CH 225

Villainous Emperor (25)

Seeing Jiang Ruoyu accept the paper filled with information about girls, even though Song Xu Yi noticed that Jiang Ruoyu’s expression seemed a little off, she still breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Taking the paper meant that Jiang Ruoyu wasn’t opposed to getting to know other girls.

“Your Majesty,” Song Xu Yi took a deep breath, although she noticed that Jiang Ruoyu seemed somewhat displeased, she still mustered the courage. Perhaps because Jiang Ruoyu had been displaying a remarkably gentle attitude recently, Song Xu Yi was determined to strike while the iron was hot. With a resolute spirit, she pressed on and said what she wanted to say, “During this period, thanks to Your Majesty’s care, this humble servant is deeply grateful. I understand that Your Majesty lacks nothing, so I took the liberty of paying attention to some suitable girls on Your Majesty’s behalf…”

“Up to now, this sovereign is still unmarried,” Jiang Ruoyu’s expression showed neither joy nor anger as she lifted her eyelids and glanced lightly at Song Xu Yi, “How did you know that I am interested in girls?”

Song Xu Yi was speechless.

Although Jiang Ruoyu’s face showed no expression at this moment, Song Xu Yi knew that she was genuinely angry. Otherwise, she wouldn’t refer to herself as “this sovereign.” Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruoyu would ask the question from such a tricky perspective, but Song Xu Yi had already considered the possible scenarios before bringing Jiang Ruoyu here. Seeing Jiang Ruoyu’s demeanor, she instantly thought of an answer and managed to force a submissive smile before speaking softly, “This servant does not know whether Your Majesty prefers girls or boys. However, confined within the deep palace, I have very limited contact with people. I heard from the palace maids that these girls were prepared by Minister Fu to be presented to Your Majesty as concubines, so I paid attention to them secretly.”

“These girls are indeed very good, as long as you spend more time with them…”

“How can I, as a sovereign, manage my myriad of affairs and have time to interact with these girls? Do you even want to bring these girls into my bedchamber?” Perhaps the thought of Song Xu Yi actually bringing these girls into Jiang Ruoyu’s bedchamber made her expression even more displeased. She seemed to be suppressing her anger and interrupted Song Xu Yi, her beautiful face as cold as frost, “Even the Empress Dowager hasn’t meddled in my affairs, and yet you, a mere palace maid, dare to do so?”

“You are so audacious. To prevent all sorts of chaos suddenly appearing in my palace,” Song Xu Yi wanted to retort, saying that Jiang Ruoyu had been quite leisurely during these days and didn’t look like she was occupied with myriad affairs. However, Jiang Ruoyu seemed to know what Song Xu Yi wanted to say and directly cut off her next words, “I’ll punish you with seven days of confinement. Stay inside my bedchamber for these seven days, and you cannot go anywhere!”

Song Xu Yi’s eyes widened in shock.

Spending each day with Jiang Ruoyu was also a great test for Song Xu Yi. Facing Jiang Ruoyu, the feeling of blushing and heartbeat became more and more frequent. Song Xu Yi originally thought that enduring the seven days would allow her to return to the Empress Dowager Dong Rou’s bedchamber, where she could control her feelings. However, she didn’t expect Jiang Ruoyu to extend her confinement for another seven days.

This was really too much!

“Your Majesty, you can’t do this!” Song Xu Yi felt extremely anxious and spoke up immediately, “I just wanted to give you a gift. Though it may be presumptuous, my intentions were for you…”

“If it’s for my sake,” if she had only recommended other girls to Jiang Ruoyu, that would have been fine. Jiang Ruoyu didn’t expect that Song Xu Yi would be so unwilling to stay with her. Seeing the reluctance in Song Xu Yi’s eyes, Jiang Ruoyu suddenly felt like she had fallen into an ice cave. Some words almost blurted out without thinking, “Since you think I like girls, then why don’t you offer yourself as a companion?”

An instant of silence.

The eyes of the little palace maid were momentarily dazed, but she quickly regained her composure. Her gaze toward Jiang Ruoyu gradually turned cautious, and she even took a discreet step back…

Jiang Ruoyu stared fixedly at the little palace maid’s expression: there was puzzlement and wariness on her face, but notably, there was no astonishment…

Indeed, everyone had witnessed how Jiang Ruoyu treated her during this time. The little palace maid probably noticed it too.

Jiang Ruoyu felt a bitter taste in her mouth. The little palace maid must have understood her feelings. By introducing other girls to her, Jiang Ruoyu had, in a way, conveyed her rejection.

Jiang Ruoyu knew that she should let go. The little palace maid’s expression of refusal had been quite evident, and if she persisted, she would appear overly desperate.

But Jiang Ruoyu found herself unable to let go. The mere thought of the little palace maid eventually leaving her sight, perhaps marrying someone else and starting a family, caused Jiang Ruoyu’s heart to feel like it was being cut by a knife, intensely painful…

She didn’t know how to handle this situation, so her instinct was to desperately hold on to the little girl and keep her by her side…

After Jiang Ruoyu blurted out those words, almost tearing through the paper-thin window, Song Xu Yi belatedly realized her impulsiveness. This was Jiang Ruoyu’s birthday, a day when she should be happy and carefree, but it seemed like Song Xu Yi had ruined everything…

Seeing the frostiness in Jiang Ruoyu’s eyes, Song Xu Yi gradually calmed down. She didn’t understand why she suddenly lost her head and confronted Jiang Ruoyu. Perhaps, deep down, she also knew that if she continued to stay with Jiang Ruoyu, she might not be able to guard her own heart.

Song Xu Yi always believed that even the most intricate lies would be exposed someday. When all the lies unraveled, what would Jiang Ruoyu think of her?

As the deity who had raised Jiang Ruoyu from a young age, full of benevolence, righteousness, and moral teachings, Song Xu Yi felt a sentimental attachment towards the young girl she had nurtured. Not just Jiang Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi couldn’t forgive herself either.

But today was Jiang Ruoyu’s birthday.

No matter how much she felt restrained, it was not a valid reason for making Jiang Ruoyu feel uncomfortable on her birthday.

“It was presumptuous of this servant.” After Song Xu Yi regained her composure, she took a deep breath and took the initiative to apologize, “Your Majesty’s birthday is today, and I should not have spoiled the mood.”

Song Xu Yi took the initiative to yield, thinking that she had temporarily smoothed things over. However, Jiang Ruoyu seemed even more displeased.

She pursed her lips, no longer looking at Song Xu Yi, and turned to the main hall where she handled government affairs. Even without this recent incident, Lin Xiang’s faction would naturally take action due to Jiang Ruoyu’s performance during the ritual. Jiang Ruoyu had planned to diligently attend to state affairs during these days and use the opportunity to cultivate her influence. However, now she could use the excuse of handling government affairs to avoid the awkward situation that had made her so embarrassed.

Dealing with government affairs was not difficult for Jiang Ruoyu, allowing her enough leisure to focus on two things at once. While her face appeared to be handling political matters, her mind kept wandering to the image of the little palace maid secretly reading in her chamber. Jiang Ruoyu withdrew her consciousness from there and continued to concentrate on her work.

She knew that the human heart was the hardest thing to control. She couldn’t blame the little palace maid entirely; after all, the little palace maid had the right not to like her. Maybe the little palace maid didn’t have feelings for women, and her affections were a burden to her.

Yet, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy deep inside. It was the first time in her life that she felt such strong affection for someone…

At this moment of inner turmoil, the long dormant Divine Attractor within her surged forward, laughing devilishly, “What’s the big deal about a woman? You’re nothing but a coward! You are now a Goddess and an earthly Emperor. Being with her is her honor! If she doesn’t know how to appreciate it, you can simply erase her consciousness and turn her into a puppet who obeys your every command. Then, she won’t resist you in any way…”

The Divine Attractor within her seemed to sense Jiang Ruoyu’s intentions and suspiciously fell silent. In the past, based on her years of experience battling the Divine Attractor for control of her body, Jiang Ruoyu would have certainly realized that the divine consciousness was harboring ill intentions. However, at this moment, Jiang Ruoyu was so agitated and distracted that she didn’t pay much attention to the Divine Attractor schemes. After all, the Divine Attractor was now reduced to a lingering remnant that would soon be completely consumed, and Jiang Ruoyu had no spare thoughts to spare for it.

Jiang Ruoyu quickly finished handling the government affairs, but suddenly she felt afraid to face the little palace maid, fearing to hear more hurtful words from her. She dared not return to her chamber, and in the end, she once again took out the alcohol she hadn’t drunk much in the past few days…

Alcohol couldn’t really intoxicate Jiang Ruoyu. In the past, she would always maintain some clarity, but this time, the Divine Attractor used its last bit of power to weave a dream for Jiang Ruoyu – a dream where she shared an intimate and passionate night with the little palace maid.

Jiang Ruoyu drank herself into a stupor.

Seizing the opportunity, the waiting Divine Attractor took control of Jiang Ruoyu’s body.

The Divine Attractor was now reduced to only a trace of lingering resentment.

She looked at her ‘self’ in the mirror with hatred.

The Divine Attractor loathed Jiang Ruoyu. She had never imagined that she would die before achieving her revenge and dissipate within the mortal body of Jiang Ruoyu!

After seizing control of the body, the Divine Attractor’s face turned as pale as paper. She didn’t have enough strength to destroy Jiang Ruoyu’s now divine body. However, she felt that she had found the best way to take revenge on Jiang Ruoyu!

A sinister smile appeared on the Divine Attractor’s face as she held the alcohol, swaying unsteadily, and returned to the chamber.

Inside the chamber, Song Xu Yi had not fallen asleep.

She pondered over everything and felt the need to apologize to Jiang Ruoyu once again. At the same time, she made up her mind: while their involvement was not too deep, and before she completely succumbed to her feelings, she would decisively cut the tangle and find an opportunity to leave Jiang Ruoyu.

Perhaps due to still being upset, Jiang Ruoyu didn’t return until late at night.

Jiang Ruoyu’s face looked incredibly pale, shrouded in an aura of gloom. This version of Jiang Ruoyu seemed both familiar and strange. For a fleeting moment, Song Xu Yi even wondered if this was not Jiang Ruoyu…

Was her avoidance having such a huge impact on her?

Song Xu Yi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She had originally wanted to go up and apologize, but Jiang Ruoyu told her that if she wanted to apologize, she should first accompany Jiang Ruoyu in drinking alcohol.

Song Xu Yi remembered that her alcohol tolerance was not great, but now, possessing a divine body, she wouldn’t get drunk no matter how much she drank. So, she decided to drink with Jiang Ruoyu.

Jiang Ruoyu didn’t really drink much; she just gazed at Song Xu Yi with a contemplative expression. For some reason, in the past, when Jiang Ruoyu had looked at her like this, Song Xu Yi had felt shy. But now, she felt incredibly awkward and strange. After considering it for a moment, she didn’t want Jiang Ruoyu to keep staring at her, so she pretended to be drunk…

However, as soon as Song Xu Yi closed her eyes, a surge of dark divine power enveloped her body. She opened her eyes wide and found herself transported to a strange place – Jiang Ruoyu’s dream.

In the dream, there was Jiang Ruoyu, disheveled, cheeks flushed, tightly hugging Song Xu Yi.

It finally dawned on Song Xu Yi: the one who encouraged her to drink was not Jiang Ruoyu but the Divine Attractor!

The dream created by the Divine Attractor was incredibly sinister: Jiang Ruoyu was under the influence of some kind of drug, and only by experiencing intimacy with another woman could the effect be lifted.

And this dream was something Jiang Ruoyu willingly immersed herself in, so she was completely engrossed in it. Unless the dream followed Jiang Ruoyu’s desires, Song Xu Yi would be trapped in the dream forever and unable to escape!

……

If the little palace maid were to be trapped and perish in the dream, Jiang Ruoyu would undoubtedly regret it for a lifetime. If she were to be intimate with the little palace maid as the dream demanded, and considering the little palace maid’s lack of affection for Jiang Ruoyu, she would likely harbor resentment towards Jiang Ruoyu for the rest of her life. Knowing how much Jiang Ruoyu cares for the little palace maid, Jiang Ruoyu’s life would be miserable…

With her last bit of strength, the Divine Attractor smiled and curled its lips as it sent Song Xu Yi into the dream, completely dissipating within Jiang Ruoyu’s body.

The author has something to say:

Jiang Ruoyu: Divine Attractor, thank you. Thank you for being there…