CH 203

Villainous Emperor (3)

Today, Jiang Ruoyu turned six.

Little did anyone know that she and Princess Jiang Xin, the fifteenth princess, shared the same birthday. The only difference was that Princess Jiang Xin was born in the afternoon, while Jiang Ruoyu arrived in the world at dusk.

Legend has it that on the day Princess Jiang Xin was born, after a long period of rain, the sky cleared and numerous vibrant flowers blossomed. A magnificent rainbow adorned the heavens, and jubilant magpies circled around, forming a bridge of happiness that lingered above the palace for a long time.

The elders in the palace regarded this as an auspicious omen, believing that Princess Jiang Xin was the blessed one who would bring prosperity to the kingdom. The royal family of Jiang placed great faith in this divine blessing, as they believed it was the reason for their successful reign. Since her birth, Princess Jiang Xin became the Emperor’s most beloved daughter. However, few knew that on the same evening, in the Cold Palace, another woman endured hours of pain and also gave birth to a daughter.

To maintain the prestige of the fifteenth princess’s concubine mother, a casual remark was made, and Jiang Ruoyu’s birthday was intentionally delayed by a day.

On the previous evening, Jiang Ruoyu’s mother, Dong Han, fell ill. It took Jiang Ruoyu a long time to comfort her mother before she hurriedly ran into the temple. By the time she reached the temple, it was already late.

Jiang Ruoyu had a restless night in the temple. The temple was located along the main road leading to the palace, and all the paths to the palace passed by it. In honor of the fifteenth princess’s birthday, the palace staff had procured various unusual items from the common folk. Throughout the night, carriages continuously traveled back and forth on the road. Jiang Ruoyu was startled awake several times initially, but with the help of Song Xu Yi, who couldn’t resist shielding her from the outside noise and raising the temperature in the hall, Jiang Ruoyu managed to fall back asleep.

In her dream, Jiang Ruoyu remembered the one time she had tasted braised pork, which was during the fifth princess’s birthday celebration last year. On that day, the fifth princess recited a poem at her birthday banquet, which delighted the Emperor. He praised the fifth princess for her intelligence and generously rewarded the palace staff, even extending the gesture to the Cold Palace, where an additional meat dish was provided.

Several Eunuchs who were assigned to guard the Cold Palace went to the front hall to help. Finally, the lunch from noon made its way into the bellies of Jiang Ruoyu and her mother. It was the most delicious meal Jiang Ruoyu could recall having since her memory began. Even in her dream, tasting that flavor made Jiang Ruoyu feel immensely happy.

However, this ephemeral happiness was soon shattered.

Due to suspicion of someone stealing the offerings, the nuns arrived half an hour earlier than before. When Jiang Ruoyu heard the sound of keys at the door, she trembled with fear. She quickly got up from the ground, unable to return the cushion to its original position. Her gaze hesitated between the offerings on the table and the statue of the goddess. In the end, she pocketed two offerings and swiftly crawled under the altar.

It was her birthday, and Jiang Ruoyu wondered if there would be braised pork this year. She wanted to have a slightly better meal, not for herself, but to spare her mother any more sadness over a missing fruit.

Almost as soon as Jiang Ruoyu entered, the two nuns walked in. Their first task was to count the offerings on the table. They had already counted them the previous evening.

“Two offerings are missing. I knew there was a thief in this palace!”

“Oh my! How did the cushion end up like this?”

……

Jiang Ruoyu listened to the discussions outside, trembling with fear as she hid beneath the altar. She knew she shouldn’t have been so greedy. If caught, it would surely bring heartache to her mother.

She tensed her body, holding her breath, preparing herself to dash out of the hall as soon as the two nuns lifted the tablecloth. However, somehow, the nuns circled around the hall, searching every corner but never thinking to lift the altar to have a look.

“Perhaps the thief has already left,” Jiang Ruoyu overheard the nuns discussing. “We’ll come twice tomorrow night, and we will definitely catch that thief…”

Saying so, the two nuns, as usual, went out to fetch water.

Taking advantage of this moment, Jiang Ruoyu summoned all her strength and rushed outside. Her legs trembled, her heart raced to her throat. Skillfully maneuvering through the crowded space, she moved like an arrow released from its bow, swiftly running towards the vicinity of the cold palace. Finally, feeling exhausted, she collapsed into a cluster of bushes, as if her strength had drained away.

Her stature was indeed too small. When she sat in the bushes, it was nearly impossible to tell that someone was hiding inside.

Within the bushes grew a vibrant green camellia flower. Despite being surrounded by the undergrowth, it thrived, with abundant branches and leaves adorned with flower buds that would soon blossom.

Jiang Ruoyu pursed her lips and stared blankly at the two fruits she had taken out from her pocket. She glanced at the camellia flower and tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Would she never be able to have fruits again?

It was her own greed that led to this. Today, she had wanted to take an extra fruit without praying to the goddess, and as a punishment, the goddess had denied her any more fruits in the future.

Will I never see the goddess again?

Even though she had already made up her mind, she would wait for some time until this wild plant bloomed at night. Then, she would pick the flower and offer it before the statue of the goddess.

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t know what kind of flower it was, but one night last year, she witnessed its brief but breathtaking bloom.

Although the flower only bloomed for a moment, it was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen in her life. Jiang Ruoyu had been carefully tending to this “wild plant” and originally planned to pick it to show her mother. However, ever since she accidentally entered the temple and couldn’t resist taking the offering fruit, Jiang Ruoyu had changed her mind. She had taken something from the goddess without giving her anything in return, so the least she could do was show her the most beautiful flower she knew.

Every day, Jiang Ruoyu would come to check on this “wild plant,” loosening the soil and watering it. When she saw the buds forming on the plant, she anticipated its bloom every single day…

But I’ll never have the chance to show the flower to the goddess!

And recently, there have been delicious and sweet fruits to eat. Mother’s symptoms have improved a lot. It was already difficult enough to make her believe that the fruits were bestowed upon her by a benevolent person. If I can’t get any more fruits in the future, what excuse should I come up with to explain it to my mother…

Jiang Ruoyu sobbed heartbreakingly in this corner, while not far away in the Noble Concubine’s Palace, Princess Jiang Xin had just woken up. Her mother dressed her in a new garment woven with golden threads, and servants brought her specially prepared longevity noodles from the imperial kitchen. The outer room was filled with a dazzling array of gifts from others, and entertainers stood outside, waiting in line to please Jiang Xin…

Both were daughters of the Emperor, both celebrating their birthdays, but the treatment Jiang Xin received compared to Jiang Ruoyu was like night and day.

Song Xu Yi stood by with a complex expression, looking at the tear-stained Jiang Ruoyu. She sighed softly—she had never imagined that this future villain who would challenge gods and disturb the Three Realms would be crying over a few fruits.

What surprised Song Xu Yi even more was that she could clearly hear Jiang Ruoyu’s inner thoughts.

Only when someone wholeheartedly and devoutly believes in a certain deity can that deity hear their inner thoughts…

In the temple, Song Xu Yi could hear many indistinct inner thoughts: the Emperor wishing for longevity of a hundred years, the Noble Concubine yearning to be the most favored in the harem, even Jiang Xin, who was just as young as Jiang Ruoyu, praying for eternal glory and wealth…

In this whirlpool of desires, these people offered a fraction of their wealth as offerings, hoping greedily for wishes multiplied a thousandfold and more.

Song Xu Yi had never expected that the most resolute inner thoughts she would hear would come from Jiang Ruoyu. This young girl, with sincerity and timidity, had offered the most dazzling flower she had ever seen as an offering before Song Xu Yi…

Will this kind of young girl truly turn into a villain?

Song Xu Yi blinked, dissipating the warmth that had welled up in her eyes, and waved her sleeve.

Jiang Ruoyu fell into a deep dream.

She smelled a pleasant fragrance and then saw her beloved Goddess Sister.

This was the first time Jiang Ruoyu dreamed of her Goddess Sister, and she curiously observed the woman before her. She looked even more beautiful and lively than a statue carved from jade, especially her eyes, which seemed to brim with sunlight, radiating warmth and gentleness.

“Ruoyu, I have never blamed you,” she heard her Goddess Sister speak softly, smiling at her in an incredibly beautiful way. “In fact, I am grateful to you. Thank you for coming to accompany me every night…”

“You can share any wishes you have with me,” the Goddess Sister approached a step closer, holding Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, her voice incredibly gentle. “Ruoyu, you are so well-behaved. Just seeing you fills me with joy…”

Jiang Ruoyu’s face flushed all of a sudden.

This was the first person to say “joy” to her instead of finding fault with her!

Jiang Ruoyu suddenly felt an unprecedented uneasiness. She didn’t know where she found the strength, but her heart suddenly felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable, causing her to instinctively let go of the Goddess Sister’s hand—

When she snapped back to reality and realized what she had done, Jiang Ruoyu’s face turned pale.

Will she be disliked?

She just felt… that she had tainted her pure and beautiful Goddess Sister by her touch…

Her eyes stung, her heart filled with unease, but tears refused to flow. She didn’t know how to explain herself. With a pale face and a disheartened expression, Jiang Ruoyu lowered her head.

Yet, once again, she heard the laughter in the voice of her smiling Goddess Sister—

“Is Ruoyu feeling shy?”

“If you don’t know how to ask, then I will give you what I want to give you!”

“What you see will surely come true in the future!”

Goddess Sister once again held her hand—

Jiang Ruoyu immersed herself in this beautiful dream, reluctant to wake up, wishing for the dream to last a little longer…

Little did she know that because the Emperor had dreamt of a prophecy, he had ordered his attendants to search for the “Companion of the Emperor” from his dream. Pushing through the bushes, when he saw the girl sleeping with a smile amidst the blooming clouds of flowers, his eyes filled with astonishment and reverence…