I Did Not Become Empress On Purpose - Chapter 10

One only ever heard of imperial selection candidates needing beauty, gentleness, consideration, or an open and generous demeanor. Martial arts were one thing, after all, it was rumored that the new emperor favored military prowess, but nobody had ever heard of a requirement that a candidate needed to be able to command a battlefield. Bai Ruofeng was genuinely dumbfounded. After a long pause, he asked, “Does such a beauty truly exist in this world?”

His mind taking a sharp turn, he added, “The dog emperor thinks quite a lot of himself. Even if such a beauty did exist, they would be out building a career and establishing merits; who would care to enter his harem?”

How did I suddenly become a dog emperor? Fang Youcheng listened with a deep frown.

Paying no attention to that, Bai Ruofeng grabbed his arm. “Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng, since you understand so much, you simply must give my little sister some proper advice.”

Just because Bai Ruofeng cared so deeply for Bai Yueying, he would never let her enter the palace. Having made up his decision, Fang Youcheng turned his head, pressed a hand onto the other’s back, and said solemnly, “Rest assured, I understand His Majesty’s mind better than anyone. I will certainly give your sister some very, very thorough advice.”

Though Bai Ruofeng felt there was a hidden meaning behind his words, before he could press further, he caught sight of Steward Yuan standing outside, knocking twice on the door to prompt them: “Marquis, a message has arrived from the Duan estate.”

Seizing the opportunity to slip away, Fang Youcheng said, “I just remembered something at home, I must be heading back first.”

“Hey—” Bai Ruofeng pivoted his wheelchair, but before he could stop him, he watched the very person who had just promised to advise his sister stride away in a hurry. Bai Ruofeng raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that perhaps Brother Cheng also had sisters in his family scheduled to enter the palace, making him eager to avoid the topic.

Deciding not to chase after him, he looked down at the message and discovered it was an invitation from Duan Qingzhang. Duan Qingzhang was hosting a spring banquet at his residence and had invited friends to bring their family members for a small gathering.

Growing somewhat interested, Bai Ruofeng closed the invitation and said to Steward Yuan, “I must go tell my sister about this; she will definitely be interested.”

He stood up, grabbed his wheelchair, and hurried off. Moving far too fast, Steward Yuan failed to intercept him in time and could only call out to his retreating back, “Marquis! The young lady just said she was feeling unwell and went back to her room to rest—”

The figure grew smaller and smaller, and whether he had heard or not remained a mystery. Steward Yuan let out a sigh. Yet, remembering that he had not seen the marquis this energetic in many years, he could not help stroking his beard with a smile and shaking his head.

It was a good thing, a very good thing.

Bai Ruofeng wheeled himself over to find Bai Yueying, only to be blocked at the door by her maid.

“Marquis, the young lady is feeling unwell and has already retired.” The maid flurriedly barred his path at the entrance.

“Unwell? Where does it hurt? She was perfectly fine yesterday, do we need to summon an imperial physician?” Hearing that his sister might be ill, Bai Ruofeng anxiously tried to peer inside. The maid had not anticipated him moving with such agility and looked ready to slip right past her; wherever Bai Ruofeng craned his neck to look, she blocked him there.

It seemed the illness was quite severe. The smile faded from Bai Ruofeng’s face. Without lingering further, he turned to leave. “I am going to summon a physician right now.”

The maid grabbed his sleeve. “No, no, no, it is nothing major, there is no need for a physician. The young lady just needs to rest for a bit.”

“Then you had better tell me what is wrong with her!”

“This…” The maid hesitated. “The sunlight is too harsh; the young lady went for a walk and suffered from heatstroke, which is why she is feeling… a bit unwell. She will be fine after resting.”

It was the height of spring; where on earth was there any harsh sunlight? Suspiciously eyeing her, Bai Ruofeng watched the maid nervously clutching her handkerchief.

After a moment, Bai Ruofeng nodded solemnly. “I see.” He seemed to have bought it.

The maid let out a sigh of relief.

“In any case, this is nothing major. Go back and take good care of the young lady, and if her condition worsens, make sure you remember to call a physician.” After rattling off those instructions, Bai Ruofeng turned his wheelchair away.

The maid escorted him out of the courtyard and even offered to push his chair, but Bai Ruofeng declined.

Once the maid had retreated inside, Bai Ruofeng, who had been strolling away at a leisurely pace, came to a halt. Still finding the situation rather fishy, he glanced around to ensure no one else was about, stood up, shoved the wheelchair into some bushes to hide it, and dusted off his hands.

“Never thought the day would come when I would have to learn wall-climbing from Brother Cheng.” Tucking the front of his robe into his belt, he scaled the white wall with a few agile movements, landing with a smoothness that left him utterly astonished. Standing in the corner of the courtyard, Bai Ruofeng blinked in disbelief: Could it be that I have a hidden talent for scaling walls?

Not dwelling on it, he crept around to the back of the house. Just as he was about to round the corner to peer through the sealed lattice window and check on Bai Yueying’s condition, the carved window was suddenly thrown open from the inside with such speed that he only had time to flatten his back against the outer wall without making a sound.

Separated by the exterior corner of the wall, he heard a man’s voice speak up: “Why hasn’t the young lady returned yet?”

The voice sounded somewhat familiar, though Bai Ruofeng could not immediately place it.

Having uttered those words, the footsteps receded from the window and moved deeper into the room. Driven by curiosity, Bai Ruofeng slid past the corner of the wall to peer inside, only to see a sturdy-looking fellow pulling a pink sachet from his tunic and placing it down on the table.

Zhang Chao! Bai Ruofeng recognized the man instantly. Wasn’t this the “benefactor” he and his sister had encountered on their journey back to the capital? Caught up in plotting around the game’s setting, he had almost forgotten that he was living in a world closely mirroring a video game’s background.

From his impression, Zhang Chao was one of the male leads. Regardless of what the future held, the two of them were currently unmarried; for Zhang Chao to casually appear in his younger sister’s private chambers was completely improper by any standard. And sending a sachet—an item heavily implying a token of affection—was even more improper!

On one hand, she claimed she wanted to enter the palace to vie for the position of empress; on the other hand, she was secretly meeting a man in her bedchamber. What on earth was Bai Yueying planning? Bai Ruofeng knitted his brows tightly, watching as Zhang Chao rubbed his hands and paced back and forth with apparent impatience.

Recalling the maid’s suspicious behavior, it was clear she had been in on it. Unable to sit still any longer, he decided to demand an explanation. Turning around, he prepared to vault through the window to stage a “catch them in the act”—no, rather, to brutally sever a pair of mandarin ducks!

Wait, wouldn’t jumping through a sister’s bedroom window to break up a romance look completely uncool? Bai Ruofeng stopped himself, thinking that if he was going to break them apart, he had to do it openly.

With an imposing air, he vaulted back over the wall, retrieved his wheelchair from the bushes, and wheeled himself straight to the front entrance of the courtyard.

The maid never expected the marquis to return so soon, and this time he proved far more stubborn, refusing to be turned away and insisting on heading straight inside.

With a dark expression, Bai Ruofeng pushed past the maid and entered the room, only to see Bai Yueying emerging alone from the inner quarters wearing a draped outer garment. “What is wrong, Second Brother?” She rubbed her temple, leaning against the doorway with the delicate posture of a drooping willow. “I was feeling unwell and rested for a bit. Does Second Brother have an urgent matter to discuss with me?”

Gazing thoughtfully at her, Bai Ruofeng glanced toward the inner room. Just as he was about to speak, Bai Yueying stepped forward and quite naturally took over pushing his wheelchair from behind.

As she drew close, Bai Ruofeng caught sight of the dainty pink sachet tied to her waist. A wave of clean, elegant fragrance drifted from his nasal passages straight into his mind, instantly sweeping away every shred of vexation. Everything dissolved into a blank void, along with his unvoiced questions. Bai Ruofeng froze.

What was I about to do again?

When he finally snapped out of his trance, Bai Yueying had already wheeled him into the small parlor, placed a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in his hands, and picked up the invitation to examine it closely.

“Did Second Brother come here to tell me about the spring banquet?” Bai Yueying asked with clear delight. “Are you taking me with you, Second Brother? Yueying would be thrilled.”

Bai Yueying’s attitude toward him was completely natural, yet deep down Bai Ruofeng felt an overwhelming sense of bizarreness: Bai Yueying seemed entirely certain that she could share anything with him. Standing before her, he felt utterly naked, as though he had said nothing at all, yet somehow revealed everything. “…Yes.”

“Splendid!” Bai Yueying clapped her hands in delight. “I am already aware of this. Second Brother’s constitution is still frail, you should return to your quarters and rest early.”

Why do I feel like nothing more than a messenger boy? Bai Ruofeng nodded in a daze.

True to her word, after returning to his room and lying down to rest as she suggested, he woke up to find the sky already shrouded in darkness. Clutching his throbbing head, he hissed in pain as the vague impressions from earlier began to resurface in his mind, bringing back the memory of why he had gone to her courtyard, what he had witnessed, and what he had intended to do.

Outside his door, Tang Yan gave a knock. “Young Master, you have slept through the entire day and missed lunch as well. Is something the matter?”

Ever since taking the divine doctor’s medicine, Bai Ruofeng had not experienced such intense weakness. The world spun before his eyes, light and darkness intertwining, and as he hunched over the edge of the bed, he felt as though he was about to vomit up his very liver and gallbladder.

What on earth is going on here?

Hearing the commotion, Tang Yan barged straight into the room. Seeing his condition, he cried out in alarm, “Young Master!” He spun around and bolted back out.

Bai Ruofeng rolled over to lie flat on the bed, raising an arm to block out the light as he clearly heard his own hurried, heavy breathing and the persistent ringing in his ears.

Following the ringing came a pair of approaching footsteps.

Tang Yan’s voice was frantic. “Divine Doctor, quickly, take a look at the young master, he’s coughing up blood again today!”

“Don’t rush me, don’t rush me! Aiyoh, stop dragging me, my old bones can walk just fine on their own!” Chen Wushang grumbled defensively as he clutched his medicine box.

A hand pulled down Bai Ruofeng’s arm, and the doctor’s wrinkled face magnified in his vision as he spun him around to check his features and pulse. Unable to bear the surreal distortion of his surroundings, Bai Ruofeng squeezed his eyes shut, missing the worried frown that crossed the divine doctor’s face before the older man deftly drove a few fine needles into his head.

When he opened his eyes again, the world had normalized, and the buzzing in his ears had ceased.

“What did you come into contact with? A body that was finally starting to recover has been ruined all over again.” Seeing his hard work sabotaged, the divine doctor asked with some displeasure, “Where did the marquis go today?”

Tang Yan answered for him. “Nowhere, he stayed right here in the estate. He missed both lunch and dinner, only having some tea.” Pausing to think, he added, “He saw my master in the morning, and then went to see the young lady. He’s been lying down ever since he came back.”

The divine doctor urged, “Think carefully. Did he come into contact with anything unusual? His pulse is completely chaotic, looking very similar to the time he vomited blood a month ago. By all rights, after taking my medicine for so long, he should be mostly healed. But looking at him now, he must have encountered something that disturbs the mind once more, clashing with the medicinal properties and causing this reaction.”

“Disturbs the mind…” Bai Ruofeng rubbed his throbbing glabella, muttering under his breath. A sudden flash of insight hit him, and he propped himself up. “The sachet! It was that sachet!”

“Sachet?” Tang Yan and the divine doctor exclaimed in unison.

Tang Yan scratched his head. “Where would there be a sachet in the young master’s room?”

With a pale face and restlessly shifting eyes, Bai Ruofeng tried hard to recall. “It was the sachet around Yueying’s waist. When I smelled it a month ago, I felt uncomfortable, but at the time I just thought I disliked the scent and made her change it. Today, I saw Zhang Chao give her a new one, and when she wore it near me, my mind completely shut down.”

The implications in his words were rather heavy. Tang Yan stammered, “So where did those sachets come from? Surely the young lady wouldn’t try to harm the young master?”

“Need you even ask!” Bai Ruofeng said anxiously, “How could my sister want to harm me? It was Zhang Chao who gave it to her.”

“Outrageous! That fellow is far too bold, and he’s still staying in the guest quarters,” Tang Yan frowned. “I’m going to drag him here right now.”

Just as Tang Yan strode toward the door in a huff, Bai Ruofeng called out to stop him.

“Wait!” Bai Ruofeng changed his mind. As his thoughts gradually cleared and his earlier agitation settled, he realized, “He is definitely not just some ordinary woodcutter. Since we still don’t know why he’s trying to harm me, we shouldn’t alert the enemy just yet. Tang Yan, go retrieve the young lady’s sachet first. I want to see what kind of mind-altering poison is hidden inside.”

“Understood.”