The Palace Harem is a mess (2)

*Disclaimer: None of this work belongs to me. Credits go to the original manhua.*

"Haha! So they stamped the approval decree on your butt?" Su Luxia laughed hysterically as she listened to the system complain to her.

[System: Hmph! We've been together for years, and now this??]

"S-sorry, I was just having fun playing with you. Well now that we have our hands on this imperial decree of the stamp, I'll remove this piece of paper and write anything I want here,"

[System: A law to punish those who were just like Liu Ruyan or what?]

"Oh no... that's a bit too quick to make such this decision, I am going to use this to adopt a Prince as my son,"

[System: Adopt? Why adopt?? Why don't you punish Liu Ruyan with this?]

"That's because using a blunt knife to kill the pig yields more pain," Su Luxia smirked.

[System: Whatever that meant...]

"Tch... did you forget? This Su Luxia is infertile and Liu Ruyan is pregnant. Obviously, her child will have the throne and she would get promoted as the favored concubine,"

[System: So what now?]

"Watch and learn... I'll pick the best kid out there... "

***

In a garden full of children were playing outside. Su Luxia studied the young boys playing, and tried to decide which child would be the most responsible child to take the throne.

[Esteemed Su Luxia! How about that kid!] The chubby bamboo hamster system pointed at a jubilant kid laughing like a madman with his friends.

"No, no- that one would do no good. This one looks too happy~ at this rate I might as well start a comedy trope rather than raise an actual prince."

[How about that one?] He pointed at a scrawny kid with a sad expression on the corner next to the jubilant one.

"He would die before I could teach him anything." Su Luxia said, biting her lips.

[Sigh* Su Luxia if you don't like these kids, then pick up some toddlers... how about that one?] The chubby rabbit kept pointing all every child in the garden. And Su Luxia felt as if no child was responsible and seemed determined to carry the weight of the throne.

"If I chose a toddler I wouldn't be surprised that I would die of old age and the Empire would probably be on ruins."

"That one cries too much~ I bet you he will start crying on his own throne's downfall." Su Luxia said as she stared at the crybaby on the concrete floor.

"Too old~ there is nothing to teach him. He even looks older than me."

[Su Luxia... WE ARE TRYING TO RAISE A PRINCE NOT BUY VEGETABLES!!! SO PLEASE CONSIDER TWICE!!!]

Su Luxia sighed in disappointment. There was no one who could actually catch her attention. Was there really no child that had the potential to carry the throne??!? She looked around and noticed a kid sitting in the corner with a serious yet bored and frustrated expression studying the floor.

[Su Luxia that's the fourth prince- his mother during his childbirth and he has been taken by a decent concubine and then abandoned years later-"

"Alas!" Su Luxia grinned as she pulled out her fingers, "this child and I! Are fated by the numbers and stars to be together!!"

Su Luxia walked towards him in an elegant manner and was trying her best not to jump in joy.

[Su Luxia, why did you chose him?]

"You stupid bamboo rat!! This child is perfect! He seems responsible, serious, and very innocent."

"Hmm?" the child looked up at the shadow figure, a woman talking to herself.' Strange,' he thought and ignored it.

"You." the child looked up again to see the same woman right in front of his face. "!!" he flinched back but kept an innocent yet serious expression on his face.

"Greetings Dear! I am Lady Su from the Prosperity Palace! May I have the right to know your name?" Su Luxia gave the child a beautiful smile as she brushed her hair.

"L-Lady Su?" he seemed to remember the name. 'It's the famous and the most favored Consort of the Emperor, Lady Su!' "Ah!" he cried in embarrassment. The Fourth Prince had no idea why such a noble consort had come here to meet him and even ask his name!?

"Y-Yun Ling." The boy blushed in embarrassment and stared down at the ground.

Su Luxia smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Yun Ling." Suddenly, from the back corner, an older servant came rushing and threw herself onto the ground, greeting, "This servant pays her respect to Lady Consort Yu!"

Su Luxia tilted her head and stared at the servant on the ground and said, "You are the Fourth Prince's personal Nanny?"

"Yes, Consort Su," The Servant kept bowing on the ground, daring not to look into Su Luxia's eyes in fear. It was obvious that the aura around Su Luxia and the power that she wields in the palace was too significant that one may ask why such a Consort was in such a place.

"His Majesty, the Emperor passed a decree down, allowing me to take in the Fourth Prince. Gather your things and prepare to go to the Prosperity Palace." Su Luxia ordered.

"A-ah! Yes!" The Elderly servant nodded in fear and rushed away, while the supposed Fourth Prince, Yun Ling looked down at the ground without meeting anyone's eyes.

[Host, he looks a bit scared of you.]

Su Luxia sighed and kneeled down to the Prince's level and looked him back in the eye. "Ah, my apologies, I forgot to ask you– are you willing to come with me?"

"I-" Prince Yun Ling mumbled looking down into the ground, hesitating to speak however the Elderly Nanny who was seeing the scene, quickly pushed the Fourth Prince forward and said in his behalf, "My lady, the Young Master is in fact more than grateful to–"

Su Luxia squinted her eyes and looked at the elderly nanny, who had seemed to be controlling the Fourth Prince's actions, quickly grabbed Yun Ling's hand and yelled:

"Who gave you the nerve to push a prince?! Are you offending your superior!"

The servant, who realized their mistake by pushing Yun Ling, quickly fell into the ground and apologized saying, "I-This servant didn't mean to!"

"Are you making decisions for a prince?" Su Luxia asked angrily.

"No..." The servant fell to the ground and Yun Ling looked in the other direction. Suddenly, a grumbling noise came from Yun Ling's stomach and Su Luxia again skeptically looked at the servant, saying, "Are you also starving the Prince?"

"I-I would d-dare not! Am I right? Y-your highness!" The servant cried, looking at the Fourth Prince for help, but Yun Ling said nothing as he kept quiet. It was true that Yun Ling was being mistreated due to his status as an abandoned Prince.

Su Luxia angrily looked at the elderly nanny and took Yun Ling by the hand before saying, "I have seen enough! Take that despicable servant away right now!" She ordered before leaving with the Fourth Prince.

***

***

Yun Ling became surprised and bewildered as all of this happened. His eyes fell into the hands of the Noble Consort Su, who was holding his hand.

"What, is your heart gone soft?" Su Luxia asked him when she took a peek at him.

"N-no." Yun Ling murmured. Sighing, Luxia patted his soft hair and ruffled around before saying, "Remember, you are a Prince, descendant of the Emperor– my, Su Luxia's adopted child.No one can bully you. You must become your own master. You hear me?"

Her voice sounded like an order. Yun Ling looked down at the ground and nodded. Suddenly, tears streamed from his eyes as he turned back to look Su Luxia in the eyes, "I-I won't disappoint y-you!"

And then, he wiped his hands with his torn-up sleeves and ran away.

"Ah..." Su Luxia watched him run away. "Wait..."

[Host, a good little puppy is going to be brought up by you to become a cruel wolf.] The Bamboo rat beside her sighed while watching his unfold. [You really have a heart of stone]

Su Luxia sighed before saying, "What do you know? In the original story before Liu Ruyan's baby was born, that Elderly Nanny deliberately starved that child until his death... it's a cruel pathetic fate, isn't it?"

[Is that why you chose him?] The System became teary-eyed, [*Sobs* You are really a good person, esteemed host!]

"Nah, You're overthinking it," Su Luxia said, looking at her fingernails. "Actually, all those other princes in the Courtyard... all lost to Liu Ruyan's son. That's why I chose someone different, who had no chance in fate to take the throne instead."

"Who knows? It might be a miracle?" Su Luxia grinned instead.

***

***