Blame the Villain – Chapter 203

Villainous Emperor (3)

Jiang Ruoyu turned six today.

She and Fifteenth Princess Jiang Xin actually share the same birthday, except the Fifteenth Princess was born in the afternoon, while Jiang Ruoyu was born at dusk.

It was said that on the day Jiang Xin was born, after prolonged rain, countless flowers bloomed under the clearing sky, and seven-colored rainbows appeared. Magpies circled the palace, forming a bridge that lingered for a long time.

The palace elders saw this as an auspicious sign, saying the Fifteenth Princess was a person of great fortune who would protect the kingdom. The Jiang royal family, who rose to power under divine protection, deeply believed in these birth omens, and because of them, the Fifteenth Princess became the emperor’s most beloved daughter from birth. Yet few knew that on that evening, in the Cold Palace, a woman, after a day of pain, also gave birth to a daughter.

With a casual remark from the Fifteenth Princess’s noble consort mother, Jiang Ruoyu’s birthday was deliberately pushed back by one day.

The night before, Jiang Ruoyu’s mother Dong Han fell ill, and Jiang Ruoyu spent a long time comforting her mother before running to the temple, by which time it was already very late.

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t sleep well in the temple that night. The temple was located at a main thoroughfare of the palace, where all palace entry routes passed through. To celebrate the Fifteenth Princess’s birthday, palace servants had specially acquired many rare items from among the common people. Throughout the night, cart wheels kept moving back and forth on the road. At first, Jiang Ruoyu woke up several times until Song Xuyi couldn’t help but block out the external noise and raise the temperature in the hall, after which Jiang Ruoyu finally fell back asleep.

Jiang Ruoyu had a dream about braised pork, which she had only tasted once during the Fifth Princess’s birthday celebration last year. That day, when the Fifth Princess composed a poem at her birthday banquet, the emperor was greatly pleased, praising her intelligence and rewarding the palace servants. Even the Cold Palace received an extra meat dish.

The eunuchs assigned by the Noble Consort to guard the Cold Palace had gone to help in the front hall, and that noon’s meal finally made it into Jiang Ruoyu and her mother’s stomachs. This was the most delicious meal Jiang Ruoyu could remember eating, and even tasting it in her dreams made her feel immensely happy.

But soon this illusory happiness was shattered.

Suspecting someone of stealing offering fruits, the Taoist priestesses came half an hour earlier than usual. When Jiang Ruoyu heard the key at the door, she trembled in fear. She quickly scrambled up from the ground, without time to return the prayer mat to its original position. Her gaze hesitated between the offering fruits on the table and the statue of the Goddess, before finally tucking two fruits into her clothes and quickly crawling under the offering table—

It was her birthday, and she didn’t know if there would be braised pork this year. Jiang Ruoyu wanted to eat a little better, not for herself, but because she didn’t want her mother to be sad over a mere fruit.

Almost as soon as Jiang Ruoyu had hidden, two Taoist priestesses entered. Their first task was counting the offering fruits on the table, having counted them carefully the previous evening—

“Two offerings are missing. I knew there was a thief in the palace!”

“Oh my! How did the prayer mat end up like this?”

Jiang Ruoyu listened to the discussion outside while hiding under the offering table, trembling with fear, deeply regretting her greed: if she were caught, it would surely cause her mother heartache…

She remained tense, holding her breath, ready to dash out the temple door with all her might if the two priestesses lifted the tablecloth. However, for some reason, though the two priestesses circled the hall and searched every corner, they never thought to look under the offering table.

“Perhaps the thief has already left,” Jiang Ruoyu heard the two priestesses discuss. “Tomorrow night we’ll come twice more, we’ll surely catch that thief…”

With that, the two priestesses went to fetch water as usual.

Taking advantage of this moment, Jiang Ruoyu gathered her strength and rushed out. Her legs were shaking, her heart in her throat, as she skillfully avoided the crowds of people, like an arrow released from its bow, quickly running to the vicinity of the Cold Palace, collapsing exhaustedly in a cluster of shrubs—

She was so small that when sitting in the shrubs, one could hardly tell someone was hiding there from the outside.

Among the shrubs grew a lush epiphyllum (night-blooming cereus). Though growing among shrubs, it thrived exceptionally well, with abundant branches and leaves, covered in buds that would soon bloom.

Jiang Ruoyu pressed her lips together, staring blankly at the two fruits she pulled from her clothes, then glanced at the epiphyllum as large tears rolled down her face:

She would probably never get to take any fruits again, would she?

She had been too greedy, wanting to take an extra fruit today, and hadn’t prayed to Sister Goddess, so Sister Goddess had punished her, ensuring she would never eat fruits again.

She probably wouldn’t be able to see Sister Goddess anymore either, would she?

She had already planned that after some time, when this ‘wild grass’ bloomed at night, she would pick the flower to offer at Sister Goddess’s altar—

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t know what kind of flower it was, but one night last year, she had seen it bloom.

Although the flower bloomed only for a moment, it was the most beautiful flower Jiang Ruoyu had seen in her life so far. She had been carefully tending to this ‘wild grass,’ originally intending to pick it for her mother to see, but after accidentally entering the temple and taking the offering fruits, Jiang Ruoyu changed her mind—she had taken Sister Goddess’s offering fruits, and having nothing good to repay her with, she could only show her what she thought was the most beautiful flower.

Jiang Ruoyu came to check on this ‘wild grass’ every day, loosening its soil, watering it, and seeing it develop flower buds, eagerly anticipating its bloom…

But now there would be no chance to show the flower to Sister Goddess!

Moreover, with the recent sweet fruits to eat, her mother’s illness had improved considerably. She had finally convinced her mother that the fruits were rewards from noble people, but now that she could no longer get fruits, what excuse would she give her mother…

While Jiang Ruoyu was crying heartbrokenly here, not far away in the Noble Consort’s palace, Fifteenth Princess Jiang Xin had just woken up. Her mother dressed her in new clothes woven with gold thread, maids served her longevity noodles specially prepared by the imperial kitchen, the outer chambers were filled with gifts from others, and musicians waited in line outside, hoping to please Jiang Xin…

Though both were the emperor’s daughters celebrating their birthdays, the treatment of Jiang Xin and Jiang Ruoyu was as different as clouds from mud.

Song Xuyi stood to the side, watching the tear-soaked Jiang Ruoyu with complex emotions, letting out a gentle sigh—she had never imagined that this future great demon who would wreak havoc across the three realms, slaying both gods and Buddhas without mercy, was now crying over a few pieces of fruit.

What surprised Song Xuyi even more was that she could clearly hear Jiang Ruoyu’s heart’s voice.

Only when someone wholeheartedly and devoutly believes in a deity can that deity hear their heart’s voice…

In the temple, Song Xuyi could hear many unclear heart voices: the emperor wishing for longevity; the Noble Consort wanting to be the most favored in the harem; even Jiang Xin, the same age as Jiang Ruoyu, praying for eternal wealth and glory…

In this whirlpool of desires, these people offered less than one ten-thousandth of their wealth as tribute, yet greedily hoped for thousand-fold, ten thousand-fold wishes in return.

Song Xuyi never imagined that the most steadfast heart voice she would hear would come from Jiang Ruoyu. This little girl, because of a dozen or so fruits placed on the offering table that would be removed after one night, sincerely and shyly offered what she considered the most brilliant flower in the world at Song Xuyi’s altar—

Could such a little girl really become a demon in the future?

Song Xuyi blinked, blinking away the warmth growing in her eyes, and waved her sleeve—

Jiang Ruoyu fell into a deep dream.

She smelled a pleasant fragrance and then saw her beloved Sister Goddess.

This was the first time Jiang Ruoyu had dreamed of Sister Goddess. She curiously examined the woman before her: more beautiful and vivid than the jade statue, especially those eyes, which seemed filled with sunlight, appearing extremely warm and gentle.

“Ruoyu, I have never blamed you,” she heard Sister Goddess speak softly, smiling at her beautifully. “In fact, I should thank you, thank you for coming to keep me company every night…”

“You can tell me any wish you have,” Sister Goddess stepped closer, holding Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, her voice incredibly gentle. “Ruoyu is so well-behaved, seeing you makes me so happy…”

Jiang Ruoyu’s face turned bright red.

This was the first person who expressed ‘happiness’ at seeing her, rather than despising her!

Jiang Ruoyu suddenly felt unprecedented awkwardness. She didn’t know where she got the courage from, but her heart suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, and she unconsciously pulled her hand away from Sister Goddess—

When she realized what she had done, Jiang Ruoyu’s face turned pale.

She would be hated now, wouldn’t she?

She just felt… that touching her would taint the clean, beautiful Sister Goddess…

Her eyes stung, her heart extremely anxious, yet tears wouldn’t fall. Not knowing how to explain, Jiang Ruoyu hung her head dejectedly with her pale face.

But she heard Sister Goddess’s smiling voice again—

“Is Ruoyu feeling shy?”

“If you don’t know how to ask, then I’ll give you what I want to give you!”

“What you see will surely come true in the future!”

Sister Goddess held her hand again—

Jiang Ruoyu was immersed in this beautiful dream, almost unwilling to wake up, just wanting the dream to last longer…

She didn’t know that the attendants, who were searching for the ‘Imperial Companion Star’ (refers to a destined person who would help ensure the emperor’s success) from the emperor’s prophetic dream, pushed open the shrubs and saw the girl sleeping with a smile among the blooming epiphyllum, their eyes filled with surprise and reverence…

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LP: Re-translated on November 24, 2024

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