Chapter 376: Kicking the Hardest Iron Plate
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Outside the Long Peace Palace, the officials stood until their legs went numb before the Old Emperor finally awoke.
However, his body was in such a severe state that every bone felt as though it had shattered. Other than his eyes, he could not move at all.
The Empress knelt by the bed, gently holding the frail hand of the Old Emperor.
“Your Majesty…”
“Regent… Feng Yu…” The mere act of speaking these two words made cold sweat break out on the emperor’s forehead from pain.
“His Majesty still needs rest. Your Highness, do not worry. He is out of immediate danger,” the Divine Doctor whispered reassuringly.
Moments later, the Old Emperor fell into unconsciousness once again.
Nan Feng Yu’s eyes lit up. Regent!
As the court officials stepped out of the grand hall, the Divine Doctor spoke in a hushed voice: “His Majesty is old, and though his life can be preserved for now, I fear…”
“He will be bedridden for the rest of his days.”
The Empress’s face turned ghostly pale, tears falling silently.
Nan Feng Yu clenched the fabric of her robes, her heart wild with joy, though her face remained solemn. “Divine Doctor, is there no remedy? As long as I can ease my royal father’s burden, I shall spare no effort!”
The Divine Doctor shook his head. “The court will need the Eldest Princess to take charge. Your Highness, take care of your own health as well.”
With those words, the doctor returned inside to watch over the emperor.
Now that the Old Emperor was critically ill, and next month’s succession ceremony approached, just one more month! And she would become the rightful Female Emperor!
A fiery gleam ignited in Nan Feng Yu’s eyes.
She exchanged a glance with the Empress, who smiled faintly. “Rest assured and govern. The Ning family is dead. A mere Shi Yun cannot stir up a storm!”
Nan Feng Yu lowered her gaze in feigned humility and stepped toward the entrance.
“Honorable ministers, you may return to your estates for now. Father Emperor is out of danger. I shall stay by his side every day and care for him personally.”
“Father Emperor has commanded me to act as Regent, but I worry for his health. Thus, court sessions shall be suspended for three days!”
The assembled civil and military officials kneeled outside the hall.
“May His Majesty regain his health, and may the Eldest Princess’s filial piety move the heavens. This is a blessing upon the Southern Kingdom!”
Nan Feng Yu glanced at her maternal grandfather, Old Master Su.
Old Master Su cast a meaningful look at Lu Chao Chao before giving a slight nod.
The six great noble families, once firmly supporting Nan Feng Yu, had begun to waver. After Lu Chao Chao’s arrival, the Ming Family and Lou Family suddenly proposed that Madam Ning be enshrined as Empress of the Western Palace, and that Shi Yun’s bloodline be granted equal inheritance rights.
Earlier that day, Nan Feng Yu had read an official petition—the Sang Family had also submitted a request for the Empress of the Western Palace and equal inheritance rights for Shi Yun’s bloodline.
Of the six great families, three had turned.
Nan Feng Yu could not afford to let her guard down.
“I hear that Princess Sunshine is well-versed in reason, capable of convincing even Official Ming, Official Lou, and Official Sang. I wonder, does this humble official have the honor of inviting the Little Princess to discuss reason at my estate?” Old Master Su smiled at Lu Chao Chao.
The masked old nanny beside Lu Chao Chao suddenly seized her hand, her eyes filled with terror.
Old Master Su! The demon who massacred the village!
It was he who personally led the siege on Peach Source Village. His men brandished swords, driving the villagers into the blazing inferno…
Lu Chao Chao gently patted Madam Ning’s trembling hands, prompting her to loosen her grip.
“Okay, Grandpa Su… Chao Chao wuvs talkin’ ‘bout weason!”
Chao Chao always convinced with reason. And if that failed, she knew a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat!
Old Master Su snorted and left with the court officials.
Official Sang frowned. Official Ming, on the other hand, remained unbothered.
“You’re worried for her?”
“She and the Su Family share a blood feud spanning generations. She may not be as fortunate as we were… You should be worrying about what happens when the Su Family collapses.” Official Ming spoke lazily.
Official Sang’s eyes widened in horror. “N-No way… she’s only three and a half years old?!”
“The Su Family has reigned for a thousand years, its power deeply rooted and entangled. Could a mere three-year-old child overturn it?” Official Sang acknowledged her remarkable abilities, but at the end of the day… she was still a child.
A child who still needed a bottle of milk before bedtime.
General Lou chuckled. “You have yet to witness her swordsmanship!”
“Just wait and see. There’s a great show ahead…”
—
Once everyone left the palace, Lu Chao Chao was lifted onto a carriage by Rong Che.
As the curtain fell, Madam Ning broke down in tears, clutching Lu Chao Chao tightly. “No… no… can’t go!”
Her voice was hoarse, words barely comprehensible.
Her entire body trembled like a leaf in a storm. The gruesome memories of Peach Source Village drowning in rivers of blood haunted her.
“Ah…” She clutched her chest in agony.
She was an abandoned infant, raised by Peach Source Village through the kindness of a hundred families. The village was her home—her roots!
Yet when she saved the Old Emperor, she unknowingly brought doom upon her people.
She had lived in regret every single day since.
Each night, she drowned in nightmares of the bloody massacre.
Now, her granddaughter, a mere three-year-old, was walking into the den of demons known as the Su Family.
“No… you can’t go…” She sobbed, hot tears falling onto the little one.
“Don’t talk, Grandmother. Your throat isn’t healed yet. You’ll bleed again.” Madam Xu urged gently.
Madam Ning had nothing left to lose.
She had survived all these years by clinging to the hope of finding her daughter. She couldn’t bear to lose anyone else.
“No fear, no fear… Chao Chao ish soooo stwong!” The little one, sensing her fear, spoke in a sweet and soothing voice.
The old woman trembled violently, unwilling to let go.
As if the moment she did, her granddaughter would disappear before her very eyes.
Lu Chao Chao gently pressed a tiny finger against Grandmother’s forehead. The old woman went limp and collapsed into a deep slumber.
Lu Yan Shu caught her, covered her with a brocade blanket, and set her down gently.
“Grandmother’s entire village was slaughtered. She was nearly tortured to death. She fears the Su Family and the Empress above all else,” Lu Yan Shu sighed.
“She trembles in terror every night.”
Shi Yun’s eyes reddened. “Now, an imposter parades around in her name, bowing and scraping before the Empress—all just to remind me to never harbor any foolish thoughts!”
—
“Halt!” The carriage suddenly stopped.
Deng Zhi whispered, “Madam, it’s one of Madam Ning’s old maids. Back then, these two wretches tormented her.”