I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 3

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Yun Shao cracked a sunflower seed, her brows furrowed.

It was just the ordinary taste of a roasted seed.

Wei Ying chuckled, slowly saying, “Are you a ghost? Why would I be afraid of you?”

Meeting her vacant eyes, Yun Shao realized something was wrong. “You can’t see?”

Wei Ying waved her hand. “Half-blind, half-blind.” After she said that, she heard the woman give a cold laugh and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Yun Shao: “You should thank your eyes. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now.”

Wei Ying had a sudden realization. “You really are a female ghost!”

Yun Shao: …

Just then, the monarch who had been so high and mighty during the day appeared in a new outfit.

Her long hair was loose, a simple bun held in place with a maple wood hairpin. Underneath her cloak was a light green dress, a very plain, commoner’s style, completely out of place with the lavish palace.

Yun Shao was silent, a sword in her hand.

The sword was already unsheathed, held near Wei Ying’s neck.

Yun Shao watched Wei Ying intently, as if looking for some clue on her face.

But Wei Ying was completely oblivious. She even tilted her head toward the sharp blade. “What’s wrong? What dynasty are you from, and do you still like to eat sunflower seeds?”

Just as the pale white skin of her neck was about to meet the blade, Yun Shao finally moved the sword away. “Heh, you know I’m a ghost, but you’re still not afraid?”

“Afraid of what?” Wei Ying covered her mouth and started coughing again, her face pale, her lips a vivid red. She coughed until her eyes were filled with tears, glistening like shattered moonlight, before she finally smiled. “Look at me. I won’t last much longer. We can be companions then. I’ll tell you jokes.”

A slight smile touched the corner of Yun Shao’s mouth, but it quickly straightened. She said coldly, “It’s so cold. Why are you running around?”

Wei Ying touched her icy cheeks and mumbled, “Just running around aimlessly, I suppose.”

If she wasn’t half-blind, she wouldn’t have ended up here.

She heard light footsteps, and not long after, the footsteps returned. The ghost girl had brought back a thick cloak and threw it over her.

Wei Ying’s eyes curved into a smile. She laughed while coughing, the fresh blood on her lips adding a vibrant red, like rouge.

Yun Shao, holding a lantern, couldn’t help but find the red on the girl’s lips particularly jarring.

“Don’t you dare smile again,” the monarch’s voice held a strange hint of anger. “What’s so funny?”

Wei Ying wrapped herself in the cloak. “I’m laughing at what a kind-hearted ghost you are. Cough cough… I’ll give you a handful of sunflower seeds.”

“They’re just ordinary seeds. Are they really that good?”

“Ah,” Wei Ying paused, then lowered her gaze and chuckled softly. She seemed to love to laugh. Even in her weakened state, when a single laugh led to a long coughing fit, she persisted, shelling seeds and smiling. “They’re not that good, but I like them.”

Yun Shao saw the red on her lips and said with a cold face, “I said, don’t smile.”

Wei Ying shook her head and sighed. “That’s asking too much. Why won’t you let me smile?”

“It’s ugly. It’s an eyesore to me.”

Wei Ying continued to shell seeds. “You’re so two-faced. Let me think. Is it because my smile is so beautiful that you can’t help but be smitten, your ghostly heart secretly pledged to me, or—”

A cold sensation touched her neck, causing goosebumps to rise on her snow-white skin.

Yun Shao held the sword against the girl’s neck, the cold light of the blade shimmering like moonlight. “Get out.”

Wei Ying raised her hands in surrender. “What if I stop talking nonsense?”

The sword moved inward by an inch.

“Get out.”

Wei Ying could only sigh, slowly getting up, looking pitiful as she was chased out of the only place that offered shelter from the wind. As she left, she took off the cloak the ghost girl had given her and slipped something into the ghost girl’s hand.

Yun Shao opened her palm and frowned slightly when she saw what was inside. The girl had given her shelled sunflower seeds… She had been shelling seeds all this time but hadn’t eaten any. So, she was saving them to give to her?

Wei Ying smiled. “The seeds are ordinary, but this handful was shelled by me. Maybe they’ll taste extra delicious. Try them, Miss Ghost.”

After she said that, she tightened her clothes, her frail body trembling slightly in the cold wind, and she pitifully fumbled her way into the darkness.

“Wait!”

The corner of Wei Ying’s mouth turned up. She stopped, feigning a few coughs, thinking the person behind her would soften. But the cold and heartless ghost girl returned the shelled seeds to her, refusing them. “I don’t want your things, and don’t come back here. Someone… died here.”

The two doors slammed shut in front of Wei Ying.

Wei Ying shivered from the cold. “So heartless.”

“So heartless,” said the Palace-Struggle Princess.

Wei Ying: “Whoa, you’re back from the dead.”

The Palace-Struggle Princess was silent for a moment, then asked, “Host, do you know who that ghost girl was?”

Wei Ying was nonchalant, walking aimlessly through the palace with a lantern. “Some concubine abandoned by the dog emperor. Damn feudal monarchy, ruining so many beautiful ladies. The dog emperor deserves to die.”

Hearing her say “dog emperor” so casually, the Palace-Struggle Princess decided not to reveal the truth.

Not long after, a slightly sharp voice rang out behind her. “You, a Xiu girl, what are you doing running around the palace late at night?”

The person was a eunuch. After seeing her, he led her to a place without asking any questions. He just told her to rest there for the night and that he would find her a separate room in the Xiu Fang the next day.

Wei Ying wanted to ask something, but the eunuch was tight-lipped. He said nothing and left in a hurry.

Lying in a warm quilt, she asked the Palace-Struggle Princess, “Did I just wander into a powerful concubine’s palace?”

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “…No.”

Wei Ying sat up, her long hair disheveled, a hint of illness in her eyes. She seemed to have thought of something interesting and smiled. “Then could it be the Empress Dowager or some other Imperial Consort? No, her voice sounded like a young woman. Do you think she might have a crush on me?”

Thinking of such a young woman alone in the palace, wandering in the cold night, she shook her head and spat, “Dog emperor.”

The Palace-Struggle Princess: …

The cold night was still.

Yun Shao silently came to the girl’s bedside, holding a lantern to look at her.

Even in her dreams, the girl’s face was pale, her brows slightly furrowed, her forehead covered in cold sweat. She coughed unconsciously, her body curled into a ball, her dark hair wet with sweat and sticking to her face, making her look incredibly pitiful.

Yun Shao held a sword, the tip suspended over the girl’s brow, the blade’s light like snow shimmering in the room.

After a long time, she suddenly retracted the sword, gave a cold snort, and turned to leave. Fu Shou looked back at the sleeping person and followed the monarch out of the remote palace.

When Wei Ying woke up, her mission had already updated.

“Dazzle everyone at the selection?” she read the mission, muttering to herself. “Is that the ‘dazzle everyone’ I’m thinking of?”

The Palace-Struggle Princess couldn’t keep up with her line of thought. “What? What kind of ‘dazzle everyone’ is the host thinking of?”

It was getting nervous, afraid the host would pull some crazy stunt.

But Wei Ying didn’t answer. A palace maid pushed the door open and came to help her wash and get dressed.

“Excuse me, where is this?”

The palace maid lowered her head, skillfully and silently styling her hair, then left in single file.

Leaving not a single trace behind.

Not long after, a young eunuch came and told her to follow him to the Yu Jing Pavilion.

Wei Ying: “Eunuch, this…”

Before she could finish, the little eunuch interrupted her in a sharp voice. “For the sake of your pretty head, it’s best you don’t ask anything. When you get there, don’t say anything either.”

They walked down a secluded palace path, the scarlet walls peeling and covered in moss.

From time to time, a few palace maids carrying laundry baskets would pass by and respectfully greet the little eunuch, calling him Eunuch Zhang.

Little Eunuch Zhang waved his hand impatiently and led Wei Ying forward.

Wei Ying thought that, judging by the palace maids’ reactions, this Eunuch Zhang’s status wasn’t too low. Did she really trespass into a concubine’s palace last night?

The palace had one Empress and three Consorts. The Empress was cold and dignified, the Noble Consort was arrogant and radiant, the Virtuous Consort was gentle and virtuous, and the Elegant Consort was educated and reasonable. None of them seemed to match the two-faced ghost girl from last night.

But after just one night, the ghost girl had given her a place to sleep, sent people to help her wash, and sent her to the selection. This showed that the ghost girl, despite her fierce appearance, was very soft and considerate inside. If they had a chance to meet again, she should thank her properly.

“Poor girl, trapped in the deep palace at such a young age,” Wei Ying shook her head, feeling sorry for the ghost girl. “I must use my interesting soul to nourish her withered heart.”

The Palace-Struggle Princess was filled with fighting spirit. If they could win over that person, they would be one step closer to completing the palace-struggle mission. This was an excellent start. Then it heard Wei Ying sigh lazily. “But I have to remember how I got here last night first.”

The palace paths were too winding; she was lost.

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “I can guide you!”

Wei Ying lowered her gaze, nonchalantly. “Maybe later. It’s too far.”

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “…You don’t really want to repay her! You only care about yourself!”

Wei Ying: Hehe, you found me out.

The selection lasted for half a month and was divided into three rounds. Now, the Xiu girls were gathered at the Yu Jing Pavilion, a sea of people. The garden was filled with silk and brocade dresses and golden peacocks. From a distance, it looked like a hundred flowers in full bloom, competing for attention.

Little Eunuch Zhang brought her here and once again warned her. “If you want to keep your head, don’t say a single word about what happened last night. Understood?”

Wei Ying’s eyes curved into a smile, and she bowed politely. “Thank you for leading the way, Eunuch.”

Little Eunuch Zhang met her pale, sickly smile and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He silently lamented: Such a beautiful girl, why did she have to provoke that living King of Hell?

Thinking of the Emperor’s methods, Little Eunuch Zhang shivered and looked at Wei Ying as if she were a dead person. He forced a smile at her and turned to leave. Everyone close to the Emperor knew that the kinder he was to someone, the more tragically they would die.

This Xiu girl would probably meet her maker soon.

So pitiful.

Wei Ying didn’t know what the little eunuch was thinking. She looked up at the bright sun overhead and squinted slightly. The golden, clear autumn sunlight fell on the girl’s pale face. She smiled faintly, her eyelashes fluttering, casting a shallow shadow.

“Yingying!” Xiao Qianxue searched frantically through the crowd, finally spotting the person she was looking for and rushing over with her skirts in hand.

Wei Ying gathered her sleeves and slowly walked over.

Xiao Qianxue was a little out of breath from running. She asked worriedly, “Where did you go? I couldn’t find you this morning. I was so worried.”

“I went out for a walk last night and got lost.”

Xiao Qianxue suddenly took her hand. “Your hand is so cold. You must not have slept well last night. Let’s go back and get some rest later.”

As she spoke, Xiao Qianxue saw the girl’s pale face and listless nod, and her heart filled with even more pity. “It was so cold last night. Why did you run out? Oh, right, let’s find an imperial physician. I hear the ones in the palace are very good!”

The female lead’s palm was fiery hot, like a small furnace. Wei Ying, holding her hand, squinted her eyes contentedly. “No need to trouble them. My body…” She coughed weakly twice, then looked up, her eyelashes fluttering, revealing a fragile smile. “Medicine won’t help my body.”

The system had already told her that her body could only get better by completing missions. No amount of miraculous medicine would help.

Xiao Qianxue’s pity grew even deeper. She thought the girl was so well-behaved and gentle, like a fragile piece of glass that needed to be held carefully in her palm. She whispered, “You have to at least try. How can you give up beforehand?”

Wei Ying lowered her head and coughed pitifully twice.

Her persona as a beautiful, frail, sickly girl could not be compromised!

Xiao Qianxue pulled her into the line of Xiu girls. Perhaps it was due to the incident yesterday, but the Xiu girls looked at them differently. These gazes were mixed with envy, hostility, jealousy, and curiosity… like needles piercing them from all directions.

“How did she know His Majesty likes white horses?”

“She must have prepared in advance. So scheming.”

“The one who keeps coughing, does she have consumption? Let’s stay away from them, so we don’t catch any illness.”

“That sick one will definitely be eliminated later.”

Some Xiu girls were still mesmerized by the beauty of the little pear blossom horse. “But that horse yesterday was so beautiful!”

Xiao Qianxue felt a pang in her heart. She had raised the little horse herself, but she had an impulse to give it away yesterday. She still regretted it a little. She didn’t know why, but at that time, she thought the Emperor and the little pear blossom were a match made in heaven, a perfect pair.

She even wanted to grab the Emperor’s hand and, like a mother, tell him, “I’m entrusting my daughter to you. You must take good care of her!”

…That was too bizarre. Xiao Qianxue shook her head at the thought of that scene.

Just then, the Xiu girls scattered, and Gong Bei Nu and a few other noble ladies walked over, looking at them with a haughty air.

Wei Ying fell silent.

It seemed that the female lead and the female villain had a fated connection that couldn’t be cut.

She asked in her mind, “System, is the dog emperor spying on us again?”

The Palace-Struggle Princess was shocked. “Host, how did you know?”

Isn’t it obvious? The plot yesterday was Gong Bei Nu coming to cause trouble, the Emperor making a grand entrance to protect his wife, falling in love with the female lead at first sight, and bringing her back to the inner palace.

Now, under the influence of the plot, the script was replaying, just a day late.

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “Yes! The plot will keep correcting itself, but we’ll also issue new missions to help the host fight against the plot’s power! The last time you completed a mission, the system rewarded you with a chance to draw. Are you ready to use it?”

Wei Ying: “If I stop the Emperor this time, will I get a physique boost?”

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “No~ Only the first time you change the original plot will you get a physique reward. But every time you complete a mission, you get a chance to draw!”

The so-called drawing chance was actually a blind box. Three boxes appeared before Wei Ying: a golden box, a silver box, and an iron box. She didn’t hesitate and chose the most luxurious-looking golden box.

The Palace-Struggle Princess: “Have you decided, Host? It’s possible that the golden box might contain something worse than the iron box.”

Wei Ying: “I just like its appearance of being gilded on the outside and rotten on the inside.”

The Palace-Struggle Princess: …

The host’s way of thinking was always so unique.

The blind box contained three gray cards and one green card.

From the tone of the Palace-Struggle Princess, Wei Ying guessed that the blind box reward wasn’t great, but she didn’t mind. She looked through the four new cards.

She was familiar with and had used the “Love at First Sight” and “Heart-flutter” cards. The other two cards she hadn’t seen before. The gray one was called “Lustful Intent,” and the green one was called “Two-faced.”

She focused on the “Two-faced” card, and a smile involuntarily curved at her lips as she thought of the ghost girl from last night.

Making the target say something contradictory for ten seconds? As expected of a green card, the time went from three seconds to ten seconds, and the function was more complete and convenient.

She looked up at Gong Bei Nu.

Gong Bei Nu: “Sick girl, don’t look at me!”

Wei Ying held the card and smiled softly, lowering her head obediently.

The Palace-Struggle Princess suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

—Foreboding for the arrogant little villain in front of them.

Gong Bei Nu snorted and looked at Xiao Qianxue again. She didn’t know why, but the more she looked at this woman, the more she disliked her, and she always wanted to cause trouble. Yesterday, this Xiu girl dared to contradict her. Did she not know that the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Palace was her aunt?

Xiao Qianxue shielded Wei Ying behind her, staring at Gong Bei Nu warily. “What do you want?”

Gong Bei Nu raised her chin. “Don’t think you’re so special just because you happened to make His Majesty accept your white horse yesterday. Just look at yourself,” she paused and laughed mockingly. “You’re just exceptionally beautiful, with a face that would make fish sink and geese fall, and a figure that would make the moon hide and flowers blush. You’re just valiant and adored by everyone. It’s nothing special.”

She widened her eyes in horror, but her mouth continued to spout flattery uncontrollably. “And you, the sick girl, you’re just pretty. Why are you pretending to be so weak? When you act like this, I feel a little moved and want to protect you~”

Then she looked at the other Xiu girls. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you disagree with me? Aren’t they lovely and beautiful? I’m already smitten. If you can’t see it, are you blind?”

Thinking of her noble status, the Xiu girls all nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes.”

“Beautiful, beautiful.”

“With such looks, she’s sure to be chosen.”

Gong Bei Nu: “Oh my god, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you fairies who have descended to earth? Don’t look at me. Being stared at by such gorgeous ladies, I can’t breathe!”

Xiao Qianxue’s expression was complex. “Thank you, but… please stop complimenting us.”

The compliments were making her feel a little embarrassed.

Gong Bei Nu stood frozen, seemingly not understanding what she had said. Tears welled up in her eyes. A moment later, she shot a hateful glance at Xiao Qianxue and Wei Ying, stomped her foot, and ran away, covering her mouth in shame.

Xiao Qianxue’s face was still a little flushed from the compliments. Looking at the peacock skirt that swayed as the girl ran, she said, “It turns out she’s not a bad person. She’s just a little two-faced.”

Wei Ying smiled without a word, asking the system in her mind, “System, where’s the dog emperor?”

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