CH 34

Abandoned Empress 09

Zero Nine felt extremely comfortable in the system space, but she quietly increased her cruelty index for her host.

History had taught her never to wake up Xin Lan, the Great Demon King, while she was sleeping.

Because when she got angry, she not only hit people but also did something even more malicious.

Xin Lan returned to her palace and brushed off the dust from her body.

After a little activity, she wasn’t very sleepy anymore.

She took off her outer clothing and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Apart from having previously insufficient sleep, one of the reasons for her heavy morning mood was that if she was really disturbed, it would be difficult for her to fall back asleep.

She closed her eyes for a minute and then opened them again.

She was wondering if her earlier actions were not severe enough.

It was supposed to be such a beautiful night, but it was ruined like this.

She really wanted to make Wu Yanqing suffer a lot, but she still didn’t go all the way. With the current medical conditions being so poor, if she accidentally went too far, he might end up half-dead and unable to take care of himself, let alone continue torturing him. Leaving him with psychological trauma would be enough, so she put a sheath on the dagger, preventing Wu Yanqing from injuring his unmentionable parts and becoming disabled, which could lead to complications.

Speaking of which, she lost a dagger.

She was not pleased.

But at that time, there were no convenient objects in the room. Everything was large and couldn’t be stuffed inside. The only thing she could use was the sword hanging on the bed. However, to prevent Wu Yanqing from seeing her figure and face, she didn’t go to get it.

Although she didn’t see Wu Yanqing’s expression, Zero Nine vividly described it to her, and just thinking about it made her feel delighted.

Xin Lan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and after a minute, opened them again.

Unable to sleep and in a bad mood.

Xin Lan simply got up from the bed, dressed herself, and walked out of the Jade Moon Palace.

Tonight, there were no stars or moon. Xin Lan sat on the palace wall of the Jade Moon Palace, blowing the cool breeze and looking at the palace immersed in darkness.

After sitting cross-legged for a while, Xin Lan found it uninteresting and returned to the palace.

Chun Yue remained unconscious, and Xin Lan gently awakened her.

Chun Yue slowly sat up, her eyes filled with confusion.

Xin Lan told her that she was going out and if Chun Yue didn’t see her in the morning, there was no need to panic. Everything would remain the same, and she would return tomorrow.

Xin Lan wasn’t afraid of the Emperor coming to look for her. After all, he couldn’t contact her, and the Emperor himself had no time to worry about her situation, let alone manage his.

Chun Yue nodded, appearing oblivious, and collapsed onto the bed.

Xin Lan left the Jade Moon Palace and exited the Imperial Palace.

The doors of the houses along the streets were tightly closed. Like a ghost, Xin Lan walked through the long street and arrived at a tavern illuminated by lanterns.

The tavern’s landlady was a middle-aged woman who was busy calculating with an abacus, making a clicking sound.

Sensing the ringing of the bell at the entrance, she immediately looked up and smiled.

“Please come inside, sir. What kind of drink would you like tonight?”

The landlady originally thought it was a regular customer, but she didn’t expect a beautiful young girl to come in.

“What’s the best wine you have here?”

The girl spoke, her voice also pleasant to the ears. The landlady glanced inside and indeed saw many people coveting the girl.

“We have the finest Mulberry Wine, Monkey Brew. Miss, are you drinking it yourself or buying it to take home for a man?”

“For myself.”

“On a night like this, it’s not safe for a girl to come out alone, let alone drinking. It’s easy to be taken advantage of, especially with such a beautiful face like yours. Why not buy some lighter sweet wine and take it home?”

The landlady hesitated and spoke in a low voice.

“Then give me two jars of Autumn Dew White.”

Xin Lan looked at the wooden sign on the tavern’s wall.

After getting the wine, paying the money, Xin Lan turned and left.

Standing at the entrance of the tavern, she hesitated for a moment, deciding whether to go left or right.

To the left was Qu Zhi’an’s house, and to the right was where Ah Rou was.

After thinking for a while, Xin Lan walked towards the right.

After taking a few steps to the right, she retreated and headed towards the left.

The knocking sound awakened Qiu Zhi’an. She put on her clothes, got up, and saw the woman at the door holding wine.

“Qu Daren, will you be attending the morning court tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Qu Zhi’an nodded.

“Apologies for the disturbance. Goodbye.”

“But I can request leave. I caught a chill from the cool night air.”

Qu Zhi’an called out to Xin Lan who was about to leave and smiled.

Xin Lan raised an eyebrow and walked back in with the wine.

“Should we go to the room or just stay in the courtyard?”

“Let’s go to the room. It’s quite hot in the courtyard, and there are many mosquitoes.”

Xin Lan didn’t have any objections. She carried the wine and went to Qu Zhi’an’s room, watching as Qu Zhi’an closed the door.

“Why are you in such a good mood tonight, coming to drink with me?”

Qu Zhi’an asked curiously. It was the first time this had happened.

Moreover, Xin Lan turned out to be a drinker, which meant they could arrange to drink together next time.

“Something happened, and I couldn’t sleep, so I came. I didn’t intend to disturb you, but drinking alone isn’t enjoyable.”

“This doesn’t count as a disturbance. I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Qu Zhi’an was quite happy that Xin Lan did this, and she wasn’t annoyed by having her sweet dream disturbed. This indicated that their relationship had taken a step closer.

The wine jar was not large, so Xin Lan didn’t pour it slowly into a wine glass. Instead, she drank directly from the opening of the jar.

Seeing this, Qu Zhi’an also didn’t hesitate and drank from her wine glass, lifting the jar as well.

Xin Lan took a big gulp, swallowing the spicy taste. The wine was mellow and had a slight sweetness to it.

Xin Lan hadn’t drunk for a long time, so she abruptly took a large sip and felt a bit dizzy.

“What happened that made you unable to sleep and leave the palace in the middle of the night to drink?”

“He tried again after failing last time.”

“What! Are you okay?”

Qu Zhi’an exclaimed in shock and anger. She nervously looked at Xin Lan, carefully examining her from head to toe to make sure she wasn’t injured, before finally feeling relieved.

After Qu Zhi’an let out a sigh of relief, her anger began to surge.

“Why does he have to torment and torture you like this? Clearly, you’re no longer a threat to him. Why does he keep biting at you?”

Qu Zhi’an truly couldn’t understand why the Emperor would repeatedly use such despicable methods to deal with Xin Lan. What kind of deep-seated grudge existed between them that prevented Xin Lan from finding peace even in the Cold Palace?

“If only I knew the reason, it would be better. He owes me a great deal, and I haven’t settled the score with him yet. I never imagined that I would be such an eyesore to him, unable to escape even in the Cold Palace.”

Qu Zhi’an had no idea how to console Xin Lan because she didn’t appear sad at all. Her expression was calm as she poured wine into her own mouth without any emotions.

Qu Zhi’an found it difficult to imagine how a woman could endure such fright. Rarely did she let go of her reverence for the Emperor and only wanted to curse him as a beast.

A monster with a human face and a beastly heart, hiding its true nature so well on the surface.

Qu Zhi’an felt a bit restless. She tapped the jar with Xin Lan and swallowed a large mouthful of wine, some of it dripping from her chin and wetting her clothes.

From this perspective, it seemed that Qu Zhi’an was the one drowning her sorrows in alcohol, not Xin Lan.

“Why do you look more gloomy than me?”

Xin Lan held the jar of wine in one hand and poking Qu Zhi’an’s face with the other. Her face had some flesh, and it felt quite nice to the touch.

“Why don’t you seem too angry about how he treats you?”

When Xin Lan brought it up, her tone was completely calm.

“I’ve already been angry.”

Zero Nine observed everything silently. How could she not be angry? The Great Demon King was about to explode in fury. She had already punished people brutally. If it weren’t for the sake of having some fun, the Emperor would probably be battered and twisted by now, with his head split open and blood flowing.

Xin Lan briefly described the process, emphasizing that the Emperor personally came to witness the spectacle but left without seeing it. As for how she later retaliated against the Emperor, she didn’t mention it.

The content was too brutal, better not to scare anyone.

“Such a narrow-minded person…”

Was he truly the monarch she should believe in and follow?

In reality, her beliefs had already been shaken from the very beginning. She just didn’t say it aloud. There were other reasons she had been enduring.

If it’s true that the Emperor is only targeting his former wife, who has already left the palace, because he couldn’t lay a hand on the Xin family from the previous dynasty, then it’s simply absurd.

Not only does it reveal his petty nature and inability to rise above trivial matters, but it also exposes his incompetence and cowardice.

Xin Lan understood what Qu Zhi’an was thinking and lightly tapped the wine jar with her.

Only useless men seek a sense of existence by using their innate advantages to threaten or intimidate women. That’s why she showed no mercy to the abusive man in her first world.

Come on, if an Alpha beats up an Omega, they’d end up in court. In the Empire, the minimum sentence would be thirty years.

That’s why Xin Lan despised those who preyed on the weak and abused their power. And that “power” was only relative.

Qu Zhi’an drank with a troubled expression, her desire to leave becoming stronger.

If she had known this place was a den of dragons and tigers, a quagmire, and such a mess, Qu Zhi’an would have rather never set foot here, never stepped into the examination hall on that day due to her temporary impulse.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t be in the dilemma she’s in now, caught between advancing and retreating.

Having finished this train of thought, Qu Zhi’an herself was stunned.

Caught between a dilemma?

What constitutes progress and what constitutes retreat?

That distressing feeling overflows from within her heart, and she doesn’t understand why she’s so troubled.

She’s angry because of what happened to Xin Lan, but it’s not just that.

She no longer holds any respect or admiration for the Emperor; it was all just a facade.

Qu Zhi’an, for a moment, struggles to comprehend her own emotions, or rather, she is unwilling to understand.

Xin Lan initially wanted to win over Qu Zhi’an, but at this juncture, she hesitates to speak up.

She feels there is still not enough certainty, still some risk involved.

At present, she cannot make any promises to Qu Zhi’an, whereas the Emperor can offer her more. If she speaks up, it would be entirely about leveraging their relationship.

She knows Qu Zhi’an doesn’t value power, at least not currently, which allows her to engage in conversations and drinking with ease.

Unbeknownst to them, they unconsciously finished the entire jar of wine in their hands. The scent of alcohol permeated the room, and the aftereffects of the alcohol were starting to make them a bit fuzzy.

“If I hadn’t entered the examination hall or the palace that day, none of this would have happened.”

“Do you regret it?”

Xin Lan asked with a smile.

Shaking her head, Qu Zhi’an replied, “No. If I hadn’t entered the palace, how could I have met you?”

Her cheeks were flushed from the wine, but her eyes still held a hint of clarity.