Villainous Fake Eunuch (23)
“The entire Liu family can be considered to have perished because of me. Xuyi, I am a sinner…”
Song Xuyi lowered her eyes, as if sand suddenly entered them, feeling immense heartache for the young Gu Ruyu.
She had actually already guessed Gu Ruyu’s identity but never thought she would confess directly to her. Those heavy experiences filled with conspiracy and intrigue, those blood and tears of hatred ingrained in her bones and blood, were laid out in front of Song Xuyi as though lightly sketched, yet actually as heavy as a thousand tons—
As Song Xuyi previously guessed, although Gu Ruyu did not state it explicitly, Song Xuyi was not the original owner who sought pleasure and had no political sensitivity. Gu Ruyu mentioned that someone in the court, out of fear of the Liu family, deliberately colluded with foreign invaders, which led to the downfall of the Liu family. Other than Zheng Ye, who used disgraceful means to seize the throne, no one else in the court would fear the Liu family to the extent of inviting enemies into their house.
Song Xuyi had thought the emperor was muddle-headed but never thought the emperor was muddle-headed enough to collude with foreign invaders, to kill so many people for personal gain!
Having experienced so many worlds, Song Xuyi felt she had become skilled at comforting others. However, as she looked at the tombstone filled with densely packed names and recalled the tragic scene of an entire family perishing, Song Xuyi suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Not knowing how to begin, and aware that Gu Ruyu might not expect her to say anything, Song Xuyi glanced at Gu Ruyu, silently squatted down, and began helping her pull weeds.
“Actually, I saw you when you were just born,” as Song Xuyi expected, Gu Ruyu quickly composed herself, looked up at Song Xuyi, and spoke softly: “After that big fire, there was no more Liu Ruyu in the world. I was alone, like a stray dog, hiding everywhere. Uncle Song secretly took me in for a while. He hired people to teach me skills and entrusted me with all the hidden powers of the Liu family…”
“I was terrified all the time back then, not knowing where the future would lead, unable to sleep night after night, with continuous fire appearing in my dreams. I used medicine all the time to try to heal, drinking various bitter concoctions, but with little effect.” Gu Ruyu glanced at Song Xuyi, seemingly choosing her words: “At that time, you were wrinkled, your skin seemed folded, you hadn’t grown eyebrows, all red, and cried so loudly it was frightening…”
“I was thinking then, Uncle Song and Aunt Song both had extraordinary appearances, how did they give birth to such a… uniquely ugly little thing?”
Song Xuyi clenched the grass in her hand and looked up at Gu Ruyu with a blank expression.
Initially, she felt heartache for Gu Ruyu, but upon hearing her serious words, Song Xuyi only wanted to stuff the grass she’d pulled into her mouth!
“However, at that time you were really too small, I was afraid of hurting you when I touched you,” Gu Ruyu, unaware of Song Xuyi’s emotions, continued speaking, still immersed in the past, with a slight smile unconsciously forming at the corner of her lips: “At that time, the war was imminent, Aunt Song was busy all day, inevitably neglecting you. I heard your frightening cries, so I often impatiently went to see you, exhausting myself daily to coax you not to cry, and finally had a rare dreamless night—”
“Later,” Gu Ruyu’s voice fell silent again: “The Song family also encountered misfortune, and you entered the palace to become a princess. When I saw you again, I was somewhat disgusted with you, you had been spoiled by the emperor, your eyes seemed to see only wealth and glory, not at all like a Song family member…”
“Until you proposed to go out to find Zheng Lian, as I interacted with you along the way, I couldn’t help but be attracted to you, and only then did I realize perhaps you had been pretending all along—”
“Xuyi, I didn’t deceive you, I truly have affection for you,” Gu Ruyu raised her eyes. “Perhaps you don’t know, the Liu and Song families have always had a very good relationship, and our parents agreed that the descendants would be friends for generations, either as spouses or as sisters and brothers.”
“But I do not wish to become sisters with you—”
Song Xuyi met Gu Ruyu’s gaze. Gu Ruyu’s eyes were dark, and in a moment of daze, Song Xuyi felt as if she had fallen into a deep pool, unable to look away. Gu Ruyu seemed to want to say more, but at that moment, a rider hurriedly came running up from the bottom of the mountain…
Upon hearing someone calling “My Lord,” Song Xuyi snapped back to reality, blushing as she averted her eyes and noticed the person standing in front of Gu Ruyu with a hesitant expression. Understanding the situation, she tactfully stepped aside.
Song Xuyi moved away, but the system was still relaying the conversation from over there.
“That subordinate informed the villain that the emperor’s elixir had already been laced with a sleep-inducing drug, and the close attendants by the emperor’s side had been replaced with their people. He said tonight is the best opportunity to kill the emperor and frame the aristocratic families, and instructed the villain to enter the palace early to prepare…”
Song Xuyi was stunned, not expecting Gu Ruyu’s actions to be so swift, and couldn’t help but look up at Gu Ruyu.
Dozens of meters away, after hearing the subordinate’s words, Gu Ruyu pulled out the last few blades of grass from the grave mound, then cleaned them, walked to the grave, and heavily kowtowed several times.
The system once again relayed Gu Ruyu’s words.
“Father, you know that your daughter has always been unfilial. Now I have forced younger sister Xuyi, and if you know this in the afterlife, you will surely curse your daughter. However, my mind is made up. I will cling to younger sister Xuyi for this lifetime. Even if younger sister Xuyi still does not have affection for me after a month, or even fears and despises me, even if younger sister Xuyi does not like women in this lifetime, I will stay by her side—”
“There is one more thing I want to tell you: I originally planned to kill everyone in this world who deserved to die before coming to see you, but now I have fallen in love with younger sister Xuyi. She does not like killing and has a kind heart. Foolishly, I wish to spend years with her and have decided to slowly rebuild a less corrupt world with her. I will have to break my word again and come to receive your admonishment in decades.”
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“Today, I will first kill that dog of an emperor to avenge you. The rest will wait until I come to apologize after a hundred years…”
Hearing this, Song Xuyi hadn’t reacted yet, but the system once again burst out in anger: “Damn villain! Promised one month, and this scheming woman actually wants to cling to you for a lifetime…”
Song Xuyi was somewhat dazed. The plot summary ended abruptly at the death of the male and female leads, without mentioning Gu Ruyu’s ending. However, according to Gu Ruyu’s words, it is very possible that Gu Ruyu would later establish a new order in the devastated He Kingdom. If one were to ignore the civilian casualties in this process, it is indeed a way to quickly bring He Kingdom back on track.
What concerned Song Xuyi even more were Gu Ruyu’s later words, as Gu Ruyu originally did not intend to live too long in this life…
In her whole life, has she ever lived for herself?
Song Xuyi felt incredibly emotional for a moment, yet not at all surprised. The system, which had been angrily scolding Gu Ruyu, suddenly became somewhat hesitant.
Song Xuyi watched the conversation between the subordinate and Gu Ruyu and proactively asked, “What are they saying now?”
“Nothing, nothing,” the system coughed dryly, “just talking about some of their later plans and arrangements. I thought since we can’t intervene anyway, I didn’t listen carefully…”
Song Xuyi didn’t ask further, and Gu Ruyu and the subordinate also stopped talking. Gu Ruyu strode over to Song Xuyi, gave her a strong hug, and before Song Xuyi could react, Gu Ruyu had already mounted her horse, heading towards the capital—
Song Xuyi watched Gu Ruyu’s departing figure down the mountain and couldn’t help but shout worriedly, “Take care of yourself, I’ll wait for you to come back!”
Gu Ruyu was momentarily stunned, then turned her head to look at Song Xuyi and smiled, waving her hand.
Song Xuyi had never seen Gu Ruyu smile so happily and brightly before. It seemed as if she had shed all her shadows, looking even more beautiful than the sunset behind her. Song Xuyi’s heart pounded heavily in that instant, but Gu Ruyu had already turned and set off again, and soon her figure was no longer visible…
The system, observing the situation, held its paws with a complex expression—
The system had actually heard the conversation between Gu Ruyu and the subordinate clearly.
The subordinate asked Gu Ruyu whether tonight she should also take Song Xuyi into the palace, after all, the emperor was the main culprit responsible for the death of the Song family.
Gu Ruyu, however, refused the subordinate and instructed him to ensure that everyone in the know kept it from Xuyi, not letting her know that it was the emperor who caused the death of the Song family.
She said—
“A Liu Ruyu has already died in this world; there should not be another Song Xuyi dying.”
After all, having grown up in the palace, if Song Xuyi learned the truth, gratitude and hatred would become intertwined like threads, difficult to separate. Gu Ruyu couldn’t bear to let Song Xuyi face such a difficult choice.
Gu Ruyu knew clearly that once Song Xuyi learned the truth that the emperor caused the death of the entire Song clan, their shared enmity would make it easier for Gu Ruyu to pursue Song Xuyi, but Gu Ruyu took everything upon herself and refused this method.
The system snorted coldly: Even though their positions are different, it must be admitted that this damn villain truly is wholeheartedly thinking of Xuyi.
Song Xuyi originally thought Gu Ruyu would not return that night, but in the middle of the night, Gu Ruyu, still stained with blood, broke into Song Xuyi’s room carrying the chill of the night.
Seeing Song Xuyi still awake, Gu Ruyu sighed, painfully pulling Song Xuyi’s hand: “I’ll take you somewhere!”
Gu Ruyu took Song Xuyi to the highest mountain next to the hot spring manor, holding Song Xuyi as they sat at the treetop. In the distance, a blazing fire erupted in the splendid imperial palace, almost reddening half the sky…
“His Majesty… just suddenly passed away!” As if afraid Song Xuyi would find it hard to accept, Gu Ruyu hugged Song Xuyi’s waist: “The aristocratic family’s spy assassinated His Majesty and set a big fire. Xuyi, don’t be sad, His Majesty passed… very peacefully. We have already killed that assassin to avenge His Majesty, but the fire is really too large; we cannot extinguish it at the moment…”
So, Gu Ruyu hurried back quickly because she was afraid I would be sad over the emperor’s death?
Song Xuyi suddenly lost her temper: Not to mention that Song Xuyi had no feelings for this obstinate emperor, Gu Ruyu clearly felt immense satisfaction in avenging the enemy, yet still thought about pretending to be sad to comfort me, which is really too difficult for her.
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Song Xuyi couldn’t help but reach out and cover Gu Ruyu’s lips.
“Don’t say it!” Song Xuyi sighed: “I know, I’m not really sad… I had already prepared for this when I saw His Majesty’s health declining before…”
Apparently, Gu Ruyu had prepared many words to comfort Song Xuyi but didn’t expect Song Xuyi to have this attitude, and for a moment, she was stunned in place, her expression showing rare surprise.
Such an expression appeared on Gu Ruyu’s face, making her radiant face carry a kind of inexplicable cuteness. Song Xuyi couldn’t help but look at Gu Ruyu with surprise, then saw Gu Ruyu’s long eyelashes tremble a few times, her throat move, and she awkwardly avoided meeting Song Xuyi’s gaze…
Is she…?
A suspicion suddenly surged in Song Xuyi’s heart. She stared fixedly at Gu Ruyu, and saw Gu Ruyu’s face getting redder and redder…
Gu Ruyu is actually shy?!
Even though she knew it was not the right occasion, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but curl her lips, her heart turning into a puddle of water in that instant—Ruyu considered herself to be her hope for survival in this world, and wasn’t she also the most beautiful surprise Song Xuyi encountered in the small world? It must be admitted, after meeting her, the mission world became full of vitality…
I… should like her too, right?
“Stop laughing!”
Gu Ruyu did not know Song Xuyi’s thoughts. She lowered her voice, pretending to be fierce, speaking with a false bravado, yet turned her face away with red ears.
And even with such actions, Gu Ruyu did not shake off Song Xuyi’s hand covering her lips.
Having realized her feelings, Song Xuyi couldn’t control the smile on her lips, and as Gu Ruyu turned her head, Song Xuyi saw the bloodstains on Gu Ruyu’s cheek—
Song Xuyi, with a smile, carefully wiped away the bloodstains on Gu Ruyu’s face: Gu Ruyu is beautiful, and this face should not have any blemishes.
Song Xuyi was focused on wiping Gu Ruyu’s face, and at some point, Gu Ruyu had already turned her head.
Gu Ruyu’s eyes suddenly became somewhat red, and it seemed as if a fire was burning in her eyes. Song Xuyi did not know whether this was reflecting the distant flames or a fire born in Gu Ruyu’s heart…
The hand around Song Xuyi’s waist tightened, and Song Xuyi belatedly noticed something, blushing as she tried to escape, only to find a thick branch behind her—
“Funny?”
Gu Ruyu leisurely curved her lips and kissed deeply.
Having mentally prepared to fall in love with Gu Ruyu, Song Xuyi no longer avoided and half-heartedly accepted Gu Ruyu’s kiss, but did not expect Gu Ruyu to be so shameless, catching Song Xuyi for kisses for several days afterward…
However, Gu Ruyu did not have much time to see Song Xuyi, as foreign invaders were stirring, and the troubles in Jiangnan were not yet resolved, Gu Ruyu was still busy day after day.
But soon, Gu Ruyu’s scheme took effect, and after a long struggle, the Jiangnan aristocratic clans divided into several factions, with some unable to resist surrendering to the court, and the remaining forces were no longer a threat.
And Zheng Lian also learned of the emperor’s death.
Upon learning of the emperor’s death, he also discovered the secret letter in which the emperor had ordered Zhao Qin’s assassination, along with evidence of the emperor’s collusion with foreign invaders and his past harm to the Song and Liu families…
Zheng Lian could not accept it, lost his composure in battle, and was besieged by the enemy army. Amidst the taunts of the enemy commander, Zheng Lian learned the whole truth and was preparing to die on the battlefield when the Song family army, previously neglected and disbanded by the emperor, suddenly united, descended from the sky, and annihilated the enemy army with a pincer attack.
After the victory in the war, a disheartened Zheng Lian left the court with Zhao Qin.
Afterward, Gu Ruyu swiftly dealt with several princes who wanted to ascend the throne, revealed her lineage, and ascended to become the empress.
On the day of the ascension, the empress was unprecedentedly joyful, like a fairy who had absorbed essence, her stunning face brimming with a mesmerizing smile. Everyone thought she was happy because her long-cherished wish was fulfilled, but only Song Xuyi, standing in the crowd secretly supporting her sore waist, probably understood why she was like this, yet Song Xuyi could not blame Gu Ruyu—
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Because in some sense, Song Xuyi was reaping what she sowed: it was Song Xuyi, who, after completing the task and becoming complacent, drank alcohol and pounced on the delectable Gu Ruyu…
Founding Empress Liu Ruyu, destined to leave a significant mark in history, endured hardships disguised as a eunuch, with a violent and autocratic personality, yet created the most prosperous era in history.
As much talked about as Liu Ruyu’s political achievements is Liu Ruyu’s empress. On the first day of her ascension, Liu Ruyu declared she had someone she loved, causing an uproar, yet Liu Ruyu defied all opposition and married a woman as her wife. For the rest of her life, the harem had only one empress…
These are all later stories.
The author has something to say:
This story ends here!
Wuu, yesterday I met with author friends I have known for many years! I’m super happy, and with their encouragement, I decided to start writing six times a week from tomorrow! Fist pump!!!
Next story—
A smooth-sailing materialist female college student ＊ An ancient mansion’s gloomy, world-weary thousand-year-old fierce ghost (not scary!)
LP: Re-translated on September 06, 2024
Can’t wait for the next arc o(≧◇≦)o
My bet is on vampire
My bet is on vampire
Can’t wait for the next arc o(≧◇≦)o