I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 55

Hearing her say that, Wei Ying couldn’t help but chuckle, “Your Majesty is really amusing.”

Truly deserving of the title “Dog Emperor”—so dog-like that even she felt inferior.

Palace Intrigue Girl: “…You’re still being modest. Who could possibly compare to you?”

Yun Shao saw her smile and also revealed a faint smile, her body relaxing slightly.

It was as if a poorly performing student had suddenly been called on to answer a question and miraculously got it right, feeling a sense of relief.

After a moment of thought, she added, “If you don’t like dealing with them, then I—”

Wei Ying interrupted with a laugh, “I do like it. Consort Jie and Consort Shu are so adorable. If they weren’t around, life would be far less interesting.”

Moreover, if there were no antagonists stirring trouble, her gacha endeavors would face enormous obstacles!

Yun Shao lowered her gaze, pressing her thin lips together, staring at the lotus pond under the moonlight.

The large, round lotus leaves spread out, with a few snow-white lotus blossoms emerging from the green foliage, translucent under the moonlight. A mist rose from the water, gently drifting in the wind.

She lifted her head again.

In the deep blue sky, a few sparse clouds floated near the bright moon.

Mist, clouds, dragonflies, fireflies—she cautiously and greedily glanced at Wei Ying, then quickly looked back at the pond when Wei Ying turned her head.

Wei Ying stretched lazily. “Your Majesty, it’s so late. Shouldn’t you go back to sleep? Aren’t you tired?”

Yun Shao nodded.

Wei Ying instinctively reached out, intending to ruffle her hair as usual, but halfway through, she realized the person in front of her wasn’t Xiao Qianxue, but the Dog Emperor, and immediately withdrew her hand. When she did, she noticed the Emperor’s eyes on her hand, showing obvious regret.

Wei Ying: …

The Emperor looked at her with black, glossy, wet eyes, like a little dog longing for affection.

She reached out again; the Emperor’s eyes lit up, then she withdrew her hand, and his gaze dimmed instantly.

Wei Ying, delighted by this new amusement, repeated the gesture—hand up, hand down—watching the Emperor’s eyes light and dim, as if she were pressing some hidden switch.

Hehe, I’ll touch you now!

Hehe, now I won’t!

Finally, Yun Shao could no longer hold back. She grabbed Wei Ying’s wrist, speaking softly, “Ying Ying, what are you doing?”

Wei Ying smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, “Just playing.”

“Playing?” Yun Shao inhaled deeply, about to speak, when her face was suddenly ruffled quickly. She blinked, stunned, letting Wei Ying use her other hand to ruffle her face as well.

Finding the sensation pleasing, Wei Ying lingered a bit longer before withdrawing her hands. “Not playing anymore. Your Majesty, what did you want to say?”

Yun Shao shook her head, flustered. “N-nothing…”

Wei Ying looked down at her own wrist. “Your Majesty, I’m going to sleep now, but you’re holding my hand.”

Yun Shao lowered her head as well, looking for a moment before slowly letting go and tugging at Wei Ying’s sleeve instead.

Wei Ying walked further inside; Yun Shao followed, passing through the main hall until they reached the carved wooden door.

She looked back. “Your Majesty?”

Still following?

Yun Shao blushed, stammering softly, “My illness… has already healed.”

Wei Ying looked at her.

“I won’t pass the sickness onto you.”

Wei Ying: “So?”

Before she could respond, Yun Shao quickly slipped into the room, standing by the bedside, loosening several buttons of her collar. “I will serve you in bed.”

Wei Ying silently stepped into the room. “Your Majesty.”

Yun Shao removed her outer clothing, revealing snow-white, jade-like skin through the spacious collar of her inner garment. Below, layers of white bandages tightly wrapped her chest, with slightly bluish skin showing from tight binding.

Only when the Palace Intrigue Girl reminded her did Wei Ying realize she had been staring for a long time. Yun Shao blushed and looked down, yet unbuttoned one more button.

Wei Ying couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

Yun Shao paused, eyes a little dazed. “What pain?” She traced the layered bandages over her chest with her fingers, then looked up. “Hmm? These aren’t wounds. They don’t hurt.”

Wei Ying pondered and said slowly, “These are wounds.”

Yun Shao looked at her as if she couldn’t understand, like a student struggling to find the correct answer. After a long pause, she nodded. “A long time ago, they hurt, but now… they don’t.”

Wei Ying met Yun Shao’s gaze.

The Emperor’s eyes were confused and uneasy. Her hands clutched her sleeves tightly, looking nervous. She had never felt pain from binding her chest, but a simple remark from Wei Ying almost brought her to tears.

For a moment, Wei Ying didn’t know what to say.

She lowered her head and noticed a small black spot on the lamp, reaching out with a handkerchief. Only then did she see it wasn’t dust but a small insect that had died trying to fly into the flame. Every summer, these suicidal insects were abundant, ignoring all barriers to the fire.

Truly unreasonable.

She continued polishing, thinking of a metaphor:

Moths fly toward light, mistaking it for the moon. The moon is too far, and their entire life cannot reach it. Exhausted, they mistake the lamp’s flame for moonlight and throw themselves into the fire.

Perhaps they are simply too tired.

Yun Shao sat by the bedside, quietly watching her.

After a while, Wei Ying spoke: “When you sleep at night, undo the bandages. Too tight is bad for your health.”

Yun Shao bit her lip, showing a conflicted expression, and weakly refused.

“Undoing it is troublesome.”

But before Wei Ying could say more, her hands were already on the bandages, slowly unwrapping layer by layer, her face slightly pale.

Once loosened, she quietly called Wei Ying.

Wei Ying didn’t look up, polishing the brass lamp until it shone as if glazed.

Yun Shao sat at the bedside, hands on her knees, the white bandages loose on the bamboo mat. Her body was pale and slender, her waist thin, neck long, collarbones delicate. After years of binding, she showed the faint, budding figure of a young girl.

She sat for a long time, feeling slightly cold, and noticed Wei Ying focused on the lamp. She removed her silk socks and curled under the blanket, leaving only her deep black eyes visible.

“Still not coming to sleep?” she asked.

Wei Ying finally set down the handkerchief and lamp, stopping her polishing, and turned to leave.

Yun Shao hurriedly sat up, wrapping herself in the blanket. “Ying Ying, where are you going?”

Wei Ying smiled, “Your Majesty, I’m going to sleep.”

Yun Shao: “Not sleeping here?”

Wei Ying honestly answered, “But Your Majesty, this isn’t where I sleep.” She blinked and couldn’t help laughing. “This is the guest room. I sleep next door.”

Yun Shao opened her mouth but didn’t speak.

Wei Ying stepped back. Yun Shao wanted to follow, but having loosened her bandages, she couldn’t immediately stop her. At the door, Wei Ying smiled. “But Your Majesty, tight bandages really aren’t good for your body. I’m serious. When you sleep tonight, undo them. Since the guest room is usually empty, you can sleep a little longer tomorrow.”

Yun Shao called after her: “Ying Ying.”

Wei Ying turned patiently. “Anything else?”

The bedding slid to the beauty’s chest, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin. She looked at Wei Ying and asked again, “Not sleeping here?”

Wei Ying thought for a moment, recited a few lines.

Yun Shao didn’t understand and frowned. “What?”

Wei Ying: “Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. It’s the Heart Sutra, Your Majesty. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form! You should read the sutras more.”

Yun Shao: …

After the girl left, she sat up expressionless, slowly tightening her bandages again, gripping the cloth, face slightly pale, frowning.

It actually hurt a bit.

She went to the table, noticed the handkerchief used for the lamp, and twisted the silk in her hands. Outside the flickering candle, the silk lampshade Wei Ying had just placed covered a few small insects circling anxiously.

Yun Shao lifted the shade, and the tiny insects flew straight into the flame, sizzling, thin blue smoke slowly rising.

—

The next day, Wei Ying deliberately got up early, checking the guest room before the servants came to clean, to avoid revealing the Emperor’s identity. But the room was empty; the Emperor had already left.

Wei Ying noticed her handkerchief on the table was gone. She stared at the empty surface until Lǜ Zhà entered, surprised. “Master?”

Lǜ Zhà: “Did Master sleep here last night?”

Wei Ying glanced at the messy bedding, stretched, and smiled, “Yes, but I couldn’t sleep, so I went back to my room.”

Lǜ Zhà nodded. “No wonder I saw your main chamber light on briefly, and this room as well.”

Wei Ying greeted her, picked up her fishing rod to enter “sage mode,” and fished until afternoon, only to be dragged again by the persistent Consort Shu to the usual place.

Palace Attendant stepped lightly, deliberately walking beside her, whispering, “My sister invited a monk over. I heard he’s quite skilled. You… be careful.”

Wei Ying blinked in surprise.

Apparently no pretense?

Palace Attendant immediately pouted, annoyed: “What are you looking at me for? I’m warning you for your own good, don’t take kindness for foolishness!”

Consort Shu turned her head, noticing her younger sister sticking close to Wei Ying, grabbed her by the ear, and warned, “Don’t speak. If something happens, stay behind me, don’t run off.”

Palace Attendant continued pouting.

Consort Shu leaned closer, whispering: “And don’t get too close to Wei Ying.”

Palace Attendant’s lips protruded long; she secretly glanced at Wei Ying, who smiled gently back.

The courtyard still held palace servants, watching Wei Ying approach. Their eyes were no longer disrespectful but filled with awe. Master Zhang, in a long robe, stood by the offering table with a kindly, plump monk nearby.

Consort Shu smiled: “Sister, yesterday was strange. I suspected something was off, so I invited the master to come again. You don’t mind, right?”

Wei Ying smiled, her fun arriving.

The plump monk smiled, palms together. “Blessed one.”

Wei Ying nodded.

Consort Shu hurriedly asked: “Did the master find anything?”

A card silently flew onto his body. The plump monk trembled slightly, pointed at Wei Ying, and said, “This one is indeed not like ordinary people.”

Consort Shu looked delighted. “Then she is—?”

A card silently landed on him. The plump monk shuddered and pointed at Wei Ying. “This one is the reincarnation of Buddha!”

Everyone: !!!

The gazes toward Wei Ying instantly changed, full of reverence.

Palace Attendant whispered to Consort Shu: “See? I told you she isn’t a demon!”

Consort Shu was confused, tugged her ear again.

Suddenly, a furious roar broke the silence. Master Zhang sprang up, ebony sword pointing at the monk. “You shameless monk, spouting nonsense! She is not the reincarnation of Buddha!”

Consort Shu looked at Master Zhang as if he were a savior. “Master Zhang is right. You—”

Master Zhang shouted: “She is clearly a true immortal descended to the mortal realm!”

Support