Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 121

The Empress Dowager Refuses

Wan Bi fell silent as she gazed at Yao Xi’s bitter expression.

Wanting her, or wanting her own life—did these two options truly conflict for Yao Xi?

            

She tried to understand Yao Xi’s world, a realm entirely opposite to her own within the imperial palace. The Emperor and she were the cleavers, while the thousands of palace maids and eunuchs were the meat on the chopping block, living in constant peril.

Naturally, this included Yao Xi as well.

“Do you know why this bereaved one is angry?” Wan Bi wanted to make peace now. If they kept fighting, Yao Xi would suffer, and she would not have an easy time of it either.

            

“I know,” Yao Xi said, her expression softening considerably. “Because of Miss Tao. Your Highness is eating vinegar over her. You think I care too much about her, that my mind was on her during the play and that I neglected you. Plus, I usually have the thick skin to beg Your Highness for silver, looking like a total miser, yet I was willing to give her a thousand taels.”

“Then do you think this bereaved one should be angry?” Wan Bi’s tone was also much gentler now.

“You should. Your Highness being angry means you care about me. If you didn’t, it wouldn’t matter.” Yao Xi relaxed more and more as she spoke, her voice growing increasingly calm. She liked talking to the Empress Dowager like this, with both of them speaking their minds calmly to quickly untangle any knots in their hearts. Throwing tantrums never leads to anything good. “What if Miss Tao were an old woman in her sixties? If I’d acted the exact same way today, just getting a little excited at seeing a performer I like, would Your Highness still be eating vinegar?”

            

Wan Bi shook her head. How could she possibly eat vinegar over some old crone?

“It’s the exact same principle. The person is still the same, and my attitude is still the same.” Yao Xi nudged herself forward and took the Empress Dowager’s hand. “I only like Miss Tao’s acting—the heroic female generals she portrays on the stage. Your Highness truly has no need to be jealous of her. The one I love, from birth until death, will only ever be you.”

“It’s not the same,” Wan Bi said, not letting Yao Xi lead her in circles, though she didn’t pull her hand away from Yao Xi’s tight grasp either. “The probability of your falling in love with the current Tao Xiaolin is far greater than falling in love with her when she’s sixty. If you like her acting, then just enjoy the play. There’s no need to treat her so well as a person. You used the silver this bereaved one gave you to treat another woman well. Do you expect this bereaved one to simply ignore it?”

            

Yao Xi, of course, understood what the Empress Dowager minded. It was like working hard to make money to support a household, doing everything to treat one’s wife well, only for the wife to take that money and spend it lavishly on some celebrity idol. Even if the wife had spent the money on herself, donated it, or outright lost it, it would feel better than spending it on another woman.

But Miss Tao’s circumstances were truly heartbreaking!

“Your Highness doesn’t know. Miss Tao doesn’t have an easy life in the opera troupe. I only helped her because I saw an opportunity to do so,” Yao Xi said, carefully choosing her words. She had to explain Miss Tao’s situation to the Empress Dowager without making her think she cared too much about the girl.

            

“Besides, the silver’s already been given, and the troupe’s already left the palace—we can’t get it back now. Surely Your Highness doesn’t want to keep being angry with me over this forever? I promise you, even if I want to poke my nose into other people’s business next time, I’ll discuss it with you first. Whether we help or not will be entirely up to you, alright?”

“There are countless people in this world facing difficulties. Why must you help her of all people? The troupe hasn’t left yet. Go and demand the silver back!” Wan Bi looked at Yao Xi. “Didn’t you say whether to help or not is entirely up to this bereaved one? This bereaved one doesn’t want to help her!”

“I didn’t make myself clear.” Yao Xi felt that the Empress Dowager simply didn’t understand how dire Miss Tao’s situation was. She explained patiently, “When I met Miss Tao today, I noticed many wounds on her arms. They weren’t from practicing martial arts; they were from her master beating her. It seems she doesn’t even get a share of the reward money she earns from her performances…”

            

Wan Bi interrupted Yao Xi without a shred of sympathy. “Such things are commonplace in the theatrical world. Surely you went to the theater often enough before entering the palace to know that? A strict teacher produces brilliant disciples. No beatings, no talent. If Tao Xiaolin didn’t have her master, she’d never have become a star. As for the rewards, who do you think paid for her expenses while she was learning her trade before completing her apprenticeship? It’s standard practice to sign an apprenticeship contract¹ before beginning, and to work for free for several years after finishing. If those words came from Tao Xiaolin’s own mouth, it only shows she’s an ungrateful wretch. To dare slander her master behind his back when she’s barely made a name for herself—what cowardly, petty behavior!”

“Just because something’s become the norm doesn’t make it right,” Yao Xi said, her voice resonant with conviction.

The Troupe Master might’ve been kind to Miss Tao, but that didn’t mean he could beat, scold, and mistreat her at will. True, without the Troupe Master, Miss Tao wouldn’t be where she is today. But without people like Miss Tao—who loved and dedicated themselves to performing—the Troupe Master could never support an entire opera troupe on his own. It was clearly a matter of investment and return, a business transaction. Why use a shred of past kindness as an excuse to treat someone as less than human?

            

“Your Highness doesn’t lack that silver, but a thousand taels can give Miss Tao a completely different life.” Yao Xi tried to persuade the Empress Dowager. “Let’s just consider it a good deed to accumulate some merit, alright?” The Empress Dowager’s done plenty of bad things; accumulating some good karma’s always a good idea.

“So, the Eunuch is determined to help Tao Xiaolin?” Wan Bi’s face turned cold as she wrenched her hand from Yao Xi’s grasp. “This bereaved one understands. Get out! Send Ni Dong in.”

“What are you calling him in for?” Yao Xi clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms with frustration. She’d done everything she could and said everything she could say—why couldn’t the Empress Dowager understand? Demanding the thousand taels back might soothe the Empress Dowager’s temper, but letting her keep it could save a person’s entire life!

            

Wan Bi turned her face away petulantly. “This bereaved one must have someone to attend to her, mustn’t she?”

“My woman doesn’t need anyone else to attend to her!” Furious, Yao Xi slammed her fist onto the bed, lunged forward, forced the Empress Dowager’s face around with her hand, and kissed her. Anxious and angry, she kissed with fierce intensity.

“Mmph…” Wan Bi tried to push Yao Xi away, but found she couldn’t budge her. She was taller than Yao Xi and possessed greater physical strength, but an enraged Yao Xi was like a wild beast, pinning her down so firmly that she couldn’t move.

            

“I love you. But I truly don’t know what to do anymore…” Yao Xi said between kisses. Her words were shattered by the passionate kisses, and her hands had already begun to unfasten Wan Bi’s clothes.

“Touching this bereaved one is ten thousand taels, and no tabs are allowed.” Wan Bi pushed Yao Xi back and smoothed her robes. “Or is the Eunuch only willing to spend his silver on Tao Xiaolin?”

Wasn’t the Empress Dowager just being completely unreasonable? Yao Xi felt utterly helpless. It wasn’t as if the Empress Dowager didn’t know her situation in the palace. Her monthly salary had been docked by the Empress Dowager, and the price of one thousand or ten thousand taels to serve her in bed had been set by the Empress Dowager on a whim.

            

“Your Highness, this is a matter of mutual consent. Must we always drag silver into it? Can’t we just have each other whenever we want?”

“When this bereaved one was giving you silver, you certainly didn’t say that, did you? You accepted it quite readily back then,” Wan Bi said, finally speaking her mind. “Have you ever thought about why this bereaved one was willing to give you a thousand taels just for a single kiss? Because this bereaved one wanted to see if, once you saved up ten thousand taels, you’d be willing to spend it on this bereaved one! And what happened? You gave a thousand taels to Tao Xiaolin just like that… Yes. This bereaved one is petty, lacking in compassion, and completely unreasonable! This bereaved one just wants to be the only one in your heart, and wants you to be good to this bereaved one alone.” Wan Bi wept, but she bit her lip hard, desperately trying not to make a sound.

She too felt she no longer resembled her old self. Caring for Yao Xi to the point of losing her mind, she knew deep down that Yao Xi loved her. Yet hearing Yao Xi repeatedly defend Tao Xiaolin still made her spiral into uncontrollable grief.

            

Yao Xi caught the phrasing of the Empress Dowager’s final sentence, and her heart melted instantly.

Aching with sympathy, she moved forward to pull the Empress Dowager into her arms, whispering comforting words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll give Your Highness whatever you want.” Those who rarely cried truly broke one’s heart the most when they finally did. Since the Empress Dowager was grieving because she’d given Miss Tao a thousand taels, what could she do to untangle this knot in her heart? The silver could absolutely not be demanded back.

Yao Xi said she’d give the Empress Dowager whatever she wanted, but she knew very well that everything she owned had been given to her by the Empress Dowager in the first place. When one person had to rely entirely on another to survive, how could there ever be equality in their relationship? The Empress Dowager was right; even her act of helping Miss Tao had been funded by the silver she’d been rewarded.

            

Just as Yao Xi was thinking this, Wan Bi unintentionally dealt a finishing blow: “But you have nothing…”

Uh… she knew that. Yao Xi hugged Wan Bi tightly. “Promise me one thing, alright?”

“What?” Wan Bi had already stopped crying. She’d always viewed crying as a sign of weakness and rarely did so; she didn’t know why her emotions had suddenly collapsed just now.

            

“Don’t let Ni Dong touch you again.” Yao Xi released Wan Bi, tenderly wiping the damp tear tracks from her face. “You’re mine. I’ll prove to you that you’re thousands of times more important to me than Miss Tao. Don’t make me angry on purpose anymore, alright?”

“Mm. I’ll have him leave in a moment.” After letting her feelings out through a good cry, Wan Bi felt a bit better.

“I’ll go to the water room and fetch some water to wash your face. Lie here and be good, alright?” Yao Xi cupped Wan Bi’s face, gently wiping her flushed cheeks with both thumbs before leaning in to press a light kiss to her lips.

            

“That makes twenty thousand taels,” Wan Bi said with a faint smile.

“I don’t have Your Highness’s deep pockets. It only counts as once if we sleep together.” Yao Xi smiled, then stood up and pushed the door open to leave.

Ni Dong was waiting outside in an anxious, restless state, having almost assumed Yao Xi wouldn’t be coming out. Hearing the creaking of the bedchamber door opening, Ni Dong looked up just in time to see Yao Xi walking briskly toward him, seemingly heading out of the palace hall. It looks like Her Highness is sending Yao Xi back to the duty room to sleep after all! Standing in the dark corner of the study, Ni Dong watched Yao Xi draw near, then stuck out his foot to trip her.

            

“Ah!” Yao Xi screamed as she fell heavily onto the stone-tiled floor.

Hearing Yao Xi’s scream, Wan Bi thought an assassin had broken in. She quickly grabbed her hand gun, rolled out of bed, and rushed to the doorway of the bedchamber. When she looked out, she saw Yao Xi sprawled on the floor, while Ni Dong stood nearby with a smug, malicious grin on his face.

A cold light flashed in her eyes. “Get in here!” she said coldly to Ni Dong.

            

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