I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 36

After Wei Ying began to follow storybooks, she had Green Wax investigate the trends of the storybooks outside the palace, hoping to find clues to figure out who “One-Year Bloom” was.

One-Year Bloom, also known as “Wall-Climbing Weed” (literally, “weed on a wall”).

Who would choose such a pen name?

Ever since she became suspicious, Wei Ying found everyone around her to be questionable:

Green Wax just finished praising her beauty, and in the blink of an eye, she was drooling over Qianxue. Suspicious!

Hong Zhu loved to play matchmaker between Qianxue and her. Suspicious!

Qianxue… she drooled over everyone. Even more suspicious!

Wei Ying sat leisurely in a lounge chair, nibbling on a red bean pastry, a storybook in her hand. The gentle autumn sun shone down, warming her all over. She lazily leaned back, once again secretly cursing the decadent and extravagant life of ancient times, all while thoroughly enjoying it.

Xiao Qianxue came to find her. “Yingying, are you reading a storybook again?”

Wei Ying hummed in response, not looking up, her eyes still glued to the book.

Xiao Qianxue, knowing her way around, sat down in the lounge chair next to her, picked up a red bean pastry, and tilted her head. “Don’t you know? This storybook is already old news.”

“It’s outdated so fast?” Wei Ying looked up, the sun shining in her light-colored eyes, making them as clear as glass.

Xiao Qianxue took a bite of the red bean pastry. “Consort Xian’s cooking is still so good~”

The Jade Dew Palace had a small kitchen, and Consort Xian usually liked to stay there, making small pastries to feed the two newcomers, acting like their devoted caretaker. This plate of crispy and fragrant red bean pastries had just been sent over by her.

Wei Ying sat up and turned her head to look at her. “What did you say just now? These storybooks are outdated?”

Xiao Qianxue nodded and pulled a brand-new storybook from her sleeve. It had a dark blue cover, was bound with white thread, and still smelled faintly of ink.

“I just had someone snatch it from the Shengjing Bookstore. They say it’s selling incredibly well, far surpassing the ‘One-Year Bloom Trilogy.’ I specifically asked Hong Zhu to get three copies, one for each of us.”

Wei Ying took the book and laughed.

The title was Records of Erotic Stories in the Harem.

“Is this a new work by the author of the last ‘Delusional Stories’?” She opened the book, thinking, “It’s just a smutty book!”

How could it compare to One-Year Bloom’s brilliant and talented writing, with its fresh and natural plot?

In just a few days, she had become a loyal fan of One-Year Bloom and was very protective of her favorite author. “A mere smutty book, how can it compare to my ‘Wall-Climbing Weed’ master? I’ll have a look… slurp.”

She held the book, her hands trembling slightly, as she saw a half-dressed beauty on the first page. She instantly understood why the Erotic Stories was so popular, why it had emerged as a dark horse from thousands of other books. It was actually an illustrated book, with exquisite drawings that were both sensual and vivid. She only needed to look at the first page to not want to put it down.

Xiao Qianxue watched her and smiled. “How about now?”

Wei Ying said, “…Who isn’t a wall-climbing weed?”

Now she knew that the real masters were among the common folk. Even the artists of these folk storybooks were far more skilled than the imperial painters. The various pictures of half-hidden beauties made her heart flutter, and she wanted to tear them out and frame them.

The author’s name on this book was Qian Qiu Yue (Thousand Autumn Moon), and the writing was seasoned, with a sensual plot that was no less impressive than One-Year Bloom’s.

Their pen names even had a strange sense of being a perfect match.

Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue sat under the eaves, reading the storybook in the warm late autumn sun. As they read, they lamented that the common people were truly full of hidden talents. Even the brushstrokes on the memorials she had recently seen in the emperor’s study weren’t as masterful.

The high-ranking officials who considered themselves learned were not even as good as two common storybook authors.

Wei Ying shook her head, thinking the Great Sheng Dynasty was doomed. She picked up the last red bean pastry, shared it with Xiao Qianxue, and had Green Wax bring them two cups of light Yunwu tea to cleanse their palates.

Xiao Qianxue clutched her chest, her face flushed. “Ah~ it’s so good! I love it!”

Wei Ying took a sip of tea, and something came to her. She suddenly looked at Qianxue with a wary expression. “One-Year Bloom?”

Xiao Qianxue looked confused and glanced behind her. “One-Year Bloom, where is One-Year Bloom?”

Wei Ying relaxed, finished her tea, and rubbed her stomach. “I thought you were One-Year Bloom. The way you liked that book yesterday and this one today, it wouldn’t be strange for you to have the pen name ‘Wall-Climbing Weed’.”

She said it nonchalantly, but Xiao Qianxue frowned. “Yingying, you’re one to talk. At least I liked the other book for a day before moving on. Look at you. Just a moment ago you said you were ‘loyal to One-Year Bloom,’ and in the blink of an eye, you’ve become ‘I will always love Qian Qiu Yue.’ When it comes to being a wall-climbing weed, who can compare to you?”

Wei Ying: …She makes a very good point.

The clown is me, after all.

That afternoon, she finished most of Records of Erotic Stories in the Harem.

This book was most likely a derivative of One-Year Bloom’s trilogy, a sort of fan fiction of those three books. And the main character was… Duan Xiaoying.

Wei Ying sighed. Luckily, that silly Qianxue didn’t realize that the prototypes for the story were themselves. She was even delighted, saying, “Yingying, their names are just like ours!”

She was so naive that Wei Ying thought the female lead was just a good actress.

In this Records of Erotic Stories, Duan Xiaoying was a peerless beautiful gong (the one on top) and a femme fatale who brought ruin to the country.

Wei Ying was so moved to see herself portrayed as a gong that she almost cried. But as she continued reading, she discovered that in just a few chapters, the Erotic Stories had completely broken up all the couples from One-Year Bloom’s books. The final pairing was a “be” (bad ending) for everyone, with Duan Xiaoying ending up all alone and glorious!

Wei Ying was completely taken aback by this ending. She held the storybook in silence for a long time, the candlelight reflecting in her eyes. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her pale skin, making her features more defined and her gaze soft and affectionate.

She was quiet for so long that the Palace Intrigue System began to panic. “Host, Host?”

Wei Ying: “Little speaker.”

The System was no longer angry and had adapted well to its role. “Ba ba ba.”

Wei Ying laughed and also spoke, “Solitude, solitude, solitude.” (The sound “gu gua” also means “solitude” and “lonely,” but it is also the sound a frog makes.)

The System asked, “Why are you saying ‘solitude’?”

She looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, pretending to look at the non-existent moon. “Qian Qiu Yue is truly my soulmate.”

To be able to see past her appearance of a beautiful shou (the one on the bottom)… pfft, beautiful gong, and discover her brilliant and interesting soul, and from that soul, see her true nature of being ruthless about love and focused on her career!

She was simply her contemporary soulmate.

Wei Ying: “She must have used a magnifying glass to write this!”

Palace Intrigue System: “…You’re a ‘lonely king,’ and you’re proud of it.”

Wei Ying: Solitude, solitude, solitude, solitude, solitude.

Palace Intrigue System: Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba.

Plop. A sound came from outside the door. Green Wax heard the endless chorus of “solitude” from inside and thought it was summer with all the frogs. Distracted for a moment, she tripped on the threshold and almost fell. She came in with a washbasin, looking around curiously, and asked, “Mistress, did you get a frog?”

Wei Ying disingenuously took a sip of tea, her expression serene. “No.”

Green Wax frowned, looking confused. “But I clearly heard a croaking sound, lots of frogs.”

It was as if she were standing by a rice paddy in the middle of summer, hearing the croaking of frogs, one after another, guagua guagua guagua, a whole chorus of them.

Wei Ying: “You must have heard wrong. It’s late autumn. How could there be frogs?”

Green Wax nodded. “You’re right, I must have been mistaken. Mistress, it’s getting late. Let me help you with your ablutions before you go to bed.”

Wei Ying sat up straight, a graceful posture, and obediently let Green Wax help her wash up. After she was done, she was sent to bed.

Green Wax rinsed the towel in hot water twice, wrung it out, and carefully and meticulously wiped Wei Ying’s hands, all while not forgetting to nag. “Mistress, you must go to bed early so your body can recover sooner. Hong Zhu said that recently, Consort Ying has been reading storybooks late every day, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Sigh.”

The two young palace maids often got together to worry about their mistresses’ health, fretting like old nannies.

Thankfully, her mistress had bad eyesight, so even if she wanted to read a storybook at night, she couldn’t.

Green Wax: “It’s a good thing Mistress can’t see at night; that puts my mind at ease. The last few days, when I pass by the main hall, I noticed that Consort Xian’s room light is also on. Why hasn’t she been sleeping well lately?”

Wei Ying touched the corner of her mouth, thinking, “Maybe it’s because this peerless T (a butch lesbian) of hers is too charming.”

The Palace Intrigue System emphasized, “You’re the gong in only one of the four books!”

Wei Ying: “But in that one book, I gong everyone else.” She puffed out her chest proudly. “One book is stronger than three.”

Palace Intrigue System: …That makes sense. Qian Qiu Yue is truly a prodigy. What kind of perceptive vision does one need to discover top gong qualities in this woman?!

Wei Ying snuggled tightly under the covers, only her small head sticking out.

Green Wax held up the lamp. “Mistress, you must go to bed early.”

Wei Ying’s eyes sparkled. Her voice had a happy little lilt at the end. “Okay~ You should also rest early and not get too tired.”

The young palace maid stood there, her cheeks slightly flushed, staring at Wei Ying’s face. She thought, “My mistress is so beautiful and so caring!”

Sob a divine mistress.

With just a few words, Wei Ying had Green Wax’s face completely flushed, and she floated out of the room.

Once Green Wax was gone, she immediately perked up. “Solitude, solitude, solitude, solitude.”

Palace Intrigue System: “…Ba ba ba ba ba.”

Wei Ying: “Solitude, solitude, solitude, solitude.”

Palace Intrigue System: “Ba ba ba ba ba ba!”

Wei Ying: “Solitude, solitude, solitude, solitude.”

Palace Intrigue System: …Hmph, childish!

A few days later, Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue went to visit Consort Xian as usual. They found the usually gentle sister sitting by the window, looking haggard and somewhat bruised under her eyes.

“Lady Consort, what’s wrong?” Xiao Qianxue walked over and asked worriedly.

Consort Xian shook her head, her expression sad, holding a small blue-covered book with white thread.

Wei Ying immediately recognized it as Records of Erotic Stories in the Harem.

Having spent these days together, they knew that Consort Xian was a big fan of storybooks, so they weren’t surprised to see her holding one. But this one had a full “be” ending, so was the lady consort still unable to recover from this heartbreaking ending?

Xiao Qianxue apparently thought the same. “Lady Consort, it’s okay, it’s just a story in a book.”

Consort Xian looked distraught and pale. She placed the Records of Erotic Stories on the table and let out a soft sigh.

Wei Ying also comforted her. “The stories in the book aren’t real.”

Consort Xian sighed again. “No, you don’t understand.”

Xiao Qianxue and Wei Ying exchanged glances, seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes. They had no choice but to sit and drink tea, realizing that the lady consort was truly hurt by this storybook. She hadn’t even made her favorite pastries.

Consort Xian absentmindedly held her tea cup and asked, “Have you two read this book as well?”

Xiao Qianxue’s face gradually turned red, and she said in a low voice, “Yes, I have. It was very good.”

The writing was very “fragrant” (sensual).

She quietly added, “The drawings are also very good.”

The drawings were even more “fragrant.”

Consort Xian looked up and at Wei Ying. “What about you, Yingying?”

Wei Ying smiled as well, her face flushed. “Good. Quite sensual.”

Consort Xian’s eyes went blank, and she slumped weakly on the table. “Why do you like it? All the couples in the book were broken up,” she sniffled, her voice sad and full of resentment. “All the couples in One-Year Bloom’s books were broken up!”

Xiao Qianxue tilted her head, as if she had just realized this. “Oh, yeah.”

She laughed carelessly. “But it’s okay, the Erotic Stories is also very good. Little Ying is so charming, and her name is the same as Yingying’s.”

She clearly still hadn’t figured out the fact that she was the prototype for a character in the book.

Consort Xian looked at Wei Ying with a resentful expression.

The girl’s eyes curved into crescent moons. “Qian Qiu Yue understands me!”

Crack.

Consort Xian’s hand went to her chest, where she heard her heart break.

Why, why… She looked at the three words “Qian Qiu Yue” on the blue book, her expression slowly losing control.

How I hate it!

After that incident, Consort Xian locked herself in her room and had no desire to make pastries. Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue were like two hamsters who had lost their caretaker, jumping around and running in circles to cope with the suffering of having nothing to eat.

To make matters worse, after the release of Records of Erotic Stories, the Noble Consort even stopped seeing Wei Ying.

Having lost the affection of both the Noble Consort and Consort Xian, Wei Ying could only sadly play the erhu, shedding tears with Xiao Qianxue in the desolate sunset.

They wanted to eat the pastries made by Consort Xian and soak in the hot spring of the Noble Consort, sob.

Luckily, although the Noble Consort refused to see her, the small paddock at Baoyun Palace was still open to her.

Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue secretly snuck over, mounted Little Pear Blossom and Thunder, and rode horses in the small paddock, their moods gradually lifting.

Xiao Qianxue followed behind her, her gaze fixed on Wei Ying’s back.

The girl’s back was straight, the riding clothes outlining her slender waist. The lines cut by the setting sun were long and strong. As she galloped, her golden-tinted hair flew in the wind.

She rode up alongside Wei Ying and exclaimed, “Yingying, your riding skills are so good.”

Wei Ying smiled. “After all, I’ve been practicing with the Noble Consort for a long time.”

Xiao Qianxue felt a pang of jealousy, but then she remembered that Wei Ying was now out of favor with the Noble Consort, just like her, and she started to pity her. “Don’t be sad. The Noble Consort likes you so much, she won’t be mad at you for long.”

Wei Ying calmly said, “I’m not sad.”

Xiao Qianxue just assumed she was putting on a brave face and sighed. “I heard that in previous years, the emperor would take the consorts on an autumn hunt, and there would be a hunting competition. I wonder why they aren’t holding it this year. But the empress dowager’s birthday is in about half a month. We’ll definitely be able to see the Noble Consort then!”

As she spoke, Xiao Qianxue’s smile became radiant. “I’ve even prepared a gift!”

As soon as the female lead finished speaking, a mission notification sounded in Wei Ying’s head.

“Attract everyone’s attention at the empress dowager’s birthday celebration, successfully win the empress dowager’s favor, and prevent the female lead from being framed. Physique +10, Synchronization +10, one lucky draw (guaranteed blue card).”

Wei Ying’s eyes lit up. “I’ll do my best!”

Palace Intrigue System: “…Don’t do your best.”

Wei Ying clenched her fist, her fighting spirit high. “I’ll try my best to do an extraordinary job.”

The Palace Intrigue System began to tremble. “No, no, no, just perform normally. Actually, no, please perform poorly!”

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