Little Pink Starfish

The Feeling of Ruling the World

Early the next morning, Yu Xiaoxiao was summoned into the palace by Xianzong. Still hungry from skipping breakfast, she stomped into the palace in a foul mood. But when she saw the breakfast her useless emperor of a father had prepared for her, her mood shifted from stormy to partly cloudy. After devouring a basket of juicy soup dumplings, she was all sunshine.

Xianzong sat beside his daughter and asked, “How do the buns taste?”

“Delicious,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “Dad, pack twenty more baskets for me later. I want Little Gu and the others to try them.”

“Sure,” Xianzong poured her some tea. “Father will give you thirty baskets.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Her tone was suddenly bright and cheery.

“No need to thank me.” Seeing that the dipping vinegar was low, Xianzong added more to her saucer. “Take your time. Father won’t let you go hungry.”

“Mm,” Yu Xiaoxiao mumbled as she kept stuffing her face.

The two princes—Prince Rui and Prince Yu—sat silently nearby, watching Xianzong serve his daughter. Internally, they debated: Was Old Four naturally soft on his daughter, or had she just thoroughly broken him? Either way, the scene was a bit horrifying.

After downing three baskets, Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at her two uncles and politely asked, “Fifth Uncle, Ninth Uncle, don’t you want to eat?”

“Don’t worry about them,” Xianzong said. “Even your father hasn’t eaten yet.”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at her dad, grabbed a bun, dipped it in vinegar, and stuffed it into Xianzong’s mouth. “Eat.”

As the bun went down, Xianzong felt his tongue blister from the heat.

Prince Yu asked, “Princess, you’ve been doing well lately?”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded. “Pretty well.”

“Oh? The prince consort too?”

“Yup. Everyone in my family’s doing great. Ninth Uncle, what do you want to say?”

“Well,” Xianzong chimed in, “Linglong, I want you to take a trip to Suzaku.”

“Nope,” Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t even blink. She was planning to go to Zhuri to check on Wuhuan—why would she detour to Suzaku?

“You can head to Zhuri after you’ve been to Suzaku,” Xianzong coaxed.

Both uncles gasped. Causing chaos in Suzaku wasn’t enough, and now Old Four wanted her to cause trouble in Zhuri too?

“North and south are in opposite directions,” Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. “Nope. Out of the way.”

“You little—” Xianzong said, “Listen to me. This is an imperial decree!”

“An imperial decree?” Yu Xiaoxiao sneered. “Are you gonna execute my whole family if I disobey?”

“If I were to do that, wouldn’t I have to kill myself too?” Xianzong snapped.

“Exactly,” she said. “So I’m not going.”

Xianzong was gutted. Not once in this girl’s presence had he ever felt the dignity of a man who ruled the world!

Prince Rui and Prince Yu privately looked down on their emperor brother. Forget being an emperor—he couldn’t even act like a father. Was there ever a dad more lacking in authority than this guy?

Prince Rui cleared his throat and tried to educate her. “Princess, as the eldest daughter of His Majesty, with your younger brothers still so young, you ought to help shoulder your father’s burdens.”

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at her foolish father in disbelief. “Aren’t I already raising his sons?” she asked Prince Rui. “We’re not at war. What else does he want me to do?”

“Raising?” Xianzong shouted. “You snatched them!”

“They’re not peasants. What would I snatch them for?” Yu Xiaoxiao frowned. “I have Little Gu. Even if they weren’t my brothers, they wouldn’t be my type.”

Her logic left Xianzong and the two princes baffled.

Both uncles averted their eyes. Best pretend they hadn’t heard the part about “snatching male peasants.”

Xianzong tried to refocus. “Didn’t I say Little Fourth should stay in the palace to study?”

Yu Xiaoxiao stopped eating and brandished her chopsticks. “He’s a little kid. You want him to read books even I don’t understand? What if you ruin his interest in learning? Want me to explain ‘pulling up seedlings to help them grow’ again?”

Ancestors, help!

Xianzong wanted to strangle her. She couldn’t even understand the Three Character Classic or Hundred Family Surnames. What books did she understand?

“You still look down on Little Gu’s scholarly talents?” she asked.

Xianzong wanted to scream.

“I told you,” she insisted. “Little Gu started reading at five!”

The three royal men rolled their eyes—kids started at three or four these days.

“If he hadn’t been a general, he would’ve aced the imperial exams,” she said proudly. “Even my big brother said he’s scholarly material.”

“Fine, fine,” Xianzong gave in. “Your man’s a genius in everything. Happy now?”

Yu Xiaoxiao stuffed another dumpling in her mouth with a satisfied smile.

“Your Majesty,” Prince Yu said, dragging them back. “Let’s talk about Suzaku again?”

“Oh, right,” Xianzong turned to Yu Xiaoxiao. “The main reason I want you to go is to visit your aunt.”

“Who?”

“Your aunt,” Xianzong repeated.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at the three men and blinked. “I have an aunt? Since when?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Xianzong scolded. “She was married off to Suzaku at twelve.”

Yu Xiaoxiao nearly spat out her rice porridge. “Twelve?! Are girls in this world really that desperate to get married?”

“Your aunt is now Consort Yu to the Emperor of Suzaku, Li Xiaoyuan,” Xianzong said.

“Consort? Why not Empress?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Xianzong, Prince Rui, and Prince Yu…

A few more bites in, she mumbled, “What’s the point of being a concubine?”

“Enough!” Xianzong snapped. “We’re not talking about that!”

“How old is that Li guy?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

“Almost fifty,” said Prince Yu.

“And my aunt?”

“She’s not thirty yet,” he said.

“She’s the youngest of my siblings,” Xianzong added. “I arranged the marriage.”

Yu Xiaoxiao muttered, “Sounds like true love.” A twenty-year age gap? Either it was true love, or the man was rich and powerful. But since her aunt was a princess, the only explanation left… was true love!

Xianzong… Someone explain why the conversation had spiraled into romance again?