I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 103

Yunshao clutched Wei Ying’s sleeve, unwilling to part.
“That… Yingying, you should go first. Leave through the secret passage—it will take you directly to the place we used to live. Rest there for a while. When the palace is safe again, I’ll come for you.”

Her damp eyes gazed at Wei Ying with lingering affection.
“Don’t wander off, Yingying. Stay there and wait for me, all right?”

Wei Ying: “No.”

Yunshao’s eyes widened, a mist of tears swelling within them. Her long, thick lashes quivered like a fan as she blinked once.

Wei Ying smiled and turned her hand to clasp Yunshao’s.
“Your Majesty, let’s not leave the palace. Let’s change direction.”

Yunshao asked in confusion, “Where to?”

Wei Ying laughed. “The South Gate.”

The sky was gradually brightening, like a deep blue cloth letting through a faint wash of light.

The clear moon sank low, hanging above the palace walls. By the emerald branches of a tree, a lone morning star flickered.

Dragged along the path, Yunshao only came back to herself after the chill morning breeze brushed her cheeks. She glanced up at the brightening sky, then stopped.
“Yingying… what are we going to the South Gate for?”

Wei Ying turned and smiled at her. “To have some fun, of course!”

“Fun?” Yunshao studied her. This Wei Ying’s features were quite unlike her former teacher’s, but her eyes were somewhat similar—curved in a smile, the outer corners lifted upward, double lids unfolding like willow leaves, mischievous and quick-witted.

Yunshao gazed a while longer, then her brows unknotted, and she smiled too. “Then let’s go play together.”

Wei Ying: “And do some morning exercise! Your Majesty sits in a chair all day working, that’s not good. You need to exercise more—like running every morning. That would be perfect.”

The sun had not yet risen. The air was cool, tinged with the fragrance of grass and flowers.

Wei Ying held the emperor’s hand. The vermilion palace walls flitted by on either side. Her cloth shoes tapped lightly against the white marble paving stones, swift and light like a dragonfly skimming the water. She ran ahead, her gauzy skirt fluttering, the embroidered butterflies seeming to come alive, darting and weaving through flowers.

Watching the embroidered butterflies flutter, Yunshao was reminded of many years ago.

It was also at dawn. She had ridden hard from the summer palace back to Shengjing. Behind her billowed thick black smoke and raging fire.

The flourishing trees whizzed by, the wind roaring past her ears. She rode on, clutching a scorched maple leaf against her chest, never once glancing back.

She had thought that by doing so, she could win Yingying for herself.

But upon returning to Shengjing, what awaited her was a lifetime’s nightmare.

The world is hard to predict, and fate goes in circles. Yet now—whether stolen, seized, or tricked—the bright moon and the shining star had at last fallen into her embrace, belonging to her alone.

Tears welled in Yunshao’s eyes, but her lips curved upward.

At the city gate, the soldiers, seeing the emperor, were startled and dropped to their knees in fright.

Zhang too was shocked. His hand on his sword trembled slightly. At once, he switched sides like a blade of grass in the wind, spilling all the palace faction’s plot to rebel. Then he raised his face earnestly, emphasizing:
“But I didn’t open the gate for them!”

Yunshao, in high spirits, nodded. “Reward.”

She thought, today must truly be her lucky day—the palace coup she had feared never happened, and Yingying had not left. Since Yingying’s return, her fortune had only grown better and better.

Yunshao leaned over the battlements. The smile faded from her face, her brows furrowing.

Below the walls, armored soldiers marched in circles. Leading them was the gallant, spirited Pei Jian.

Yunshao frowned in puzzlement. “What are they doing?”

Before Wei Ying could answer, Zhang blurted out:
“Gathering in circles!”

“Gathering in circles?” Even the tyrant emperor could not help showing surprise. Her eyes widened slightly, stunned.

Zhang added, “Gathering in circles—surely that’s worth chopping off a head or two!”

Wei Ying: …

You shameless turncoat—your betrayal puts even Chancellor Cui to shame.

At that moment, Pei Jian and the others below noticed the imperial figure on the wall.

Pei Jian immediately waved enthusiastically.
“Your Majesty! Your Ladyship! Good morning!”

Wei Ying waved back, her silken sleeve fluttering, and shouted,
“Good morning, Lord Pei! Have you eaten?”

Pei Jian: “Not yet! Have you two eaten?”

Wei Ying shouted back: “We haven’t either! You’ve worked hard today, Lord Pei—go have breakfast!”

A lifetime of battle had hardened Pei Jian; circling the palace once was nothing to him. He wasn’t tired at all—indeed, he felt he could go another round.

Wei Ying waved again. “Everyone, you may dismiss!”

The soldiers’ faces lit up, as if seeing a savior—especially those who had already marched one circle with Gong Hongbo, then another with Pei Jian, all without breakfast. Relief flooded their faces.

Zhang too rejoiced.

Ah, no more circling—finally he could change shifts and go sleep!

But after a few steps, something nagged at him. Tilting his head, he caught the frantic eye signals of a colleague. Following the gaze, he realized—

The emperor was still standing on the wall, lost in thought.

…No wonder something felt off. The orders just now hadn’t come from the emperor at all!

He hurriedly turned back, pretending nothing had happened, and dropped to his knees.

But Yunshao had not noticed her subordinate’s little act. Her eyes were fixed on the Gong siblings below, her expression complicated.

The two siblings’ reactions differed.

The Empress Dowager’s face was deathly pale. She clenched her palms so tightly that her nails dug into flesh, brows arched in fury. Beside her, Gong Hongbo looked desolate, yet also oddly relieved.

Yunshao recalled how, when she had first entered the palace, Gong Hongbo had once tutored her. Then, she had tread carefully in disguise… but had it not been for Gong Hongbo’s occasional words in her defense, she might have long since been killed by the Empress Dowager.

She knew her “teacher” was no traitor—he had talent for governance and a loyal heart. Raised on the classics, steeped in morality and propriety, he ought to have been a pillar of the state. She would gladly have had such a minister.

But alas…

Having the Empress Dowager for an elder sister was no blessing.

For a fleeting moment, both Gong Hongbo and the emperor felt a pang of envy toward the Pei siblings—bickering yet supportive, protecting each other. Perhaps that was what ordinary family bonds were meant to be.

Yunshao had once been shackled by kinship herself. For an instant, she felt a kinship with Gong Hongbo.

She lowered her head, meeting his gaze. In a voice only she could hear, she whispered:
“Teacher, you are still not ruthless enough.”

Only by cutting all ties could one truly do as one wished.

Her hand clenched slowly.

Pei Jian shouted from below:
“Your Majesty, how shall we deal with these trait—” He cut himself short. The emperor had not yet spoken, and the Gong family had not even breached the palace.

This was a coup without a beginning.

He quickly corrected himself:
“—these ministers who mistakenly ran to the South Gate at dawn?”

Yunshao tilted her head toward Wei Ying, repeating her words:
“Let everyone go back.”

Wei Ying chimed in: “Yes, yes, go home and eat breakfast~!”

The soldiers, who had thought themselves doomed, were stunned by the pardon. Overjoyed, they dropped their weapons and knelt, crying out their loyalty.

At the foot of the tall walls, a chorus of “Long live the Emperor!” rang out.

Pei Jian smiled. Seeing the emperor refrain from punishing innocent soldiers, he finally relaxed.

On the wall, the emperor and Wei Ying stood side by side. Golden sunlight spilled down, gilding the vermilion walls in brilliance.

Pei Jian looked up at the figure bathed in morning light, then swept his robe aside, dropped to one knee, and softly declared:
“Long live the Emperor.”

——

Though dismissed to rest, Pei Jian was clever enough to grasp the emperor’s intent and ordered Gong Hongbo and others taken into custody. As for the Empress Dowager, Concubine Shu, and Lady Jieyu, they were escorted back into the palace.

In the sedan chair, Concubine Shu’s face was ashen. She clutched her sleeves, brows tightly furrowed, her eyes filled with dread. Clearly, she understood well the consequence of failure.

At her side, Gong Benu was still oblivious, chattering innocently about the legend of the Demon-Suppressing Tower.

Concubine Shu was silent, until at last she could not restrain herself. She turned and embraced her younger sister, tears spilling like pearls.

Gong Benu: “Sister? Come on, it can’t be just because of my story about the White Snake that you’re crying! It’s only a tale from a storybook. Blame it on Fahai—he doesn’t understand love!” She patted her sister’s back. “All right, all right, don’t cry. I’ll tell you a story with a happy ending instead!”

…

And so, a farcical coup ended quietly. Apart from Pei Jian and a handful of insiders, hardly anyone knew. At most, rumors floated around that the ministers had marched their troops in circles at dawn—soon dismissed as idle talk.

Spring warmed the earth, flowers bloomed, and Shengjing filled with young scholars.

All was flourishing, vibrant with hope.

Wei Ying, exhausted from the sleepless night, was a little dazed. By noon, after eating some refreshments Green Wax had served, she reclined in a sandalwood chair under the tree’s shadow, eyes closed in rest.

Green Wax quietly cleared the dishes. Looking up at the sleeping girl’s serene form, she could not help but smile.

At the gate, she nearly stumbled into someone. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Your Majesty the Empress?”

Yue Qinghui glanced toward the napping girl, lifted a finger to her lips, and whispered,
“Shh. Go on.”

Green Wax bowed and withdrew.

Yue Qinghui stepped into the courtyard, sat beside Wei Ying, resting her cheek on her hand as she gazed at the sleeping figure. A faint smile touched her lips. After a while, she too slowly closed her eyes.

Wei Ying slept deeply. With the twenty-point fusion, her past memories gradually grew clearer.

Like flowing water, they brushed across her mind. In those recollections, besides the gloomy, silent girl, another person appeared.

Support