Five Years To Ascend The Throne, Three Years Of Mock Simulations - Chapter 1

Ming Tan felt as though her eyelids weighed a thousand catties.

She was lying on a bed that was neither too soft nor too hard, listening to the chaos inside the room. The sound of water, footsteps, angry scolding, and crying all tangled together in a complete mess, making her head throb in waves.

So annoying.

Anger surged up in Ming Tan’s heart. She clenched her teeth hard, her eyelids trembling slightly a few times before she suddenly opened her eyes.

—But the scene inside the room made her breath catch.

The curtains hanging around the bed had been drawn aside, revealing a carved frame made of redwood, antique and elegant. Not far away, in front of the latticed window, a candle was lit and flickering faintly, dragging the long shadow of its candlestick across the table.

However, aside from what was nearby, Ming Tan had no time to examine the rest of the room’s furnishings.

Her attention was completely drawn by the furious scolding coming from not far away.

“…Nothing you can do? What a fine ‘nothing you can do’! The Ninth Princess has stayed in the palace for several days without even taking a single step out of her room. What kind of powerful poison could she possibly have been given that even you, Court Physician Guo, are helpless against it?”

“This subject… this subject is terrified…”

“Investigate this thoroughly for Us!”

The sound of porcelain shattering rang out. It seemed that the man could not suppress his anger and had smashed a cup outright. “We would very much like to see what kind of dragon’s pool or tiger’s den this imperial palace truly is!”

Ming Tan quietly listened for a few moments, then could not help pressing her lips together. She roughly understood her current situation.

—She had transmigrated.

She stretched a hand out from beneath the quilt and looked at it twice, making a preliminary judgment that this body was only around ten years old.

As for the two people speaking outside… one was an imperial physician who had come to treat her, while the other should be the current emperor.

Based on the information available, the original owner of this body was the Ninth Princess of a country. Her status was rather high, but her fate had been extremely poor. She had been poisoned to death at such a young age, unable to enjoy any of her wealth and glory, leaving Ming Tan, whose soul had crossed over, to pick up an advantage for free.

She was a pitiful child.

With a soft sigh, Ming Tan had just tried to sit up and continue observing the situation when a sharp cramp suddenly tore through her abdomen. The pain made her unable to hold back a weak cry.

“Ah…”

That barely audible sound instantly drew the attention of everyone in the outer room.

“Longlin!”

The man who had smashed the cup froze, then rushed to Ming Tan’s bedside in quick strides. Taking her hand, he turned his head and shouted, “Court Physician Guo!”

An elderly man dressed like an imperial physician hurried forward. He carefully examined Ming Tan’s complexion, then placed his fingertips on her pulse. After a long moment, he urgently said to the palace maid who had been crying nonstop beside them, “Quickly fetch white rice vinegar and ginger juice!”

Only after giving that order did he kneel on the floor and knock his head heavily before the emperor. “Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess is blessed by heaven. For now, she is no longer in serious danger…”

Hearing this, the emperor paused. Yet no joy appeared on his face. Instead, he furrowed his brows and asked sternly, “Did you not say just now that all you could do was your best and leave the rest to fate?”

“This humble subject would not dare deceive Your Majesty! A quarter of an hour ago, the Ninth Princess’s pulse was rapid, her breathing unstable, and her body temperature frighteningly high. She had even fallen unconscious… The poison of the crinum lily is extremely domineering. If she had not awakened, then her life would indeed have been in danger…”

At this point, Court Physician Guo knocked his head against the floor again and explained, “But the princess has now regained consciousness. Her pulse is steady, her body temperature has fallen, and the abdominal pain is only because some residual poison is still causing trouble inside her body. The white rice vinegar and ginger juice this humble subject sent someone to fetch can counteract the poison. Once the princess drinks them in a moment, her abdominal pain will no longer continue without end.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace maid from earlier happened to return in a hurry, carrying two porcelain bowls.

Court Physician Guo hastily took them and was just about to feed Ming Tan when the emperor moved before him. He picked up the spoon in the bowl and asked, “How much should she take?”

Court Physician Guo froze, then quickly said, “Four taels of white rice vinegar and two taels of ginger juice.”

The emperor nodded slightly. He personally helped Ming Tan sit a little straighter in his arms and said in a low voice, “Longlin, drink the medicine.”

Although Ming Tan was in pain, it had not reached the point where she could no longer understand what was being said. As she opened her mouth and drank the rice vinegar and ginger juice the emperor fed her, she disliked how awful the stuff tasted while once again sighing over her own luck.

When other people transmigrated, they were either unwanted or unfavored. Today they were oppressed by a vicious legitimate mother, tomorrow their fiancé broke off the engagement, and they had to personally turn a rotten hand into a royal flush.

But when it was her turn to transmigrate, she had landed directly at the peak—detoxified by the head of the Imperial Medical Institute, personally fed medicine by the emperor, and as a princess, she even had the childhood name “Longlin,” meaning “dragon scale”?

Good heavens. A true European emperor of luck. As expected of me.

Ming Tan’s thoughts wandered in a jumble, her head growing heavier and heavier. The rice vinegar and ginger juice fell into her stomach one after another, sour and spicy, but the abdominal pain gradually eased a great deal.

With her eyes half-lidded, she hoarsely called, “Father Emperor,” then her head tilted and she weakly fainted once more.

…

When she woke again, there was a brand-new set of memories in Ming Tan’s mind.

The original owner had the same full name as her, Ming Tan. She was eight years old this year, born into the imperial family of the Tiancheng Dynasty. She was the Ninth Princess, born of the empress herself, and was deeply beloved by the emperor.

Just how beloved was she?

When the empress was giving birth, the emperor first ignored ancestral rules and stubbornly waited outside Kunning Palace for a full four to five hours. After hearing that a princess had been born, not only was he not disappointed, he was overjoyed. He even personally gave her a childhood name right then and there: “Longlin.”

The dragon was the image of the emperor and was most often used for imperial princes. How could the Ninth Princess, a girl, be given such a childhood name?

The empress also thought it was improper and tried to persuade the emperor, but he waved her off with one broad sweep of his hand, saying only, “Little Ninth is worthy of the name ‘Longlin.’”

Later, the emperor even held a grand full-month banquet for the Ninth Princess and, during the banquet, in front of the civil and military officials, conferred upon her the title “Princess Yonghui.” This was enough to show just how much the emperor loved Ming Tan.

However, with her noble status, young age, and the emperor and empress’s excessive indulgence, Ming Tan had developed an arrogant, overbearing temperament since childhood. If she wanted the stars, absolutely no one would dare hand her the moon instead.

Over time, the Ninth Princess’s willfulness and spoiled tyranny naturally went without saying. Not to mention, she was also used to acting lawlessly in the palace. Palace maids and eunuchs all avoided her as if she were a plague, and there were even many rumors about her among the common people. Whenever Princess Yonghui was mentioned, people could only complain bitterly.

“Hui” meant goodness. The character clearly carried a beautiful meaning, but when placed on Ming Tan, it was a thousand, ten thousand times undeserved.

Everyone in the world said that the current emperor, Ming Yi, was a good emperor rarely seen in a thousand years. After ascending the throne, he had devoted himself to good governance, worked diligently, and loved the people. During his twenty years on the throne, the empire had enjoyed a flourishing age of peace.

Unfortunately, who knew which string in his head had been connected wrong? He stubbornly treated a rotten fish eye like the pearl in his palm, indulging the Ninth Princess until she became arrogant, domineering, vicious, and boundless in her cruelty. It was said that even at such a young age, she was already someone who devoured people without spitting out the bones!

Truly a muddleheaded ruler. A muddleheaded ruler indeed.

Ming Tan: “…”

After sorting through these memories, she was so angry that she could not help coughing for a while. Finally, she opened her eyes for the second time.

The bed was still that same bed, and the curtains were still those same curtains, but the candle beside the latticed window had already burned out completely. The person keeping watch by her side had also changed.

Ming Tan blinked and carefully looked the person over for a moment, immediately realizing the other party’s identity.

The woman sleeping by the edge of the bed had fine features and skin like congealed cream. At a glance, one could tell she had lived a pampered life of wealth and honor. If not for her overly pale complexion and the obvious fine lines at the corners of her eyes, it would truly be difficult to judge her real age.

After hesitating for a moment, Ming Tan stretched out her small hand and gently pushed the woman’s arm, saying softly, “Mother Empress, come sleep on the bed.”

That one push woke Empress Gu Ying.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly for two seconds. Then she drew in a startled breath and pulled Ming Tan tightly into her arms, crying with lingering fear, “Tan’er, my Tan’er… Bodhisattva bless us. Thank goodness you woke up. Otherwise, what would Mother Empress have done…”

Ming Tan sighed, patted her shoulder, and comforted her in a soft voice, “Mother Empress, don’t cry. Tan’er is fine. Look, am I not perfectly all right?”

But the empress still could not stop her tears. Filled with self-blame, she said, “It is all Mother Empress’s fault. I insisted on keeping you confined in the palace, but instead I gave evildoers an opportunity to take advantage. This is all Mother Empress’s fault…”

A few days earlier, Ming Tan had caused trouble in the imperial garden. It had taken great effort before the empress finally had someone escort her back. In order to make her reflect on her mistakes, the empress locked Ming Tan inside Kunning Palace and punished her by making her copy scriptures by hand to calm her mind.

She had copied them for several full days. But unexpectedly, yesterday afternoon, Ming Tan had suddenly been poisoned. The little girl vomited and had diarrhea, her high fever refusing to subside. She remained unconscious the entire time, and only finally woke in the middle of the night, frightening the empress terribly.

The empress had always been in poor health, and the emperor was also afraid she would become overly anxious. Thus, he had stopped her in the side hall and ordered imperial physicians to wait there with her, not daring to let her come to the main hall to see Ming Tan.

It was only when dawn was nearly breaking, after Ming Tan woke, drank the white vinegar and ginger juice, and fully escaped danger, that the emperor finally allowed the empress to come over and stay with her daughter, while he himself hurried off to attend court.

At this moment, looking at the haggard mother before her, Ming Tan could not help lowering her eyes, her heart filling with bitterness.

She truly loved her daughter. She even blamed herself with her daughter’s suffering.

But even though this body could still open its eyes and continue living, the soul inside it… was no longer that little princess of only eight years old.

“How could this be Mother Empress’s fault?”

Ming Tan took a deep breath and raised her hand. Somewhat saddened, she wiped the tears from the empress’s face and said softly, “Tan’er’s suffering this time should clearly be blamed on treacherous villains. What does it have to do with you?”

The empress froze. “Tan’er…”

Her daughter smiled at her and held a teardrop in her palm. Lowering her eyes slightly, she said gently yet decisively, “Mother Empress, there is no need to blame yourself. This matter will not be allowed to end here… Once we find the murderer who poisoned me, Tan’er will make them pay back a hundredfold no matter what!”

In her previous life, she had died in a car accident, only to be reborn in the body of the Ninth Princess of the Tiancheng Dynasty. In other words, little Ming Tan had given up a life for her.

As a person, one ought to distinguish clearly between gratitude and grudges.

Whether for little Ming Tan, who had already died, or for herself, who was about to live in the Tiancheng Dynasty from now on, she had to do everything she could to find the murderer and avenge this body!

“—Longlin is right. That vicious person must be made to pay back a hundredfold.”

A voice that carried authority even without anger suddenly sounded from inside the hall. Ming Tan instinctively raised her head and happened to meet the emperor’s eyes. His face was dark and solemn.

“Father Emperor!” Her eyes widened in delight, and she hurriedly called out.

The emperor was still wearing his heavy court robes. At a glance, it was obvious he had rushed back as soon as court had ended.

Seeing that Ming Tan’s spirits seemed fairly good, his originally tense expression relaxed somewhat. He walked to the mother and daughter in a few steps, patted the empress on the shoulder, and comforted her, “Ying’er is exhausted too. You really ought to rest well today.”

The empress shook her head. Taking the handkerchief a palace maid beside her presented, she gently wiped the tear stains from her face and bowed to the emperor. “This consort is not tired. Tan’er only woke not long ago, and the servants may not take care of her carefully enough. This consort wants to look after her personally.”

As soon as these words came out, the emperor raised a brow and could not help laughing aloud. Shaking his head, he teased, “The dignified empress, honored as the mistress of Kunning Palace, could possibly be better at taking care of the princess than the servants?”

The empress froze, and her face instantly flushed red. “This consort…”

Ming Tan also covered her lips at the side. She reached out and pushed her gently, coaxing with a grin, “Mother Empress, don’t worry. Tan’er really is fine now! Besides, Father Emperor is here too. Could anyone still dare mistreat Tan’er?”

The palace maids inside the hall were all quick-witted. They immediately knelt on the floor and said in unison, “This servants will certainly serve Your Highness with all our hearts!”

The empress was still hesitating, but Ming Tan’s heart ached terribly at the dark shadows under her eyes. Without waiting for her to speak, she called first, “Duye, hurry and help Mother Empress go rest.”

Duye, the head palace maid of Kunning Palace, answered and came to the empress’s side. In a gentle voice, she said, “Your Majesty, you were worried about the princess last night and did not sleep at all. Now His Majesty and the princess are both concerned for your health, so please go take a short nap.”

Seeing all three of them urging her this way, the empress hesitated for a moment, then could only nod helplessly. She left the main hall to her daughter so she could recover, while she herself had Duye accompany her to the side hall to sleep.

As soon as the empress left, the emperor smiled at Ming Tan and said, “You are quite skilled at ordering around your mother empress’s palace maids.”

Ming Tan was perfectly confident and justified. “Duye is also thinking of Mother Empress’s health.”

“Mm, that is exactly how it should be.” The emperor sighed. “Your mother empress has always been frail, and you, too, have poor health because of it… Court Physician Guo told Us that you suffered greatly this time. I fear you may be left with a lingering weakness. In the future, you can no longer run wild and play like before. Remember that.”

Ming Tan pouted and deliberately dragged out her voice, replying listlessly, “Yes, Longlin remembers.”

The emperor patted Ming Tan’s head and gave a helpless yet doting smile.

The father and daughter were enjoying their warm harmony when a palace maid suddenly walked over from the palace doors, knelt, and reported, “Your Majesty, Chief Steward Sheng is outside requesting an audience.”

The emperor raised his brows and said, “Let him in.”

The palace maid acknowledged the order and withdrew. Before long, a plump eunuch wearing a narrow-sleeved robe walked in and knelt before the emperor and Ming Tan. “Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Ninth Princess.”

Ming Tan recognized this Chief Steward Sheng. His name was Sheng An, and he had served by the emperor’s side since the emperor was still young. He was both an old servant with very deep seniority in the palace and the most useful head eunuch by the emperor’s side. Now, he occupied the lofty position of Chief Steward of the Inner Palace.

“Rise,” the emperor said coolly. “Have you found the result?”

Sheng An knocked his head against the floor, then stood up and bowed as he said, “Replying to Your Majesty, the person who poisoned the Ninth Princess has already been seized. They are currently being held by the guards outside Kunning Palace. This servant does not know how Your Majesty wishes to punish them.”

The emperor’s face abruptly darkened, and he said coldly, “Who is so audacious that they dared murder an imperial child?”

“It is…”

Sheng An frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his head and answered, “It is… a sweeping palace maid from the imperial garden.”