Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 42.1
by Little PandaVolume 3: Song of the Wanderer
Great Demon King 01
The Game of the Brave
The ministers wondered if the new emperor, who had just ascended the throne, truly understood the court situation. The previous emperor had worked hard to bring down the Xin family, yet now the new emperor suddenly made the Xin family’s legitimate daughter – the former empress who had been deposed – into the Empress Dowager?
Regarding the previous emperor’s cause of death, many people had their doubts. However, what’s done is done. With the new emperor’s ascension complete, thinking about such matters was pointless.
Whether the previous emperor truly died of illness or due to other causes, he was gone nonetheless.
Those who found the new emperor’s decree unreasonable went to seek out the Left Prime Minister, Lord Qu Zhi’an. After all, Lord Qu had been one of the key figures in bringing down the Xin family, and had been like fire and water [meaning: completely incompatible] with the Xin family at court. Now it seemed the new emperor wanted to elevate the Xin family to check the Left Prime Minister’s power – wasn’t this history repeating itself?
Qu Zhi’an listened to their words, gave them a faint glance, and showed an ambiguous smile.
Without a word, she turned and left.
Her demeanor suggested not anger but rather joy, leaving everyone puzzled.
Since the Left Prime Minister showed no reaction, nobody worried – after all, they weren’t going to stick their necks out [meaning: the first to speak up].
Not long after the new emperor’s ascension, he restored the position of Minister of Justice [senior judicial official], promoted two others, and made no other moves.
The other ministers were very surprised. They had thought the former Left Prime Minister would return, especially with the Empress Dowager in place, but it didn’t happen. The Xin family didn’t rise to power as before, just maintaining a neither good nor bad position.
Xin Lan became Empress Dowager and moved out of Biyue Palace. To her, it made little difference where she lived. When the imperial edict arrived, she showed no joy, merely turning to instruct Chunyue to pack their belongings.
Chunyue and Sitong were extremely excited, especially Sitong, who knew she hadn’t backed the wrong person – her initial choice had been correct.
Indeed, from being the lowest-ranking palace maid, she had suddenly jumped to becoming the Empress Dowager’s steward. Other palace maids and eunuchs had to address her as “Aunt Sitong” [gΕ«gu, respectful term for senior female palace servant], making her quite prestigious.
However, Xin Lan felt that being Empress Dowager had one good benefit: she could sleep on a more comfortable large bed, improving her sleep quality.
She was probably the youngest Empress Dowager in history, not yet twenty when she assumed this position.
At this moment, she was in her palace receiving her nominal elder brother, Xin Long’s father, Minister of Justice Lord Xin.
Lord Xin looked at the dignified Xin Lan, the words “Third Sister” caught in his throat.
“Your Grace, the Empress Dowager,” he said respectfully.
This third sister of his had gone from being a princess consort, then empress, then deposed empress, and now Empress Dowager – truly a tumultuous half-life.
After some small talk, Lord Xin finally brought up the main topic.
“Father was wrongly accused. How could he possibly have hired assassins to kill the previous emperor…”
Before he could finish, Xin Lan’s gesture silenced him.
Xin Lan pressed her finger to her lips, only lowering it after Lord Xin fell silent.
“Elder Brother, have you heard the saying ‘new sovereign, new ministers’ [meaning: each ruler brings their own officials]?”
Lord Xin paused, understanding Xin Lan’s implied meaning.
“Father is old now. It’s time for him to enjoy his remaining years in peace. It’s better not to trouble him with these matters. He has worked hard for most of his life; it’s time for him to rest.”
Xin Lan took a sip of tea and made a gesture indicating the visit was over.
Lord Xin sighed, rose, and took his leave.
Xin Lan bore no grudge against the Xin family. When the original owner was abandoned, it was the Xin family’s reluctant choice, not intentional malice. She wasn’t targeting the Xin family – if she were, she wouldn’t have let the young emperor restore her nominal elder brother to his official position.
She simply wanted to keep those who were truly capable and loyal to the young emperor.
After seeing Lord Xin off, Xin Lan had lunch with the young emperor who had come to her palace.
The young emperor had been well educated, with excellent manners and knowledge. He lacked the rashness typical of youth, showing remarkable care and steadiness.
When Xin Lan saw him, she knew the Third Prince, who had failed in the succession struggle, hadn’t given up hope – otherwise, he wouldn’t have raised his son so well. When Qu Zhi’an tested him with questions, he answered them all correctly. Qu Zhi’an had joked with her then, saying this was a child raised to crown prince standards.
Such a child put Xin Lan’s mind at ease. She hadn’t come here to be an empress regnant or to rule from behind the curtain. She didn’t need a puppet, and if she had to teach a child until they became a responsible adult, she would find it exhausting and troublesome.
After finishing lunch with the young emperor, Xin Lan discussed court matters with him, telling him who could be trusted and who was cunning. The young emperor couldn’t help but joke:
“Mother Empress, why does this sound like you’re giving your final instructions?”
Xin Lan said nothing, just smiled at him.
The young emperor suddenly fell silent. They sat in the courtyard, neither speaking another word.
After waking from a nap, Xin Lan discovered another disadvantage of being Empress Dowager.
There were too many people around, making it impossible for her to freely enter and leave the palace during daytime.
Therefore, she could only meet Qu Zhi’an at night, and had to return before dawn, so each visit was brief.
Qu Zhi’an felt helpless about this situation, but there was nothing to be done.
Four or five days after Wu Yanqing was thrown into that place, Xin Lan went to see her.
She wore an ice-blue cotton dress with gold embroidery and a sable fur, looking dignified and noble, completely out of place in that setting.
Wu Yanqing had been tortured until he became much thinner, his body covered in wounds and aftermath marks. His eyes were vacant, and he remained silent even upon seeing Xin Lan.
“What’s wrong? Nothing to say to me?”
Wu Yanqing’s lips moved, but he still didn’t speak.
Anyone who saw him now would never believe he was once a spirited emperor.
“How does it feel to fall from the clouds into the mud?”
“Just kill me,” Wu Yanqing said in a hoarse voice.
Xin Lan felt suddenly bored, looking at his face as lifeless as stagnant water, and let out a sneer.
“I’ve announced to everyone that you’re dead, and sent your beloved Consort Xi to guard your tomb. Are you satisfied?”
Wu Yanqing indeed showed a reaction, but not because of Consort Xi – rather, because of the news of his own death.
“The new emperor is your Third Brother’s son.”
Wu Yanqing’s body trembled as he stared at Xin Lan in disbelief.
“You truly hate me this much,” Wu Yanqing mumbled.
He and his Third Brother had fought fiercely since childhood. His greatest satisfaction had been defeating his Third Brother to become emperor, and now Xin Lan was telling him the new emperor was his Third Brother’s child?
Wasn’t this deliberately twisting the knife in his heart?
“Looking at your current state, do you think I hate you or not?”
“How does it feel to end up with nothing, utterly defeated?”
Just like when the original owner was beaten to death [zhà ng bì, execution by beating with bamboo rods] in the Cold Palace, having lived half a life that seemed like nothing but a grand dream.
When the dream ended, nothing remained.
Xin Lan left, and instead of letting others continue to torture Wu Yanqing, she had him beaten to death.
She had always preferred this approach: making those who did wrong experience the suffering of those they had hurt.
Some wrongdoings exist even if no harm was done – attempted crimes still deserve punishment. So Xin Lan carried things through to completion.
Ling Jiu: Host, I’ve submitted the results. When are we leaving?
Xin Lan: Let’s wait two more days.
This time, Xin Lan wanted to properly bid farewell to her friend.
She left the palace alone, without Chunyue and Sitong, and went to Qu Zhi’an’s residence.
Qu Zhi’an was very happy, even pulling her into drinking some wine that evening.
“This is wonderful,” Qu Zhi’an said.
“What’s wonderful?”
“You’ve accomplished everything you wanted to do.”
The phrases ‘wishes fulfilled’ and ‘dreams realized’ just sound beautiful.
“Yes, everything has been accomplished.”
“So what about your future? Do you plan to stay in the inner palace or…?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
After speaking, Xin Lan fell silent for a moment, looking at Qu Zhi’an.
“What is it?”
“Let’s go eat wontons at that stall tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
The next morning, they appeared together at the wonton stall in the alley.
“Oh my, Young Master hasn’t been here for so long! Bringing the Madam for wontons again?”
“Mm.”
This time, for some reason, Qu Zhi’an responded without blushing or hesitation.
After they finished their wontons, they went to the teahouse.
This time, they drank hot tea and ate warm dim sum while listening to the storyteller perform theatrical tales.
When they parted, Xin Lan bid farewell to Qu Zhi’an.
“Why that expression, Lanβer? It’s not like we won’t see each other again. Come tomorrow, and I’ll treat you to more delicious food.”
Xin Lan smiled and nodded, turning to walk away.
After a few steps, she suddenly turned back to see Qu Zhi’an standing there watching her departing figure. Seeing her turn around, Qu Zhi’an waved.
Xin Lan felt an indescribable emotion and silently said “sorry.”
Lying in bed, Xin Lan said “let’s go” to Ling Jiu.
In the next moment, she returned to the mission space.
Opening the door and going out, Ling Jiu rushed to her sofa.
“I’ve missed my chips, cola, and sweets so much! Host, remember you promised to expand the simulation space!”
Ling Jiu looked at Xin Lan with hopeful eyes, and Xin Lan nodded.
“Go look for yourself. When you’ve chosen, I’ll pay for it. But promise me, if you’re buying kitchen equipment, it must be completely soundproof, okay?”
Xin Lan didn’t want to hear sizzling sounds in her mind when Ling Jiu was frying chicken legs.
“Okay!”
Feeling tired, Xin Lan took a bath and collapsed onto the bed.
She wondered how Qu Zhi’an would react upon hearing the news of her ‘death.’
Although she felt sorry, she would still leave.
Now that the mission was complete, there was no need to stay any longer.
She closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.
At the moment Xin Lan left, memories flooded into Qu Zhi’an’s mind.
So when she heard the news from the palace, she wasn’t too sad, but rather eager to return. She quickly transferred some items and hastily logged out.
After exiting, she opened the electronic display screen and recorded some things before closing the document.
Then she opened the mission interface and searched for Xin Lan’s name, seeing her mission score was indeed excellent.
After completing these tasks, she lay on the sofa with a vacant expression.
She was System A05, serving as the chief commander for this “Ex-Girlfriend Series” mission. She was responsible for coordination, monitoring, and other tasks, observing the feasibility of the series missions and the host’s execution ability. She could randomly enter a world – systems not following hosts into mission worlds weren’t allowed to retain memories and could only play NPC roles, though they weren’t required to follow the original plot.
LP: Re-translated on January 04, 2025
So mc really did just find her quite appealing, I’m quite liking how mc is growing, she was so distrustful at first and full of rage, in this world she came to trust the Female lead and felt sad leaving her, and well system girl might not retain memories but her strong willed personality remains so mc really does like her haha, it’s quite romantic really.
A very good world, liked it a lotnmore then the first but I still need a lot more romance, here they really just became friends and again female lead fell in love hut couldn’t really do anything about it.
Hopefully next world we have a confession at least ?
Wooow i never thought fl is a system and not a host
Wooow i never thought fl is a system and not a host