I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 29

Xun Fangwen paced back and forth in her room, as anxious as an ant.

The female attendant watched the cycle of her stopping, pondering, and sighing, and couldn’t help but ask, “Your Majesty, is there something troubling you?”

Xun Fangwen waved her hand. She felt that no one could solve her problem.

The scene with the Empress in the Cold Palace last night was still vivid in her mind. They were clearly two people with different appearances, so why did Xun Fangwen feel that it was the person herself?

In this novel, the body of the possessed Empress was supposed to first fall in love with the Imperial Consort who constantly helped her, and then, while sparring with the Emperor, acquire the evidence that her father was framed, eventually escaping the palace with the proof. The new Empress’s adoration was supposed to make the Female Emperor restless, ultimately leading her to chase after her wife. The two would engage in various encounters and intimate struggles, both inside and outside the palace, and in the martial arts world, finally ending up together happily.

This absurdly melodramatic plot made Xun Fangwen’s scalp tingle. Therefore, from the moment she ascended the throne, she never appointed an Imperial Consort. Concubines and male favorites were brought in, thrown into the palace, and left to their own devices, no matter what they did, and she never touched them.

For a period, the imperial physicians even held a meeting to discuss whether the Female Emperor was impotent.

Xun Fangwen was certainly potent; there was no doubt about that.

However, she already had someone in her heart, so naturally, everyone else looked displeasing to her.

A perfectly good story about imperial power was forcefully turned by Xun Fangwen into a ‘stand-in’ romance. She only chose concubines who resembled Mangkai in appearance, and she would generously reward those who looked like her with gold and jewels.

Yet, after eight years, Xun Fangwen still hadn’t found her sweetheart.

But yesterday…

She could still feel the warmth and scent of that person. Although they were the common palace fragrances, Xun Fangwen had never felt so comfortable.

That person, it seemed, was Mangkai.

Xun Fangwen affirmed this repeatedly in her mind.

In the previous book, she was the female protagonist, so there was no reason why she wouldn’t be the protagonist in this one as well.

Thinking of this, Xun Fangwen’s face broke into a smile again.

But what if it wasn’t her?

Who said the protagonist of the previous book would still be the protagonist of this one?

Xun Fangwen couldn’t help but frown, clenching her fists, extremely annoyed.

The attendant watched Xun Fangwen’s mood alternate between sunny and rainy, unsure what to say.

Finally, the attendant found a topic to break the inexplicably tense atmosphere in the room.

“Your Majesty, Consort Chun has been frequently lingering in the Cold Palace lately and has sent many items over. Is this truly alright?”

Xun Fangwen was startled. “Why would she send things to the Cold Palace?”

The attendant bowed. “This servant heard from the maids in the Palace of the Emerald Phoenix that Consort Chun seems very fond of the Empress. She mentions her daily and sends many things to the Cold Palace.”

Xun Fangwen frowned.

The attendant continued, “Her Highness the Empress has been banished to the Cold Palace for nearly a year, and all such behavior should be strictly forbidden. However, considering that Consort Chun has only recently entered the palace and may not understand the rules yet, this servant wishes to ask Your Majesty if we should send someone to warn her?”

Xun Fangwen pondered for a moment, then said, “Not yet. I will go and take a look first.”

The attendant thought Xun Fangwen wanted to get closer to Consort Chun and sighed with emotion that the Female Emperor was finally moved by someone. She quickly said, “Understood. This servant will arrange a sedan chair for you.”

“No need,” Xun Fangwen said flatly. “Just arrange for a few musicians to accompany me.”

The attendant: “???”

Musicians??

Why arrange for musicians???

Inside the Cold Palace.

Consort Chun held a small hand-warmer and wore a large crimson outer robe, sitting next to Mangkai with a radiant smile.

“Sister.” Consort Chun held the hand-warmer, keeping her hands warm. At this moment, her heart was also warm, and she felt so happy she seemed to be emitting pink bubbles.

Mangkai: “…”

Xiao Lu and a few maids stood at the doorway, their expressions conflicted. “What is wrong with this Consort Chun? She was so fierce a while ago, and now she sticks to Her Highness the Empress every day. If it weren’t for the nightly curfew, she would probably live in our Cold Palace.”

“Exactly. Which concubine in the harem isn’t trying to avoid our Empress? Why is she clinging to her?”

“Most importantly, Consort Chun’s expression, it looks…”

“Like she’s boy-crazy.”

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s definitely the right word for it.”

“Poor Her Highness the Empress.”

“Alas, poor Your Highness…”

Mangkai felt a little awkward about the maids speaking ill of someone so loudly, but she glanced at Consort Chun and noticed the girl was staring at her obsessively, seemingly having not heard Xiao Lu and the others at all.

“That…”

Mangkai said with some difficulty, “It’s almost noon. Isn’t Consort Chun going back to eat?”

Consort Chun blushed. “Sister is so kind, you even care if I’m hungry.”

Mangkai: “…”

I’m not. I just don’t want you to stay in the Cold Palace for lunch.

Mangkai continued, “Actually, many people in the palace are already gossiping about us. Consort Chun should try not to visit me so often in the future.”

Consort Chun looked infatuated. “Sister, you don’t need to worry about Chun’er so much. I love being with you every day.”

Mangkai: “…”

What is wrong with this girl!!!!

Mangkai cleared her throat and said, “Sister, could you please stop bothering me in the future? It’s not appropriate for us to meet often.”

Consort Chun looked at Mangkai with shining eyes. “You would even ask for my opinion? Sister, you are so good to me~”

Mangkai: “…”

It’s over. This child only hears the words she wants to hear and completely ignores the other meaning!

Consort Chun put the hand-warmer aside, took Mangkai’s hand, and scooted closer until she was pressing against her. “Sister, are you really unwilling to come to my Palace of the Emerald Phoenix? That way, the two of us can be together every day.”

Mangkai thought, Even if I don’t go to your Palace of the Emerald Phoenix, you still come to the Cold Palace every day.

“I don’t think so,” Mangkai smiled wryly. “I’m still under house arrest and can’t go out.”

“Ah?” Consort Chun said with surprise. “Her Majesty the Female Emperor is truly too much! I originally thought she was a very good person.”

Mangkai blinked. “Have you met His Majesty?”

“Of course I have,” Consort Chun said. “When I first entered the palace, I was with her every day, but she’s so cold. She has absolutely no sense of fun.”

Mangkai: Fun? What kind of fun???

“Did you two…” Mangkai felt a pang of alarm. “Did you already… consummate the marriage?”

Consort Chun was stunned, then blushed. “Not yet. She didn’t let me touch her.”

Mangkai felt an inexplicable wave of relief.

Huh???

Why am I relieved???

Whatever happens between the Female Emperor and Consort Chun, what does it matter to Mangkai…

Mangkai covered her chest, thinking about the feeling of being secretly hugged outside the palace wall last night. She couldn’t help but blush.

No, no, Mangkai!

You can’t compromise just because she feels very similar to Xun Fangwen!

Although the feeling is similar, she is not Xun Fangwen. Most importantly, I’m already engaged. If I get together with the Female Emperor, won’t I be divorced?

Just as the two were pulling and tugging, unable to resolve the situation, a group of people arrived outside the Cold Palace.

“Stop!”

The eunuch on duty blocked the newcomers, saying, “This is the Cold Palace. Who are you, and why have you come here?”

“We are here for the Cold Palace.”

The speaker was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. He said to the person blocking them, “I am a palace musician. I’ve come to perform for Her Highness the Empress according to Her Majesty the Female Emperor’s orders.”

The eunuch on duty was puzzled. Everyone knew how indifferent the Female Emperor was to the Empress. She had locked the Empress in the Cold Palace for a year without even looking at her. Why would she send someone to perform for her?

“This…”

They exchanged suspicious glances, but seeing that the people were indeed holding various musical instruments, it didn’t look fake.

“Consort Chun is currently visiting the Cold Palace today,” the eunuch said. “You’ll have to wait.”

The middle-aged man chuckled. “Consort Chun is here, too? That’s quite a coincidence. Our performance can also be critiqued by Consort Chun.”

“But…”

“Please don’t make things difficult for us, sirs. We are merely following orders. Please go and report this. If Her Highness the Empress doesn’t want to see us, we can at least go back and report.”

This seemed reasonable. Everyone who works for a living has their difficulties. The eunuch didn’t think much about it, asked them to wait there, and went inside to ask.

Not long after, the reporting eunuch returned and said to the group, “Her Highness the Empress has permitted you to enter. Follow me with your instruments.”

The musicians exchanged glances, all showing satisfied smiles.

Meanwhile, inside the Cold Palace, Mangkai heard that musicians had arrived and, without much thought, let them in. However, when she saw that among the entire group, only one person held a flute, and it wasn’t the Sister Musician from the previous night, Mangkai felt somewhat disappointed.

Right. She isn’t a musician at all, so why would she be with the musicians?

Mangkai wasn’t stupid. If she couldn’t initially guess who the person she secretly met every night was, she could now vaguely guess.

The only person who could casually wander around the palace in the middle of the night without being questioned, after much thought, could only be the Female Emperor herself.

Several musicians set up their positions in the empty space of the Cold Palace and lit an incense stick nearby.

“Your Highness, this is incense for calming the mind and settling the spirit,” the middle-aged man said to Mangkai. “We are here to perform for Your Highness today, mainly because we heard about the strange happenings in your palace recently. This incense also has the effect of warding off ghosts and ensuring peace.”

Mangkai didn’t believe in these supernatural things, but seeing the musician’s serious demeanor, she still nodded and said, “Then thank you.”

“Your Highness the Empress, you are too kind.”

The middle-aged musician looked back at the orchestra, then stepped into the center with them, and began to play.

Consort Chun herself was skilled in music theory. She sat next to Mangkai, listening to the tune, then wrapped her arm around Mangkai’s arm, and gradually leaned her head onto Mangkai’s shoulder.

Mangkai: “…”

Forget it. Let the girl get close to me however she likes.

When the song finished, the stick of incense had also burned out.

Mangkai felt a suffocating tightness in her chest after listening to the calm and melodious song, but when she tried to examine it closely, the feeling seemed to vanish.

“Your Highness, we will come every day from now on.”

The middle-aged musician bowed to Mangkai. “We will take our leave for today.”

Mangkai covered her chest, but ultimately said nothing.

It was probably… a delusion.