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墨書 Inktalez
I inexplicably became the wife of Xiao Zhang.
Among everyone in the palace, the happiest was Cai'er.
"I told you, Madam would definitely enjoy immense glory," she said, grinning as she combed my hair.
I took my neatly combed hair back from her and walked a few steps to lie down on the bed.
"Do you want this glory for yourself?" I shot her a glare, annoyed.
The girl was good-hearted but not very bright.
Her good intentions often led to trouble.
I absolutely couldn't take her with me when I left the palace.
It seemed she didn't catch my sarcasm and hurried over to tuck me in, smiling, "I certainly don't have such good fortune. Ever since Your Majesty brought back the... Madam that day, I knew Your Majesty treats Madam differently than others."
"I can even read faces," she added, leaning closer to whisper in my ear, "Madam has a face that radiates good fortune."
I couldn't help but chuckle.
I had heard this kind of talk from countless street fortune-tellers under the overpass, and the result was that I ended up blown up alongside a plane when I turned twenty.
Seeing that I had settled down, Cai'er obediently stepped out.
Taking advantage of the darkest hour of the night, I picked up the package I had hidden under the bed and climbed out through a small window at the side.
Thanks to the strict curfew at my university dormitory, I had mastered the art of window climbing.
Sometimes, one shouldn't be blindly confident in oneself.
My cat was hiding behind a tree, feeling relieved to have escaped a patrol of guards when a voice suddenly rang out above me.
"What are you doing?"
I was so startled that my package fell to the ground.
Without even turning around, I knew who was standing behind me.
Xiao Zhang bent down to pick up the package and continued to ask, "What is this?"
How was I supposed to tell him?
"Why are you crying?" He had somehow moved in front of me, frowning slightly.
I blinked and looked up at him. "I want to go home."
I really wanted to go home.
What kind of wretched place was this?
I might as well have gone with those old folks to be reincarnated back then.
It all started with my overconfidence; I had nothing and still thought about ridding the world of its troubles.
Xiao Zhang brushed the dust off my package and handed it back to me. "I told you, if there's anything you want, you can ask me."
I never expected him to be so accommodating.
Sniffling, I looked at him. "Then I want to go home."
"No way."
...
He really is sick.
I am sick too.
I actually believed him.
The sadness was quickly replaced by anger as I yanked my bag from his hands and turned to leave.
But I had barely taken two steps when he caught up to me and swept me off my feet.
Before I could react, he lightly tapped his toes, and we soared into the air.
Mom! Lightness skill!
It’s really lightness skill!
I obediently settled in Xiao Zhang's arms as he tapped his toes again and again on the eaves, the scenery below rushing past my eyes.
After a while, Xiao Zhang brought me to the highest building.
He carefully set me down on the ridge of the roof, the evening breeze blowing past me and lifting my skirt.
I looked down; it seemed like I could see the entire palace from here.
Xiao Zhang sat down beside me, placing one hand over mine as I clutched his clothes tightly. "Are you scared?"
Although I didn't have a fear of heights, this place was indeed too high.
"What is this place?" I changed the subject, having never heard Cai'er mention that there was such a high spot in the palace.
"Tai Ming Tower," he replied, his gaze fixed straight ahead, seemingly looking at something far off. "It's where the ancestral tablets are enshrined."
I was taken aback and turned my head to look at him.
As expected of a great villain, he was truly audacious.
He was literally stepping on the ancestral tablets.
"I used to hide in many places when I was young, but here, they could never find me," Xiao Zhang said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. "Do you think my father and mother are watching over me?"
What was this sudden feeling of fragmentation?
Was this something a great villain would say?
He propped his head on one hand, leaning slightly to look at me. "I see you're in a bad mood; I specially allowed you to come up and take a look."
I forced a smile. "Thank you."
After saying that, I turned back to gaze at the palace below.
Even though there were no people in Xiao Zhang's harem and not many in the entire palace, it was still brightly lit. From this height, it presented a unique view.
It was a good place to heal one's mood.
"Achoo!" My sneeze seemed to slice through the stillness of the night.
At that moment, Xiao Zhang draped his cloak over my shoulders and asked, "Haven't you taken the medicine sent by the lonely soul?"
Could I dare to drink it?
"It looks too bitter," I fabricated an excuse.
Not to mention anything else, Xiao Zhang is indeed quite easy to deceive; so far, he has believed everything I said.
If the main characters had even half of my skill in deception, they wouldn't have let him survive this long.
"But you were soaking in the pool last night..." Before he could finish his sentence, I lunged at him, covering his mouth with my hand to prevent him from uttering a word.
However, I clearly forgot that we were sitting on the rooftop, and with that movement, we nearly toppled off.
Xiao Zhang's hands gripped tightly behind me, barely keeping us steady.
"I understand now, I understand. Your Majesty is right; I will take it tomorrow," he conceded.
Having him recount what happened last night would be worse than jumping off the rooftop to join his ancestors in burial.
He seemed to read the room well enough not to bring up last night again.
However, as I sniffled repeatedly, it was hardly suitable to enjoy the view from such a high rooftop. Xiao Zhang then carried me back to his chamber.
Yes.
His chamber.
I curled up on the bed, fearful of any sudden movements from him.
Fortunately, he was just lying beside me, carefully tucking the blanket around me before asking, "Is there anyone else at home? If you miss your family, I can have them come to keep you company for a while."
I did have parents who favored sons over daughters and a spoiled younger brother.
But unfortunately, they couldn't come.
After taking a deep breath, I pulled the blanket over my head and muttered from beneath it, "No one. They're all dead."
In truth, it was I who had died.
"What about Jingjing, whom you mentioned today?"
...
The tears that had just begun to well up in my eyes vanished in an instant.
"She's dead too!" I turned away from him, unwilling to continue the conversation.
Clearly, he didn't understand my meaning. He reached out and tugged at the blanket covering me.
"Then you're just like me."
"A solitary person."
The next day, someone brought in a bowl of thick black medicine.
I glanced at the small box in another maid's hand. "What's that?"
"Reporting to you, Madam, this is the Candied Fruit that His Majesty ordered the servants to fetch this morning. His Majesty said that since the medicine is bitter, you can use the Candied Fruit to offset it. You absolutely must drink your medicine," the Eunuch said with a smile that was pleasing to behold.
This is the Eunuch beside Xiao Zhang, and I have some impression of him.
I obediently took the medicine.
It wasn't too bitter, but I still reached for the Candied Fruit in the small box and popped it into my mouth.
It was sweet.
A bit awkward.
No one had ever taken my words to heart like this before.
Unfortunately, he was a villain with a short lifespan.
When I arrived here, I happened to take a fatal blow meant for Xiao Zhang, which prevented him from being eliminated.
But the story continues, and following the sweet narrative trope, it must be that the male and female leads will eliminate the villain together and live happily ever after.
In other words, no matter what happens, Xiao Zhang must die.
I reclined on the soft couch, watching the sun outside as it began to cast its rays while I contemplated my current situation.
At that moment, Cai'er entered from outside, looking somewhat unnatural.
"What’s wrong?" I had grown accustomed to this little girl not being able to hide things; sometimes it worked to my advantage.
Cai'er stepped closer and replied, "Madam, I heard He'er say that she saw Sister Lan outside the palace yesterday."
I knew He'er; she had the best relationship with Cai'er in this palace.
I know a lot of things thanks to He'er helping Cai'er gather information; I suppose that makes her one of us.
"Who is Sister Lan?" This was someone I had never heard of before.
Cai'er leaned in closer, glanced around, and then whispered to me, "She was a palace maid who once boldly offered herself to Your Majesty."
"The next day, she mysteriously disappeared. Everyone said she was slapped to death by Your Majesty and thrown into the mass grave," Cai'er continued, shaking her head. "This shows that rumors are not trustworthy."
I glanced at her.
Did she realize she was one of those spreading rumors?
"So, my lady, have you figured it out?" She suddenly squatted in front of me, looking very serious.
"Figured out what? That Sister Lan is lucky enough to crawl out from the mass grave?"
Cai'er shook her head as if I were beyond hope. "Figured out that you truly are special to Your Majesty."
Indeed, I was special.
Why not try dying for him once?
"If you could give birth to a little prince for Your Majesty..." Cai'er’s gaze drifted down to my abdomen as if she could see her bright future ahead.
I quickly interrupted her. "Go see what's for dinner tonight. That sour fish soup we had a few days ago was quite good; ask if they can make it again today."
Cai'er nodded but then seemed to realize something was off.
"But my lady, you said not long ago that dish wasn't good; you don't like sour food..." She paused mid-sentence, her eyes darting back to my abdomen, and she quickly covered her mouth in surprise. "Could it be that my lady is already expecting a little prince?"
"Is she out of her mind?"
Before I could even open my mouth to scold her, Xiao Zhang appeared at the door.
"What did you say?" he asked Cai'er, his tone filled with disbelief.
Not just disbelief; he must have found Cai'er utterly ridiculous.
Cai'er turned around upon seeing Xiao Zhang standing at the door, quickly rising from in front of me and giving a proper bow to him.
As Xiao Zhang stepped inside, he blocked the bright sunlight: "What were you just saying?"
"I wasn't saying anything." Before Cai'er could respond, I interjected on her behalf.
If she dared to speak recklessly in front of Xiao Zhang, I wouldn't be able to protect her.
However, I clearly underestimated Cai'er. With a cheerful expression, she said, "Your Majesty, I was saying that the lady might be pregnant with a little prince. She hasn't touched sour food in the past, but today she suddenly said she wanted to eat sour fish soup."
That reasoning was indeed a bit far-fetched.
The sour fish soup was merely something I had mentioned offhand; I hadn't even thought about other dishes.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, waiting to see how Xiao Zhang would punish her for her loose tongue.
"Is that true?" To my surprise, Xiao Zhang suddenly looked at me very seriously.
He took a couple of steps closer and sat down beside me, his gaze falling on my lower abdomen as he asked, "Shall I call for the physician right away?"
Just two days after we shared a bed, Brother.
Even if the Emperor's Father were to come, he wouldn't dare say whether I was pregnant or not.
I was startled and sat up straight from the soft couch, grabbing Xiao Zhang's hand. "Your Majesty, there's no need."
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll let Your Majesty deal with you," I shot a glare at Cai'er before explaining to Xiao Zhang, "It's only been two days; even if a physician came, they wouldn't be able to tell anything, let alone this little girl... She's just joking with me."
What I meant to convey was that Cai'er was just teasing me; getting pregnant was impossible.
However, what Xiao Zhang heard was that the time was too short for a physician to determine anything.
"Then let them come every day to check your pulse."
I didn't want to argue further; he would find out soon enough.
Xiao Zhang mentioned that he had nearly finished handling today's state affairs and wanted to stay and have dinner with me, as well as spend the night.
Once he made a decision, it was useless for me to refuse.
At that moment, I sat beside him, watching as he carefully picked out fish bones one by one and placed them into my bowl.
"Not hungry?" He turned to look at me when I hesitated to pick up my chopsticks.
What was I thinking at that moment?
I thought, does it really matter if he's a villain? Even if I safely escape from here, will I ever meet someone willing to pick fish bones for me again?
"What are you thinking about?" He waved his chopsticks in front of my eyes.
I rested my head on the table with one hand, watching him blink. "They all say you are a Tyrant."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the already quiet room seemed to grow even quieter.
Everyone knelt down in unison, their heads pressed to the ground.
Xiao Zhang, however, merely raised an eyebrow and continued picking at a fishbone, seemingly waiting for me to continue.
"But I don't seem to see it," I said slowly, glancing at the fishbone he had extracted. "The people in the palace are loyal to you. Despite my repeated offenses, you have only spoken a few harsh words yet still treated me well. Even the maid rumored to have been executed by your decree is living well outside the palace."
As I spoke, I leaned closer and asked him in a low voice, "Your Majesty, could you tell me why you are considered a Tyrant?"
"Xia Zhiyi," he replied, "I have always been curious about who gave you such boldness."
I frowned slightly. "I don't know; perhaps it was given by Your Majesty. If Your Majesty had punished me during my first offense, I certainly wouldn't dare act this way again."
Xiao Zhang chuckled.
His smile was truly charming, but the lingering hint of malice in his expression was still evident.
This was his symbol as a villain.
"You," Xiao Zhang pointed casually at a eunuch on the ground. "Tell the lady why I am a Tyrant."
The eunuch took a moment to realize that Xiao Zhang was referring to him and then trembled like a leaf.
"If you can't explain it or if you get it wrong, I'll let the lady experience firsthand what it means to be a Tyrant."
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