I Quit Being This Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 36

Mang Ke’s life grew more and more comfortable. She was gradually getting used to the leisurely pace of ancient life.

Without electronic devices or the hustle and bustle of traffic, the entire world, whether quiet or noisy, seemed like a painting.

“Mistress.”

Xiao Lü brought Mang Ke a magnificent cloak inlaid with red and gold. A golden phoenix was embroidered on the cape, and the edges were finished with stitches made of gold thread and silver silk, making it both beautiful and luxurious.

After Mang Ke put on the splendid cloak, Xiao Lü stepped forward to help her tie the rope sash woven from a hundred-flower fabric. Two delicate silver bells hung on her chest, making her look well-behaved and adorable.

“Pure Consort has sent people to look for you several times. Are you truly not planning to meet her?”

Xiao Lü supported Mang Ke and asked with some difficulty.

Although she had initially disliked the garrulous Consort, she hadn’t seen her since Mang Ke and His Majesty became close. At first, she didn’t mind, but after a long while, she suddenly started to miss the incessant chirping near her ear.

At least it added a lot of liveliness to the palace.

Mang Ke pursed her lips. She wasn’t actually unwilling to see Jiang Chun’er; she just couldn’t shake the thought that if Jiang Chun’er were to constantly stick close to her and Xun Fangyun saw it, the entire Imperial City’s vinegar jar would likely be overturned.

And, of course, the person most likely to be drowned by that vinegar jar would certainly be herself.

“Not today, perhaps,” Mang Ke said, lifting her skirt and walking towards the door. She instructed Xiao Lü, “If Chun’er comes looking for me again, just say…”

“Say what?”

Before she could finish, a familiar voice drifted into the courtyard.

When Xun Fangyun saw Mang Ke walk out, she smiled and walked up to greet her, reaching out to tap her on the nose. “Are you seeing someone behind my back again, being unclear with them?”

These words made the palace maids trailing behind them giggle uncontrollably. They then huddled together at the back like a flock of little chicks, lowering their heads to continue laughing.

Mang Ke couldn’t help but blush. When the two of them were alone, they could do whatever they liked, but to be ‘teased’ in broad daylight in front of so many people made Mang Ke feel both embarrassed and annoyed.

“I did not,” Mang Ke retorted, annoyed. “Didn’t you say you were going to take me out today?”

Xun Fangyun took Mang Ke’s little hand and said, “You’re dressed quite warmly, so why are your hands always so cold?”

Mang Ke chuckled. “It’s just how I was born. Do you want to help me warm them up?”

Mang Ke had only intended to make a joke, but unexpectedly, Xun Fangyun immediately grasped Mang Ke’s hand and slipped it inside her inner robe.

The space inside the warm, soft clothes was extremely cozy, like leaping from winter into spring. Even the wind by her ears seemed to quiet down.

Mang Ke heard the palace maids laughing again, and this time, even the tips of her ears turned red.

Looking at Mang Ke’s flushed, hot face, Xun Fangyun felt she looked like a little rabbit—shy, annoyed, and too timid to move—which warmed her heart completely.

It was like a candied cake drenched in maple syrup, so sweet that it almost melted her entirely.

The two of them didn’t actually have many places to go. It had just snowed, and both inside and outside the city were still being cleared. Moreover, the melting snow made the air feel much colder than during the snowfall, so Xun Fangyun originally didn’t plan to take Mang Ke anywhere exposed to the wind.

They wound around two or three covered corridors and passed through a long, straight official road that ran north to south.

Finally, Mang Ke arrived at the foot of the city wall.

The solid, cold city wall looked exceptionally massive. Looking up from the base, the vertical face soared into the clouds. Mang Ke couldn’t even guess how many meters tall the wall was.

“This is the highest point of the entire Imperial Palace.”

Xun Fangyun led Mang Ke’s hand as they walked up, telling her, “Do you know what day tomorrow is?”

Mang Ke didn’t need to think about it; Xiao Lü had been mentioning it to her every day, so much that she was tired of hearing it.

“The Spring Festival,” Mang Ke said with a smile. “Xiao Lü and the others keep telling me the New Year is coming and asking me for red envelopes.”

Xun Fangyun looked back at her. Mang Ke was a little tired from climbing the stone stairs, and her exhaled breath turned into a white mist in the air, disappearing from her face.

“Whew—”

Mang Ke exhaled and looked up at Xun Fangyun, who was standing on the city wall and looking down at her. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why did we climb up here? Isn’t the wind strong?”

Despite her complaints, Mang Ke still climbed up. When she stood on the city wall, she couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, feeling warm all over, as if a fire had ignited from her feet, even without holding a hand warmer.

But more than the physical comfort, Mang Ke’s attention was drawn to the scenery outside the city wall—

The pavilions and terraces of Chang’an City stretched to the horizon, all covered in white snow. Clean red lanterns hung in the noisy streets and alleyways, particularly striking against the white snow. It was like the frosted persimmons she had seen as a child, yet even more magnificent.

The streets crisscrossed clearly. The clean and tidy ancient architecture made Mang Ke gasp in admiration. “This is so beautiful!”

Xun Fangyun seemed very pleased with her reaction. She reached out, took her hand, and led her to the edge of the wall. “This is the highest point of the Imperial City; you can overlook the entire city from here.”

As soon as Mang Ke stepped up, the cold wind blowing towards her whipped off her hood, which only made her view even wider.

After a long time, Mang Ke turned back to Xun Fangyun and smiled. “This feeling is wonderful. It feels like ruling the world.”

“Do you like it?”

“Of course, I do.”

Mang Ke rubbed her hands. “It would be even better if it were a little warmer!”

Xun Fangyun couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out and poked Mang Ke’s head. “Let’s come back here tomorrow night. The view will be even more spectacular then.”

Mang Ke looked puzzled. “This is already beautiful. Is there something even better?”

Seeing Xun Fangyun’s smiling, evasive eyes, Mang Ke grunted and lifted her foot, intending to kick playfully, but she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Sister—”

The voice was clear and loud, causing Mang Ke to pause. She leaned over the side of the wall facing the palace interior and saw a person running towards them from a side gate in the distance.

Jiang Chun’er waved her hands, jumping up and down, and shouted, “Sister, hurry down. We…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Chun’er saw a black head pop out beside Mang Ke. Xun Fangyun was looking down at her with a cold expression, her pair of dark eyes clearly writing out two words: What do you want?

Jiang Chun’er:

Was this Empress Sister always this fierce???

Mang Ke didn’t notice the emotions of the person beside her. She focused all her attention on Jiang Chun’er. Although the girl was eccentric, she was quite cute, and Mang Ke didn’t dislike people like her.

She just didn’t know why Jiang Chun’er had come to find her on such a cold day.

She turned to look at Xun Fangyun and said, “Chun’er is looking for me. I’m going down now; it’s too cold here.”

With that, she didn’t wait for Xun Fangyun’s reaction, lifted her skirt, and ran down the stairs, looking like a sprinting red rabbit. This made Xun Fangyun extremely unhappy.

Why did her little pet rabbit only run outside and never leap into her arms?

Xun Fangyun gritted her teeth and let out a muffled sigh.

Mang Ke was completely unaware that she had inadvertently knocked over a vinegar jar on her way down. She ran happily to Jiang Chun’er and asked, “What is it? What do you need me for?”

Jiang Chun’er reached out and grabbed Mang Ke’s wrist, pulling her to the side. “Someone came to find me just now.”

Mang Ke blinked.

Jiang Chun’er rarely wore such a serious expression. She said to Mang Ke, “Sister, have you forgotten that this is a book?”

Mang Ke: “…”

Jiang Chun’er continued, “The characters came to me, wanting me to follow the plot and overthrow you so I could become the Empress myself. But you know I’m not cut out for that, so Sister, are you still going to continue playing here?”

Mang Ke looked at Jiang Chun’er, hearing every word. She was silent for a moment before asking, “Chun’er, do you also think this is just a game?”

Jiang Chun’er looked at her, confused. “What do you mean by ‘also’? Has there been someone else before?”

Mang Ke stared at her. She was poor with words and truly didn’t know how to explain things to the young girl in front of her. She could only shake her head and say, “I still want to stay here.”

“Why?” Jiang Chun’er held Mang Ke’s hand and said, “We can see beautiful scenery everywhere even if we leave. Sister, come with me, and I can take you anywhere you want to go. I can take you across the country, everywhere, as long as you want to go.”

Mang Ke smiled and shook her head. “I don’t like wandering around. I feel safer at home.”

Jiang Chun’er anxiously pleaded, “I can stay home with you, too, Sister. My family’s villa is huge. The surrounding hundred kilometers of mountains and lakes are all private property, and the six-story villa has everything.”

“But it doesn’t have the person I want,” Mang Ke said.

Mang Ke looked at Jiang Chun’er and smiled faintly. “No matter how beautiful the scenery is, if you don’t have the person you love to look at it with, what’s the point?”

Jiang Chun’er let go of her hand, stunned. As if she had guessed something, she glanced back at the city wall and asked, “Sister, you love her?”

“Yes, I love her.”

“But she’s just a character in the story.”

“…I can’t explain it to you, but she is one of a kind.”

Seeing Jiang Chun’er’s puzzled face, but not knowing where to begin, Mang Ke could only reach out and pat her on the head, like stroking a well-behaved puppy. She said softly, “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. Sometimes, even I don’t know if what I’m doing is right.”

But she knew that if she didn’t do it, it would definitely be wrong.

If she was crazy, then so be it. At least every moment spent with Xun Fangyun felt exceptionally real, a feeling she had never experienced before.

Mang Ke looked at Xun Fangyun, who had already descended from the city wall and was standing not far away. She turned to the girl in front of her and said, “I have to go.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Mang Ke ran off lightly, as if nothing had happened.

When Xun Fangyun saw her return, she asked, “What were you two talking about?”

“Nothing much,” Mang Ke said evasively, afraid to meet her eyes. “Just chatting casually.”

Xun Fangyun’s eyes darkened, but she said nothing.

“Then let’s go back.”

“Mm! Let’s go~”