would willingly surrender the throne?

They had once been suppressed by the Su Clan and the Empress. But now? They had nothing holding them back.

Lu Chao Chao had yet to ascend the throne. As she entered the hall, she sweetly called out, “Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Seventh Aunt…” The little one addressed each relative with adorable sincerity, and they nodded in acknowledgment.

The court officials knelt inside, solemnly keeping vigil for the late Emperor.

“Sunshine, as the new ruler, you must set an example. Should you not have arrived earlier to mourn the late Emperor?” The Third Prince smiled, but his eyes held traces of dissatisfaction.

He had waited out the demise of Nan Feng Yu and Nan Zhi Yi, yet Lu Chao Chao had appeared from nowhere.

“Chao Chao is still young. Lack of sleep affects her growth. I believe that if the late Emperor were alive, he would not have troubled her,” Xu Shi Yun replied calmly while holding her daughter’s hand.

After offering incense to the late Emperor, they remained to keep vigil.

The Seventh Princess spoke softly, “The Southern Kingdom is the leader among nations, the greatest mortal empire. And now, its throne falls to a child of three and a half… I wonder if Sunshine can truly keep the other rulers in check.”

The Third Prince assumed a benevolent elder’s tone. “Since Chao Chao calls me Uncle, it is only natural that I protect her.”

“Though she is a Northern Zhao princess, she is not Emperor Xuan Ping’s biological daughter. What can he do for her? But we share the same blood. We are true family.”

“Rest assured. My mother hails from Eastern Ling and is the biological sister of the Eastern Ling Emperor’s mother.”

“Even the Eastern Ling Emperor must address me as elder brother.”

“With your uncle’s support, there is nothing to fear!” The Third Prince pounded his chest with confidence.

“When you ascend next month, no one will dare oppose you.”

Lu Chao Chao blinked. Eastern Ling’s Emperor? That name sounded somewhat familiar.

“Chao Chao, if you ever have trouble governing, you may always come to Third Uncle for guidance,” he said gently.

Lu Chao Chao innocently nodded and even gave him a small smile.

She did not remain in the Worship Hall for long. With her coronation approaching, she still needed to learn palace etiquette that afternoon.

“Mother, send Chief Minister Yuan’s assignments back immediately! Chao Chao is becoming Emperor! No more homework!” Lu Chao Chao waved her small hand proudly.

Xu Shi Yun looked at her in surprise.

“You don’t know?”

Lu Chao Chao blinked. “Know what?”

“This concerns the nation and its people. The throne cannot be given to an illiterate ruler. Chief Minister Yuan’s assignments? You must complete them.”

“The Southern Kingdom has also assigned Grand Tutors to teach you.”

“From today, you will also study the strategies of governance…”

Lu Chao Chao immediately jumped up, looking at her mother in shock.

“You mean I can’t refuse Chief Minister Yuan’s assignments, and I have even more tutors now?”

“Heavens! Why did no one tell me?!”

“I always thought being Emperor meant no homework!!”

“I quit! I refuse! I don’t want to be Emperor!”

“Waaaaahhhh…” The Imperial Study was soon filled with deafening cries.

For three days, news of the young Emperor’s mourning cries for the late ruler spread across the land.

After seven days of vigil, the late Emperor was laid to rest in the Southern Kingdom’s Imperial Mausoleum.

Yet Lu Chao Chao, as the new ruler, had to observe mourning for twenty-seven days. During this time, she could only eat vegetarian meals.

Crying herself nearly unconscious, her already battered heart suffered further torment.

Half a month later, monarchs from various nations began arriving in the Southern Kingdom.

Late one night, unable to bear it anymore, Lu Chao Chao sneaked out with Xie Yu Zhou and Zhu Mo through a dog hole.

As the new ruler, she was under constant scrutiny. The Third Prince especially watched for any misstep.

Fearing Chao Chao’s suffering, the entire household ate vegetarian meals with her.

Even Windchaser, the family’s dog, was put on a vegetarian diet for twenty days to prevent her from sneaking his food!

“No, no! I can’t sleep at night because I’m too hungry…”

Lu Chao Chao rubbed her belly. The plump roundness she had painstakingly gained was now gone.

Only a bit of baby fat remained on her face.

Leading her companions, she twisted through alleys and knocked on a door.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Inside, the lights immediately went out. “We’re closed. Go away.”

“I want a meat pie! Extra meat!”

Since they refused to open, she knocked again and again until they relented.

A disheveled shop owner, hair in a mess, yanked open the door in frustration. “Who in their right mind comes knocking for pies at this hour?”

Yet upon seeing Lu Chao Chao’s pitiful face and her generous payment, he sighed and got up to cook.

Half an hour later, Lu Chao Chao and her companions sat in a dark alley, devouring twenty meat pies with oily fingers.

Even Windchaser had three.

“Crispy on the outside, juicy inside, double meat—so delicious…” Xie Yu Zhou savored a bite, his face full of satisfaction.

“This wretched Emperor’s job—whoever wants it can have it,” Lu Chao Chao grumbled.

Besides Chief Minister Yuan’s assignments, the Southern Kingdom’s tutors also assigned lessons. And she had to complete them daily!

“Did you finish your lessons today?” Xie Yu Zhou whispered.

Lu Chao Chao lifted her chin in false confidence. “Of course! All done!”

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, little Heavenly Dao was diligently mimicking her handwriting, working tirelessly.

Burping in contentment, Lu Chao Chao rubbed her rounder belly. Avoiding patrolling guards, she leisurely strolled with her friends and dog.

The streets were pitch black.

A few steps in, something tripped her, nearly sending her tumbling.

Xie Yu Zhou raised a lantern. “What is it?”

There lay a young woman in a red dress, the scent of blood lingering around her. She seemed injured.

Hearing movement, she opened her eyes faintly.

Her gaze, curved like a crescent moon, was hazy yet enchanting.

She weakly grasped Zhu Mo’s robe. In the moonlight, though covered in dirt, she still radiated a natural elegance.

“Save… me…” she whispered before collapsing at his feet.

Zhu Mo stared at her face, momentarily stunned.

Clutching his chest, he felt his heart pounding.

Thump, thump, thump…

As if struck, his heart threatened to leap from his chest.