When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 72

Volume Three: Those Years I Was a Wangye

Punished

Yesterday was clearly a day with a vast, clear sky, but after one night, unsettled clouds filled the heavens, looking as if a pattering drizzle could start at any moment.

Ruilin watched as Lin Tinghan worked on a folding fan all night. Her lady was currently painting on the fan’s surface.

This time, it wasn’t a landscape painting, but a flower she had never seen before.

“Miss, what kind of flower is this? This servant has never seen such a flower before, ai?”

The brush tip, dipped in cinnabar, gently touched down to render the colors, each stroke meticulous and precise.

“This is a rose.” Wen Nuan had told her.

Ruilin was puzzled. “What is a rose?”

Lin Tinghan, her eyes fixed on the spot where her brush landed, said with an upturned corner of her mouth, “Mei, the beauty among stones; gui, a perfectly round and fine pearl. Together, they mean ‘rose.’ Roses are gentle and splendid, representing blessings upon worldly love.”

“A flower that represents love?” Ruilin was astonished. “This flower has such a beautiful meaning. Why has this servant never heard its name spread in the world?”

Lin Tinghan outlined a petal. “Because this flower is very rare.”

“Rare?” Ruilin asked curiously. “Then where does this flower grow? This servant will go find it for Miss.”

Lin Tinghan chuckled lightly. “This flower grows in people’s hearts. It only blooms with dazzling beauty when one is moved by love.”

With a final stroke, a magnificent and colorful rose leaped onto the paper, possessing an air that seemed to challenge all rivals.

“Moreover, I have already found it, admired its beauty, and savored its wonder.” Lin Tinghan carefully unfolded the fan and placed it in a well-ventilated spot. “This lifetime is enough.”

“Miss has seen it?” Ruilin scratched her head. “Then why haven’t I seen it? I’ve always been with Miss. I’ve been to all the places Miss has been, haven’t I?”

Lin Tinghan glanced at her. “That place is a garden that belongs only to me. You cannot go there.”

Ruilin pouted. “If this servant cannot go, then does that mean Wangye can?”

“Of course. Because that rose was personally planted by Wen Nuan, and it was she who personally made it bloom.”

Ruilin listened, muddled and confused, but seeing her lady brimming with happiness, her own heart felt much lighter.

“Is this folding fan also for Wangye, Miss?”

Lin Tinghan nodded. “En.”

“Miss is so good to Her Highness. It’s a pity Her Highness was slow to understand. If only Her Highness had known Miss’s feelings the first time you gifted her a fan.” Ruilin truly felt sorry for her lady over these past few years.

Falling in love too early hurts the most.

Gifting a fan, if between close friends, represents seeking one’s true heart and aspiring towards kindness.

If gifted between a man and a woman, it represents a “courtship proposal” or “pledging love.”

Her lady harbored romantic feelings for Wangye, but alas, the Xian Wang only considered her lady a close confidante, causing them to miss out on these years together.

It wasn’t that Lin Tinghan didn’t want Wen Nuan to know her feelings, but seeing her accept the fan as a friend, she felt both joy and disappointment.

Joy that she liked the gift very much; disappointment that she didn’t know its true meaning.

“Forget it. What’s past is past. To be able to walk forward shoulder to shoulder with her from now on is already enough,” Lin Tinghan said with a faint smile.

A knock came at the door. Steward Lin spoke from outside, “Miss, someone is requesting an audience outside the residence. It is the Female Imperial Attendant, Rong Qing.”

Why would she come looking for her?

Could it be that Her Majesty the Emperor wanted to see her?!

Lin Tinghan immediately responded, “Bring the guest to the main hall. Serve her good tea.”

Steward Lin: “Yes, Miss.”

Lin Tinghan glanced at the folding fan by the window and instructed, “Ruilin, watch the fan carefully. Nothing must happen to it.”

Ruilin also knew the importance of this fan and said seriously, “As long as this servant is here, the fan will be safe.”

Main Hall.

Rong Qing took a sip of clear tea and watched Lin Tinghan walk in from outside. She rose and saluted, “Miss Lin.”

Lin Tinghan returned the salute. “Attendant Rong, may I ask what guidance you have for me today?”

“Guidance is too strong a word. I merely have a few things I’d like to discuss with Miss Lin. Please forgive me for taking the liberty of visiting and disturbing you.”

Lin Tinghan shook her head. “It’s no trouble. Attendant Rong’s visit is an honor. How could it be a disturbance?” She gestured with her hand. “Attendant Rong, please sit. Whatever you have to say, please speak freely. Take your time, there’s no rush.”

“It is somewhat urgent; I cannot speak slowly.” Rong Qing sighed. “Before dawn today, the Xian Wang entered the palace to plead guilty. She has already been kneeling before the Anfu Hall¹ for two shichen².”

Lin Tinghan froze. “What?”

How could Wen Nuan have entered the palace to plead guilty?

Could something have gone wrong in Wangfu City?

No, that couldn’t be. Everything was perfect; there couldn’t have been any mistakes.

Or was it because of her?!

Seeing the understanding in Lin Tinghan’s eyes, Rong Qing said gravely, “The cause indeed is you, Miss Lin.”

“I want to enter the palace!” Lin Tinghan couldn’t wait any longer; she wanted to go see Wen Nuan.

“Wait a moment,” Rong Qing stopped her. “If a commoner enters the palace without an imperial edict or decree, it is a capital offense. I’m afraid you’d be beaten to death at the palace gates before you even see the Xian Wang.”

“Moreover, Miss Lin, there are some things I hope you understand.”

Lin Tinghan turned around and looked at her. “What do I need to understand?”

Rong Qing calmly looked at the now utterly flustered Lin Tinghan. “What will the Xian Wang have to bear, what will she have to pay, to be with you?”

Lin Tinghan’s pupils trembled, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Wen Nuan had entered the palace when the sky was just beginning to lighten. She had been kneeling continuously before Anfu Hall, saying nothing, just kneeling silently. In her hands, she held the Dragon-Slaying Whip, placed before her, waiting quietly.

System: 【Do you really have to do this?】

Wen Nuan sighed. “If I don’t push her, Imperial Sister will never acknowledge the sincerity and seriousness of my feelings for Lin Tinghan.”

【Alright, I’ll activate pain shielding for you when the time comes.】

“Thanks.” Wen Nuan took a deep breath, looking at the figure standing by the door inside the room.

Until the door opened, and Xu Wenlu walked up to her, her face dark and gloomy, her tone displeased. “Are you forcing me?”

Look how angry her Imperial Sister was; she wasn’t even using “Zhen” anymore.

Wen Nuan raised her head and smiled. “This subject sister only wants to tell Imperial Sister that this subject sister loves her.”

Xu Wenlu looked at the Dragon-Slaying Whip on the ground. “For such a twisted love, can you bear it?”

Can you bear this Dragon-Slaying Whip?

Can you bear these rumors and slanders?

Can you bear these moral ethics and principles?

Can you bear this vile secular world!?

Wen Nuan still smiled. “I will bear it with my life. I wonder if that will be enough?”

“You’re insane!?” Xu Wenlu said incredulously. “You were never like this before!”

You used to live so freely and unrestrainedly. Why be trapped by love, fall into a cage, unable to extricate yourself?

Wen Nuan said faintly, “Imperial Sister, I know you are good to me. But she loves me desperately, and I cannot let her go either.”

She took out bamboo slips from her sleeve and handed them over, her eyes filled with tears. “Imperial Sister, how can you ask me to let her go?”

Xu Wenlu looked at the contents of the bamboo slips, her pupils quivered, and she couldn’t help but take a step back.

“I’m afraid she’ll die…”

Wen Nuan’s choked voice was filled with lingering fear and guilt, with unwillingness and helplessness.

She wasn’t worried about the world collapsing, not worried about her points being unable to be unfrozen, not worried that they would be expelled.

She was worried that “she” would die!

In the original plot, Ji Ge found the Xian Wang’s body. Lin Tinghan fulfilled her promise, handed over the Lin family’s assets to Ji Ge, and then committed suicide before the Xian Wang’s tomb.

No one had ever loved her like this, loved her with their life.

How could she repay such a heavy love?

No matter how much she loved “her,” it seemed it could never match “her” love for her.

Xu Wenlu opened her mouth, speechless. “The Dragon-Slaying Whip, six lashes. You will endure them even if you die!”

Wen Nuan kowtowed. “This subject sister thanks Her Majesty the Emperor.”

Fengxian Hall³.

Wen Nuan removed her outer robe, walked to the center of the hall, reached out, and grabbed the rope on a nearby pillar, tying it around her arm.

The one wielding the whip was Wang Xiaozhong⁴, her father-consort’s mother. She had already retired from court to enjoy her later years but was invited back by Xu Wenlu to administer the punishment upon learning of Wen Nuan’s matter.

The Ministers of the Six Boards⁵ and the Court Ministers⁶ supervised the execution.

Xu Wenlu sat above, watching Wen Nuan prepare, and sighed. “Xu Wen Nuan, Zhen asks you one more time, do you regret it? Will you change?”

“No regrets, no change.” Wen Nuan looked at Wang Xiaozhong beside her and smiled. “Grandma Xiaozhong, it’s been a long time.”

Wang Xiaozhong couldn’t help but say, “This subject has long said that Your Highness would cause a monstrous disaster with this temperament of yours. I just didn’t expect this disaster to fall upon Your Highness yourself.”

“Isn’t it also good? The disaster I caused should naturally be borne by me. The cause and effect are all my own, so I can’t blame others.”

Wang Xiaozhong smiled. “Your Highness is quite philosophical, still as optimistic and open-minded as before.”

Wen Nuan stood straight. “Carry out the punishment, Wang Xiaozhong.”

“Alright,” Wang Xiaozhong said, gripping the whip tightly and taking a deep breath.

Just as she was about to raise the Dragon-Slaying Whip, just as she was about to strike.

“Creaak…”

The hall doors were suddenly pushed open. It was Rong Qing.

When Rong Qing saw Wen Nuan tied up, her face paled, and she knelt. “Your Majesty the Emperor, Miss Lin requests an audience.”

Wen Nuan frowned.

Xu Wenlu looked at Wen Nuan, then rested her cheek on her hand. “Let her in.”

“Yes.”

Wen Nuan saw Lin Tinghan walk in, her face pale, her eyes red and swollen from crying like two walnuts.

“Why are you here?”

Lin Tinghan saw her tied up in the hall, tears welling in her eyes. She forced a happy expression, tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I missed you, so I came to accompany you.”

“You, ah, you’re crying again.” Wen Nuan’s heart ached. “Be good. I can’t free my hands. Wipe your own tears. Don’t cry anymore.”

Lin Tinghan wiped her face, her smile uglier than her crying. “En, I won’t cry.”

She looked at the Dragon-Slaying Whip in Wang Xiaozhong’s hand, her heart trembling. “Will it hurt?”

Wen Nuan was about to shake her head when a cold voice came from above.

“The Dragon-Slaying Whip. Each lash breaks bones and tears meridians. Miss Lin, what do you think, will it hurt?” Xu Wenlu said sarcastically.

The Dragon-Slaying Whip, an ancient artifact, passed down through generations.

If a member of the royal family committed a heinous crime of treason and heresy, they could be pardoned if they could endure the Dragon-Slaying Whip. To date, no one had been able to endure four lashes from the Dragon-Slaying Whip.

Lin Tinghan’s body trembled, a look of pain appearing in her eyes, and she felt a wave of faintness as if she were about to pass out.

She turned and knelt on the ground. “This matter arose because of this commoner. This commoner is willing to bear all of it.”

Xu Wenlu looked at her coldly, her voice mocking. “Are you even worthy?”

“Imperial Sister, I’m ready. Let’s begin.” Wen Nuan looked at Rong Qing. “Pull Tinghan away.”

Rong Qing bit her lip and forcibly dragged Lin Tinghan away.

Lin Tinghan stood to the side, staring intently at Wen Nuan. Wen Nuan turned her head and smiled at her, mouthing silently: I’m fine, don’t be afraid.

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The author has something to say:

Wen Nuan: I’m here for everything, don’t be afraid.

System: Activating pain… En? Wait, it can’t be activated!

Wen Nuan: …..

Mei, the beauty among stones; Gui, a perfectly round and fine pearl – 《Shuowen》⁷

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