TFRLTOP Chapter 57 Part 1

Chapter 57 – The Tyrant’s Beloved 

◎ Ming Ming seriously began to doubt the dignity of Emperor Wanqian as a man ◎

Ming Ming had a roasted duck leg in her left hand and a giant pork knuckle in her right, her cheeks puffed out, lips glistening with grease as she stuffed her mouth full.

The emperor barely had an appetite that day. After a couple of bites, he set his chopsticks down and leaned on his hand, watching Ming Ming devour her meal.

Her cheeks bulged like a hamster’s as she chewed, and the emperor couldn’t help wondering—this woman had such a small head and delicate face, so how could her mouth hold so much?
Apparently, everything meant for her brain had gone to her mouth.

Ming Ming noticed his stare and shot him a suspicious look.

“?”

The emperor turned his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Was that look just now him calling me names? Ming Ming asked her system warily. Does he think I eat too much?

System: …Sigh.

Once she was past wolfing things down, Ming Ming began eating slowly, savoring the sweetness of the braised pork, the freshness of the lamb, the tender crispiness of shredded chicken. Just then, the emperor suddenly asked, “Does Lady Lan not like going out?”

Ming Ming blinked. “Huh? No, that’s not it.”

“Since you’ve arrived, I don’t think I’ve seen you step outside the Snowfall Pavilion. Don’t you feel lonely?”

“Not at all.” Ming Ming shook her head.

I haven’t even finished playing with those five chests of gold and jewels yet.

“Why not spend time with your two elder sisters?”

Ming Ming lowered her head and said gloomily, “They’re legitimate daughters. They don’t like me, a concubine’s child.”

Also, I don’t want them finding out I’m a transmigrator.

“I see. Sounds like you’ve suffered grievances in the past. Could it be that before marriage, you didn’t even get enough to eat?”

Ming Ming had no idea what kind of life Jiang Zelan used to live, so she gave her universal answer: “Your Majesty knows well—I’m a concubine’s daughter…”

Since he wasn’t getting anything useful out of her, the emperor personally ladled her a bowl of wild vegetable tofu soup. Ming Ming was already stuffed and didn’t feel like drinking, but when he told her it was simmered in chicken broth, she accepted it.

She took a sip, smacked her lips—it wasn’t bad—so she downed two whole bowls.

She might have been full, but broth slipped right through; it didn’t take up any space.

The emperor stared silently at her belly, lost in thought.

When Ming Ming was finally done, she flopped back in her chair, blissfully drowsy from her food coma. The emperor stretched out a finger and poked her stomach. Ming Ming jumped in fright, nearly leaping to her feet.

She looked at him, then at her slightly rounded belly. Taking a deep breath, she tried to suck it in.

The emperor, amused, gave her belly two light pats. “Solid. Doesn’t look like you’ll be able to suck it back in.”

Ming Ming: “…”

She held her breath and forced out, “It will go back. Tomorrow morning at breakfast, it’ll be flat again!”

The emperor gave her a look. “If I hadn’t watched your belly grow from flat to round, I’d almost suspect Jiang Wenyuan deliberately sent in his pregnant daughter so I could unknowingly play the father.”

Hearing that, Ming Ming poked at her tummy and, to her horror, hesitated for a moment.

Wait—I’m the side character. If I suddenly had a pregnancy subplot, it’d still make sense plot-wise, wouldn’t it?

But her tiny hesitation was enough for the emperor to narrow his eyes. “Don’t tell me—”

System: What are you thinking? What’s he thinking? No way, absolutely impossible!

Oh good.

Ming Ming let out a breath of relief, then firmly shook her head. “No! You’re slandering me, Your Majesty!”

To the emperor, that looked exactly like guilt. His face darkened. He ordered Gao Fu to fetch the imperial physician.

Gao Fu, trembling, hurried off.

“You’re… sure I’m not actually pregnant, right?” Ming Ming asked the system nervously.

“Relax. If he really tries to chop you up, I’ll skip you past this world.”

That did not calm her down.

If anything, it was even scarier!

“Then am I pregnant or not??”

Knowing how serious this was, Gao Fu wasted no time. Before Ming Ming could sort out her thoughts, he had already dragged the physician back.

The physician had barely stepped one foot inside when Ming Ming was trying to defend herself: “If I came in here already pregnant, wouldn’t I have seduced His Majesty right away to cover it up? But until now, nothing has happened between us—doesn’t that prove my innocence?”

The physician stumbled at the doorway, nearly tripping over the threshold.

Heaven help me—did I just walk into a royal scandal? Am I making it out of here alive today?

In less than the span of a stick of incense, the emperor’s mind had already run through countless furious thoughts, cursing Jiang Wenyuan up and down. He sneered: “I was about to say, you may not have seduced me, but somehow I’ve already ended up eating and sleeping with you without realizing it. I must admit, you’re quite skilled. According to your plan, it won’t be long before you get exactly what you want.”

Ming Ming let out a disgusted little “ugh” and scooted farther away from him.

The emperor: “…”

The physician stood frozen, not daring to breathe. Gao Fu took advantage of the pause to lower his voice and announce, “Your Majesty, Physician He is here.”

The Wanqian Emperor cast a cold glance over and waved to Imperial Physician He.
“Come here and check Lanyan’s pulse.”

“By your command.”