CH 219

Villainous Emperor (19)

“How is it possible to be seven days?”

“What do you think she wants to do, System?” Shocked, Song Xu Yi began to think in the direction of conspiracy, feeling that Jiang Ruoyu might have started to suspect her, which is why she wanted to keep her close for surveillance.

After the System spoke, it realized that its tone seemed a bit too gleeful, fearing that Song Xu Yi would notice something unusual. The System quickly added, “I don’t quite understand either, but if Jiang Ruoyu really suspects you, she wouldn’t need to use this method to keep you by her side.” The System subtly reminded, “Her magical powers are obviously much stronger than yours now. If she suspects you, she could simply kill you directly without going through such elaborate measures…”

In fact, Song Xu Yi also understood what the System said, but the more she understood this point, the more she felt puzzled: What is Jiang Ruoyu really thinking?

……

“Why are you standing foolishly outside? Where’s that cleverness you used to mock me with?”

Song Xu Yi hesitated for a moment in the outer room, but before long, Jiang Ruoyu returned to the door, interrupting the conversation between Song Xu Yi and the System. Jiang Ruoyu frowned impatiently, giving Song Xu Yi a cold and icy glance as she spoke.

Before Song Xu Yi could react, Jiang Ruoyu grabbed her hand again.

“You can’t even find your way properly.” Jiang Ruoyu glanced at Song Xu Yi and then proceeded to lead her into the hall, holding her hand tightly.

It was only after they entered the room that Jiang Ruoyu let go of Song Xu Yi’s hand.

Jiang Ruoyu’s residence, being the Emperor’s abode, naturally had an extremely spacious interior.

To Song Xu Yi’s surprise, although the layout inside the room was different, the room where Jiang Ruoyu stayed in the palace was separated by a black veil, just like the one Song Xu Yi had seen before with her divine consciousness outside the palace. When Song Xu Yi’s gaze fell on the layer of black veil, Jiang Ruoyu didn’t explain but instead pulled her to a corner of the room.

It was only then that Song Xu Yi noticed three folding screens in the corner, creating a small enclosed space with a narrow bed for one person and a table in the middle.

At this moment, the table was filled with snacks and books.

“For the next few days, you can rest here,” Jiang Ruoyu finally let go of Song Xu Yi’s hand and nonchalantly said, “I don’t want to learn useless tricks from you. It’s just an excuse!” Jiang Ruoyu raised her chin and took out a small mirror from her pocket, showing it to Song Xu Yi: Somehow, the rose on Jiang Ruoyu’s head had moved to sit on Song Xu Yi’s head instead.

“Look, my tricks are much better than yours!”

“If you want to learn in the future, when I’m in a good mood, I might teach you.” Jiang Ruoyu glanced at Song Xu Yi with a touch of reserve, “But the reason I kept you by my side these days is that the Empress Dowager complained about you being noisy. So, I let you stay with me and learn some manners. Once you’ve learned them, I’ll send you back…”

Song Xu Yi fell silent for a moment. In her mind, the System made a disdainful sound, as if it hadn’t spoken before. Song Xu Yi almost believed Jiang Ruoyu’s nonsense, genuinely feeling as if Dong Rou was expressing displeasure.

However, at this moment, Song Xu Yi found it all rather laughable.

In that instant, Song Xu Yi truly despised the Divine Attractor. If it weren’t for the Divine Attractor, her precious little cabbage wouldn’t have turned into such a cunning and mischievous little demon!

“But rest assured,” perhaps seeing Song Xu Yi’s silence and thinking she believed her words, Jiang Ruoyu cleared her throat and sat back behind the desk, saying, “After all, I am the Emperor, with numerous state affairs to attend to. I don’t have the time to argue with a mere palace maid like you. Just focus on your duties as a servant. If, in about ten days or so, I feel that you are qualified to serve the Empress Dowager, I’ll send you back…”

“Then… thank you, Your Majesty,” Song Xu Yi struggled to control her facial expressions, not revealing anything unusual, as she lowered her head and spoke softly.

“Then rest on the bed for a while. I’ll read some books first,” Jiang Ruoyu seemed satisfied now, assuming the demeanor of an Emperor, and sat down at the desk.

Jiang Ruoyu’s consecutive actions left Song Xu Yi in a state of shock, and she was slow to respond. After a while, she finally gathered her thoughts and slowly sat back on the narrow bed behind the folding screens.

Though she didn’t understand Jiang Ruoyu’s intentions, she knew that Jiang Ruoyu’s cultivation level was higher than hers, so Song Xu Yi didn’t dare to practice in front of her in the illusory world. Left with nothing else to do, Song Xu Yi could only start reading the books piled up on the table.

It was unclear where Jiang Ruoyu had acquired these books, but they suited Song Xu Yi’s taste perfectly. Unintentionally, Song Xu Yi became engrossed in the books, completely immersed in the world of literature, and she didn’t notice any movement from Jiang Ruoyu’s side.

At this moment, Jiang Ruoyu appeared to be earnestly reading, but she was actually lost in thought, absentmindedly touching her lips, with a faint blush on her cheeks. In reality, she hadn’t absorbed a single word from the book.

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t understand what was happening to her these past two days. She found herself involuntarily thinking about the little palace maid. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt an inexplicable familiarity with the girl, making her unable to resist the urge to get closer…

She knew that this situation was very peculiar, especially since she had recently heard another woman describe similar symptoms.

That woman was Lin Zhu, the daughter of Minister Lin.

That day, Lin Zhu sought out Jiang Ruoyu, sobbing and tearfully confessing her infatuation with a man named Jiang Bai. She wanted to be by Jiang Bai’s side at all times and pleaded with Jiang Ruoyu to forgive her father for his crime of deceiving the Emperor. Lin Zhu begged to be released from the palace so she could find her beloved Jiang Bai, as Minister Lin had sent people to assassinate him after sending Lin Zhu into the palace.

Jiang Ruoyu found it rather amusing as she listened, even thinking that Minister Lin had raised his daughter into a useless person, willingly handing her weaknesses over for the sake of a man.

However, little did Jiang Ruoyu know that fortunes could change in an instant. Within just two days, she encountered a little palace maid named Liu Yi.

Jiang Ruoyu still remembered the palpitations she felt when she met the gaze of the little palace maid the night before. Her mind went blank, and her normally calm heartbeat suddenly raced like never before.

That night, after Song Xu Yi returned, she had a dream.

In her dream, she saw her long-lost Goddess Sister.

When she was young, she didn’t understand the constant desire to stick close to her Goddess Sister. But as time went on, especially after she harbored the Divine Attractor within her, who absorbed all negative and impure emotions, Jiang Ruoyu vaguely realized that she had some unrealistic thoughts about her Goddess Sister.

However, her Goddess Sister was too exalted, and Jiang Ruoyu never dared to expect anything or even hope for her Goddess Sister’s affection. She only wished to know if her Goddess Sister was safe and well.

Deep in Jiang Ruoyu’s heart, she wanted to visit the Divine Realm to see her Goddess Sister. However, with numerous divine beings in the Nine-Tailed Fox clan, and now being merged with the Divine Attractor, she became an existence rejected by the other divine beings in the Three Realms.

Though the Divine Attractor was powerful, Jiang Ruoyu wasn’t certain that she could withstand the combined attacks of the other divine beings. So, she could only quietly accumulate her strength and wait for the day when she could face no rivals in the Three Realms before going to the Divine Realm to inquire about her Goddess Sister’s well-being.

Over the years, Jiang Ruoyu felt that she had suppressed her unrealistic thoughts.

During this time, she had longed for her Goddess Sister, and the most audacious thing she had done was privately manipulating the divine statue, addressing it as “Xu Yi,” assuming a peer’s identity. However, the emotions behind it were filled with sadness and despair because she knew there would be no result. Moreover, all these years, she had been struggling with the Divine Attractor’s mental power, absorbing its strength and eroding its will. Jiang Ruoyu had to restrain herself from being caught in the Divine Attractor’s loopholes.

Only after drinking alcohol, Jiang Ruoyu dared to indulge in her longing.

However, in her dream, Jiang Ruoyu saw herself blaspheming her Goddess Sister!

In the dream, her Goddess Sister removed her divine attire and approached Jiang Ruoyu, completely naked, teasingly lifting her chin and softly smiling, “Ruoyu, you’ve grown so beautiful. How about giving me a hug…”

Jiang Ruoyu was never able to resist her Goddess Sister and, trembling, she embraced her.

Her Goddess Sister undid Jiang Ruoyu’s clothes and leaned in to kiss her. Jiang Ruoyu felt herself becoming entangled in confusion, her heart beating rapidly, and a fiery passion spreading throughout her body. Unable to control herself, she hugged her Goddess Sister back and returned the kiss…

However, when Jiang Ruoyu’s lips touched her Goddess Sister’s, her sister’s features suddenly changed, transforming into the appearance of the little palace maid she had seen not long ago!

……

Jiang Ruoyu woke up from the dream in a start!

She had hardly slept all night, feeling guilty for having impure thoughts about her Goddess Sister in the dream and finding the behavior of that palace maid extremely peculiar. The fact that she appeared in her dream after just meeting her once kept lingering in her mind…

Jiang Ruoyu couldn’t help but recall Lin Zhu’s description of her reaction when she first met Jiang Bai, and it was almost identical to what happened when she first met the little palace maid.

Could it be that she had fallen in love at first sight with that little palace maid? But there was nothing particularly special about her…

Thus, when the first light of dawn appeared, Jiang Ruoyu went to her mother’s residence, determined to find out what was peculiar about the young girl.

Subconsciously, Jiang Ruoyu extended her divine consciousness into the little palace maid’s room and happened to see the young girl waking up. The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking innocent and naïve. Even though Jiang Ruoyu observed the girl’s disheveled appearance, her heart rate quickened, and she felt an urge to bring the girl to her side…

This was truly too strange!

Especially when the little palace maid came to eat, Jiang Ruoyu found that her gaze couldn’t leave the girl’s figure. Just looking at her made Jiang Ruoyu’s heart feel full, as if her heartbeat had become more lively…

This feeling was different from when she thought about her Divine Goddess.

When thinking about her Divine Goddess, Jiang Ruoyu’s emotions were repressed and clear. She could only secretly admire and long for her Divine Goddess, fully aware of the insurmountable gap between them. However, after meeting the little palace maid, Jiang Ruoyu felt a constant sense of joy, even to the point where her mind became muddled…

This is truly too strange!

Jiang Ruoyu had never imagined that someone in this world could have such a significant influence on her…

She was accustomed to flattery from courtiers, but now she found herself secretly delighted just because a little palace maid admired her beauty!

……

She felt that she had been extremely out of character in the past two days. Therefore, when her mother suggested lending the little palace maid to her, Jiang Ruoyu inexplicably agreed to her mother’s condition. Moreover, when preparing a residence for the young girl, she mysteriously left a gap in the folding screens’ junction…

But… didn’t the girl say she found her attractive?

Why has it been so long, and she hasn’t caught a glimpse of her through that gap?

The author has something to say:

In Dong Rou’s heart, the two little companions coexist: The female goose is domineering and cunning, tormenting Xu Yi to the point of tears, leaving Xu Yi enchanted and dizzy.

In reality, the two little companions coexist—Jiang Ruoyu: Did I not leave the gap wide enough? Why hasn’t she looked at me yet?