Villainous Emperor (19)
“How could it possibly be seven days?”
“System, what do you think she really wants to do?” After the shock, Song Xuyi started thinking in the direction of conspiracy theories, feeling that Jiang Ruoyu must be starting to suspect her and that’s why she wanted to keep her close by for surveillance.
After the System finished speaking, it also realized its tone seemed too gloating [schadenfreude], and fearing Song Xuyi would notice something suspicious, the System hurriedly added: “I don’t really understand either, but if Jiang Ruoyu truly suspected you, she wouldn’t need to use this method to keep you tied to her side—” The System hinted subtly: “Her magical powers are clearly much stronger than yours now. If she suspected you, she could simply kill you directly, no need for such elaborate measures…”
Though Song Xuyi understood in her heart what the System was saying, understanding this point only made everything feel more strange: what exactly was Jiang Ruoyu thinking?
“Why are you standing stupidly outside without coming in? Where’s that quick wit you had earlier today when you were mocking this lonely one?”
Song Xuyi had only lingered outside for a moment when Jiang Ruoyu returned to the doorway, interrupting Song Xuyi’s conversation with the System. Jiang Ruoyu looked at Song Xuyi impatiently with slightly furrowed brows and spoke coldly.
Before Song Xuyi could react, Jiang Ruoyu grabbed her hand again—
“So foolish you can’t even walk properly.” Jiang Ruoyu glanced at Song Xuyi, then pulled her hand and led her into the palace hall.
Only after entering the room did Jiang Ruoyu release her hand.
Being the emperor’s quarters, naturally the space was extremely large.
To Song Xuyi’s surprise, although the room’s layout was different, Jiang Ruoyu’s palace room was like the outside room Song Xuyi had seen earlier with her divine consciousness, with black gauze separating a private space. Seeing Song Xuyi’s gaze fall on the layer of black gauze, Jiang Ruoyu offered no explanation and pulled Song Xuyi to a corner of the room.
Song Xuyi then noticed this corner had three folding screens set up, sectioning off a small space, with a small couch [榻, traditional Chinese daybed] just big enough for one person and a table placed between the screens.
At this time, the table was filled with snacks and story books [話本, traditional Chinese story/novel booklets].
“You’ll rest here for these few days.” Only then did Jiang Ruoyu release Song Xuyi’s hand, speaking as if casually: “I don’t really want to learn your useless tricks, that was just an excuse!” Jiang Ruoyu lifted her chin, took out a small mirror from within her robes to show Song Xuyi: somehow, the rose that had been on Jiang Ruoyu’s head had moved to Song Xuyi’s head—
“Look, my magic is much better than yours!”
“If you want to learn later, this lonely one might teach you when I’m in a good mood.” Jiang Ruoyu looked at Song Xuyi with seeming restraint: “But the reason you’re staying by my side these days is because the Empress Dowager told me she finds you noisy, so these days you’ll follow me to learn proper manners, and once you’ve learned them, I’ll send you back…”
Song Xuyi was silent for a moment. The System in her mind made a scoffing “tch” sound. If the System hadn’t spoken earlier, Song Xuyi might have believed Jiang Ruoyu’s nonsense and really thought Dong Rou was disgusted with her.
But now Song Xuyi could only find it tragicomic [啼笑皆非, both laughable and lamentable].
In this moment, Song Xuyi truly hated Yin Shen. If not for Yin Shen, this small Chinese cabbage [innocent/pure person] she had raised would never have become so full of schemes and mischief!
“But don’t worry,” Perhaps seeing Song Xuyi’s silence and thinking she believed her words, Jiang Ruoyu cleared her throat and sat behind the desk: “I am after all the emperor, handling thousands of matters daily [busy with state affairs], and have no time to bother with a little palace maid like you. Just do your duty serving well, and perhaps after ten days or half a month, when I feel you’re qualified to serve the Empress Dowager, I’ll let you go back…”
“Then… thank you, Your Majesty.” Song Xuyi barely managed to control her expression to show no oddity, speaking with lowered head and voice.
“Go rest on the couch for a while, I’ll read for a bit.” Jiang Ruoyu seemed satisfied at last, assumed an emperor’s manner, and sat behind the desk.
Song Xuyi was so stunned by Jiang Ruoyu’s series of actions that her reaction was delayed, and it took a while before she slowly went back to sit on the small couch behind the screen.
Although not knowing Jiang Ruoyu’s intentions, since Jiang Ruoyu’s cultivation was now stronger than her own, Song Xuyi didn’t dare to cultivate in the Mirror Flower Water Moon in front of her. With nothing to do, Song Xuyi could only read the story books piled on the table.
Who knows where Jiang Ruoyu found these story books, but they perfectly matched Song Xuyi’s taste. Song Xuyi accidentally became completely absorbed in reading, fully immersed in the world of the books, and didn’t notice Jiang Ruoyu’s movements.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ruoyu appeared to be reading seriously, but was thoughtfully rubbing her lips, her cheeks slightly flushed, and in reality hadn’t taken in a single word.
Jiang Ruoyu didn’t know what was wrong with herself, these past two days she kept involuntarily thinking about this little palace maid. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she always felt the palace maid had an inexplicable sense of familiarity that made her want to get closer…
She knew this situation was extremely strange, especially since just a few days ago she had heard another woman tell her about similar symptoms.
That woman was Lin Gong’s daughter, Lin Zhu.
That day, Lin Zhu had come to Jiang Ruoyu, crying with snot and tears about falling in love at first sight with a man called Jiang Bai, describing how she wanted to stay by Jiang Bai’s side every moment, and begging Jiang Ruoyu to forgive her father’s crime of deceiving the emperor and let her leave the palace to find her beloved Jiang Bai, because after sending Lin Zhu into the palace, Lin Gong had already sent people to assassinate Jiang Bai.
When Jiang Ruoyu heard this at the time, she found it laughable, even thinking that Lin Gong had raised his daughter to be useless, willingly handing over leverage [weakness that could be used against someone] to her over a man…
But Jiang Ruoyu hadn’t expected feng shui turns in cycles [fortunes to turn], and within two days she encountered this palace maid called Liu Yi.
Jiang Ruoyu still remembered the heart flutter when she met the palace maid’s eyes the previous night: her mind suddenly went blank, and her heart, which had been as still as dead water, suddenly started beating rapidly…
After returning at night, Song Xuyi even had a dream.
In the dream, she dreamed of Goddess Sister after a long time.
If during childhood she didn’t understand that feeling of wanting to stick close to Goddess Sister all the time, then as time passed, especially after her body was inhabited by Yin Shen that absorbed all negative and impure emotions, Jiang Ruoyu vaguely realized she harbored some improper thoughts toward Goddess Sister.
But Goddess Sister was too high above, Jiang Ruoyu never dared to hope for anything, never dared to expect Goddess Sister would like her, only wanting to know if Goddess Sister was well and prosperous now.
Deep in Jiang Ruoyu’s heart, she wanted to go to the Divine Realm to visit Goddess Sister, but the Nine-Tailed Fox clan had many deities, and now that Jiang Ruoyu had merged with Yin Shen, she was an existence rejected by other deities in the three realms.
Although Yin Shen was powerful, it still couldn’t guarantee victory against the combined attack of all gods. Now Jiang Ruoyu only dared to secretly accumulate power, waiting for the day when she would have no rivals in the three realms, before going to the Divine Realm to inquire about Goddess Sister’s situation.
Jiang Ruoyu felt that over these years she had suppressed her improper thoughts.
During these years, while missing Goddess Sister, the most outrageous thing she had done was privately manipulate the divine statue, calling it “Xuyi” as an equal, but those feelings were sorrowful and hopeless, knowing there could be no result. Moreover, these years she had been struggling against Yin Shen’s spiritual power, absorbing Yin Shen’s power while eroding its will, Jiang Ruoyu had to control herself to prevent Yin Shen from finding her weakness.
Only after drinking alcohol did Jiang Ruoyu dare to indulge in her longing.
However, Jiang Ruoyu dreamed of herself desecrating Goddess Sister!
In the dream, Goddess Sister removed her divine robes, walked towards Jiang Ruoyu without a thread [naked], flirtatiously lifted her chin, and laughed softly: “Ruoyu has grown so beautiful, won’t you embrace me…”
Jiang Ruoyu had never been able to refuse Goddess Sister, and embraced her with trembling hands.
Goddess Sister undid Jiang Ruoyu’s sash, then leaned in to kiss her. Jiang Ruoyu felt herself falling into confusion, her heart beating rapidly, warmth spreading throughout her body, and couldn’t help but embrace Goddess Sister back, kissing her…
—However, when Jiang Ruoyu’s lips touched Goddess Sister’s, Goddess Sister’s features suddenly changed, transforming into the appearance of the palace maid she had seen recently!
Jiang Ruoyu woke up from the dream with a start!
That night she barely slept at all, feeling guilty about having such vulgar thoughts about Goddess Sister in her dream, and also finding that palace maid incredibly strange, having only met once yet appearing in her dream, her face constantly appearing in her mind…
Jiang Ruoyu couldn’t help but recall Lin Zhu’s description of her reaction when first seeing Jiang Bai, which was almost identical to her own symptoms when first seeing the palace maid.
Could it be that she had fallen in love at first sight with that palace maid? But there was nothing special about that palace maid at all…
Therefore, almost as soon as dawn broke, after wrestling with these thoughts all night, Jiang Ruoyu went to her mother’s quarters, intending to figure out what was strange about that girl.
She unconsciously extended her divine consciousness into the palace maid’s room, just in time to see the girl wake up, yawning and rubbing her eyes in a daze. Even seeing the girl in such an unkempt state, Jiang Ruoyu’s heart still beat faster, wanting to have the girl come before her…
This was really too strange!
Especially when the palace maid came to eat, Jiang Ruoyu found her gaze couldn’t leave the palace maid at all. Seeing her made her chest feel full, and even her heartbeat seemed to bounce with more vitality…
This feeling was different from when thinking about Goddess Sister.
When thinking of Goddess Sister, Jiang Ruoyu’s feelings were suppressed and clear-headed, she only dared to secretly admire and miss Goddess Sister, clearly understanding the difference like a heavenly moat [vast difference] between them. But after meeting the palace maid, Jiang Ruoyu felt herself filled with joy at every moment, even her mind became muddled…
This was really too strange!
Jiang Ruoyu had never thought someone in this world could have such a great influence on her…
Having grown used to courtiers’ flattery, she actually felt secret joy at the palace maid’s comments about her beauty!
Feeling that her behavior these two days was incredibly absurd, therefore, when her mother suggested lending the palace maid to her, Jiang Ruoyu, as if driven by spirits, agreed to her mother’s conditions, and even more inexplicably left a gap at the junction of the folding screens when preparing the girl’s living space…
But… hadn’t the girl said she was beautiful?
Why, after so long, hadn’t she peeked at her through that gap?
The author has something to say:
The two little ones’ situation in Dong Rou’s mind: The female goose is domineering and cunning, bullying Xuyi until she whimpers, making Xuyi completely dizzy and disoriented with infatuation;
The two little ones’ situation in reality—Jiang Ruoyu: Is the gap I left not big enough? Why hasn’t she peeked at me yet?
LP: Re-translated on December 22, 2024
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