CH 218

Villainous Emperor (18)

“The little girl’s medical skills are really good, and she is also charming,” Just as Song Xu Yi was contemplating whether to glare at Jiang Ruoyu again, Dong Rou, who was beside them, smiled and broke the silence: “What’s even more impressive is her composure. Despite Ruoyu’s cold and indifferent demeanor, she can still continue to administer acupuncture…”

As Dong Rou spoke, she lightly tapped Jiang Ruoyu’s shoulder and continued, “You! Don’t bully this little girl! You’re already an Emperor, such a grown-up, and yet you still scare people…”

Being scolded by Dong Rou, Jiang Ruoyu finally retracted her hand that was pinching Song Xu Yi’s cheek. She looked at Song Xu Yi and nodded in agreement with Dong Rou’s words. Somehow, she felt a bit unhappy and a cold smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. She said, “It’s all thanks to her medical skills. Otherwise, I would have turned this insolent little palace maid into ashes long ago…”

“How dare you!” Before Song Xu Yi could speak, Dong Rou took over the conversation and glared at Jiang Ruoyu, saying, “This little girl is charming and not only has excellent medical skills but also knows how to tell stories and perform magic tricks… She is much more likable than you, who are cold-hearted and always resort to killing. If you dare to harm her, I won’t let you off!”

Clearly, Jiang Ruoyu didn’t expect Dong Rou, who had always favored her, to speak up like this. She appeared visibly stunned, and Song Xu Yi, looking at Jiang Ruoyu’s bewildered expression, couldn’t help but smile slightly, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

Jiang Ruoyu clearly noticed Song Xu Yi’s schadenfreude and turned her head abruptly, her eyes dark and deep, fixed upon Song Xu Yi, her lips pursed.

Song Xu Yi was startled and quickly lowered her gaze. She then heard a cold hum from in front of her as Jiang Ruoyu turned around, hands behind her back, and walked away. Whether it was Song Xu Yi’s imagination or not, she could faintly hear a mocking voice in her ears.

“Little girl!”

With Jiang Ruoyu gone, that intense sense of oppression finally faded away.

The rest of the day, Song Xu Yi felt extremely relaxed and joyful. She was accompanied by Dong Rou, who seemed very interested in Song Xu Yi. Dong Rou held Song Xu Yi’s hand and bombarded her with questions. Due to the lack of time, Song Xu Yi’s father had not prepared her background information. So Song Xu Yi resorted to the excuse she used when signing up at Fu Sheng’s place earlier:

Song Xu Yi casually mentioned a distant place far from the capital, claiming to be from Puyuan County. She said her parents had passed away, and she came to the capital to seek refuge with relatives. However, she couldn’t find them in the vast sea of people. Coincidentally, she encountered Fu Sheng, who was selecting women for the palace. Thinking that the treatment in the palace would be good, she enrolled and entered the palace.

In these years of chaos in Jiang Kingdom, Song Xu Yi’s fabricated background was not unusual, and Dong Rou had no doubts. After sighing, she changed the subject.

If before, Dong Rou was only curious about Song Xu Yi due to Jiang Ruoyu’s attitude, then after this interaction, Dong Rou genuinely started to develop some fondness for Song Xu Yi. It was hard to imagine someone blending obedience and gentleness so perfectly. Although the young girl appeared to be of a young age, being around her gave a sense of calm and tranquility.

Dong Rou was extremely weak, and the pain in her legs had been tormenting her for a long time. After chatting with Song Xu Yi for a while, she fell asleep.

Once Dong Rou was asleep, there were palace maids to take care of her, so Song Xu Yi excused herself and returned to her room to continue her cultivation.

After interacting with Jiang Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi subconsciously felt a heightened sense of crisis. Jiang Ruoyu’s temperament was almost completely different from the little girl she had adopted years ago. Song Xu Yi couldn’t grasp the current situation between Jiang Ruoyu and the Divine Attractor. She could only intensify her cultivation, just in case Jiang Ruoyu had already been completely taken over by the Divine Attractor. Song Xu Yi didn’t aim to defeat Jiang Ruoyu, but she wanted to have enough strength to escape.

Time passed quickly during her cultivation, and soon, a night had gone by.

In the morning, Song Xu Yi suddenly felt a blatantly intrusive gaze in the room. It seemed like something or someone was blatantly observing her. Song Xu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She blinked, pretending to have just woken up, and sat up on the bed, splashing water on her face to freshen up.

In this palace, under Jiang Ruoyu’s spiritual coverage, the only person who could boldly enter Song Xu Yi’s room and observe her with their divine consciousness was Jiang Ruoyu herself.

Could it be that Jiang Ruoyu had become suspicious of her?

Despite being highly alert, Song Xu Yi pretended not to notice and calmly washed her face and freshened up. Almost as soon as she finished washing her face, there was a knock on the door. A palace maid announced that the Empress Dowager requested Song Xu Yi’s presence.

They timed it perfectly…

With the appearance of the palace maid, the gaze finally disappeared from the air.

Song Xu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and followed the palace maid into the Empress Dowager’s sleeping chamber. However, she didn’t expect Jiang Ruoyu to be there as well.

It was breakfast time, and Dong Rou’s table was filled with a variety of dishes. As soon as Song Xu Yi entered, Dong Rou warmly greeted her, saying, “Liu Yi, come and sit down!”

There was only one seat left beside the table, right between Dong Rou and Jiang Ruoyu.

Song Xu Yi was on guard against Jiang Ruoyu and didn’t want to sit there. Lowering her head, she said, “This humble servant dare not…”

However, before Song Xu Yi could finish speaking, a gust of wind swept by her side, and it felt as if two invisible hands had lifted her arm and pushed her forward to sit on the chair…

“You were so eager to say ‘I’ earlier, but now you suddenly refer to yourself as a ‘servant’…”

Song Xu Yi knew it was Jiang Ruoyu’s doing. She stared at Jiang Ruoyu, but Jiang Ruoyu didn’t look at Song Xu Yi. Lowering her head, she leisurely continued, “Since the Empress Dowager has spoken, you may sit.”

Jiang Ruoyu had already said so, so Song Xu Yi dared not struggle anymore. She could only sit stiffly on the chair. After seeing Dong Rou and Jiang Ruoyu start eating with their chopsticks, Song Xu Yi lowered her head and clumsily picked at the rice in her bowl, trying her best to minimize her presence and wishing for this meal to be over as soon as possible.

Dong Rou naturally noticed Song Xu Yi’s restraint and smiled as she handed a bowl of soup to Song Xu Yi. Then she glanced at Jiang Ruoyu and said, “Weren’t you the one who asked someone to fetch Liu Yi? Why are you scaring her now that she’s here?”

Did Jiang Ruoyu come to call her?

Unable to resist, Song Xu Yi raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Ruoyu, but Jiang Ruoyu immediately denied it as if she were angered, saying, “I didn’t!”

“Mother, I merely asked where that little palace maid had gone…”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Dong Rou, however, had a disdainful expression as she spoke in a coaxing tone, as if speaking to a child. “I actually wanted Liu Yi to rest a bit longer since she was tired from last night. I don’t know who it was, but someone used their skills to secretly check on her and confidently told me that Liu Yi was awake…”

So… Jiang Ruoyu used her divine consciousness to observe herself just to see if she was awake and wanted to call her to have breakfast?

“I-I didn’t secretly check!” Jiang Ruoyu seemed surprised that Dong Rou brought this up and stumbled for words. After a pause, she continued, “I was openly looking…”

Jiang Ruoyu’s face remained calm, but her fair skin made the blush on her ears appear particularly noticeable.

“Mother, please have some more porridge.”

Finally, Jiang Ruoyu seemed to realize that her words were somewhat unreasonable and didn’t want to continue the topic. She stood up, served Dong Rou a bowl of porridge, and casually glanced at Song Xu Yi. Upon seeing Song Xu Yi’s slightly surprised eyes, Jiang Ruoyu’s expression became visibly awkward. She pursed her lips and piled a bunch of side dishes into Song Xu Yi’s bowl, but her gaze didn’t meet Song Xu Yi’s eyes. Coldly, she said, “Eat up! Don’t let others say that I’m withholding food from you…”

Unconsciously, Song Xu Yi curved her lips:

She hadn’t interacted much with Dong Rou before, and she never expected Dong Rou to have such a temper!

In this world, perhaps only Dong Rou could restrain Jiang Ruoyu!

She had to admit, this awkward version of Jiang Ruoyu seemed somewhat cute, making Song Xu Yi even feel a bit nostalgic, as if Jiang Ruoyu had returned to her childhood self…

After having a tasteless breakfast, Dong Rou asked Song Xu Yi to accompany her for a walk to aid digestion.

Although Jiang Ruoyu had just ascended the throne and should have been busy with state affairs, she walked alongside the two of them as if it were her rightful place. A eunuch hurriedly approached, wanting to say something but hesitating. However, Jiang Ruoyu seemed to know what he wanted to say and spoke with a cold expression, “I will not attend court today.”

The eunuch seemed to have more to say, but Jiang Ruoyu interrupted him, saying, “I know what you want to say.”

A chilling smile curved on Jiang Ruoyu’s lips, “Let Lin Gong handle those nonsensical documents himself. It’s better for me to accompany the Empress Dowager and save myself from exhaustion.”

The eunuch respectfully withdrew.

Jiang Ruoyu watched the eunuch’s retreating figure, and the cold curve of her lips deepened, but she didn’t continue speaking.

Song Xu Yi looked up at Jiang Ruoyu and happened to see the cold curve of her lips. Her mind quickly started to race:

Song Xu Yi understood that the “Lin Gong” mentioned by Jiang Ruoyu was the father of the female protagonist, Lin Zhu. Lin Gong, along with other officials and nobles, had conspired to remove the mad Jiang Xin and put Jiang Ruoyu in power. Jiang Ruoyu had kept a low profile in recent years, and it was likely that Lin Gong and others didn’t currently see her as a threat and regarded her as a soft target. The memorials presented to her were likely perfunctory. Jiang Ruoyu didn’t show any reaction on her face, and Song Xu Yi believed it was because she was adopting a wait-and-see attitude, temporarily not taking these people seriously. However, if this group of people crossed her bottom line, they would likely face the consequences outlined in the original main storyline…

Setting aside the Divine Attractor within Jiang Ruoyu, the Hidden Moon Sect was already at her disposal. The Hidden Moon Sect had united various forces of rebellion, and relying solely on them would be enough to give these people a hard time. Moreover, Jiang Ruoyu currently possessed boundless magical power from the Divine Attractor.

……

Song Xu Yi’s scrutiny of Jiang Ruoyu naturally couldn’t escape Dong Rou’s notice.

Dong Rou stood by, observing Song Xu Yi’s expression, and couldn’t help but tease, “Is Ruoyu good-looking?”

With Dong Rou’s question, Jiang Ruoyu also looked over, and when Song Xu Yi regained her senses, this time it was Song Xu Yi who blushed.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t say that she was lost in thought. Facing Jiang Ruoyu’s narrowed eyes, she couldn’t avoid answering. She also recalled Jiang Ruoyu’s previous remark about her being “insignificant,” so she could only lower her head respectfully and reply, “Your Majesty possesses extraordinary beauty.”

“Yes, I also think she’s not bad-looking,” Dong Rou sighed, “but it’s a pity that now that she’s become the Emperor, she constantly refers to herself as ‘this sovereign’ and has truly become distant. She has no interest in either men or women, always wearing a cold expression and rarely speaking. She’s not likable at all, even though she used to have a sweet tongue when she was young…”

Speaking of this, Dong Rou also brought up the topic of relationships, grabbing Song Xu Yi’s hand with a nostalgic expression. “You don’t know, when she was young, she encountered the Divine Goddess… an older sister. Back then, she was so sweet and clingy. I found her excessive affection irritating. Who would have thought that she would grow up to become so reserved and moody…”

Song Xu Yi remembered Jiang Ruoyu’s appearance when she was young and compared it to the present. She agreed with Dong Rou’s observation and sighed softly. She also recalled the admiration that women showed towards Jiang Ruoyu when they were queuing earlier, unable to resist pointing out the inaccuracy in Dong Rou’s words. “People generally value appearances, but Your Majesty, being so beautiful, is adored by both men and women.”

“Does that include you?” Unexpectedly, Song Xu Yi’s response elicited further questioning from Dong Rou, and even Jiang Ruoyu beside them raised an eyebrow.

Dong Rou’s ability to make people blush with her questions was truly remarkable!

However, as a mere servant, Song Xu Yi had no right to refuse her master’s inquiries.

Facing the intense gaze of Dong Rou and her daughter, Song Xu Yi struggled to suppress the blush on her cheeks and spoke softly, “I am a commoner and naturally have an appreciation for beauty.”

Dong Rou seemed surprised by Song Xu Yi’s frankness and smiled, saying, “No wonder I often see you gazing at Ruoyu…”

Song Xu Yi lowered her head even further. At this moment, she had no idea what to say. After all, this conversation was heading towards a dangerous territory. It was Jiang Ruoyu who spoke, her tone sounding displeased, “Mother! There’s no need to bring up past matters…”

Dong Rou, on the other hand, patted Jiang Ruoyu, saying, “Liu Yi is one of us, why be embarrassed? It’s no harm to mention it to her!”

……

Perhaps understanding that a flat denial of not feeling shy would not be believed by Dong Rou, Jiang Ruoyu closed her lips. Dong Rou, clearly in high spirits, recalled the incident when Fu Sheng had sent someone over and mentioned that Song Xu Yi could perform magic tricks. Seeing the blooming flowers in the courtyard, Dong Rou suddenly plucked a flower and handed it to Song Xu Yi, saying, “Liu Yi, can you make this flower appear on Ruoyu’s head? This child, I don’t know who she takes after. She never wears flowers. Besides the crown, she never adorns her head with anything. It’s a waste of the jewelry I prepared for her…”

“I want to see her wearing a flower today!”

Song Xu Yi was taken aback. She didn’t expect Dong Rou to make such a request. As she looked at the bright pink rose handed to her by Dong Rou, she instinctively lowered her face. If Dong Rou couldn’t do it, why did she think she could?

Jiang Ruoyu also paused for a moment, frowning as she looked at Dong Rou. “Mother, I really don’t like wearing flowers…”

However, Dong Rou firmly interrupted her, saying, “Here’s the deal. If you wear the flower, and since I know you’ve always wanted to learn magic tricks, I’ll lend you Liu Yi for a day to teach you magic tricks…”

Song Xu Yi felt that Jiang Ruoyu would not agree. Not only had Song Xu Yi never heard Jiang Ruoyu show any interest in magic tricks, but even if she did enjoy them, Jiang Ruoyu currently had the Divine Attractor within her. What couldn’t she transform?

However, to Song Xu Yi’s surprise, Jiang Ruoyu’s expression froze. Her gaze, murky and enigmatic, met Song Xu Yi’s for a moment, and she pressed her lips together, refusing to speak further!

She… Did she just agree?

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, feeling disbelief. Meanwhile, Dong Rou stood with her arms crossed, displaying an expression of great interest.

Song Xu Yi glanced at Dong Rou, then back at Jiang Ruoyu. At this moment, Jiang Ruoyu’s dark eyes were fixed on her, motionless. Song Xu Yi clenched her lips and even felt sweat forming in the palm of her hand that held the flower.

“Why are you taking so long?” Jiang Ruoyu spoke softly, furrowed her brows, took a step forward, and stood in front of Song Xu Yi. Her face displayed impatience as she looked down at Song Xu Yi, crouching down slightly to meet her gaze. “Hurry up, or is it that you don’t know how to perform magic tricks at all?”

Song Xu Yi let out a sigh of relief.

The so-called magic tricks were actually a test of one’s hand speed. Song Xu Yi knew that Jiang Ruoyu was a deity, and once one reached the Divine Realm, they could perceive any movement quickly. Song Xu Yi’s hastily learned magic skills wouldn’t fool her for a moment. However, Jiang Ruoyu’s attitude indicated that she was willing to cooperate and had no intention of exposing Song Xu Yi. With this in mind, Song Xu Yi gained some confidence.

Swiftly, Song Xu Yi concealed the flower in her sleeve and, using the long sleeves as cover, placed the flower by Jiang Ruoyu’s jet-black temple.

It was unclear whether it was due to Jiang Ruoyu’s captivating appearance or the closeness between them when Song Xu Yi was adorning the flower, but there was a hint of ambiguity. As Song Xu Yi approached Jiang Ruoyu, she gazed into her deep black eyes, and the warmth on Song Xu Yi’s cheeks involuntarily spread once again. Her heart suddenly thumped rapidly, as if it wanted to burst out of her chest. For a brief moment, Song Xu Yi even felt as though Jiang Ruoyu could hear the pounding of her heart…

Accompanied by Dong Rou’s applause, Song Xu Yi gently adjusted the flower by Jiang Ruoyu’s temple and quickly moved aside, bowing her head and standing to the side, quietly exhaling in relief.

Afraid that Dong Rou might come up with another idea, Song Xu Yi didn’t dare to approach Jiang Ruoyu again. She intentionally stayed behind, seemingly unaware that Dong Rou said something to Jiang Ruoyu. Jiang Ruoyu widened her eyes but remained silent, pursing her lips.

Song Xu Yi was about to inquire with the system about what the two of them had discussed when Jiang Ruoyu, supporting Dong Rou, walked back to where Song Xu Yi stood.

“Liu Yi, you should eat more to grow taller, otherwise you won’t be able to keep up with us,” Dong Rou smiled at Song Xu Yi, and her other hand held onto Song Xu Yi’s arm.

Song Xu Yi could only vaguely lower her head and respond with a soft “Mm,” but she didn’t notice the pensive gaze from Jiang Ruoyu as she looked in their direction.

Dong Rou’s health was not good, and after walking for a while, she started to feel tired. With the support of Song Xu Yi and Jiang Ruoyu, they walked back. Unlike their leisurely stroll earlier, it didn’t take long for them to reach the front of the sleeping quarters.

To avoid Dong Rou bringing up any embarrassing topics along the way, Song Xu Yi took the initiative to speak and told a folk joke she had learned from a storyteller.

Song Xu Yi timed it perfectly. Just as they arrived at the front of Dong Rou’s sleeping quarters, she reached the punchline of the joke, which unexpectedly brought laughter. Dong Rou laughed so hard that she bent over, and even Jiang Ruoyu, who had been lost in thought, glanced at Song Xu Yi, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes.

After seeing Dong Rou safely into her room, Song Xu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to release her hold on Dong Rou’s hand and let her sit on a chair when unexpectedly, Dong Rou grabbed Song Xu Yi’s hand and placed it in Jiang Ruoyu’s palm.

“Liu Yi, I promised Ruoyu to let you teach her magic tricks, and naturally, I won’t go back on my word. Rest assured, I have already talked to Ruoyu, and she is determined not to bully you. If she breaks her promise, you must let me know…”

Jiang Ruoyu’s skin was as cold as her expression. When Song Xu Yi touched Jiang Ruoyu’s hand, she instinctively flinched. Upon hearing Dong Rou’s words, she was even more stunned in place.

However, Dong Rou had already called a palace maid to help her change clothes. Before Song Xu Yi could explain, she was pulled by Jiang Ruoyu’s hand and taken out of the room.

It was only when they walked out of Dong Rou’s chamber and saw the astonished gazes of the guards on the road that Song Xu Yi belatedly realized she wanted to break free from Jiang Ruoyu’s hand.

Song Xu Yi struggled a bit, and Jiang Ruoyu released her hand.

Perhaps it was because Dong Rou was no longer by their side, but when Song Xu Yi looked over, Jiang Ruoyu furrowed her brows once again.

Jiang Ruoyu’s appearance was here, even the frowning expression looked good, but Song Xu Yi glanced at it and once again lowered her head–

Song Xu Yi didn’t know what had happened. She had intentionally approached Jiang Ruoyu, but now, standing beside her, she found Jiang Ruoyu’s appearance incredibly captivating. Every expression, even a frown, looked beautiful to her, causing Song Xu Yi to lower her head once again.

Especially when she felt Jiang Ruoyu approaching her, Song Xu Yi felt a sudden rush of anxiety, making her legs inexplicably weak…

Song Xu Yi could sense Jiang Ruoyu’s gaze fixed on her, seemingly carefully scrutinizing her. The atmosphere around her became extremely tense, and Song Xu Yi became even more hesitant to lift her head…

Jiang Ruoyu took a step forward. She didn’t speak, and Song Xu Yi didn’t dare to speak either. She followed Jiang Ruoyu, step by step, until they arrived at Jiang Ruoyu’s chambers.

This was the first time Song Xu Yi had entered Jiang Ruoyu’s chambers.

It wasn’t until she was about to step through the palace doors that Song Xu Yi realized it and promptly stopped, standing outside the chambers.

During this time, Song Xu Yi had already heard about it: Jiang Ruoyu had peculiar preferences and generally didn’t like unfamiliar people entering her chambers.

To Jiang Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi was indeed a stranger at this moment.

Throughout the journey, Song Xu Yi’s mind was filled with doubts. Perhaps it was due to a guilty conscience, but Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but feel that Jiang Ruoyu had discovered her flaws and was testing her. However, upon reflection, Jiang Ruoyu’s demeanor didn’t resemble that at all…

What could be the reason?

Song Xu Yi inexplicably remembered the conversation between Jiang Ruoyu and Dong Rou during their walk…

Taking advantage of this moment while waiting outside the door, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but speak to the system, “System, what did Dong Rou say to Jiang Ruoyu?”

It was as if the system had been eagerly waiting for Song Xu Yi to ask the question. Almost as soon as Song Xu Yi spoke, the system shouted, “Dong Rou told Jiang Ruoyu to keep wearing that flower…”

“Xu Yi, you’re in trouble! Dong Rou deceived you. She told Jiang Ruoyu to walk with that flower, and afterwards, she would have you lent to her for seven days…” Despite speaking sympathetic words, the system’s voice carried a clear sense of schadenfreude. “Are you ready?”

The author has something to say:

Dong Rou—The biggest assist in this book.