“Honestly, raising children for old-age support is worse than raising a dog. Look at that dog in the kennel now—it’s better than this biological son. What a headache…”
The Emperor immediately dispatched people to investigate the inn attendant. Soon after, someone reported that the woman had been rescued and the attendant had been thrown into prison.
“Ah, this restaurant’s business is really booming. So many people downstairs. Xiangxiang, bring more melon seeds. We have the seeds now, but without dishes, it’s no fun not eating melons.”
“Host, do you see those two people on the lower left?”
“You mean that pair of sisters?”
“Yes, take a look!”
“Well now, they’re not just ordinary sisters—they’re lilies from the hometown! Good heavens, I’ve only seen male homosexuality in ancient times, never female homosexuality!” Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned toward the table of sisters downstairs.
Although they didn’t understand what “female homosexuality” meant, it didn’t stop them from eating melons.
“No way, they actually got married—secretly married. But then again, if it were me, I’d be willing too. After all, one is a wild chrysanthemum from the fields, and the other is a poison maiden raised on toxic substances since childhood. If she didn’t die, she’d still be skinned alive. It’s rare to find someone to depend on for survival, so naturally they ended up together.”
“That’s actually quite nice. The wild chrysanthemum was falsely accused by her family of adultery and then subjected to the pig cage punishment, all to make room for her uncle’s daughter to marry the village scholar. The key point is that this scholar is also a heartless scoundrel. It’s just as well she didn’t marry him. But this scholar isn’t a good person either—let’s hope he doesn’t enter court service.”
The Emperor immediately sent someone to investigate. Ji Yingying was right—such a faithless person absolutely must not be allowed to serve in the government, or the common people would suffer.
“The poison maiden’s situation resulted from her father favoring his concubine over his wife. Because he didn’t like her mother, he didn’t like the child either. The concubine had her sent away to the residence of a poison master, where she was fed toxic substances since childhood. Now she can’t even bear children. If she hadn’t rescued the wild chrysanthemum, giving both of them companionship, the world would have lost two more vibrant young women.”
Immediately, everyone felt heartache for these two girls.
“Two poor souls finding warmth in each other—it’s quite touching actually. Xiangxiang, I want to learn Taekwondo and running.”
“Why?”
“Taekwondo lets me hit people! If anyone bullies me, I’ll: Hyah~! If I can’t win, I’ll run away. Tell me, aren’t these two skills the most important?”
“Indeed they are. Then Host should update quickly—let Xiangxiang see if we can unlock new skills.”
“Alright, I’ll work hard at eating melons~ Wait, the poison maiden’s father is here? Damn, it’s actually Minister Huang! This man is so cruel—he doesn’t even want his own daughter, preferring the children from his wife’s affairs. Isn’t this clearly raising other people’s children while bullying his own daughter? Hah! Something’s wrong with his brain. Let me see what happens to him when he gets old…”
“Serves him right—deserves to be abused by his adopted children. In the end, it was his biological daughter who gave him a pancake so he wouldn’t starve to death. Still, he ended up freezing to death, since the poison maiden wanted nothing to do with such a father.”
“A daughter who was never loved—how would she dare interfere in her father’s affairs? Might as well consider herself already dead. Yes, that’s exactly how it should be. If it were me, not kicking him a couple times would be me being merciful, heh heh~”
Suddenly realizing how ungrateful Little Lord Ji is, one can’t help but feel sorry for Lord Ji.
【Which one is Lord Huang? Xiangxiang, point him out for me.】
Since they were close, Xiangxiang directly pointed to the middle-aged man sitting on the left, who looked quite thin and frail.
【He really isn’t much to look at, no wonder his concubine swindled all his family wealth. Pitiful—no, not pitiful. Who could be more pitiful than the Poison Girl downstairs and that little Huanghuacai? They’re the ones who truly can’t speak out and have nowhere to seek justice. Now, they can’t even get enough to eat. If it weren’t for the Poison Girl’s birthday today, Little Huanghuacai wouldn’t have brought her out for a decent meal.】
【The two of them stay on the mountain every day, and no village dares to take them in. Even if a village did accept them, they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves. If they ran into local ruffians, it wouldn’t just be about unrest—they could easily be raped, murdered, or harmed. Truly, one word sums it up: tragic!】
Thud…
Suddenly, the Emperor slammed the table. Everyone knelt down immediately, and the Emperor said at once, “Huang Congren!”
“Your servant is here.”
“Explain yourself!”
【Explain what? What did I miss?】 I was so busy gossiping about Little Huanghuacai and the Poison Girl that I had no idea what had happened.
“Your servant doesn’t know either. I will investigate when I return, I will definitely get to the bottom of it.”
【Get to the bottom of what?】 The kneeling Huang Congren was on the verge of tears. He never expected that coming for a meal would lead to trouble. He truly hadn’t known that the concubine in his household had been unfaithful to him.
“Hmph! From today onward, you are suspended. The Court of Revision will assist you in the investigation. You must give those two girls justice.”
【What? I just started gossiping about his family, and the Imperial City Office has already uncovered it? That was fast! It seems there are no secrets in the imperial city. Even if there were, the Imperial City Office would find them all. The Imperial City Office is impressive!】
Rong Yi, hiding in the shadows, couldn’t help but puff out his chest. Yes, they were indeed impressive!
Just then, the food arrived. Ji Yingying already had her chopsticks in hand, but since the Emperor hadn’t started eating, no one else dared to move.
【This is no fun. The food is here, and you’re all just sitting there dumbfounded? Damn Emperor, did you just casually say you were treating us? Do we have to listen to a bunch of nonsense first? As expected of a team-building event—I knew there was an ulterior motive…】
The furious Emperor: Tell me, who exactly has the ulterior motive here?
Taking a deep breath, the Emperor finally said, “My ministers, you may dine!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yingying started eating. Her table manners were as if she hadn’t eaten for generations, with none of the grace of a well-bred lady, but no one dared to say a word.
【Mmm~ The taste is pretty good, delicious indeed~】
【Oh my, it’s a pork knuckle! I thought it was a pig’s trotter. Let me have a piece. Tsk tsk~ It’s really tasty. What a shame, it’s just a little off. But it’s still quite well-made.】
【These fried meatballs are excellent, so fragrant. I’ll have my dad pack some for me later to eat while I read my storybook. Anyway, there’s no court session tomorrow~ I’ve made money, I’ve made money! With my left hand, I’ll buy a Nokia, with my right hand, a Motorola~】
【The stars in the sky align with the Big Dipper, hehe~ Align with the Big Dipper! When you see injustice on the road, let out a roar! Act when it’s time to act, charge through the nine provinces with fiery passion~】
“Be it lords or princes I care not, nor the legacy of a thousand autumns. I only seek love to dissolve this endless turmoil in the mortal world. I cherish love everlasting, and desire tenderness like flowing water. Who cares who rules the land? This old man just wants a full belly – with a full stomach, I care for nothing at all…”
High on the meal, she simply burst into song. However, these were the only lyrics she could recall.
Yet it made all the ministers stifle their laughter. Though the lyrics of this latter song were truly profound, the delivery was unbearably discordant. Some even wondered if they should recommend a music tutor to Ji Cailiang – after all, she ought to be raised with some semblance of refinement befitting a young lady!