The Emperor had not expected that his moment of embarrassment would arrive so quickly! Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Xiaobai sprang out from the side, and the Emperorâs eyes widened. He watched, dumbfounded, as a rabbit that should have been herbivorous gnawed on a bone right in front of him! The Emperor couldnât help but rub his forehead, suddenly recalling the first time he had seen Xiaobai eating meat.
"Imperial Godfather, will you eat any more?" Seeing the leftovers still on the table, Xiaosuisui looked up and asked the Emperor.
The Emperor, hand to his forehead, shook his head. "Godfather is done eating. You carry on!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Xiaosuisui joyfully exclaim, "Xiaobai! Go ahead!"
Before his very eyes, Xiaobai devoured all the leftovers, even licking the plates spotless.
The Emperor felt his world suddenly crumble.
"Ji Suisui!" For the first time, the Emperor failed to control his temper!
"Iâm here, Imperial Godfather!" Xiaosuisui looked up at the Emperor, puzzled.
This was the first time Imperial Godfather had ever called her by her full name!
"From now on, you are forbidden to bring Xiaobai to the Imperial Palace!"
Xiaobai, on the table, immediately perked up, starting to scamper in circles and instantly knocking over several plates and bowls!
"Hey! You little beast, youâre protesting, arenât you? Do you think I wonât tell Suisui to butcher you for rabbit meat?"
Xiaobai: "..."
It leaped off the table and fled.
This Master is terrifying, and this human Emperor is no pushover either. SOB! Why is my incarnation a harmless, silly rabbit...
Xiaosuisui looked at the Emperor, very confused, and asked somewhat nervously, "Imperial Godfather, do you not like Xiaobai?"
Seeing her nervous little state, the Emperorâs anger instantly vanished. He touched Xiaosuisuiâs small face. "Your face is smudged. Go with Nanny to wash up, then get some rest!"
My daughter is still just a child,
the Emperor sighed inwardly.
What could she possibly understand?
Hearing this, Xiaosuisui carefully asked, "Imperial Godfather! Are you not angry anymore?"
Hearing her question, the Emperor couldnât help but laugh. "You knew I was angry? How could you tell?"
Xiaosuisui pouted and whispered, "You looked so, so fierce! Suisui has never seen you like that before!"
The little girl isnât old, but sheâs very perceptive,
the Emperor thought, his heart warming.
I wonder if thatâs a good or bad thing for her.
He bent down, scooped the little girl into his arms, and lightly tapped her little nose, saying, "When Imperial Godfather gets angry, itâs only for a little while. Itâll pass quickly."
Xiaosuisui understood what her Imperial Godfather meant. She pondered for a moment, then said, "Is Imperial Godfather angry because Suisui caused trouble for you again?"
The Emperor was slightly taken aback. "No, itâs just that Imperial Godfather is frustrated because the Yunhang disaster hasnât been resolved. Imperial Godfather lost his composure just now. Did I scare you?"
The little girlâs cautious demeanor... I must have frightened her when I lost control of my emotions earlier. I really shouldnât have scared such a well-behaved child!
"Imperial Godfather, donât worry! Suisui can help Imperial Godfather solve it!" When Xiaosuisui heard the Emperor was worried about the disaster in Yunhang, she immediately took out her small pouch. Along with it was the Universe Sleeve that Zhu Xiuxiu had specially brought for use at the Li Family Gambling House.
"My uncles and aunts said that for the Yunhang disaster relief, Imperial Godfather has to spend a lot of silver. But now the National Treasury is empty, so Imperial Godfather canât provide the funds for relief."
A metaphorical arrow pierced the Emperorâs heart!
I feel like Iâm going to cough up blood!
"So? Are you trying to say that your Imperial Godfather is an incompetent ruler?"
Xiaosuisui shook her head emphatically. "No way! Imperial Godfather is a very, very good Emperor! Suisui has never seen an Emperor as good as Imperial Godfather."
The Emperor let out a "PFFT" of laughter and tapped her little nose again. "How old are you? How many Emperors could you have possibly seen? Itâs not like we change Emperors daily."
Xiaosuisuiâs innocent remark made the Emperorâs heart swell with joy.
"Oh! Thatâs right! Iâve only ever seen one Emperor, Imperial Godfather!" Xiaosuisui tilted her head, murmuring softly to herself,
Why do I feel like Iâve seen many, many Emperors?
"Hm? What are you muttering about?" Xiaosuisuiâs muttering was too quiet for the Emperor to hear clearly, so he leaned in and asked.
"Nothing!" Xiaosuisui shook her head. "Imperial Godfather, look! What are these?" She showed the Emperor her pouch and the Universe Sleeve.
The moment the Emperor saw them, he knew they were high-capacity storage treasures. Such items could only be crafted by a Daoist forging Grandmaster. "What precious treasures have you stored in these? Can you show your Imperial Godfather?"
Xiaosuisui nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! These were originally meant to help Imperial Godfather with disaster relief." As soon as she finished speaking, she began pulling items out of the pouch, one after another. With each item she produced, the Emperorâs eyes widened further and further!
A handful of silver bank notes, then a handful of silver ingots; another handful of bank notes, then more ingots. This continued over and over. After a full half-hour, a small mountain of silver had piled up on the Emperorâs Dragon Throne before he finally reacted.
"You... how do you have so much silver?" The Emperor was utterly speechless.
"I won it!"
"Won... You won it?"
"Yes! I won it!" Xiaosuisui blinked.
"Eunuch Ling did report some time ago that youâd learned to play a few rounds at the Li Family Gambling House!" The Emperor suddenly recalled this. When Eunuch Ling had reported it, he had been preoccupied with his joy, and also with his precious daughter touring the Imperial Palace on the great phoenix after her arrival, so the matter had been sidelined. Afterwards, the Zhongshu Province submitted a memorial regarding disaster relief that required his urgent approval. This left him no time to even glance at the 100,000 taels of gold and 200,000 taels in bank notes reportedly donated by Ji Youcheng. Busy as he was, he had completely forgotten about it.
"Yes! I played many rounds with them! And I won all this money. Third Aunt put all of it into my Universe Sleeve and my little pouch; she gave it all to me." As the little girl said this, her pointed chin was held high, her face beaming with a triumphant little expression. Her voice was crisp and bright, as cheerful as a chirping warbler.
"Youâre that skilled? You won so much money in just a few rounds of gambling? Youâre not just saying this to make your Imperial Godfather happy, are you?" The Emperor was so delighted he couldnât stop smiling. He had been joking, but who would have thought Xiaosuisui would take him seriously?
The little girlâs lips trembled, and she said with a wronged expression, "Imperial Godfather, you donât believe me."
Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, the Emperor was immediately flustered. Just as he was thinking of something to say to coax the little girl, he heard her declare: "Then Iâll let you witness my gambling skills firsthand!"
"How... how will I witness them?" The Emperor was stunned.
Is this girl actually going to gamble with me?
Unexpectedly, the little girl grabbed his collar and exclaimed, "Imperial Godfather, Feifei!"