Ye Changlin: It’s over, it’s over. The Emperor can actually hear Chuchu’s inner voice too.
Ye Jinmo: Alright, he regrets bringing Chuchu into the palace now; he regrets it so much his intestines are turning green.
The voice of Zhazha jumping about rang out: [Little Chuchu, you mustn’t underestimate this Emperor Shangde.]
[The reason Emperor Shangde is beloved by the people is because he is a good emperor who cultivates both virtue and kindness, with a heart broad enough to encompass the world.]
[Under his governance, the Great Jing Kingdom flourishes, the people live in peace and work happily; he is a wise monarch of his generation.]
Ye Chuchu had also seen what Emperor Shangde looked like.
[Hmm, hmm, hmm, at a glance, the Emperor is a good emperor. Look at how righteous he looks.]
[How happy the people must be to have such a good emperor.]
Emperor Shangde listened to the dialogue between Ye Chuchu and that “Zhazha,” feeling all his gloom swept away.
That’s right, that’s right. I am indeed a wise monarch.
This Third Miss of the Ye residence is quite sensible.
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu, there’s gossip (melon) here. Do you want to eat?]
Ye Chuchu: [Is it the Emperor’s gossip?]
Zhazha: [Yes, yes.]
Emperor Shangde: Gossip? Is this girl going to eat watermelon in front of him? Or a muskmelon?
The Second Prince’s face was pale, his aura icy, but his heart was incredibly excited: Speak, speak! He also really wants to eat his Imperial Father’s gossip.
Ye Changlin was so scared his hands were trembling. He wanted to turn around and cover Ye Chuchu’s mouth, but he suddenly remembered that this girl didn’t use her mouth to speak at all.
Ye Changlin poked Ye Jinmo, who was kneeling beside him.
Ye Jinmo reached out, wanting to tug on Ye Chuchu’s clothes behind him. Wasn’t it agreed that she shouldn’t talk nonsense?
Ye Jinmo pulled at the garment behind him.
It was strange, though; the dress his sister wore was very soft, so why did he feel the texture of smooth cloud brocade silk?
The Second Prince, Yun Songming, had intentionally swung his sleeve over to let Ye Jinmo touch it, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.
No one can disturb him from eating his Imperial Father’s gossip.
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu, there are two pieces of gossip here in total: one big piece and one small piece. Which one do you want to eat first?]
Everyone: …There are big and small pieces of gossip?
Ye Chuchu: [Eat the small one first, save the big one for later.]
Zhazha: [Alrighty, alrighty.]
[Little Chuchu, the Emperor sitting in front of you, whom thousands of people admire, really loves eating sweets.]
[Every morning, he has to eat three sweet osmanthus cakes for breakfast.]
[When he dismisses court, he eats ten hibiscus pastries.]
[He has to have pastries for both lunch and dinner.]
[He even has to eat two more after coming back from using the latrine.]
[In the long run, the Emperor’s teeth started to rot.]
[Two teeth on the left side are rotten, and three on the right.]
[Don’t think the Emperor is quite thin now; that’s because of his toothaches. He used to be very fat.]
[The imperial physicians don’t let the Emperor eat pastries. Last night, the Emperor snuck into the Imperial Kitchen and stole two pieces. Because he ate them too quickly, he lost a tooth and even swallowed it into his stomach.]
Ye Chuchu tried to suppress her laughter on the surface, but she was laughing hysterically inside.
[Hahaha… Zhazha, teeth can’t be digested, right? Can it be passed out?]
Zhazha: [In theory, yes, but the Emperor has been constipated lately, so it’s hard to say.]
Ye Chuchu: [Constipated? That won’t do. You have to find an imperial physician to write a prescription quickly to get that tooth out. Teeth are sharp; if it scratches the intestinal wall or gets stuck, that could be fatal!]
Zhazha: [Yes, yes!]
Sitting in front, Emperor Shangde’s face darkened.
Even Eunuch Lin didn’t know about him stealing pastries and losing a tooth. How did this girl know?
A single tooth could cost him his life?
Being caught stealing food made him very unhappy; it was a very shameful thing.
Just as he was about to berate Ye Chuchu, his eyes widened suddenly. He felt a ghostly hand clutching his throat, his chest could not draw in air, and in front of him, the spirits of Impermanence (Black and White) were dragging iron chains and walking toward him step by step.
Emperor Shangde panicked and immediately stopped questioning Ye Chuchu, and the feeling vanished instantly.
He took a deep breath, looking at the kneeling, head-bowed Ye Chuchu with disbelief, then turned his gaze to Ye Changlin, Ye Jinmo, the Second Prince, and Zhang Ting.
Seeing the fear on their faces, Emperor Shangde let out a cold laugh.
So these four already knew about this young girl’s magical abilities.
He looked again at Grand Tutor Chen, who was still wailing.
This annoying pest can’t hear Ye Chuchu’s inner voice.
Eunuch Lin was anxious.
He was desperate to drag the imperial physician over immediately to prescribe a laxative for the Emperor so he could pass the tooth stuck in his stomach.
Ye Chuchu: [Zhazha, when I go back, I’ll remind my father and brother to pay attention when the physician comes to take the Emperor’s pulse tomorrow.]
[Huh? Why is it suddenly so quiet?]
Emperor Shangde coughed into his hand and immediately pointed at the wailing Grand Tutor Chen and began to scold him.
Ye Chuchu: [Wow, I didn’t expect the Emperor to have been constipated for so many days, yet still have so much energy when scolding people.]
Zhazha: [He is a good emperor who is diligent in administration and loves his people without regard for his own health.]
[Little Chuchu, let’s talk about the big piece of gossip now.]
Ye Chuchu excitedly: [Tell me, tell me!]
Suddenly, the voice of a young eunuch sounded from outside: “Reporting to Your Majesty, Ling Xiao requests an audience.”
Everyone knew Ling Xiao was the Second Prince’s capable assistant.
Emperor Shangde raised his hand, looking somewhat displeased: “Let him in.”
Ling Xiao quickly walked into the Imperial Study, but for some reason, the way everyone looked at him seemed extremely resentful.
Even the deep, dark eyes of the Emperor held a hint of resentment.
Was it his imagination?
Ling Xiao endured the pressure, knelt down, and clasped his hands: “Your Majesty, this subordinate has something to report.”
Emperor Shangde picked up the tea on the table and took a large gulp.
He didn’t know if this tea could help wash the tooth in his stomach down a bit.
“Speak!” Emperor Shangde said.
Ling Xiao: “Reporting to Your Majesty, you previously dispatched the Second Prince to investigate the missing young girls case in the capital. The Second Prince found important clues and sent this subordinate to search the Grand Tutor’s Residence.”
“This subordinate and his men secretly dug under the peach tree in the back garden of the Grand Tutor’s Residence and unearthed forty-five bodies of young girls. Some were already rotted beyond recognition; others were just piles of white bones.”
At this moment, Yun Songming slowly opened his mouth: “Imperial Father, this son had long suspected Grand Tutor Chen. Today, when I went to the Dali Temple, I encountered an assassination attempt on the way, and that assassin even poisoned this son.”
“This son used some means to capture those assassins, and they confessed against Grand Tutor Chen.”
“I didn’t expect what the assassins said was actually true.”
“According to those assassins, in recent years, not only did Grand Tutor Chen himself kidnap many young girls, but that Lady Ruan, to have more time to meet with her illicit lover, also sent many young girls onto Grand Tutor Chen’s bed!”