I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 26

Wei Ying’s body stiffened, and the hand holding the inkstone paused. She couldn’t help but look toward the Empress.

Yue Qinghui slightly frowned, and her clear, cold eyes were veiled with displeasure.

She was already of a cold and dignified disposition, and when she didn’t speak, she exuded an air of authority and coldness, as if she were shrouded in ice and snow.

The candlelight flickered. The Empress, holding a memorial, sat elevated on the Emperor’s throne, looking down at Xiao Qianxue.

Being scrutinized like this by the Empress, Xiao Qianxue felt her scalp tingle.

She didn’t want to come either, but the Emperor behind her was even more terrifying! It was like two tigers fighting over a piece of meat… and Ying Ying was that piece of meat being fought over!

Suddenly, she felt worried for her friend, overwhelmed with a lot of pressure!

After a long while, Yue Qinghui said faintly, “Ying Ying, you should go.”

Wei Ying didn’t move. She really wanted to resist this task, but the Palace Intrigue System promptly reminded her, “Host, ten points for constitution.”

For the sake of the mission, she could only sigh silently, slowly walk to Xiao Qianxue’s side, and follow her to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters.

Xiao Qianxue whispered, “Ying Ying, you look like a piece of meat.”

Wei Ying: “Huh?”

What a strange metaphor.

The Emperor had given up the main hall for Yue Qinghui to review memorials, and he stayed in a smaller room next to it.

The moment Wei Ying stepped into the room, she felt a wave of heat. Who knows how many braziers were burning here; it was as warm as spring. The heavy crimson curtains were thick and layered. The Emperor, draped in a bright yellow robe, was half-leaning on the bed, and his misty eyes looked at them.

Xiao Qianxue skillfully picked up a memorial. “His Majesty wants me to read the words on the memorial for him. Ying Ying, you can’t see very well, the inkstone is here.”

Wei Ying sat at the small table beside her, listening to Xiao Qianxue read the memorial while absentmindedly grinding ink.

The memorial Xiao Qianxue picked up was from a Censor, long and rambling, nothing more than an attack on the Emperor’s new policies.

As she read, her face gradually changed, and she looked up with a hint of fear.

The Emperor half-closed his eyes. His face was pale, almost transparent, devoid of color. She said in a low voice, “Keep reading.”

If she kept reading, the words would be a stab to the heart.

The Censors were professionals in this field. When they started scolding, their words were precise and sharp, drawing blood with every phrase.

Xiao Qianxue felt like she was going to die. Reading this stuff, she would surely be beheaded. Even Wei Ying put down her brush, leaned her head closer, and listened quietly to the words in the memorial, a frown on her face.

She couldn’t help but lament to her system, “So being an Emperor is really a tough job. You even have to pay people to scold you.”

But those Censors were really not good people either. They scolded so harshly, without any self-awareness of being a working person.

Palace Intrigue System: “I thought you’d be happy to hear someone scolding the Emperor.”

Wei Ying was silent for a moment before saying, “The only one who gets to scold this scumbag Emperor is me!”

Palace Intrigue System: …What a strange sense of possessiveness.

Xiao Qianxue finished reading one and asked cautiously, “Your Majesty?”

The memorial was so fiercely critical. The Emperor wouldn’t execute this person, would he?

The Emperor’s brow furrowed. Her slender eyelashes trembled, casting a faint shadow on her pale face. Her voice was a little hoarse. “Put it on the side, and read the next one.”

Xiao Qianxue picked up the next one and blinked again.

It was another memorial scolding him.

…

So, one after another, except for a few scrolls that reported on the people’s livelihoods and were seriously responded to by the Emperor, all the others were memorials scolding him. They were piled up into a thick stack, almost reaching a person’s waist.

Wei Ying clenched her fists.

A bunch of national traitors, who considered themselves righteous but were actually useless for the country and its people. They formed a faction, relying on their numbers, knowing the Emperor wouldn’t truly punish them, so they “spoke generously and directly” to gain a reputation for loyalty.

Heh, all they did was scold this and that every day, and they didn’t do a single productive thing. Moreover, they actually called her and Qianxue wicked consorts who brought disaster to the nation in their memorials! They advised the Emperor not to be addicted to female beauty.

What’s with that, why did they have to drag her into it? She might have messed with the scumbag Emperor, but she hadn’t messed with the nation, okay.

Wei Ying silently remembered the name of the official who had scolded her.

Zhang Ke, ninth month of the sixth year of Fengqi. He scolded her in a memorial for being a vixen who charmed the ruler. She would remember this grudge!

Xiao Qianxue: “Your Majesty, these memorials…”

These people scolded His Majesty so harshly. Is His Majesty just going to let it go?

The Emperor’s eyebrows were tightly knit. He thought for a moment, then told Xiao Qianxue to write down the names of those Censors in a small booklet.

Palace Intrigue System: …Your ways of holding a grudge are exactly the same.

Wei Ying: Heh.

In the ninth month of the sixth year of Fengqi, the scumbag Emperor made her grind ink, and her hands were so sore.

She would also remember this grudge.

Just when she thought it was over and was about to leave, the Emperor called out to her, “Where are you going?”

Wei Ying: “To grind ink for the Empress.”

The Emperor’s voice was a little weak. He paused, then said, “You stay, she can go.”

Wei Ying: “Alright, Qianxue, you stay. I’ll go grind ink for the Empress.”

Just as she was about to turn around, she was grabbed by the sleeve.

Xiao Qianxue stood there stiffly, blinking her eyes in confusion, and was finally pulled out by Eunuch Fu Shou.

Only Wei Ying and the Emperor were left in the room.

As Xiao Qianxue opened the door to leave, a cold wind rushed in, making the candlelight flicker. The two shadows on the white wall intertwined, like phantoms.

Wei Ying lowered her gaze, staring at the hand that was holding her, a look of confusion and incomprehension on her face.

The Emperor coughed, covering his mouth. His voice was very soft, with a hint of pleading. “Stay with me.”

Wei Ying remembered her mission to satisfy the scumbag Emperor. She had no choice but to move a small stool and sit by the bed. “Is Your Majesty sick?”

The Emperor softly “mm-hmmed.” “I have a headache.”

Wei Ying advised earnestly, “Your Majesty, when you’re sick, you should take more medicine!”

Yun Shao: “…Thank you.”

Few people knew that whenever it rained, the Emperor’s old headache would flare up. Ever since he got caught in a cold rain six years ago, the headache had been clinging to him like a maggot in a corpse, a nightmare he could never wake up from.

He clenched the blanket, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. His eyes were misty, and he looked at Wei Ying, as if they held someone else.

After a long time, he said softly, “Can I… can I also call you Ying Ying?”

The Empress, Noble Consort, and Virtuous Consort… they all could, but he couldn’t.

Wei Ying fell silent.

The Emperor’s sudden request made her wary. She quickly asked her system, “System, what expression is the scumbag Emperor making now!”

Not being able to see the Emperor’s face made her feel panicked!

The Palace Intrigue System carefully chose its words. “Well, he looks a lot like a little dog begging its master for a bone.”

Head tilted up, eyes black and bright, quite cute.

Wei Ying connected this to what Xiao Qianxue said when she came in, “You look like a piece of meat,” and immediately understood. Her eyes widened. “He wants to eat me!”

Palace Intrigue System: …It’s not that scary.

Seeing that Wei Ying was silent for a long time, Yun Shao struggled to sit up. The bright yellow outer robe fell to the ground. His ink-black hair, wet with sweat, was draped over his slender shoulders. His face was ashen, and he stared blankly at Wei Ying. A fiery spark seemed to ignite in his dark eyes as he asked with a stubborn tone, “The Empress, Noble Consort, Virtuous Consort, they all can. Why can’t I?”

The young girl was only wearing a thin undershirt, and her bare feet were on the white marble floor. Her figure was slender, her skin as white as snow, like a statue carved from ice. Everything about her was pale, except for the crimson flush on her face from the high fever. Her long, sweat-dampened hair hung down on both sides, and her eyes were misty, as if boiling, filled with a river of melting snow.

She was delicate yet passionate, alluring and moving.

Anyone who saw her would be captivated, except for the half-blind person in front of her.

Wei Ying watched the black shadow get closer and closer, and a sense of crisis inexplicably rose in her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt that if her answer wasn’t satisfactory, the scumbag Emperor would drag her out and behead her.

So she quickly said, “You can! Of course you can.”

Her small face was filled with sincerity, and her eyes held love and peace. She added, “You can even call me ‘dad’.”

Yun Shao: “…Say that again?”

Wei Ying blinked. “‘Daddy’ is fine too.”

Yun Shao stumbled back a few steps and held onto the table. The veins on his pale hands bulged.

He was so angry he laughed. A crimson line slanted up from the corner of his eye. His body swayed. He gnashed his teeth and said, “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of the late Emperor.”

Wei Ying quietly took two steps back, just in case the Emperor fell and hit her.

She touched the corner of her mouth, thinking, “That’s not necessary.”

Just then, Fu Shou entered the hall with his head bowed. Perhaps he had just walked through the rain, as his big red robe was stained with wet marks. He secretly glanced at the tense, confrontational situation between the two and quickly lowered his eyes. He said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, those Censors have been kneeling at the palace gate ever since court ended. It is now raining heavily, and this servant is worried that the adults’ health won’t be able to bear it.”

The Emperor unleashed all his pent-up anger. He gave a cold sidelong glance, and the killing intent in his eyes made Fu Shou flinch in fear. His legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

“A bunch of scoundrels, are they rebelling?” The Emperor cursed. “Drag them all away! Give each of them twenty strokes of the cane! Who is the ringleader?”

Fu Shou lowered his head. “It’s Lord Zhang Ke.”

Wei Ying’s eyes lit up instantly. Remembering the grudge JPG.

The Emperor: “How dare he! Forming factions to disrupt the court! Give him an extra thirty strokes of the cane! Beat him right in front of those scoundrels at the city gate.”

Fu Shou agreed submissively.

The Emperor’s head was splitting. He was so angry that he clenched the corner of the table. His pale lips trembled, and he said shakily, “I… I’ll go watch them being punished. Beat them to death.”

As soon as he let go, his vision went black, his head spun, and he began to fall forward.

Wei Ying quickly retreated, but she was caught off guard and collided with Eunuch Fu Shou, who was rushing forward. She stumbled forward two steps and happened to catch the Emperor.

Eunuch Fu Shou yelled, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Thankfully, Noble Consort Ying caught Your Majesty.”

Wei Ying: … Wasn’t it you who pushed me?

But when she held the Emperor, she was surprised. The Emperor was very light, almost weightless in her arms. And because of the high fever, he was incredibly hot, like a small furnace.

Yun Shao struggled to stand up, a hint of relief in his eyes. No matter how heartless she seems, when I get sick, she still gets worried… right?

He felt a little happy in his heart.

Wei Ying helped the Emperor up. She wanted to let go, but the Emperor clung to her, holding her tightly and pressing against her.

However, the Emperor’s body was soft, boneless, and warm… It made her not so repulsed.

Yun Shao called out to Fu Shou. “No need for the imperial physician. Prepare the imperial carriage. I want to personally see how many blows they can endure.”

Fu Shou said anxiously, “But Your Majesty is not well today. And it’s windy and rainy outside. How can you go out in the rain? Those servants are not worthy of such a great sacrifice from their master.”

Yun Shao scoffed, “People say, ‘Serve the ruler as you would serve your father.’ I’ll go see those unfilial sons.” He pulled on Wei Ying. “You’re coming, too.”

Wei Ying’s eyes were wide and round. “What?”

The coldness in Yun Shao’s eyes melted, replaced by a hint of helplessness. “Don’t you like being a dad? I’ll take you to see some unfilial sons.”

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