Chapter 8
Chapter 8: When Good Words Fail, Bad Words Hit
The Emperor lowered his gaze—and finally saw it clearly.
Her clothes were old and washed pale, too short at the wrists and ankles. There was a hole at the cuff.
And worse—
There were bruises on her thin wrist. Clear marks. As if someone had grabbed her too hard.
The Emperor’s temper ignited.
“Outrageous.” His voice dropped into something cold. “Tian Tian, tell Imperial Father—who did this?”
Chu Tian Tian buried her face in his neck and started to tattle in a trembling baby voice.
“It was… Nanny Wu.” She sniffled. “She’s so mean!”
“She said Tian Tian and Mother are burdens. She said we drag her down and she’ll rot in the Cold Palace too… so she pinched Tian Tian and hit Tian Tian!”
Her mouth trembled, and tears poured down like beads on a broken string.
“Mother is so sick she can’t get out of bed, and Nanny Wu still stole our food… Tian Tian is hungry, and Mother is even hungrier… waaah…”
The Emperor felt like someone had squeezed his heart.
He looked at the marks on his daughter’s arm, and fury surged so fast it nearly blinded him.
“Enough!”
The air around him seemed to turn cold.
Even the head eunuch shivered.
“Wu Ya.” The Emperor’s voice cracked like a whip. “Immediately send people to the Cold Palace. Seize that audacious slave Nanny Wu. Throw her into the death cell. I will interrogate her personally when I am done.”
He didn’t stop there.
“And investigate the Cold Palace guards and the steward eunuch as well. Anyone guilty of neglect or dereliction—punish them severely. No mercy.”
Then he forced his anger down, looked at the child hiccupping sobs into his robe, and softened instantly.
“Tian Tian, be good. Don’t cry. Imperial Father will catch that bad nanny.”
He kissed her hair lightly, voice gentler than the hand that signed executions.
“Imperial Father promises—no one will ever bully you again. After I handle Old General Qin’s matter, I’ll take you to see Mother. All right?”
Chu Tian Tian sniffled hard and nodded.
The head eunuch had barely sent out the orders when the Emperor called again.
“Take the Ninth Princess to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility at once. Deliver my decree: dress her in the finest garments, at the highest standard. Then send her to the Imperial Study.”
He looked down at Chu Tian Tian. “Tian Tian, don’t be afraid. Imperial Father will wait for you in the Imperial Study. After I’m done, I’ll take you to settle accounts with Nanny Wu. All right?”
“All right!” Chu Tian Tian’s tears vanished like they’d never existed. “Imperial Father is the best! Tian Tian likes Imperial Father!”
Then she leaned in and kissed his cheek with a loud smack.
It was the kind of sincere, unfiltered affection only a child could give.
And it soothed the Emperor’s towering rage in an instant.
The head eunuch—famous for reading the room—didn’t dare treat her with anything less than reverence.
Without another word, he scooped up the little ancestor and hurried toward the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, holding her carefully the entire way.
“Little ancestor, hold tight. We’re going right now!”
[Beep. Redemption mission: Host, you are born bloodthirsty and love to start wars.]
[Great General Qin Rui will enter the palace to assassinate you for Great Ning’s stability.]
[Before he makes his move, you must make him feel favor toward you and become your follower.]
[Mission difficulty: medium-high.]
[Mission reward: blind-box gift pack.]
Make a fearsome great general like her?
Chu Tian Tian stared blankly.
She was three.
Three.
How was she supposed to recruit a great general as her follower? Was she supposed to toddle at him aggressively and declare victory?
Tong Tong really knew how to bully a baby.
She was still pretending she hadn’t heard when a shrill alarm blared inside her head.
[Beep! Detected: within a three-li radius, an important figure’s life value is rapidly plummeting.]
[Use a scan chance?]
The alarm was so loud she bonked her head reflexively and nodded.
[Target located. Estimated survival time: less than twenty-four hours.]
[Proceed to rescue immediately. Coordinates marked. Move fast.]
[Countdown begins.]
Someone was going to die?
Chu Tian Tian’s face went ghost-white.
She didn’t even care about new clothes anymore.
She wriggled out of the head eunuch’s arms and sprinted toward the flashing point in her mind, legs pumping like a tiny warhorse.
“Little ancestor! Ninth Princess! Slow down—wait for this old servant!” Wu Ya nearly lost his soul chasing after her.
Chu Tian Tian reached the marked spot, panting.
A little boy in luxurious clothes stood there, pale as paper, eyes wide with terror. His entire body trembled as he pointed at a patch of bushes.
A strangled rasp came from his throat. He couldn’t breathe.
A health bar hovered above his head.
Life value: less than one day.
Chu Tian Tian followed his shaking finger.
In the bushes sat a beautiful big cat—snow-white fur, sapphire-blue eyes—calmly licking its paw like it owned the world.
“A cat!” the boy croaked, voice full of fear.
His face began to turn blue.
The health bar dropped so fast it was terrifying.
[Warning! Target life value about to fall below safety line.]
[Drive away allergen: cat.]
Chu Tian Tian’s eyes widened.
She remembered she still had half a pastry tucked in her sleeve.
Her chubby little hand yanked it out, and she hurled it with all the strength she had—straight onto the open ground beside the white cat.
“Bad kitty!” she shouted, cheeks puffed, fierce in the way only toddlers could be. “Go away! Don’t scare people!”
The cat startled with a sharp meow, shot her a wary look, then sprang away in a few nimble bounds, vanishing behind the rockery.
The moment the cat disappeared, the boy’s body sagged.
He collapsed to the ground, gulping air in huge, ragged breaths.
Then he burst into loud sobs. “Waaah! I thought I was going to die!”
Chu Tian Tian saw the health bar stop dropping and finally started to breathe again herself—
Only for Tong Tong’s voice to cut in, urgent.
[Warning: target life value extremely low.]
[Use life-force spirit fruit to treat him as soon as possible.]
[Tip: Host currently has no available spirit fruit.]
Chu Tian Tian patted her empty sleeve, panic rising.
No fruit.
She’d given them all away today.
Her little face scrunched up, and she stamped her foot helplessly. The little brother still looked like he might faint any second.
And then—
A sharp, overly sweet voice rang out, carried on the jingling of ornaments.
“Heavens! What happened here?!”
Consort Xian swept in, one hand covering her mouth in mock alarm, the other resting on a palace maid as if she were too delicate to stand alone. Her voice, however, was loud enough to wake the entire palace.
“Ninth Princess!” she cried. “What have you done to Young Master Qin?! This palace saw you from afar—you pushed him to the ground! My snow lion cat is gentle and obedient. You must have frightened it, and that’s why Young Master Qin ended up like this!”
Her eyes flicked over the boy’s pale face… then landed on Chu Tian Tian.
The corner of her mouth lifted, cold and satisfied.
Perfect.
Young Master Qin was clearly in a terrible state. If anything happened to him, Old General Qin’s wrath would burn this little disaster star into ash.
Then let’s see how the Emperor protected her.
Consort Li… your daughter is finished.
Chu Tian Tian looked at the little boy’s weak, shaky breathing and felt her throat tighten.
In her mind, she asked frantically, Tong Tong—what does Word-Spirit Physique mean?
[When Host speaks, good words don’t work. Bad words do.]
Good words don’t work… bad words do?
So if Tian Tian said something bad…
It would come true?
[Yes, Host. The bad ones are especially accurate.]
Chu Tian Tian’s gaze snapped to Consort Xian’s smug, vicious face.
Her little mind spun fast.
If only the little brother’s sickness could jump onto this bad woman…