CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 396: HUNGER STRIKE

So young, yet already inheriting Marquis Dongxiang’s true essence; what will happen when he grows up?

Thinking of the many smart people in Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, with not a single one being foolish, the Emperor worried for his own sons and grandsons.

"Your Majesty?" Eunuch Fu called as he saw the Emperor lost in thought.

Now is not the time to be distracted, Grand Tutor Wang has fainted.

The Emperor snapped out of it and asked, "Have we sent for the Imperial Physician for Grand Tutor Wang?"

"A messenger has already been dispatched," the little eunuch replied.

After all, it would not be appropriate for the Emperor not to check on Grand Tutor Wang after he fainted from anger.

But to say that it was Young Master Su’s fault isn’t quite accurate.

To be honest, it was his own son who held everyone back.

Thinking like this—

The Emperor, "...."

Young Master Su and the Ninth Prince were of similar age, with the Ninth Prince being a few months older.

When Grand Tutor Wang was teaching them, the Ninth Prince was beginning to learn while Young Master Su could recite backwards fluently.

The son of a bandit learned faster than a prince!

The Emperor had to admit he felt a bit discouraged.

The Imperial Kitchen was near the place where the princes were taught, but the Imperial Hospital was a bit farther.

By the time the Emperor arrived, the Imperial Physician had just gotten there.

However, Grand Tutor Wang had already regained consciousness.

His philtrum was slightly swollen as he wiped tea off his face with a handkerchief.

"What happened?" the Emperor asked.

The Seventh Prince looked at Young Master Su and accused, "He pinched the Grand Tutor’s philtrum and spurted tea onto his face."

"I was trying to wake him up," Young Master Su protested.

The Ninth Prince raised his hand and said, "I can testify, the Grand Tutor woke up after being pinched."

Although maybe due to the pain.

The Emperor naturally knew Young Master Su’s actions were meant to revive Grand Tutor Wang.

What surprised him was how a child not even seven knew what to do.

He looked at Young Master Su, "Who taught you to do this?"

"I saw Uncle Lin do it once," Young Master Su replied.

"...."

No one taught him, but just by observing, he could imitate it perfectly.

Grand Tutor Wang was exhausted, his philtrum hurt and throbbed.

He couldn’t teach the princes today, so the Emperor didn’t force him, and had him sent out of the palace.

The princes secretly cheered.

No classes, no need to memorize books at home, a day of leisure, how could they not be delighted?

The Emperor casually picked up a book from the table.

It happened to belong to Young Master Su.

There was an illustration on the back of the book.

Young Master Su stood there, facing the wind with an air of freedom and wildness—

If only he wasn’t standing on the back of a giant tortoise.

The Emperor, "...."

Eunuch Fu, "...."

Most people gallop on horses.

He gallops on a tortoise.

The Emperor resisted the twitch in his mouth, flipping through the book.

Eunuch Fu knew what the Emperor wanted to ask, so he inquired, "Did the Marquis instruct Young Master Su to memorize an entire book backwards?"

"I did it on my own initiative," Young Master Su replied.

"Why?" Eunuch Fu was curious.

"I made a pact with my father: if I could memorize a book backwards in three days, he’d take me down the mountain for a heist."

The Emperor, "...."

Eunuch Fu, "...."

Speaking of this, Young Master Su looked at the Emperor with a slightly resentful gaze.

He had struggled to memorize the book.

But then his father surrendered to the authorities.

He had never gone down the mountain for a heist with his father.

Eunuch Fu dared not ask further.

The whole family had a peculiar enthusiasm for raiding.

And the one raided most often was the Emperor.

Over the years, just how much food and pay silver had Marquis Dongxiang raided from the Emperor?

Marquis Dongxiang’s children taking after their father in this regard was particularly adept.

Life-threatening but same inheritance.

Marquis Dongxiang felt proud.

The Emperor felt stifled.

The princes scrabbling to inherit his throne was the scene the Emperor feared most.

The Emperor put down the book and walked away.

As soon as he left, Young Master Su and the Ninth Prince took a shortcut to the Imperial Kitchen.

The Tenth Prince followed behind them.

Young Master Su hadn’t had sugar figurines for several days and was craving them a bit.

The Imperial Chef could make the world’s delicacies, and sugar figurines were no exception.

Young Master Su and the others stood there, watching the Imperial Chef make sugar figurines.

Two per person.

"So sweet," the Tenth Prince said, sucking on a sugar figurine.

Young Master Su said, "Sweet indeed, it’d be even better if we could eat these while strolling through the streets."

"We’ve been here for so many days, and there’s nothing fun in the Imperial Palace."

This isn’t allowed, and that isn’t allowed either.

Not allowed to run around, nor to climb rockeries. What’s the point?

He had been eyeing the nest of bird eggs on the tree in the Imperial Garden for days.

The more he thought about it, the itchier he felt.

Young Master Su could no longer suppress his restless heart.

After finishing the sugar figurine, he went to take the bird eggs from the nest.

Fengyang Palace.

Princess Shouning sat on the bed, touching her growling stomach.

A palace maid brought over food and said, "Princess, please eat something, don’t harm your body with hunger."

Princess Shouning looked at her favorite Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup and Kung Pao Chicken, swallowing her saliva.

She turned her face away.

"Take it away!"

"If Mother doesn’t agree to my request, I might as well starve myself to death," Princess Shouning said.

This was to make the Empress give her consent to marry Prince NanAn.

After eating too much yesterday morning, Princess Shouning started fasting from noon.

Having never been hungry since childhood, she only realized yesterday that no matter how full you eat in the morning, by night you’ll still be so hungry your vision blurs.

But she’s determined this time, and quite thorough too, only eating a piece of cake when she couldn’t stand the hunger in the middle of the night.

Being hungry is unpleasant, but thinking about not being able to marry the one she likes, and having to spend her life with someone she doesn’t like, she gritted her teeth and persevered.

The Empress knew she ate a few pieces of cake.

If she couldn’t show the Empress her determination, it would be hard for her to achieve her wish.

Thinking of this, Princess Shouning was annoyed at the Empress Dowager and Duke Chong, first wanting to marry her to Xie Jingchuan, then to the Eldest Young Master of the Right Minister’s Mansion, and now they wanted to marry her to the young master of the Left Minister’s Mansion.

The Eldest Young Master of the Right Minister’s Mansion didn’t even require her resistance, he found a way to return to the Empress on his own.

But the Left Minister’s Mansion is eager to marry her in.

If she wasn’t firm, this marriage could very well be settled!

No matter how the palace maid persuaded her, Princess Shouning remained unmoved.

The palace maid, out of options, could only take the food away and report to the Empress.

The Empress was exasperated.

She had met Prince NanAn, and he was quite decent in both looks and family background, but he was too close to Marquis Dongxiang’s Mansion.

Even Prince NanAn couldn’t control him, and he did whatever the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion asked him to do. Now, he’s practically a half-bandit with Marquis Dongxiang’s crew.

He only saved her once at Baihua Building, how could she take a liking to him?

The Empress couldn’t understand.

But her daughter had been hungry for four meals now, and if she continues, she’d faint. If the Emperor found out, news would spread about a princess fainting from hunger to marry, and it would be a huge disgrace to the Royal Family.

The Empress could no longer sit still, holding the palace maid’s hand to go to Fengyang Palace to persuade Princess Shouning.

In the Imperial Garden, the Ninth Prince and the others looked up to watch Young Master Su climb the tree.

Young Master Su was trying hard to reach the bird’s nest.

A little eunuch ran over and said, "The Empress is coming."

The Ninth Prince and the others were quite afraid of the Empress, especially since climbing trees was certainly a no-no.

They quickly found a place to hide.

The Empress walked briskly over, and a palace maid with sharp eyes said, "Why did the Ninth Prince and the others run as soon as they saw Her Majesty?"

The Empress didn’t concern herself with the Ninth Prince and the others, a few illegitimate Princes couldn’t stir up much trouble.

But although there was no trouble from waves, there was trouble from eggs.

When the Empress approached, a eunuch noticed Su Yang on the tree.

The Empress didn’t say a word, the palace maid said, "And in the palace, still daring to act so rudely."

"Teach him a lesson so he doesn’t dare act so wildly in the future."

As the Empress walked past the tree, the little eunuch looked up and shouted, "There’s a snake on the tree!"

Su Yang had just gotten the bird’s nest and was happily guessing how many bird eggs it contained when the little eunuch’s words startled him into trembling hands.

The bird’s nest slipped and fell.

Young Master Su quickly reached out to catch the nest but missed, only managing to brush it slightly.

If it had fallen straight down, there would have been no issue.

But he inadvertently knocked the nest towards the back of the Empress’s head.

A sudden attack—

The Empress screamed in fright.

Young Master Su had originally been lying on the tree, and in his attempt to catch the nest, he lost his balance and slid downwards, fortunately managing to catch himself with his hands on the tree, hanging without falling down.