I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 45

Yun Shao gently bit the dumpling and, this time, obediently ate it.

Now Wei Ying’s night vision had improved considerably, at least avoiding the awkward incidents of accidentally shoving dumplings into someone’s eyes.

She fed the “female ghost,” a strange sense of accomplishment rising in her heart, as if she were feeding a little pet. She hadn’t expected that after feeding her for so long, she would one day actually feel like her owner.

After Wei Ying fed a few dumplings, Yun Shao shook her head, signaling that she was full.

Wei Ying ruffled the small head opposite her and smiled: “Eating so little isn’t good. But you really can’t eat too much of mortal food. I’ll burn the rest for you, and you can continue eating in the Netherworld!”

Yun Shao: “…N-no need.”

The two of them sat quietly for a while. Wei Ying was about to take her leave when Yun Shao suddenly spoke: “I’ll take you somewhere.”

Wei Ying: “Huh?”

Yun Shao held her hand: “Come with me.”

In the snowy night, Wei Ying couldn’t see clearly and could only follow behind her, being led forward.

The warmth of a human body spread from their joined palms; the female ghost’s hand was soft as if boneless, yet warm. Wei Ying, holding it, said suddenly, “Your hand isn’t cold!”

Yun Shao smiled helplessly: “I’m not a ghost.”

Wei Ying froze for a moment, her eyes wide and round like a little hamster’s.

After a pause, Yun Shao continued: “The one the Empress worshipped that day wasn’t me.”

Wei Ying tilted her head: “Then who was it?”

Yun Shao: “…It was an old acquaintance of ours.”

During the late emperor’s reign, Gong Ruyi was specially favored and domineering, causing harm throughout the harem.

Gong Ruyi had difficulty conceiving, so she persecuted other heirs. If a consort didn’t become pregnant, it was fine; if she was fortunate enough to be with the emperor and became pregnant, Gong Ruyi would have someone deliver miscarriage medicine or three lengths of white silk.

For a time, the palace was filled with tension, and the Anle Hall resounded with cries of despair.

Gong Ruyi believed that she couldn’t have children, but at least she could prevent others from bearing heirs. She never expected that the emperor would impregnate a palace maid.

No one knew when it happened. Perhaps he simply took a fancy to a beautiful maid, favored her, and then deemed her status too low to make a consort, telling no one.

After the maid secretly gave birth, the eunuch Fu Shou carried the child out of the palace to be raised in secret.

During this time, Fu Shou contacted the leader of the Nanhai faction and the contemporary scholar Yue Shan, obtaining support from officials. At that time, the Gong family was at the height of power, and the ministers and palace maids together raised this child, bearing the secret under the threat of execution.

Later, the child grew and reached the age for schooling.

As the heir of the dragon lineage, no teacher could be chosen lightly. Fu Shou originally intended to send Yue Shan to Shengjing to educate the child, but Yue Shan’s fame was such that any movement he made would attract attention. If he left Nanhai, it would alert Gong Hongbo’s faction and risk exposing the secret of the dragon heir.

Yue Shan sent his most talented student to be the imperial tutor.

She was a beautiful young girl, her brows and eyes full of confident pride, dazzling like a blazing sun.

Yun Shao still remembered her first meeting vividly.

The girl from Nanhai carried a pack, wore a pale moon-colored long dress, her black hair tied with a maplewood hairpin. She stood under a flowering tree, gazing up at the fragrant osmanthus in the courtyard as sunlight spilled through the leaves and flowers, falling upon her.

Hearing a voice, she turned her head and smiled: “Little one, I brought you some fresh roasted chestnuts. Want some?”

Yun Shao’s impression of her teacher was of warm sunlight, the scent of osmanthus, and the sweet taste of chestnuts.

The mix of sunlight, fragrance, and sweet chestnuts coated her gloomy childhood with a warm orange glow.

It was warmth.

It was beauty.

Yun Shao concealed her identity, only saying that Yue Qinghui’s old acquaintance had been her childhood teacher, who had treated her well but unfortunately passed away due to an accident.

Wei Ying nodded slightly: “Ah, I see. What a pity.”

Yun Shao stiffened and nodded, her tone low: “Yes.”

Wei Ying smiled: “But it’s okay, you’re alive.” She entwined her fingers with Yun Shao’s, her eyes smiling: “Being alive is better than anything.”

Moonlight fell upon the girl, and in the dappled light, Yun Shao seemed to see the person from before. She stared for a long time without speaking.

Wei Ying tugged her hand: “Aren’t you going to take me somewhere?”

Yun Shao snapped back to reality and silently held her hand, walking forward.

Wei Ying couldn’t see clearly and only followed, turning corners in the palace until they reached a tall pavilion. She climbed the stairs for a long time until she reached the top, arriving at a snow-white terrace.

It was high; the bright moon shone over the snow, and the entire palace was bathed in moonlight.

The palace lanterns swayed like a river of stars, and they seemed to be standing on an endless sea of stars, with a cold, bright moon above.

Leaning on the railing, Yun Shao looked down at the lights below: “Do you know why I like this place best?”

Wei Ying, unusually considerate and not breaking the atmosphere, asked: “Why?”

Yun Shao smiled at her: “Because this is the closest place to the sky.”

Wei Ying: “Ah——”

Near midnight, the bells rang, and colorful fireworks blossomed in the sky one after another.

The light from the fireworks reflected in the girl’s eyes. She tilted her head, staring at the flames, a faint smile on her lips.

Wei Ying watched the fireworks.

Yun Shao watched Wei Ying.

For a while, a small creature seemed to stir in her chest, rolling around in her heart.

Desire quietly grew with the fireworks’ brilliance. She could no longer restrain herself and subtly leaned over to kiss the pair of eyes shining with the lights, like a humble worshipper kissing a star in the sky.

She liked this place, where the sky felt close; even ordinary humans could momentarily imagine holding the stars.

Wei Ying twitched, leaning back until pressed against the icy jade railing, with no room to retreat.

Behind her was a bottomless abyss; the night wind was icy, fluttering their skirts.

Yun Shao’s heart raced. She didn’t dare speak, only staring at Wei Ying.

The girl seemed startled by the kiss; her eyelashes trembled, her eyes rippling with reflected light, gentle and tender.

Yun Shao clenched her hand, feeling as if anything she did could be forgiven by this gentle girl.

So she pressed on, inching closer like before.

Wei Ying blinked rapidly, trying to cover up: “Wow, the fireworks are beautiful, haha.”

Yun Shao stepped closer, half leaning on the railing, cornering Wei Ying, focusing on her sparkling eyes, approaching little by little.

Wei Ying blinked again, seeing the ghost’s features more clearly. No longer blurred, even through the mist, she could distinguish the delicate beauty of her face.

So familiar, so…

She stared, entranced, until the ghost brushed her cheek with another gentle kiss, slower this time, their breaths mingling. She could even smell the scent of alcohol on the ghost.

The scent seemed stronger, tickling her heart, making her wonder how much luck she’d gain from this kiss.

Seizing the opportunity, Wei Ying quickly opened another blind box.

Ah hey, two purple cards! Not bad.

Yun Shao’s cheeks flushed, eyes shimmering, not daring to kiss her lips, only brushing her soft cheek. This alone sent her heart racing.

Yet seeing the girl stiffened, Yun Shao stepped back and softly asked: “What are you thinking?”

Wei Ying: “Thinking about opening cards!”

Yun Shao: “……”

Not understanding “opening cards,” but it was certainly different from what she expected.

Wei Ying suddenly received a notification: ten points of constitution added. She asked the system: “Does kissing the female ghost not only bring luck but also give constitution?”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: …That’s an extra reward I gave you.

Wei Ying thought of what the Palace Intrigue Maiden mentioned—extra rewards for following the plot, climbing the Star-Picking Tower… and the emperor.

She looked up, the ten-point constitution boost making her vision clearer. She could see her “luck-absorbing device” for the first time.

The person across from her was very beautiful, with fair skin and delicate eyes that silently smiled.

Moonlight reflected in her eyes, shimmering silver like a quiet lake, hiding many secrets.

Wei Ying had seen many beauties in the palace—empresses graceful and aloof, concubines stunning, virtuous consorts gentle, even lesser consorts proud and refined. Every woman had her charm, her beauty in her own way.

She had always thought palace beauties competed like flowers, hard to distinguish, but today she saw, for the first time, someone whose beauty eclipsed all.

Wei Ying: “Slurp——”

Wait, this gorgeous beauty looks kind of familiar!

She shook off the beauty filter and looked again, cautiously asking: “Your Majesty?”

Yun Shao tensed, nervously curling her fingers, but quickly realized it was fine.

She lowered her voice: “…I am Yun Shao.”

Wei Ying’s mind went boom. She didn’t know what to say.

She needed time to accept the shocking truth—that the “dog emperor” was her luck-absorbing device.

She wanted to turn away sadly but was pulled back by the sleeve. Yun Shao, wearing a silver fox fur coat, hair messy, cheeks flushed, looked at her: “Ying Ying…”

Wei Ying trembled, frowning.

Yun Shao’s flush faded, returning to pale. She slowly released her hand, soft voice: “I’ve wanted to call you Ying Ying for a long time, since childhood, Teacher.”

From the first meeting, she wanted to pluck this star from the sky.

Wei Ying pursed her lips, smiling: “Your Majesty, what are you saying?”

Yun Shao raised her voice: “Teacher, even if you were reincarnated, do you think I wouldn’t recognize you? We spent eight years together. Once you entered the palace, I recognized you. Xiao Qianxue resembles you, but with the original as comparison, the fake is easy to spot.”

Wei Ying continued to feign ignorance: “Qianxue resembles who, Your Majesty?”

Yun Shao bit her lip, looking at her briefly, seeming about to cry. After a moment, she looked away, passed by Wei Ying, said “Happy New Year,” and hurried away.

Wei Ying leaned on the railing, watching the emperor vanish into the palace depths, disappearing into the night. The wind was icy, she coughed lightly, and after a while, sighed.

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “Host?”

Wei Ying: “I told you I’m not in the palace intrigue group. You know what group I was originally in, right?”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “The White Moonlight group.”

Wei Ying smiled, saying nothing.

As a skilled White Moonlight operative, she knew all the ways to increase favor: helping the protagonist in danger, embracing them in hardship, giving even a little would earn deep gratitude.

Of course, even the brightest beauty marks could turn into mosquito blood. Only timely help wasn’t enough; in the end, a dramatic self-sacrifice was required to be remembered forever.

She was skilled, never failed, and always an excellent employee. She didn’t know what led her to fall in this world.

She had long suspected she was the White Moonlight of this story, but…

The Palace Intrigue Maiden, seeing her silent, said: “Isn’t that perfect? You’re the emperor’s White Moonlight! Conquering the emperor to become palace intrigue queen is easy!”

Wei Ying: “Yes, easy! Now I’m the most important person in the emperor’s heart. Quickly, let me leave this world!”

Palace Intrigue Maiden was speechless.

Wei Ying, thinking of the third stunning beauty she saw tonight, muttered: “Do you know why I chose the White Moonlight group?”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “Why?”

Wei Ying smiled: “Because…”

In her past worlds, many treated her as precious, loving her passionately. She didn’t just take the love; she also gave in accordance with the plot—beauty, wealth, status, and finally life.

She became the eternally pure, eternally admired White Moonlight.

“But,” she smiled, “no matter how much I gave, or how tragically I died, no matter how deep their love, they would still love someone else.”

Without exception.

She remembered the first world she conquered as a missioner. She barely remembered the protagonist’s face, only that she had taken a sword for them and died in their arms.

The protagonist, eyes red from crying, vowed eternal love, but within three years, fell for the female lead resembling her, and ended up happily married to her.

People often said the living can’t compete with the dead, but in truth, the dead are truly unbeatable.

She lingered in that world long enough to see the protagonists wed, standing together like entwined mandarin ducks, while she remembered the bloody end of her own life years ago.

They looked perfect together, while she recalled the time when the protagonist, favoring her, said: “I will love you until the seas dry and stones crumble.”

Seas don’t dry, stones don’t crumble.

That promise was a lie.

Many so-called loves in stories aren’t the way she imagined: lifelong, unforgettable, indispensable, through life and death.

So she decided to only love herself.

Later, she became an excellent missioner, treating worlds like games and human emotions as transactions, never suffering the same psychological issues as other missioners, never believing in the lies of love.

Palace Intrigue Maiden waited silently: “Because…?”

Wei Ying looked at the moonlit, snowy palace: “Maybe it’s because my radiance illuminates all directions.”

She said it earnestly, and the Palace Intrigue Maiden imagined a halo of light around her.

Wei Ying clasped her hands: “Amitabha.”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “…You’ve started again.”

“I want to know why I failed in this world.” She propped her chin, trying to bribe the maiden: “Tell me.”

Palace Intrigue Maiden hesitated: “I would if I could, but my permissions don’t allow it.”

Wei Ying: “Okay, just a little hint.”

The maiden, exhausted by her persistence, revealed what she knew: “This world underwent a major change, probably related to you. That’s why your mission failed.”

Wei Ying sighed, imagining a tragic love story:

“It must be that I loved the dog emperor, willingly sacrificed myself, causing the mission to fail, and now she’s looking for a substitute. Tch! Dog—Em—peror! I’ll kill her!”

She ground her teeth, then realized a problem: “Wait, how old was the dog emperor when I died?”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “Sixteen.”

Wei Ying: “And when we first met?”

“Eight.”

Wei Ying fell silent, discarding the tragic love story. A little kid? She wouldn’t die for that.

“I feel there’s a big problem with my mission failure.”

Palace Intrigue Maiden agreed: “Yes, a big problem.”

Wei Ying: “All the dog emperor’s fault.”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: “Uh…”

Wei Ying: “I’ll kill her!”

The maiden: “Well, maybe.”

Wei Ying thought of the beauty who nearly cried earlier: “But she’s so pretty…”

Palace Intrigue Maiden: …

Wei Ying shook her head, silently reciting a sutra: “Cannot be tempted by beauty! Tch, kill the dog emperor!”

Yet after leaving the Star-Picking Tower, Wei Ying stayed in Anle Hall, not going out, not opening her half-immortal stall, lying like a flattened hamster by the stove, lifeless.

Xiao Qianxue was concerned for her, noticing her odd behavior after that night. She wanted to take Wei Ying out.

“Ying Ying, it’s snowing heavily today. Let’s build a snowman.”

Wei Ying turned over: “Cold.”

Xiao Qianxue: “Not cold, just wear more clothes.”

“No, saving fat.”

Qianxue knelt, meeting her eyes carefully: “Ying Ying, what’s wrong?”

Wei Ying avoided her gaze, hugged a soft pillow, then asked: “Qianxue, if your lover died, would you fall in love with someone else?”

Qianxue, puzzled, speculated: “If you meet someone you like, you would. Life must go on.”

Wei Ying pondered, then said: “You’re right.”

Qianxue hugged her arm: “Ying Ying, why aren’t you happy?”

Wei Ying: “Because I don’t want to move forward.”

Since losing her parents, she knew she could be somewhat stubborn. Most love stories end with life-and-death romance; few move on like Qianxue described.

She had no reason to blame any protagonist from her past worlds.

She didn’t. She never loved them, only played her part. If they loved her deeply, she would have been confused.

Hence, she joined the White Moonlight group—to be loved by many.

Everyone loved her, but none satisfied her. After her death, they followed the plot and loved others, starting fresh.

She gradually realized what she wanted was not normal love. She wanted someone unaffected by the plot, obsessively running to her, breaking her wings, trapping her body—

A perverse love.

Qianxue didn’t understand. She assumed Ying Ying’s age wouldn’t encounter such strange events, probably inspired by a book. She went to sweep the courtyard.

In Anle Hall’s courtyard, a white plum tree bloomed amidst the snow, indistingu

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