Villainous Fake Eunuch (8)
The man’s eyes were truly too beautiful. Being stared at with such focus by him, Song Xuyi felt for a moment that she had almost lost the ability to speak.
“The dishes you cooked suit my taste perfectly.”
Perhaps it was the influence of the wine, but the man’s pale lips seemed to have taken on a layer of glaze. As his gaze flickered, there was an inexplicable charm and allure, and the temperament he exuded even made one overlook his otherwise plain-looking face.
“Xuyi, may I ask a favor of you?” Perhaps because of the alcohol, the man’s voice was not as hoarse as before; his tone sounded oddly familiar.
However, at this moment, Song Xuyi’s mind had already turned into a muddle, and she didn’t notice these details at all. She stared blankly at the man in front of her, only feeling that he looked extremely pleasing to the eye. Blinking in confusion, she spoke out in praise, “You look really good right now!”
The man was stunned for a moment, and instinctively touched his own face. Even though he tried to remain as indifferent as usual, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve up slightly.
“Wait here for me for a moment.” The man spoke softly, then returned to the room. Not long after, he came out again, holding a set of paper and pen.
“Could you write a note for me?” The man approached Song Xuyi, and despite his efforts to conceal it, there was still a trace of expectation in his eyes: “Promise me you’ll cook at least three meals for me in the future.”
Song Xuyi, drowsy at this point, couldn’t help but laugh when she heard the man’s request: “Is my cooking really that good?”
She had never thought that a man who usually appeared so steady and calm would have such a moment of near-childishness. But upon careful reflection, this wasn’t the first time. After curing a few children who had fallen ill with a plague, when one child, unafraid of the man’s imposing demeanor, stubbornly insisted on giving him some dates, the man had shown a similarly bewildered expression. At a loss as to what to do, the man’s eyes then, like now, were mixed with a hint of expectation, perhaps even without him realizing it.
In Song Xuyi’s view, the man appeared cruel and stern, yet carried a contrasting sense of cuteness, occasionally making him seem somewhat adorable, causing her to stifle her laughter.
“You should write it like this,” the man stared intently at Song Xuyi’s hand holding the pen: “Song Xuyi promises to personally cook three meals for the bearer of this note, and will not go back on her word!”
“Alright, alright,” Song Xuyi tried hard to suppress her laughter. She hadn’t expected the man to be so serious, only to have her cook for him. She yawned, holding back her amusement as she wrote the note. Thinking of the man’s help over the past few days, Song Xuyi felt that three meals might be too few. With a mind to befriend this cold-faced, warm-hearted, and highly skilled man, she changed the note as she wrote it, making it “ten meals” instead. Then, smiling, she handed the note to the man beside her, her eyelids beginning to droop: “The note is written. But I am a bit short on funds these days, so… it might take a while before I can afford the ingredients to fulfill this promise.”
“No matter, Xuyi. With such sincerity, I naturally must repay you in kind.”
The last thing Song Xuyi heard before falling asleep was the man’s voice, tinged with a trace of joy. In the shifting light and shadow, the man carefully folded the note that Song Xuyi had written and placed it into his chest pocket, the corners of his lips curving into a contented smile…
Was he really that happy?
Seeing the man’s expression, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile as well.
Song Xuyi woke up to the system’s screams.
“Gu Ruyu!!! You treacherous little thief—”
“Gu Ruyu?”
When Song Xuyi first woke up, she only saw a thin figure sitting by the bedside. Instinctively, she thought it was the man who had claimed to be “Zhao San,” who had been with her in the fight against the plague. However, when the man turned his head, revealing that coldly beautiful face that made one suspect he was frigid, Song Xuyi’s sleepiness instantly vanished.
What on earth had happened?
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For a brief moment, Song Xuyi thought she was dreaming and couldn’t help but blink several times.
“I should have known!” However, the system’s scream shattered Song Xuyi’s illusion, and its voice sounded incredibly furious: “No wonder this man has the aura of a villain! I only knew that villains are treacherous and cunning, but I never thought a villain would disguise himself as an ugly man and stay by your side all this time!”
“Ahhh! That insidious villain! If it weren’t for that damned villain just taking off his mask in your room, I wouldn’t have realized he is Gu Ruyu…”
?!
“You mean to say—” Song Xuyi struggled to digest the truth, raising her voice and interrupting the collapsing system: “The man who claimed to be ‘Zhao San’ was Gu Ruyu in disguise?”
After receiving the system’s confirmation, Song Xuyi felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her from the sky, leaving her completely stunned!
So, all this time, when she thought she had escaped Gu Ruyu’s control, she had actually been right under his nose? And she had even been foolishly imagining becoming friends with Gu Ruyu?!
This person was truly terrifying!
Song Xuyi looked at the man in front of her. The man’s face was excessively beautiful, but Song Xuyi had no time to appreciate this captivating beauty. Cold sweat broke out on her back as she only wanted to escape Gu Ruyu’s gaze…
“Princess, you’re awake.”
However, Gu Ruyu had already lifted his eyes to look over.
Song Xuyi kept telling herself to stay calm. She took a deep breath, her face flushed as she mustered the courage to look at Gu Ruyu’s flawless face: Gu Ruyu’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes naturally carried a hint of charm and affection. For the first time, Song Xuyi noticed a small red mole at the corner of Gu Ruyu’s eye. This red mole, set against Gu Ruyu’s pale skin, was like a red plum blossom blooming in the snow—remarkably beautiful.
However, this was not the point.
Song Xuyi belatedly realized: Gu Ruyu’s eye shape was almost identical to that of the man who had been accompanying her all along!
Remembering the bad things she had said about Gu Ruyu in front of that man, and recalling the rumors about Gu Ruyu’s vengeful nature, Song Xuyi only wanted to find a hole to crawl into!
“Gu… Chief Eunuch Gu.”
All Song Xuyi wanted at this moment was to escape.
She forced a smile at Gu Ruyu, shivered involuntarily, and couldn’t help but shrink back into the bed, clutching the blanket tightly.
“A mere eunuch, this servant. Princess need not avoid.”
Noticing Song Xuyi’s evasive and fearful actions, Gu Ruyu’s eyes darkened, and he pressed his lips tightly together. After a long moment, he spoke in a cold tone.
“I am not avoiding, it’s just… I didn’t expect you to suddenly appear here.” The system was still angrily berating Gu Ruyu over and over again. In order to focus on dealing with the current situation, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but temporarily mute the system. With the buzzing in her head finally quieted, Song Xuyi was able to calmly think about why Gu Ruyu had suddenly revealed his true identity.
Why did Gu Ruyu suddenly become willing to reveal his identity in front of her?
Given Gu Ruyu’s cunning, he couldn’t possibly be unaware that revealing his true face meant acknowledging her identity as the Princess. Since he had shown his true face, it also indicated on another level that he was willing to help the residents of this village.
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And the truth was just as Song Xuyi had expected.
After taking a turn around the village, Song Xuyi noticed that everything was orderly: the village even had a designated laundry room for washing clothes, a medicine hall for boiling medicines, and a dining hall for cooking meals… Even if Song Xuyi had organized things herself, she might not have done a better job than what was currently in place.
The old doctor was quite elderly, and Song Xuyi didn’t want to trouble him excessively, so she had only shared many of the epidemic prevention measures with the man who called himself ‘Zhao San.’ Now, seeing the current state of Wang Family Village, it was clear that everything had been orchestrated by Gu Ruyu.
Song Xuyi couldn’t help but glance at Gu Ruyu: according to the plot synopsis, Gu Ruyu deeply resented the entire He Kingdom and had single-handedly pushed the nation into an abyss of misery. Song Xuyi had never expected that Gu Ruyu would extend a hand to help Wang Family Village.
Yet, Gu Ruyu’s face still bore the cold and indifferent expression that Song Xuyi had grown accustomed to. From his expression alone, it was impossible to discern what he was thinking.
At that moment, Song Xuyi encountered the elderly doctor, who was restless and helping out in the medicine hall.
As soon as the old doctor saw Song Xuyi, he knelt down, saying, “Thank you, Princess, for risking your life to save our entire village! We, the people of Wang Family Village, are deeply moved and grateful beyond words. From now on, we will worship a longevity tablet1 in your honor for generations to come, in gratitude for your great kindness and virtue…”
Only then did Song Xuyi realize that after Gu Ruyu took over Wang Family Village, he had already revealed her true identity to the villagers:
In Gu Ruyu’s half-true, half-false story, she was portrayed as a righteous Princess who, upon noticing the plague in Wang Family Village and being concerned about the suffering of the common people, risked her life to escape the palace and came to Wang Family Village to help them overcome the calamity…
Song Xuyi never expected that everyone would believe this story so deeply.
In Gu Ruyu’s presence, Song Xuyi couldn’t deny it, so she endured her shame and finally managed to calm down the excited old doctor. When she turned her head, she saw Gu Ruyu’s half-smiling eyes—
Song Xuyi couldn’t help but recall the scene when those children gave dates to “Zhao San.” Could it be that Gu Ruyu was retaliating for her standing by and doing nothing at that time?
To prevent the old doctor from kneeling before her again, Song Xuyi hurriedly left the medicine hall. It was only then that Gu Ruyu leisurely spoke up—
“I have already reported to His Majesty that the plague here can be cured. His Majesty, being benevolent, will naturally take care of his people.”
Song Xuyi nodded.
Gu Ruyu’s words sounded pleasant, but Song Xuyi understood that the Emperor was willing to send people to Wang Family Village to control the epidemic solely because of his trust in Gu Ruyu.
Now that the imperial court had taken over the management of the epidemic in Wang Family Village, Song Xuyi felt a huge burden lifted from her heart. From now on, she only needed to focus on finding the male lead, Zheng Lian, to complete her mission.
Thinking this way, Song Xuyi also breathed a sigh of relief. She had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something, but she couldn’t recall it at the moment. Deciding not to dwell on it, she also didn’t plan to wander around anymore to receive the villagers’ gratitude. Instead, she chose a small path and returned to the courtyard that Gu Ruyu had rented.
What Song Xuyi didn’t expect was that Gu Ruyu followed her into the courtyard afterward.
Following behind Gu Ruyu were several servants carrying various ingredients.
Gu Ruyu sat down slowly on a bench, took out a note that looked familiar to Song Xuyi, and waved it in front of her, speaking softly—
“Today, a man claiming to be Zhao San came to me and said that the Princess has realized her mistake and is willing to cook for me to make amends…”
“Seeing the Princess’s sincerity, I led my men to Wang Family Village, not expecting the epidemic here to be so severe—”
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“After the weariness of the journey, my stomach is growling with hunger, so I’ll trouble the Princess!”
The author has something to say:
Gu Ruyu: (￣▽￣)~ Plan successful!
Song Xuyi: It’s happening! Gu Ruyu’s revenge is here!
Never have I seen someone so shameless and capable of lying through their teeth!
Happy New Year’s, mwah mwah!
January 1st—I’ve finally got a break after more than 20 days without a holiday!
I’m setting a flag: I’ll be posting six times on January 1st~
LP: Re-translated on August 16, 2024
Footnotes
- “Longevity tablet”: The phrase “長生牌位” (chángshēng páiwèi) refers to a tablet or plaque dedicated to someone, usually a deceased person, to pray for their longevity or to honor them. In this context, it is a sign of deep respect and gratitude from the villagers.
