After Transmigrating as a Sickly Beauty, I Became the Villain’s Beloved - Chapter 1

The night was as cold as water, the moonlight hung low, and the wind howled past, mingling with faint, rustling sounds that resembled weeping and whispering.

Autumn leaves stained the palace walls crimson, adding a touch of solemnity.

Maids dressed in goose-yellow palace attire traversed the corridors and passed through a side gate. Beyond lay a vast lotus pond, where the moonlight stretched their shadows long and thin.

The two young maids walking at the very back were trembling. Holding empty trays, their fingers were white from tension. They glanced back from time to time as if a monstrous beast were pursuing them.

The head maid noticed this and stopped to call out to them.

“What are you looking around for?!”

The round-faced maid looked terrified. “No, nothing. It is just a bit cold. Please do not be angry, Sister.”

The sharp-faced maid added timidly, “Sister, I heard… I heard that that one is about to pass away. Will he return as a vengeful spirit?”

“Shut your mouth! Do you wish to die?” The head maid’s eyebrows arched sharply. “Kneel.”

“Are such words yours to speak? If this were spread abroad, being hacked into a thousand pieces wouldn’t be punishment enough,” the head maid said sternly. “Considering you haven’t been in the palace long and this is your first offense, kneel here for one full shichen (two hours) and forfeit half a year’s salary.”

Cursing the imperial family was a capital crime involving the execution of nine generations.

The two young maids lowered their heads. “Yes. We know our wrong and willingly accept punishment. We shall never do it again.”

Once the head maid left, the two became even more frightened as the eerie, cold wind blew against them. The distant sound of sobbing continued; the more they listened, the more it sounded like the howling of ghosts.

The “one” they spoke of was none other than the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Qin—Qin Ziyu.

Ordinarily, many people died each year due to famine, and within the palace walls, those beaten to death were beyond counting. There should have been no reason for such fear. However, they had heard that the more unwilling a person was to die, the more likely they were to become a vengeful spirit after death.

Although Qin Ziyu held the noble rank of Crown Prince, he had suffered from a malignant illness since childhood. An imperial physician had once predicted he would not live past the age of thirty. Only through daily, meticulous care had he peacefully reached the age of twenty-five.

In the beginning, the Emperor had felt pity for this son; otherwise, he would not have invested him as the Crown Prince. As time passed, however, the Emperor began to regret his decision. A Crown Prince perpetually plagued by illness was detrimental to the stability of the state.

Consequently, the Emperor grew increasingly fond of his other sons and turned a blind eye to the Crown Prince.

In the autumn of this year, the Crown Prince’s condition suddenly worsened. Seeing him waste away day by day to the point where he could no longer even swallow medicine, he was now merely hanging on by a thread.

Despite having reached the point of being a spent lamp with no oil left, the Emperor had not visited him once. How could he be willing? How could he possibly be resigned to this?!

Inside the Taihe Palace of the Eastern Palace

Delicate pear fragrance rose slowly from the incense burner, diluting the smell of medicine. A deathly silence permeated the great hall. At the entrance, eunuchs stood with bowed heads, two of them dozing with their eyes closed. Several palace maids served near the screen, all remaining silent; one could have heard a needle drop.

Behind the screen, an old imperial physician looked at the person on the bed and shook his head. His gaze held helplessness and pity, but mostly fear.

The wrath of the Son of Heaven could leave a hundred miles of corpses. No matter how unfavored the Crown Prince was, his status remained. If anything went wrong, the physician would be unable to protect himself.

Following his gaze, a slender wrist was visible beneath the purple-gold gauze curtains. It was so thin it was like skin stretched over bone pale, lifeless, and with faint blue veins tracing through the delicate fingers.

Inky long hair lay scattered messily across the bed, obscuring most of the face. Through the gauze, the features were indistinguishable. His breathing was extremely shallow; had it not been for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been no different from a cold corpse.

After checking the pulse, the old physician sighed silently.

The Prince had not eaten or drunk for days. Even a healthy person could not endure that, let alone a sick one. Hope was becoming increasingly bleak. He supposed he should inform his family to prepare a coffin for him; it would be better to be buried with the Prince as a martyr than to wait for a sentence and risk involving his kin.

Seeing the physician shaking his head and sighing, the Nanny guarding the bedside could not stop her tears from falling.

As the night deepened, the physician went to the side hall to rest, led by a eunuch. The Nanny, her eyelids heavy and aching, kept watch by the bed, glancing at the person on the bed occasionally as she drifted into sleep.

At some unknown point, the hand near the gauze curtain retracted. Had the Nanny been awake at this moment, she would have been overjoyed: the person on the bed had actually opened his eyes.

Qin Ziyu silently surveyed his surroundings. The dim yellow candlelight and the soft bed curtains everything exuded an ancient atmosphere. He turned his head slightly, but his hair was caught underneath him; the tugging pain made him frown.

Is this a dream?

A very realistic dream.

Or perhaps an out-of-body experience.

He had stayed up all night yesterday cross-referencing data and revising a proposal. He had just fallen asleep in a daze when he arrived here. Qin Ziyu did not believe in ghosts or gods, but the environment was too strange, and a heavy pressure on his chest made it difficult to breathe.

He tried to sit up, but halfway through, his body suddenly lost control and collapsed. Dizziness, ringing in his ears, and a racing heart followed; he gasped for breath, feeling so weak he wanted to retch.

“Your Highness?”

The Nanny was startled awake by the sound. She pulled back the curtains. “Your Highness, you are awake?!”

“Wonderful, this is wonderful! Imperial Physician! Qing’an, quickly find Imperial Physician Li!”

Qin Ziyu was uncertain and alarmed. He hadn’t seen anyone by the bed just now, and he certainly hadn’t expected his body to be this weak. He remained silent. Before he understood the situation, he could not act rashly.

Imperial Physician Li was soon brought in, supported by others. He took Qin Ziyu’s pulse, and after a long moment, he knelt down in excitement.

“Great fortune for Your Highness! Great fortune for the Emperor! Your Highness’s body is still very weak, but regaining consciousness proves you have begun to recover. This old official will go at once to write a prescription and fetch the medicine.” The physician rose and retreated, his steps so unsteady that his first few strides were awkward and uncoordinated.

The Nanny wept with joy. “The Buddha has protected us, the Bodhisattva has protected us! Your Highness is finally awake. Is there anything you wish to eat? The small kitchen has had soups and broths ready at all times!”

At the mention of it, Qin Ziyu instantly felt his stomach growl with hunger, as if he hadn’t eaten in a long time. Judging by the situation, his status was not low; these people were respectful and addressed him as “Your Highness.”

He was likely a prince.

“I am indeed a bit hungry. You may decide.”

The Nanny complied repeatedly, sending people to prepare the meal while she personally fed him porridge.

Qin Ziyu forced down half a small bowl before his stomach began to churn. Once the physician finished the prescription, he drank a large bowl of medicinal soup. It tasted like it had just been scooped out of a stinking ditch more bitter than gall.

“Your Highness’s complexion looks much better. Remember not to overwork your mind and to maintain a pleasant mood,” Physician Li instructed.

Qin Ziyu nodded. “I understand.”

With medicine that foul, it’s no wonder my face is flushed.

“Physician, please stay. I have a few questions for you.”

Physician Li took a step back, and a young eunuch immediately brought a stool for him to sit on.

Qin Ziyu looked up. “All of you, go out.”

“Yes.” The Nanny glanced at Qin Ziyu and led the eunuchs and maids who had just served the meal outside.

Once only the two of them remained in the room, Qin Ziyu asked, “Physician Li, how long have I been asleep? Aside from you all, has anyone else come to visit?”

Physician Li’s eyebrows shot up, and he knelt on the floor. “In reply to Your Highness, this old official was worried about Your Highness’s health and did not pay attention to anything else. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

The Prince was surely asking about the Emperor.

Seeing the physician’s panic, Qin Ziyu leveled his voice, telling him not to be nervous—it was just casual talk.

From the physician’s mouth, he learned he had been unconscious for five days. At first, they could still pour some broth into him, but later he had fallen into a deep coma. During that time, the Sixth Prince had visited twice, and the concubines of the harem had sent many medicinal herbs and supplements.

Qin Ziyu casually asked about the concubines and realized the details were somewhat similar to a novel he had read before, though he couldn’t be certain.

After the physician left, Qin Ziyu summoned the Nanny. “I haven’t seen Xiao Liu (Little Six) in a while. These past few days I’ve been sleeping in a daze, and my memory is a bit muddled. Has Imperial Father given Xiao Liu a courtesy name yet?”

The Nanny replied, “Why does Your Highness suddenly ask about the Sixth Prince?”

“Just the other day, the Emperor bestowed a name upon the Sixth Prince. It is ‘Xu’ the ‘Xu’ as in ‘warm and sunny’ (Hexu).”

Qin Ziyu shook his head. “It’s nothing. I am tired. Nanny, you have worked hard these past few days; go down and rest.”

“This servant is not tired. As long as Your Highness is well, this servant is willing to do anything,” the Nanny said. “Qingkang and Qing’an are guarding outside. If Your Highness needs anything, just call for them.”

Qin Ziyu acknowledged her.

“This servant takes her leave.” The Nanny bowed and did not turn around to walk away until she was behind the screen.

Qin Ziyu carefully let out a sigh of relief. It seemed his guess was correct: he had indeed transmigrated into a book.

Qin Zizhang, courtesy name Xu, was the next Emperor in the novel. And he, Qin Ziyu, courtesy name Xi, was one of the most insignificant pieces of cannon fodder in the story.

Not everyone named “Xi” had the fortune of a Noble Consort Xi.

The novel was a motivational story about a great male lead there was no female lead. It told the story of the protagonist, who rose from a trash-picking beggar to level up and defeat monsters, fight treacherous officials, and purge the court. With mutual support between the monarch and his subjects, he eventually entered the Grand Secretariat and became a legendary figure of his generation.

The book didn’t describe the original host much. It only mentioned that his health had been poor since childhood because the Empress had been poisoned while pregnant, nearly resulting in two deaths for one. Later, she died giving birth to him.

The Emperor and Empress had shared a profound bond, and because she died while the Emperor loved her most, he extended that love to the original host. Pitying his frail body, he had named him Crown Prince at the age of three.

Unfortunately, the original host was too weak to study hard or learn the ways of governing a state; he was essentially useless. The Emperor gradually became more dissatisfied with this Crown Prince and focused his efforts on training the Sixth Prince, born of the Noble Consort.

The original host also began to harbor resentment toward the Emperor. He resented the unfairness of the world; while others were eating, drinking, and playing, he was drinking medicine and vomiting blood. While others studied and practiced martial arts, he was enduring pain. His psychology gradually became twisted. On the surface, he was as clear as the wind and moon, but in reality, he was sinister and malicious.

He had harmed many people. Thus, while the original host’s body was weak, he did not die of illness he died of revenge.

By the time he finished sorting out the plot, it was nearly dawn.

Qin Ziyu slept fitfully for a while before being woken by noise outside.

The door pushed open with a soft “creak.” The eunuchs and palace maids outside knelt in a dark mass. The sound of footsteps drew closer, and the figure behind the screen gradually became clear.

“I heard the Crown Prince has awakened. I have come specially to visit.”

The emphasis fell on the word “specially,” with a slightly feminine tone that did not feel womanly, and an ending note that carried a hint of lazy arrogance.

Qin Ziyu’s heart skipped a beat, and his palms slowly clenched. He said he was here to visit, but he was likely here to send him to the Great Beyond!