Golden Dragon Tang Wulin part2

Chapter 599 - The Strange Princess

“What? You fell asleep and dreamed up a murderer?”

Tang Wulin’s explanation almost caused the emperor to choke on his own spit. He had interrupted the imperial ceremony for such a ridiculous reason. If it weren’t for Tang Wulin’s diplomatic immunity, they would have charged with disgracing the Empire right there!

Cheeks warm and at a loss at what to do, Tang Wulin lowered his head. If he went with the excuse that someone shouted into his ear, then that could only have been Gu Yue or Xu Lizhi. Dragging them into this mess was something he couldn’t bear to do.

Taking in Tang Wulin’s docile behavior, the emperor silently mulled over how to handle the situation. There was no precedent for such a scenario!

Wu Zhangkong stood at the side in silence as well.

When it seemed like the silence would drag on forever, a servant in floral clothing entered the room, walked over to the emperor, and whispered into his ear. The emperor nodded, his stern expression relaxing.

Finally, he gave his verdict. “We are not without benevolence. We understand how strange your situation was, and for the sake of friendly relations between our two countries, We shall overlook the incident this time. Be careful not to cause any more trouble. You may leave for the banquet now.”

That’s it? Tang Wulin let out a breath of relief. Even Wu Zhangkong seemed to be in a daze. This incident involved the prestige of the Empire after all. It was wholly unexpected for the emperor to be so lenient.

☀

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Dai Tianling stared at his daughter with a sour, helpless look. “You troublesome rascal. You’re always doing whatever you want regardless of the setting. You’re lucky this was only a small matter this time. But what would you do if it was more serious? What if it caused a conflict between our two countries?”

“Imperial Father, my apologies. It was my mistake. I won’t repeat this mistake in the future,” Dai Yun’er said, her head lowered respectfully.

Dai Tianling had seventeen sons, but only one daughter. As a result, he had always doted on her since childhood. No matter what Dai Yun’er did, she was the joy of his life, the apple of his eye.

“You’ve already repeated that line so many times since you were a kid that my ears are going deaf to it. Won’t repeat the same mistake? Just last month, who was it that cut off half the hair of an imperial concubine? Then the month before that… Ah just thinking about it gives me a headache. Forget it.”

Dai Yun’er pressed her lips together, her eyes reddening and tears swelling up in the corners. “Imperial Father, do you not love me anymore?”

Since his ascendance to the throne, Dai Tianling had been praised as a man among men, guiding the empire into an age of prosperity. Under his rule, the empire suppressed the Green Skull Renegades that had been terrorizing its people for the last several hundred years. However, no matter how ruthless he acted in politics, his imperial dignity vanished when it came to facing his only daughter. He was powerless against Dai Yun’er’s pitiful expression.

“No no. Don’t cry.” Dai Tianling slapped his forehead. “Jeez. How am I supposed to deal with you? You’re truly the bane of my existence sent down by the heavens. Fine. I won’t punish you. But you have to promise me to not cause any trouble. Especially anything that would harm the prestige of our empire. Otherwise, I’ll have to put you under house arrest.”

“Imperial Father, you’re the best!” Dai Yun’er threw herself onto her father and hugged him around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek with a radiant smile, the previous tears nowhere to be seen.