I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 30

A hush fell over the Hall of Mental Cultivation, broken only by the sound of ink being ground.

The emperor lowered his head, casually scanning the memorials. A smile crept up the corners of his mouth as he thought of the young woman’s words.

She’s so cute, he thought.

Wei Ying bit her lip, her heart pounding. She had intended to be nothing more than a brainless beauty! Why did she accidentally reveal her true nature?

Palace Intrigue System: …It’s your own fault for being too dazzling.

Wei Ying sighed, “Alas, you’re right. Some people are just like that. Even if you coat them in a layer of calcium silicate cement, they’ll still accidentally blind others.”

The Palace Intrigue System was once again in awe of Ying Ying’s unique metaphors.

The emperor noticed the person beside him stifling several yawns and, intending for her to rest, said, “I’m a little tired. Go and get the food box from the table.”

Wei Ying nodded, retrieved the food box prepared by Consort Xian, and opened the first layer of the ivory-carved box. Inside were a pair of snow-white pastries. Two small, adorable little rabbits sat face-to-face, as if kissing.

The emperor let out a soft laugh at the sight. “Consort Xian is very thoughtful.”

Wei Ying blinked, suddenly feeling nervous. Was this dog emperor hinting at something?

The emperor picked up a little rabbit. “Open your mouth.”

Wei Ying tensed and took a step back.

The emperor’s hand, intended for feeding, found only empty air. He awkwardly lowered the little rabbit and said softly, “I’ll eat one, and you have one too.”

It was already dusk, and as the sun set, palace maids filed in, one by one, lighting the flickering lamps in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Wei Ying blinked. To her eyes, the emperor, a blurry figure, was holding a blurry white blob and pushing it toward her face, which terrified her so much she immediately took a step back.

The dog emperor lowered his hand, his voice seeming a little disappointed.

Wei Ying said warily, “No, Your Majesty can eat it yourself. I’m not hungry.”

Yunshao looked at her mournfully, sadly picking up a little rabbit to nibble on. After a while, he couldn’t help but say, “How pitiful.”

Wei Ying: “What’s pitiful?”

Yunshao’s tone was full of sorrow. “A single grain of wheat, having endured winter snow and scorching sun, worked so hard to become this delicious, and yet someone refuses to eat it. How pitiful.”

Wei Ying: …Well, she really felt sorry for that grain of wheat then.

Yunshao: “If you’re not going to eat, go sit over there. There’s a bed in the side hall where you can rest.”

Wei Ying nodded and bowed to the emperor. As she bent down, the storybook she had loosely tucked into her robe fell out with a thud.

Wei Ying quickly bent down to pick it up, fumbling on the ground for a while until her hand landed on a small object with a distinct shape. This shape… seemed wrong. She frowned, her hands groping, then she suddenly realized what she was touching and looked up to meet the little emperor’s expressionless face.

“My dear consort, you are touching my foot,” the emperor said in a flat voice, devoid of emotion.

Wei Ying immediately stood up, wiped her hands, and gave an awkward smile, trying to get away with it.

But the emperor wasn’t going to let her. “My dear consort, what were you just looking for?”

Wei Ying held her two small hands together, lowered her little head, and pursed her lips, saying nothing.

The emperor handed her a book. “Were you looking for this book?”

Wei Ying’s cheeks flushed. She took the emperor’s book with a forced expression. “Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty.” The dog emperor didn’t make things difficult for her after all!

She stuffed the book into her sleeve and was about to leave when she inadvertently glanced at the book the dog emperor had given her. She suddenly noticed there were only three characters on the cover! 《後宮迷情錄》 (The Record of Amorous Affairs in the Harem) had five characters.

Wei Ying realized something was wrong and stopped. She turned around and said, “Your Majesty, it’s not this one.”

The emperor sat on the couch, propping his head with his hand, and tilted his head, smiling at her. “Oh? If not this one, then which one?”

Wei Ying cursed the dog emperor twice in her heart. Her little face was red as she said, “My consort’s book has five characters.”

She was night-blind and couldn’t make out the characters, but she could still count how many there were! How could the dog emperor try to fool her like this!

Emperor: “What is your consort’s book called? I’ll help you find it.”

Wei Ying fell silent.

The emperor chuckled softly and handed her another book. “I won’t tease you anymore. Go to the side hall and rest properly. Don’t read at night; it’s bad for your eyes.”

This time, Wei Ying remembered to take a good look: one, two, three, four, five. Five characters. She was relieved. She stuffed the storybook into her bosom and was about to return the three-character book to the emperor, but he refused, telling her to take it back and read it more, saying it would be of great benefit to her.

Wei Ying ran to the side hall with a flushed face.

This time, the emperor didn’t force her to stay the night in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He let her grind some ink and chat for a while before letting her leave.

Wei Ying went straight to the Jade Dew Palace and slept. She woke up midday the next day, ate something, then returned to her lounge chair to laze around, offering guidance to the young palace maids and eunuchs who came to her for help as if she were a shaman.

During a break, feeling bored, she decided to take out her storybook to continue reading. As soon as she took out the book, the palace servants around her looked at her with newfound respect.

Wei Ying: “What’s wrong?”

A young palace maid: “Consort Ying is truly Consort Ying. You’re… you’re so amazing!”

Wei Ying’s face inexplicably turned red from the praise. “It’s just a story…”

Her voice suddenly trailed off. She looked down. The blue little book in her hand had five large characters on it:  (The Immeasurable Classic of Virtue). One, two, three, four, five. Five characters, no problem, but… but…

Wei Ying pulled out the other book the dog emperor had given her yesterday from her bosom.  (The Śūraṅgama Sūtra). Perfect.

The palace maids and eunuchs revered her even more, exclaiming, “Consort Ying is actually cultivating both Buddhism and Daoism and doesn’t forget to study all the time!”

Wei Ying gritted her teeth. In her heart, there were only two words: “I’m going to kill this stupid emperor.”

That despicable emperor took advantage of my night blindness! How hateful.

She planned to settle the score with the emperor the next time she visited the Hall of Mental Cultivation and find out where The Record of Amorous Affairs in the Harem was. But after several days, the dog emperor did not summon her again.

Wei Ying got so angry she rolled around in her blanket, asking the system, “Is he secretly reading my storybook during this time, which is why he’s not looking for me?!”

Palace Intrigue System: “Host, you seem very concerned about the emperor!”

Wei Ying: “Am I concerned about him? I’m concerned about that special edition storybook! Little Chick, Little Chick, he must be reading my storybook, right! He’s getting a free pass.”

The Palace Intrigue System sighed. “Host, the emperor isn’t busy with the storybook; he’s busy with…”

“With what?”

“With the fact that Gong Hongbo is about to return to the capital.”

Wei Ying thought for a moment and only then did she dig this person out of the forgotten corners of the original plot. Gong Hongbo, the younger brother of the Empress Dowager and the father of the two Consort Shu sisters, was a powerful and arrogant official who wielded immense power at court. For a long time, he even served as the emperor’s tutor. However, after the little emperor began to govern personally, he became very wary of this maternal uncle. A secret rivalry simmered beneath the surface of the court. When Gong Hongbo’s father passed away, he had no choice but to return home to observe a year of mourning according to ancestral custom, which gave the emperor a chance to rule.

But now, he was returning soon. The original book didn’t describe how the emperor dealt with this arrogant, powerful minister, but the eventual downfall of the Empress Dowager’s faction hinted at Gong Hongbo’s ultimate fate.

Wei Ying spent a long two seconds thinking about the original plot, then continued to roll around in her blanket. “Ahhh! Dog emperor, give me back my storybook!”

Two days later, she didn’t get her storybook back from the dog emperor but instead received an invitation from Consort Li to a small gathering with Xiao Qianxue at the Hall of Profound Splendor.

Xiao Qianxue had a good relationship with Consort Li, so she didn’t think much of the news. Early that morning, she ran to Wei Ying’s room to get dressed, ready to go to the gathering with her friend.

Wei Ying sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching her get busy, as she started to recall this part of the plot. The Banquet at the Hall of Profound Splendor was a significant event in the early part of the heroine’s suffering. When the heroine arrived at the Hall of Profound Splendor, she discovered that Consort Li was not the only one at the banquet. Consort Shu was sitting in the east seat, with Gong Beinun serving beside her—it was a veritable banquet of ill intent.

At the banquet, Consort Shu found an arbitrary reason to have the heroine dragged out and whipped until she was on her last breath. Fortunately, the emperor arrived just in time to rescue the dying heroine.

Wei Ying looked at Xiao Qianxue and couldn’t help but shake her head: such a poor little thing. She used to not understand why Consort Shu would suddenly attack Xiao Qianxue, but after hearing the news that Gong Hongbo was returning to the court a couple of days ago, she understood a bit. This was probably at the Empress Dowager’s behest, a warning not only for Xiao Qianxue but also for the dog emperor.

Xiao Qianxue sat in front of the mirror. “Ying Ying, do you think this hairpin looks good on me?”

Wei Ying didn’t even look up. “It’s beautiful.”

“You didn’t even look.” Xiao Qianxue pouted, then ran to Wei Ying and squatted down in front of her, looking up with her bright, beautiful face. “Who’s prettier, me or the other sisters in the palace?”

Wei Ying: “You are the most beautiful, the most beautiful.”

Xiao Qianxue was delighted again. She ran back to the dressing table to continue getting ready while chatting with Wei Ying. “Ying Ying, why do you think Consort Li suddenly invited us? If we’re at the Hall of Profound Splendor, will Consort Shu and the others come to cause trouble again?”

Wei Ying nodded. “Yes, they most likely will. Maybe we shouldn’t go.”

Xiao Qianxue thought about it and said, “It’s fine. We’re in the palace, so they wouldn’t dare do anything crazy. Don’t be afraid, Ying Ying!”

Wei Ying: “I’m not afraid. After all, I have you.”

Xiao Qianxue was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. “Yes, I will definitely protect you, Ying Ying.”

Wei Ying paused, then said, “What I mean is, I’ll run faster than you.”

Xiao Qianxue: …

She was so angry she put down her eyebrow pencil, ignoring her unfinished makeup, and ran to the bed to tickle Wei Ying’s armpit. “Thank you for that!”

After Wei Ying and the heroine had a playful fight on the bed for a while, she suddenly received a mission from the Palace Intrigue System: “Safely lead the heroine out of the banquet of ill intent hosted by Consort Shu. The reward is one chance at a gacha draw (with a guaranteed green/card).”

Hearing the mission prompt, Wei Ying immediately became energized. She grabbed Xiao Qianxue’s hands. “Let’s hurry to the Hall of Profound Splendor!”

Xiao Qianxue: “But didn’t you just say Consort Shu would come to find fault with us?”

Wei Ying grabbed her hand and rushed her out. “It’s okay. We can play a game of mahjong.”

As they walked out of the Jade Dew Palace, they saw a little palace maid running toward them in a panic, waving a handkerchief as she ran. “Consort Ying, Consort Xiao,” the palace maid said breathlessly, her little face red. She said anxiously, “Consort Li asked me to tell you both not to come under any circumstances. The Empress Dowager is at the Hall of Profound Splendor.”

Xiao Qianxue’s eyes widened in disbelief. “The Empress Dowager?” The Empress Dowager was not someone to be trifled with. If she was there, it was best not to go to the banquet. After all, the Empress Dowager could arbitrarily punish or even execute them, two ordinary imperial consorts.

The little palace maid nodded, stating with certainty, “Yes!” As she said this, she looked up at Wei Ying and thought, Consort Ying’s expression hasn’t changed even after hearing such major news. She’s so calm and amazing!

Wei Ying’s face was expressionless, but in her heart, she was frantically calling out to the Palace Intrigue System.

“Little Chick, Little Chick, do you read me? Do you read me?”

The Palace Intrigue System knew what she wanted to ask. “Host, it’s normal for the plot to change a little because of your presence.”

Wei Ying: “The plot is changing, and you’re only giving me one chance at a blind box draw? Do you think that’s reasonable?”

Palace Intrigue System: “It’s perfectly reasonable.”

Wei Ying was stumped for two seconds. “The level of danger and the reward don’t match. The Empress Dowager is so dangerous. I’m not going.”

The Palace Intrigue System said cautiously, “How about… I’ll give you 50 more points for free?”

After a long, complex, and twisted psychological struggle that lasted a full second, Wei Ying finally decided to bow to the points. “Okay, deal!”

Because it was too dangerous, she also brought along Dong E before leaving.

In the sedan chair, Xiao Qianxue nervously held her hand tightly. “Ying Ying, the Empress Dowager is there… is it really necessary for us to go? I feel like it would be terrible if the Empress Dowager suddenly made a move.”

Wei Ying held her hand back. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. You have me.”

Xiao Qianxue was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. “Ying Ying, you’re so good to me.”

Wei Ying: “That’s why I specifically brought Madam Dong. She’s old, so she definitely won’t run faster than you.”

Xiao Qianxue: …Never mind.

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