I Did Not Become Empress On Purpose - Chapter 1

“Good grief, Bai Ruofeng, you completely forgot everything you promised me before leaving. You had better return safe and sound.”

Amidst the furious, rambling chatter, the man in black, who was bending over to lift the blanket and inspect, failed to notice that the eyes beneath the pale, thin eyelids were twitching restlessly.

One of the hands belonging to the man in black clamped around a pale ankle, while the other naturally rolled up the pant leg of the soundly sleeping person. Before he could even begin his inspection, a fit of coughing rang out in the room.

The man in black started in surprise. He raised his head and locked eyes with a pair of clear, limpid orbs that directly reflected his stunned expression.

The eyes blinked. The newly awakened person dazedly shook his head, opening his eyes only to find double vision swimming relentlessly before him. Yet he retained physical sensation, especially the chilly draft where the blanket had been pulled back. Scraping a voice that had gone unused for far too long, he squeezed out a raspy whisper: “Who are you?”

Human shadows wavered back and forth before the bed. Seeing that the intruder was about to flee, his body reacted faster than his mind. He quickly straightened up and grabbed the other person’s left wrist, only for the intruder to nimbly dodge away. Bai Ruofeng lunged forward, his hoarse voice barking with sudden force, “Stop right there!”

Outside the door, a drowsy page boy was startled awake by the shout. Holding a lantern, he hurried inside, about to step into the room. “Who is speaking?”

On the carpet, the man in black, who had been knocked flat onto his back, snapped back to his senses. He forcefully hoisted the human koala clinging to his chest off of himself and vaulted out the window in two quick strides.

The bizarre noises in the dead of night came one after another. The page boy’s last shred of sleepiness vanished entirely, his eyes widening as he sprinted forward. Hurrying around the screen, he lit the candles in the room and turned back to see the person who had been in a coma for days sitting on the floor wrapped in a brocade quilt, the window that had clearly been shut tight before bedtime now wide open.

“Young Master!” the page boy cried out in pleasant surprise, rushing over to half-support and half-carry him up. “You’re finally awake!”

Bai Ruofeng looked up at him. The resolute countenance of the past now displayed a childlike bewilderment. His palms pressed hard against his legs through the quilt, as if he couldn’t quite fathom why his legs wouldn’t obey him, unable even to shift position.

By nightfall, the Suppressing North Marquis Estate lit up with scattered points of candlelight from the inside out. While the old steward shouted for someone to quickly fetch an imperial physician to take his pulse and ordered meals and warm water to be prepared, every single white hair on his head seemed to flutter with joy.

Everyone was running about in a frantic rush, save for the master of the house himself, who leaned lazily and half-reclined against the bed frame. Holding a half-emptied cup of water, his pitch-black hair cascading over his shoulders, his face was as peerless and ethereal as carved jade. Yet his eyes shone brightly as he watched the servants scurrying past.

When unconscious, he had resembled an exquisite jade statue devoid of the slightest breath of life. Now awake, he was like snow melting on a mountain peak; his sharp brows and eyes overflowed with endless vitality, brimming with the warmth of the spring sun. He watched the servants bustle about with keen interest, his head occasionally tilting in a small arc to follow their movements.

“Second Brother!”

Bai Ruofeng raised his gaze to see a slender shadow wind its way around the screen. A face as lovely as a hibiscus bloomed with a smile. “Second Brother, you’re finally awake!”

The young woman possessed an unforgettable beauty. As she stepped around the screen, she looked as though she had leaped from a painting into the mortal world, yet she lacked the cold aloofness of a goddess, resembling instead an enchanting sprite from a tranquil temple. Twisting her handkerchief tightly, her worried gaze swept up and down over Bai Ruofeng. “What is wrong, Second Brother? Is anything uncomfortable? Why aren’t you speaking?”

“You call me brother?” Bai Ruofeng handed the cup back to the attendant serving nearby, appraising the newly acquired sister presented to him on the spot. “And who are you?”

The young woman froze. Raising his head, Bai Ruofeng caught what felt like an illusion: a fleeting flash of joy in the eyes of the woman whose mouth was half-hidden behind her handkerchief. But that joy vanished instantly, replaced by a gaze full of profound worry.

She seated herself gracefully upon the wooden chair brought over by a servant. Amidst her elegant and refined demeanor, her reaction to her older brother’s amnesia was laced with a naturalness she herself seemed unaware of. “Second Brother, do you truly not remember me? Do you not remember who you are?”

Of course he remembered. Bai Ruofeng thought to himself that he remembered everything from his past twenty-odd years of life, but not a single piece and parcel had the slightest connection to this antique-looking world.

Even if there were the slightest… His gaze landed on the young woman before him, yet it called forth the image of an entirely different woman. His sister didn’t look like this. But anomalies abounded in this place. Bai Ruofeng rubbed his chin, looking at her with a touch of novelty.

Seeing him stay silent, the seated woman probed him repeatedly with unconcealed anxiety. Only when she realized Bai Ruofeng genuinely remembered nothing did she begin explaining his identity. Her words flowed smoothly and naturally, as though she had rehearsed them a thousand times over.

She stated that this place was the Suppressing North Marquis Estate in the capital. Not long ago, Northern Yue had invaded, armies clashed, and countless lives were lost. The Marquis and Marchioness of Suppressing North had fought to the death and perished for their country, while the heir had been captured. The Suppressing North Marquis Estate was left with only the two siblings to lean on and support each other.

Bai Ruofeng, serving as a hostage in the capital, had ignored all advice and insisted on heading to the border to lead the Bai family army in battle. Leading a desperate counterattack, the Nan Yao forces achieved a sweeping victory.

The new emperor, remembering their childhood friendship, specially summoned the Bai siblings to the capital to recuperate from their injuries.

Passing over the past in a few brief sentences, the woman calling herself Bai Yueying was a picture of tearful sorrow as she tugged at his sleeve. “Never did I expect we would be ambushed by Northern Yue bandits along the way, and our carriage tumbled down a cliff. Thankfully, thank goodness the heavens blessed Second Brother.” A lingering fear gripped her heart. “Only then were we able to return to the capital.”

Bai Ruofeng listened to the tale without any particular sorrow or joy in his heart, though he felt a touch of sentiment for the fallen heroes. A thought striking him, he clutched the brocade quilt over his legs and pressed, “Is this true? Then what is wrong with my legs? Are they congenitally paralyzed?” The moment the words left his mouth, he realized their impropriety; if he were congenitally disabled, he couldn’t possibly have led troops in battle within the story.

“Of course not.” Bai Ruofeng wiped her tears with her handkerchief. “It was an injury Second Brother sustained on the battlefield. Second Brother used these legs in exchange for national stability and peace for the people; it is a true act of great righteousness.” She narrated it in a placid, unrippled tone.

“So that is how it is!” Bai Ruofeng clapped his hands together in sudden realization, laughing heartily. “I have no recollection of any of this. Even you feel completely unfamiliar to me. Perhaps I hit my head when we tumbled down the cliff.”

“However, Sister, since you and I fell off a cliff and the rest of the party was killed,” he asked, “how did you manage to bring me back all by yourself?” Bai Ruofeng’s curious gaze swept over Bai Yueying. It wasn’t that he looked down on her, for she possessed the delicate appearance of a fragile willow, her waist slender enough to be spanned by a single grip, meaning her beauty was matched by a physical strength that clearly couldn’t possibly be very great.

“Could it be that Sister carried me back from the foot of the cliff step by step?” He tugged at Bai Yueying’s sleeve, deeply moved. “You’ve worked hard, Sister.”

Faced with these eyes that seemed brimming with eager expectation, Bai Ruofeng froze for a moment. Though she desperately wanted to nod, she had no choice but to speak the truth. “How could I have brought Second Brother back? We simply had good luck and encountered a kind-hearted soul on the road, who escorted the two of us back. I have already settled our benefactor in the estate. Once Second Brother recovers, I will introduce you.”

Now it was Bai Ruofeng’s turn to wear a peculiar expression. He released her sleeve and asked, “What is the name of this benefactor you speak of?”

Bai Yueying glossed over it with a wave of her hand. “Surname Zhang, given name Zhao. He is merely a woodcutter from the mountains, why should Second Brother concern yourself with him?”

Zhang Zhao? A ridiculous guess sprouted in Bai Ruofeng’s mind: the consecutive appearance of people sharing the exact same names right before his eyes, combined with this familiar historical background, made him wonder if he had somehow stumbled into that video game.

They say a single flower and a single leaf make a world, but why was he so fortunate?

Before the two could exchange further words, the old steward arrived with the long-awaited imperial physician in tow. Bai Yueying hurriedly stood up to yield her place, and the room plunged back into a flurry of activity. Burying all his speculations, Bai Ruofeng obediently submitted to the physician’s examination.

After checking him over, the physician declared that Bai Ruofeng was currently out of danger and only needed careful recuperation moving forward. After writing out a prescription, he took his leave.

With only the siblings remaining in the Bai household, and Bai Ruofeng severely injured and amnesiac, management of the estate fell entirely to Bai Yueying. Having just woken up, Bai Ruofeng was wide awake and eagerly wanted to chat a bit more with his newfound sister. Yet Bai Yueying maintained impeccable etiquette; she dismissed the servants to rest, left a page boy on guard outside, and bowed in farewell, saying only that she would come to check on him tomorrow.

Once awake, Bai Ruofeng found sleep elusive for the time being. He stared listlessly at the carved wooden rails and bed curtains at the top of the bed, rubbing the edge of the blanket as he pondered what on earth he had been doing before coming here.

Seemingly nothing much. He recalled carefully: his sister had taken a rare day off to visit home, so he prepared a plate of pastries for her, knocked on her door, and found his sister Shen Shiyu playing a video game.

Playing what, again? He closed his eyes, unable to resist tapping his own head with the palm of his hand. Right, Shiyu was playing some antique video game called something like Empress’s Raising Diary.

The crude character sprites looked so out of place on his light-saber display. Seeing how much she loved it, he had suggested turning it into a holographic version for her. And then, lying inside a gaming pod to test the half-finished game, he opened his eyes to find himself right here.

Was it a grand dream, or was he trapped inside a holographic game? As long as he cultivated Bai Yueying into becoming the empress, could he successfully log out and retire? Yet everything here felt entirely too real; it was equally possible he had undergone spacetime travel. Was the original soul still inhabiting this body? Questions were countless, tangled together like a messy ball of yarn. While Bai Ruofeng remained lost in thought, the door clicked open gently, the wood producing a faint, squeaking friction.

He quickly propped himself up on the bedding and saw a figure carrying a candle approach, steps so light they were virtually inaudible.

In the dark, a blossom of candlelight drifted onto the table, illuminating an intruder dressed entirely in dark clothes. The man’s piercing phoenix eyes narrowed, and he lowered his voice into an eerie tone, “Bai Ruofeng, I hear you’ve lost your memory?”

Bai Ruofeng wouldn’t mistake that face; this was unmistakably the very first person he had laid eyes on when he first opened his eyes, the malicious fellow who had pulled back his blanket.

This guy hadn’t left yet.

“It’s you again. Disturbing people’s rest repeatedly, who on earth are you?” Bai Ruofeng tried to cross his legs, only to find his paralyzed limbs uncooperative. He shifted his posture instead to face the intruder, his back leaning against the wall where the bed rested, and scrutinized him. “Judging by your fine attire, could you be one of my sworn brothers?”

The man in black fell silent for a fraction of a second, flatly rejecting his conjecture. “No, none of the above.” A wicked grin split his face. “I’m a bandit.”

“Oh? A flower-picking bandit at that?” Bai Ruofeng’s face clearly telegraphed his disbelief. The tone with which this man had spoken his name was intimately familiar. Combined with the rambling words he had half-heard upon waking, it was clear the man knew the original owner and shared a close relationship, looking more like a friend than an enemy. Contemplating this, Bai Ruofeng crossed his arms and leisurely posed a question: “Then, esteemed bandit, what brings you here in the dead of night? Speak up, or I’ll call for help.”

Faced with this classic script for teasing an innocent maiden, Bai Ruofeng dropped the act, widening his eyes slightly at the newcomer. “You…” He couldn’t help a snort of laughter, scolding, “Hey! Are you out of your mind?”

The man sidled closer and retorted, “The page boy outside was hit by my acupoint-sealing strike.” Pausing for a beat, he added, “I really am a bandit.”

As he spoke, he leaned down, flipped back the blanket, and rolled up the thin pant leg. Bai Ruofeng raised an eyebrow; this time he didn’t resist, simply crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, watching with amused detachment as the man thoroughly felt and probed the paralyzed legs as if conducting an inspection. The man’s brow furrowed tightly, clearly showing the injury was far from optimistic.

“What kind of bad guy admits to being a bad guy?” Bai Ruofeng chuckled. “Besides, since when does a common thief possess skills like this? You’re a friend of mine…” With a sudden movement, his right arm hooked around the man’s neck, his palm pressing against the back of the man’s head as he exerted a bit of downward force. The two came face-to-face.

Gazing into the man’s deep, dark pupils, Bai Ruofeng’s tone grew increasingly certain, though his voice fell as light as a dropping feather, “The moment I laid eyes on you, I felt a sense of familiarity. Did you come to check on how my injuries are recovering? Did I guess right this time?”

“Wrong again.” The man carefully perused his features for a moment, looking as though he couldn’t get enough, a trace of warmth welling up in his eyes. Then he suddenly broke free from the restraint, setting a sachet down beside the pillow. Straightening up, he maintained a blank expression. “Without a bit of martial arts, ordinary folks wouldn’t dare visit this Marquis estate. Since I dared to come, it means I am no ordinary thief.”

He turned and walked toward the window he had entered from, pausing at the sill to glance back with a gloomy half-profile. “Bai Ruofeng, I won’t tell you who I am. If you want to find out, figure out a way to recover your memories soon.”

“What if I never recover them?” Bai Ruofeng pulled the blanket up over himself.

“If you can’t recover them…” The man let out a sigh. “Then don’t blame me for bullying you.” With those words, his silhouette vanished past the window frame.

Bai Ruofeng stared in awe. “Is he genuinely a martial arts master?” If not for his physical inconvenience, he would have crawled over to the window to see where the guy had dashed off to.

He was left with only the sachet by his pillow, emitting a faint fragrance. Bai Ruofeng glanced at it twice, gave in to his curiosity, picked it up, and brought it to his nose. The tense tautness in his nerves miraculously subsided, replaced by a wave of drowsiness.

It smelled quite nice, this sachet. As his consciousness slowly drifted downward, Bai Ruofeng curled up around the blanket, resting his cheek against the soft pillow as he thought to himself.