Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 108
by Little Panda[Note: Chapter 107 on JJWXC is locked and can’t be accessed anymore.]
The Empress Dowager Refuses
Longyi wondered if she’d misheard. Not only had that brat Sun Yan sent Yao Xi back to the palace, but she’d also beaten up her Imperial Brother? In the past, she wouldn’t have been too worried; she would only have needed to swallow her pride and gently beg her Imperial Brother for mercy on Sun Yan’s behalf, and the matter would’ve been laid to rest.
But now, the Empress Dowager knew about her relationship with Jieyu Lan and could tell her Imperial Brother at any moment. She herself was barely safe now!
“Sun Dali, do you have a brain? Even if you’ve never met him, there’s only one man in the inner palace. Could you seriously not tell he was the Emperor?” Longyi angrily dragged Sun Yan into the inner room and slammed the door shut.
Sun Yan grew angry too as she recalled the scene from earlier. “I knew he was the Emperor! But Cousin, that Imperial Brother of yours is far too indecent. Let alone the Emperor—even if the Heavenly King himself dared to behave improperly with me, this young lady would still give him a thrashing!”
“Aren’t you just the capable one.” Longyi helplessly poked Sun Yan’s forehead. Hearing Sun Yan call her Imperial Brother indecent made her worry. “What did he do to you? Nothing… happened, did it?” This brat Sun Yan never lied; she called a spade a spade, possessing an even straighter gut than Longyi herself. But based on her understanding of her Imperial Brother, Emperor Ming Cheng, he truly wasn’t the type of person to force himself on others. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly have tolerated Jieyu Lan avoiding attending him in bed for so many years.
Sun Yan pointed to her forehead where Emperor Ming Cheng’s lips had brushed. She recounted to Longyi in full detail how the Emperor had grabbed her hand and ended up kissing her forehead. Recalling the moment the Emperor’d suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace, she shivered with revulsion. If she’d known the Emperor’d turn out like this when he grew up, she should’ve just let them beat him to death back then!
It was all the fault of her heroic, righteous heart! Thanks to that, Daxing’d been saddled with yet another muddle-headed, incompetent, and lecherous emperor!
The forehead kiss sounded somewhat like an accident. What actually set Longyi’s mind at ease was the pattern of women her Imperial Brother, Emperor Ming Cheng, had favored over the years. Among them were the gentle and obedient, the charming and lovely, the passionately alluring… but absolutely none like Sun Yan. How on earth should she describe this girl? Diaochan’s body and Zhang Fei’s heart1?
A young lady in her twenties, still unmarried—aside from Sun Yan simply not wanting to marry, the greater reason was that ordinary young masters simply didn’t dare to wed her. Any young master whose family shared a long-standing friendship with the Sun family’d been beaten up by Sun Yan from childhood to adulthood. Wealthy and noble families bred many silk-clad playboys2, but those troublesome young scamps’d actually learned to behave themselves quite a bit after being disciplined by Sun Yan.
Unfortunately, Sun Yan’d only ended up making bridal gowns for others3. Once those young masters reformed, they all married young ladies from other families. After all, no one wanted to be beaten for the rest of their lives.
“Perhaps it’s just a misunderstanding! Imperial Brother’s thoughts are entirely on your Yao-jiejie. How could he possibly harbor any designs on a wild girl like you? Still, when you walk around the palace, try to avoid him as much as possible. The human heart is unpredictable.”
She wasn’t worried about what her Imperial Brother might do to Sun Yan; she was primarily worried that Sun Yan might beat her Imperial Brother to death. There was a reason this girl’s childhood nickname was Dali—she truly possessed heavenly strength. Without exaggeration, Sun Yan could lift her Imperial Brother and play with him like a rattle-drum4.
Longyi thought for a moment and added, “Wait, that’s not right! Why haven’t you left yet after sending Yao Xi back? You aren’t planning to stay in the palace long-term, are you?”
She was at her wit’s end and truly didn’t have time to look after Sun Yan. She still needed to make a trip to the Empress Dowager to beg for mercy regarding the matter of Jieyu Lan. If her Imperial Brother ever found out the truth, her own life might not be at risk, but the same couldn’t be said for Jieyu Lan and the Yao family.
Her Imperial Brother’d suffered repeated setbacks in matters of women recently. If he discovered that he’d been deceived for so many years by his own sister and the woman he loved most, the consequences would be truly unpredictable! Even the most good-tempered person had a limit to their patience.
“I actually came to the palace this time to see Yao-jiejie. I heard she’s come out of the Cold Palace? I also wanted to see the legendary Empress Dowager. Besides, you won’t return to your fiefdom, and staying at the mansion by myself is terribly boring.” Recalling the anxieties Longyi’d expressed in her letters, Sun Yan comforted her, saying, “And Cousin, you don’t need to worry about the safety of Eunuch Yao and his family. This morning at the palace gates, I saw with my own eyes how emotional the Empress Dowager was when she saw Eunuch Yao return. He’ll definitely be fine.”
The sight’d even brought tears to her own iron-willed eyes. It was just a pity that they were too far away, and she hadn’t been able to clearly see the appearance of Daxing’s legendary woman, the Empress Dowager.
“Let’s hope so!” Now that Yao Xi was back, what else could she do? She’d heard that after Yao Xi went missing, the Empress Dowager’d hardly eaten or slept. She could only hope that the Empress Dowager’s feelings for Yao Xi were indeed genuine. “The Empress Dowager already knows about the matter between me and your Yao-jiejie. Dali, you should only play in the palace for a few days and then return to the fiefdom, lest you get dragged into this because of me.”
Sun Yan’s eyes lit up. “Could it be that the two of you…? Hahahahaha!” She laughed heartily. Her cousin’d finally held out until the clouds parted and the moon shone through5. Ever since Yao-jiejie entered the palace, she’d resolved to cut off all romantic thoughts; had she finally come around? “No wonder you’ve been delaying your return home this year. Actually, Cousin, you don’t need to worry about the Empress Dowager’s side. I believe that even if only for Yao Xi’s sake, the Empress Dowager won’t make things difficult for Yao-jiejie.”
Yao Xi’d risked his life just to return to the Empress Dowager’s side, willing to entrust his own life and those of his family to her. To Yao Xi, the Empress Dowager must be someone worthy of that trust. How those two truly felt about each other was something outsiders could never fully know, but Yao Xi spent day and night with her, so his judgment of the Empress Dowager was more reliable than anyone else’s.
As the two cousins were talking, a palace maid outside called out, “Princess, the Emperor has ordered the eunuchs from Qianqing Palace to deliver a large quantity of items.”
The Dragon Boat Festival gifts’d already been delivered the day before yesterday. Why was her Imperial Brother sending more things now? Longyi couldn’t help but think pessimistically: Could the Empress Dowager’ve exposed the matter of Jieyu Lan and me to him? Is Imperial Brother so enraged that he’s going to marry me off? Is this my dowry?
Longyi led Sun Yan out of the room. The eunuchs from Qianqing Palace bowed to Longyi. “Eldest Princess. His Majesty feared that the young lady cousin might find things inconvenient upon her arrival at the palace, so he specially ordered this slave to deliver some daily necessities. His Majesty also took pity on the Eldest Princess for having too few servants in her palace, so he’s dispatched several strong older maids. He said that any heavy lifting should be left to the servants from now on, so the young lady cousin needn’t exert herself.”
This… Longyi looked at Sun Yan, then at the courtyard filled with items.
Every year before the Dragon Boat Festival, on the anniversary of her imperial mother’s passing, she’d return to the palace to stay for a short while. Her Imperial Brother’d never once personally inquired about what she wanted or lacked, always leaving her to fend for herself, knowing full well she’d never let herself suffer. Now that Sun Yan’d entered the palace to live with her, she, as the elder cousin, would naturally take care of her. Why on earth was her Imperial Brother poking his nose into this?
Imperial Brother couldn’t seriously have taken a liking to this brat Sun Yan, could he?
Having grown up in the imperial palace since childhood, Longyi knew all too well what a filthy place it was. Her mother’d held the noble position of Empress, yet didn’t she still end up in miserable desolation in her later years? There wasn’t much genuine affection among imperial siblings; the only person in this world she truly regarded as her kin was Sun Yan. Her Imperial Brother wanted to make a play for Sun Yan? No way.
Jieyu Lan and Sun Yan—the two most important women to her in this world—how had they both caught her Imperial Brother’s eye?
But her Imperial Brother’d been utterly devoted to Jieyu Lan all these years. Perhaps he simply found Sun Yan amusing because of her unusual physical build6. “Dali, did Imperial Brother see you carrying heavy things?” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specially ordered those strong older maids to serve her.
“Yeah.” Sun Yan was also highly perplexed by the Emperor’s behavior—instead of blaming her, he was showering her with rewards.
Her Imperial Brother’s attitude toward Sun Yan must be curiosity mixed with appreciation, and absolutely not romance. Only by thinking this way did Longyi feel a sense of relief.
Yao Xi was bathing with the Empress Dowager in Lanye Pool, looking utterly preoccupied the entire time.
She was agonizing over whether asking Her Highness for the one thousand taels of silver—which she’d almost secured before leaving the palace—at a moment like this would ruin the atmosphere.
But the painful memory of being stranded at an inn, unable to return to the palace over a measly three taels and six mace of silver, was still vivid in her mind. The Empress Dowager’d already cut off her monthly allowance, making serving in bed her only remaining way to earn money. If she felt too embarrassed to ask for the silver this time, it’d only be harder to bring it up next time.
Living in this world, one’d inevitably face times of urgent financial need. Being penniless truly made her feel incredibly insecure!
Soaked in the bathwater, Yao Xi scrubbed the Empress Dowager’s body while asking tentatively, “Your Highness… this slave has already served in bed, and it was Your Highness who initiated it. So, that one thousand taels of silver you promised…” Surely it was time to pay up!
Wan Bi hadn’t eaten properly for the past few days, and after all the sleeping and embracing with Yao Xi earlier, her stamina was already somewhat depleted. Soaking in the steam-wreathed bath, she kept her eyes closed to rest her mind, enjoying the sweet moment of Yao Xi wiping down her body. Just as the mood was perfect, Yao Xi had to bring up that one thousand taels of silver.
She truly hadn’t intended to give Yao Xi those one thousand taels, because she’d originally planned to hand over the keys to her treasury. Everything of Yao Xi’s belonged to her, and everything of hers belonged to Yao Xi—this was by no means an empty statement. With Yao Xi’s nature as a little money-grubber7, Wan Bi could easily imagine how ecstatic the girl’d be standing before a treasury piled high with gold and silver.
Yet, the little wench couldn’t wait to demand her silver the moment she finished serving in bed…
Wan Bi couldn’t help but suspect that Yao Xi’s active surrender in the bedchamber earlier hadn’t been because she wanted her, but because she wanted those one thousand taels of silver. She liked it when Yao Xi actively teased her for the sake of silver, but she disliked it when Yao Xi only teased her for the sake of silver.
“Eunuch Yao truly has an excellent memory.” Wan Bi rolled her eyes at Yao Xi. “This bereaved one is a woman of her word. Those one thousand taels will naturally be given. Eunuch Yao, do keep up the good work!”
Hmph, let’s see how this bereaved one disciplines you, a little thing who’s greedy for wealth but indifferent to beauty.
Hearing Her Highness speak thus, Yao Xi became even more attentive in serving her bath. She didn’t have grand ambitions; having one thousand taels to fall back on was actually quite enough. It’d easily cover any emergencies, and there was hardly any other place in the palace that required spending silver anyway.
Wan Bi had originally intended to have Yao Xi dress in women’s clothing for her to see after the bath, but after Yao Xi’s disruption, her mood was instantly spoiled. In Yao Xi’s eyes, was it the silver that was more important, or was it her?
Upon returning to the bedchamber, Wan Bi gave Yao Xi the one thousand taels of silver notes as promised. Grinning cheekily, Yao Xi accepted them with both hands and carefully tucked them into her robes.
“In the future, every time this bereaved one wants Eunuch Yao, it’ll still be one thousand taels. But if Eunuch Yao wants this bereaved one…” Wan Bi let out a cold snort and sat down in her chair, declaring, “Ten thousand taels!” She wanted to see how Yao Xi’d choose when forced to pick between her and the silver.
“This slave obeys the decree.” Yao Xi smiled lightheartedly, showing no sign of distress whatsoever. “But what if this slave wants Your Highness but has no silver to pay? Can this slave make a physical repayment8? Your Highness can simply sleep with me in return to settle the account, right?”
“And what if this bereaved one’s interest is tepid, and the ledger can never be balanced?” Only then did a smile finally touch Wan Bi’s face.
Yao Xi lowered her head shyly. “A lifetime is so very long. This slave will pay you back slowly.”
Footnotes
- A humorous contrast between Diaochan, one of the four legendary beauties of ancient China renowned for her delicate grace, and Zhang Fei, a fierce warrior from the Three Kingdoms period famous for his wild, robust physical strength.
- Literally 'silk trousers' (wánkù), a historical term referring to the idle, pampered sons of wealthy or noble families who wore fine silk clothing and indulged in dissolute leisure.
- An idiom (wèi rén zuò jià yī) meaning to toil or do hard work for the benefit of others, while receiving no benefit yourself, like a poor maid sewing a wedding gown for a rich bride.
- A traditional Chinese toy (bōlànggǔ) consisting of a small double-sided drum with a handle and two pellets attached to strings, which strike the drumheads when the handle is swung back and forth.
- An idiom (shǒu dé yún kāi jiàn yuè míng) meaning to patiently endure through hardships until things finally work out; analogous to waiting for the clouds to part and the moon to shine.
- An expression (gǔgé qīngqí) historically used in martial arts fiction or physiognomy to describe someone with an exceptionally rare, gifted, or unusual physical build, often indicating martial arts potential.
- A playful term (xiǎo cáimí) for someone who is obsessed with money, a little miser or money-grubber.
- From the Chinese slang ròucháng, meaning to pay off a debt or favor through physical intimacy rather than money.
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