The palace maid was so frightened that she immediately ran forward and knelt in front of him, kowtowing. "Your Majesty, I was sent by the Empress Dowager to serve you and the Empress."
Her body trembled like a leaf as she spoke.
Feng Junyi got down from the bed and walked barefooted to the palace maid. "Don't you know that I don't like people waiting on me when I sleep? Guards, drag her away and flog her to death."
Two guards rushed in at once and dragged the palace maid out.
The palace maid struggled and screamed, "Your Majesty, please spare my life! Empress, please save me! Your Majesty, don't kill me! I was only following the Empress Dowager's orders."
Feng Junyi felt a headache coming on. The palace maid was as noisy as the old men who made a stir during his morning audience.
He rubbed his temples and added indifferently, "Cut off her tongue before you flog her."
Su Nuan was stunned.
She read the novel and died a few times, but she still couldn't imagine that Feng Junyi would kill people without batting an eyelid.
Is Feng Junyi really going to kill someone in front of me?
There was a scream outside, and everything fell silent. Soon, a guard reported, "Your Majesty, we have disposed of her."
Feng Junyi waved his hand and gestured the guard to leave before lying down on the bed.
Su Nuan gasped beside him.
"Let's sleep."
Su Nuan murmured a reply. She was curled up like a kitten and did not dare move.
Fortunately, the little tyrant did not continue to torment her, so she fell asleep in no time.
But just as she was sleeping soundly, someone shook her awake suddenly.
Su Nuan opened her eyes and saw that the little tyrant was still awake. His long and narrow eyes were staring straight at her.
It was as if he wanted to skin her alive and swallow her whole.
Su Nuan puffed up her cheeks in anger. She lifted the blanket and sat up, feeling apprehensive. Her dreams were disrupted again. No one would feel happy in this situation.
If he keeps waking me up, I might as well just sit next to him.
Feng Junyi was still looking at her with interest.
Su Nuan lamented, Feng Junyi is so difficult to deal with. I need to think of a way to coax him. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep tonight. My body is still young and needs more sleep to grow taller.
I have an idea!
A bright idea suddenly occurred to Su Nuan. Appearing very enthusiastic, she tilted her head sideways and asked, "Is Your Majesty unable to sleep?"
She stopped calling him "Big Brother Emperor" sweetly because she was angry.
But, she was not aware that her voice was naturally soft and sweet. So even if she did not intend to act coyly, it still sounded like she was.
"Mhm."
She was right. He couldn't sleep, so he made sure she couldn't sleep too.
"Then I'll show Your Majesty a magic trick."
"A magic trick?"
Interest grew in his eyes, but his expression remained indifferent.
Su Nuan nodded and said to him, "Look carefully, don't blink."
So what if Feng Junyi was a tyrant? He's still a kid. If she thought about it this way, she was not as afraid.
After some thought, she decided to get a handkerchief and let Feng Junyi place it on her hand.
She counted down from three and removed the handkerchief, revealing two hand puppets that she had retrieved from a room.
She discovered the room last time. It was a small supermarket inside. It was small, but it had everything: snacks, toys, and so on. There were all sorts of things.
She found the hand puppets last time.
She had not planned on using it because she had found it useless, but now it would come in handy.
When Feng Junyi saw what she held in her hand, a surprise flashed across his eyes again. He searched her arm and lifted the blanket to check, but he could not find anything.
Finally, Feng Junyi could not help but exclaim, "I've seen the acrobatics troupe pull things out of thin air. It's just a diversionary tactic. Tell me, where did you hide it?"
Su Nuan noticed that Feng Junyi's tone had softened. He had even changed the way he referred to himself[1.Feng Junyi had previously been using a pronoun reserved only for use by the Emperor when referring to himself].
She was excited.
"This is Su Su's special skill. Does Big Brother Emperor like it? I'll give this to you. Look, you can play with it like this when you can't sleep."
Su Nuan placed the hand puppets over both of his hands and gestured with them, imitating the two little people fighting.
Feng Junyi did not probe further. Instead, he studied the hand puppets she had given him.
One of the hand puppets was an emperor, while the other looked like an official.
The emperor was dressed in a black and red dragon robe, and his subject was holding a court tablet. Feng Junyi looked like he was having a lot of fun. When she saw him having fun, she closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, it was the following day.
Feng Junyi and the hand puppets disappeared. She did not know if Feng Junyi had slept last night, nor did she know when he left.
Su Nuan got up, looked at her arms and legs, and analyzed the current situation.
Judging from how things were, Feng Junyi would not kill her anytime soon.
Of course, if she provoked him later on, that might not be the case anymore.
"Your Majesty, you're awake."
Su Nuan was still lost in her thoughts. The palace maid quickly walked over and gently helped her dress up.
"Yesterday was your wedding day. According to the palace rules of Shang Nation, you have to serve tea to the Empress Dowager this morning."
The maid's name was Zhen Zhu. She was 13 years old and was one of the maidservants she had brought from Yun Nation.
The Empress Dowager was also a ruthless character.
Su Nuan was just a sacrifice for the marriage between the two countries.
She had already figured out what had happened in Shang Nation when she read the book.
The Empress Dowager and the Regent dominated the court. Feng Junyi, the successor to the throne, was still a minor. However, he was at odds with the Empress Dowager.
Terrifyingly, Feng Junyi would kill his biological mother, the Empress Dowager, and the Regent who assisted him when he was 16 years old. After that, he would truly have imperial power.
With authority to kill, Feng Junyi's tyranny was unstoppable.
So, when Su Nuan served tea to the Empress Dowager, she couldn't help but take a second look at her.
She was in her thirties, but with proper care of her appearance, she looked like she was in her early twenties. She looked like Feng Junyi's biological mother.
She exuded a dignified aura that made people tremble with fear.
It was a pity that her son would kill such a beauty in a few years.
After Su Nuan served the tea, she retreated to the side and lowered her eyes, appearing submissive.
The Empress Dowager glanced at her and was pleased with the obedient little Empress.
Obedient girls would listen to her advice regarding the Emperor's concubines in the future. She would be able to manage the harem properly.
The Empress Dowager asked her a few more questions and emphasized that she could visit her more often if she had nothing to do in the palace. With that, she allowed Su Nuan to leave.
Su Nuan came out of the Empress Dowager's chambers, relieved.
"Stop right there."
She heard a shout from behind just as she was preparing to head back.
She knew that just like the last time, the person who had called out to her was Commandery Princess Shuanghua.
She was the Empress Dowager's niece, and the Empress Dowager only doted on her. As a result, the Commandery Princess was more favored than a real princess. In turn, she became arrogant and overbearing.
"Do you know who I am? I'm the niece of the current Empress Dowager. If it weren't for you, I would have become Empress."