I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 63

Dong’e forgot exactly how she left the Virtuous Consort’s bedchamber.

She wandered out in a daze, still clutching a bundle of “study materials” that the Virtuous Consort had thrown to her for careful reference and understanding. When she returned to her own room, she opened the package and looked at the books inside, her mind immediately drifting.

“What’s Records of Palace Intrigues?”

“And what’s A Thousand Songs?”

Dong’e extended a trembling hand and flipped open Oriole in the Palace, which looked somewhat literary and restrained—and then she was completely engrossed, reading until dawn. From that night on, Yulu Hall had a new night owl.

The next morning, Dong’e rubbed her reddened eyes and lay down on her bed, while Wei Ying had just gotten up from the dragon bed.

Wei Ying stretched lazily, touched the side of the bed—it was still warm—the Emperor had only just left.

Being an emperor sure was a tough job; others at least had 9-to-6, but she was basically on call 24/7.

As she complained, Wei Ying tilted her body to lie on the spot still warmed by Yun Shao, looking up at the dragon-embroidered canopy above, and said, “Tong, come out, let’s draw some cards!”

It was time for another fun card-drawing session!

Prince Luling would soon enter the palace, and she guessed that more unexpected events would follow, so she decided to draw two cards first.

The Palace Intrigue Girl mocked without mercy: “Host, you’re not seriously trying to rely on your own draws, are you? No way, no way?”

Wei Ying paused for a moment, grabbed her blanket, and said, “It’s not… the dog emperor still has some residual warmth! Hurry, draw, or it’ll go cold!”

She thought that absorbing a bit of leftover “good fortune” from the dragon bed shouldn’t harm the Emperor’s luck. If he hadn’t been having such a rough time recently, she would have started drawing right there on the bed the previous night.

Sighing, Wei Ying remembered the days when she could absorb fortune without any psychological burden. She buried her head in the blanket, inhaled deeply, and smelled a faint scent of calm water, saying, “Come on, draw one!”

The golden box slowly opened, releasing a blue light.

This time, it was a blue card, still “New Favor,” lasting three minutes.

Wei Ying inhaled deeply and smiled with satisfaction: “Actually, not bad, right?”

Palace Intrigue Girl: “Host, wake up. This guaranteed card is a blue one.”

Wei Ying fell silent.

Palace Intrigue Girl: “Do you want to draw again?”

Wei Ying rolled around on the dragon bed, checked her points—they were still plentiful—and decided not to draw for now. She held onto the “New Favor” card, smiled, and suddenly asked, “Can I change the mission from ‘don’t make the Emperor jealous’ to ‘don’t make her eat something else’?”

Palace Intrigue Girl: “…That’s definitely not allowed.”

Wei Ying rolled twice more: fine.

Palace Intrigue Girl: “Host, you have to take palace intrigue seriously. You can’t rely on shortcuts!”

Wei Ying looked surprised: “Am I not serious enough? I already climbed onto the Emperor’s bed, and I’m rolling around on it,” she hugged a pillow and rolled back and forth: “See, I rolled over here, see, I rolled over there, hehe.”

She rolled around like a happy little pig.

When Fu Shou walked into the bedchamber, he paused for a moment, then quietly retracted his step.

Wei Ying got up: “Sir, I’m awake.”

Fu Shou smiled: “Your Highness, sleep a little longer. The Emperor instructed us not to disturb your rest.”

Wei Ying hugged the blanket and tilted her head: “Does the Emperor get up this early every day?”

Fu Shou: “Not really. Only when he sleeps with Your Highness does he get up slightly later,” he glanced at Wei Ying and added, “In the past, His Majesty often spent whole nights unable to sleep, working through the palace to handle state affairs—it was very exhausting.”

May the Empress Dowager show some mercy.

Wei Ying exclaimed, “So he would also drag others along to stay up with him?”

Just like the first time she attended the imperial bedchamber and saw the Empress and Virtuous Consort staying up together, everyone pulling all-nighters happily.

Fu Shou didn’t expect her to say that and was stunned for a moment.

Wei Ying looked at him, her big eyes sparkling: “Who’s taking care of state affairs now? Am I becoming a hindrance to the country?”

Fu Shou wiped his forehead nervously and stammered: “Your Highness… of course you’re not a hindrance,” he took a deep breath to calm himself and said, “Are you hungry? Someone, help the lady wash up.”

Wei Ying looked at the large breakfast Fu Shou had prepared—all her favorite dishes. She only had a little fermented rice ball, then, while the sunlight was still mild, rubbed her belly and leisurely walked back to Yulu Hall.

The autumn sky was clear, the blue deep, with a few drifting clouds—so vivid it looked like a high-saturation oil painting.

She walked with her hands behind her back, like an elderly lady taking a morning stroll, and found a quiet spot in the imperial garden. Slowly, she pushed her hands forward and began practicing Tai Chi.

Palace Intrigue Girl: “Host, what are you doing?”

Wei Ying: “Exercising and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.”

The Palace Intrigue Girl thought the host was going further down the mystical path and could only watch in silence as she completed a set of Tai Chi, a set of Baduanjin, stretched her limbs, and returned to Yulu Hall.

Life in Yulu Hall remained peaceful, except for Dong’e, whose room light burned through the night, her eyes now marked with dark circles and a burning intensity whenever she looked at Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue.

Xiao Qianxue: “Ying Ying, don’t you feel something strange?”

Wei Ying sipped tea: “What’s strange?”

Xiao Qianxue whispered: “Dong’e… she’s been acting weird recently.” She was about to continue when Dong’e suddenly entered, carrying a tray of pastries.

“These are new peach pastries and date pastries made by the Virtuous Consort,” Dong’e said with a loving smile. “Little ladies, have a taste?”

Xiao Qianxue instinctively glanced at Wei Ying, who picked up a date pastry and handed it to her: “Eat.”

Dong’e drew in a breath, her smile growing even brighter. After a few more words, she finally left, her face still beaming with the smile of an aunt.

Xiao Qianxue finished the pastry and quickly whispered to Wei Ying: “See? I told you Dong’e is acting strangely!”

Indeed, she seemed off—always looking at them with strange eyes!

Wei Ying picked up a date pastry and took a small bite: “Nothing strange. Where’s the strangeness?”

Xiao Qianxue, seeing her calm demeanor, scratched her head: “Really? Not strange at all?”

Wei Ying stretched, inhaled the peaceful air, and took a nap, also thinking about how to “conquer” Dong’e as a source of points.

Points were related not only to the level of the target but also to their faction. For instance, although Dong’e’s level was lower than Li Pin’s, she was the Empress Dowager’s confidante and firmly in the villain faction. If Wei Ying could win her over, it would surely be worth more than 200 points.

However, she already had plenty of points accumulated through her mystical “fortune gathering” profession, so she didn’t need to rush.

Days passed much as usual. The weather turned cool, the trees golden, and the sweet scent of osmanthus filled every corner of the palace.

One day, Wei Ying woke from the dragon bed; autumn sunlight filtered through the carved window, illuminating Yun Shao’s half-face with pale, porcelain-like clarity.

Wei Ying leaned down, watching the sunlight catch her lashes, Yun Shao’s deep double eyelids stretching, revealing the small beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

She seemed to find the sunlight too bright and furrowed her brow slightly, lashes trembling.

Wei Ying couldn’t help but put her hand over her eyes; the soft golden lashes brushed against her palm.

Her palm felt slightly itchy and warm. Still groggy, she finally looked outside and realized it was past the usual morning court hours.

The previous night had a lot of memorials; the Emperor had gone to bed late. Fearing the Emperor might rap in her ear again, she had stayed up late too. Judging by the sun, the morning court had long been delayed.

Fu Shou hadn’t come to wake them either. Wei Ying tapped her head, saw the Emperor, and didn’t plan to wake her—she quietly got dressed.

She moved lightly, got off the bed, and just as she put on her clothes, she noticed Yun Shao had already opened her eyes.

Those deep black eyes, in the sunlight, were like obsidian soaked in water—any imperial severity or gloom vanished, leaving only moist clarity.

Wei Ying’s heart skipped two beats, she quickly looked away: “Your Majesty, you woke up late.”

Yun Shao looked outside, lips curving slightly: “I know.”

Wei Ying, still dressed, raised an eyebrow in surprise: “You know?”

Yun Shao propped her head with her hand, smiling: “Since it’s already late, let’s not get up. The day is still young. Ying Ying, stay with me a bit longer, okay?”

Wei Ying struggled to reconcile the harsh sunlight with “the day is still young,” but under the Emperor’s earnest invitation and the subtle allure of a consort’s closeness, she climbed back onto the dragon bed. She remembered the phrase: “The night is short and the day rises late; from now on, the emperor won’t attend court early,” feeling herself drifting further toward the path of a “demonic consort.”

Still, she climbed back, the sun-warmed cup soft beneath her like a freshly baked muffin. She turned her head to meet Yun Shao’s curved eyes.

Yun Shao smiled contentedly, the corner of her eye tugging upward, hiding her small beauty mark again.

Wei Ying watched for a while, only looking away when Yun Shao’s ear began to flush, and asked: “Your Majesty, why aren’t you attending court today?”

Yun Shao lightly hummed, showing slight displeasure, tugging Wei Ying’s sleeve: “Stay with me today, alright?” Before Wei Ying could answer, she added: “If you do well, it wouldn’t be impossible to promote you to Zhaoyi or something.”

Wei Ying smiled: “Your Majesty, even without Zhaoyi, if you ask, I wouldn’t refuse.” She winked: “So what do you want to do today?”

Yun Shao thought for a moment: “First, stay with me and sleep. Then eat with me. Then take a walk in the imperial garden with me…”

Wei Ying counted on her fingers and muttered: “Sleep with the Emperor, level up. Eat, level up. Play… forget it, let’s give a discount. Playing counts as a bonus. Let’s say just two levels total.”

Yun Shao had never seen such a fresh and transparent “point calculation” from a consort. She silently thanked her ancestors for adding extra consort ranks; otherwise, Wei Ying might have shot up the ranks in just a few days.

Wei Ying looked like a sly merchant: “Your Majesty, don’t miss out, only at this shop today!”

Yun Shao sighed, closed her eyes, and rested her head on Wei Ying’s shoulder.

She had waited six years for this “shop.”

Wei Ying also lay down, hands together, trying to fall asleep again, staying with Yun Shao until noon. She was a little hungry, but Fu Shou quickly brought a full meal, all her favorite dishes.

She picked up her chopsticks and saw Yun Shao rubbing her forehead, looking unwell.

Wei Ying frowned slightly, asking: “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

Yun Shao looked at her, pouting: “Headache.”

Wei Ying quickly understood: too much sleep, poor sleep quality, and weak body likely caused her headache and nausea. Considering the Emperor’s exhausting, year-round work, this was inevitable; no wonder past emperors rarely lived long.

So she eagerly decided to improve the Emperor’s constitution: “Your Majesty, let’s go practice Tai Chi!”

Yun Shao paused, then smiled: “If you like it, I’m fine.”

By afternoon, back at Yulu Hall, Wei Ying finally understood why the Emperor skipped court: today was the day Prince Luling entered the capital. Normally, the Emperor would lead officials in the hall to greet him—but today, he confidently skipped it.

Wei Ying guessed that tomorrow’s court memorials would pile up again, so she calmly lay on a recliner with a homemade cucumber mask. Xiao Qianxue copied her.

That evening, the palace banquet welcoming Prince Luling began. The Emperor specially sent Fu Shou to say that Wei Ying need not attend if she felt tired.

Wei Ying suddenly realized the mission was to prevent the Emperor from getting jealous. If she pulled Xiao Qianxue away and skipped the banquet, maybe she could avoid triggering the story.

However, whether they attended or not, Gong Beinu would mention Xiao Qianxue’s sword dance from last year, triggering the original plot. Wei Ying decided it was safer to attend and control the scene.

So Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue got dressed and followed the Virtuous Consort to the banquet.

The banquet had just begun. The Empress Dowager sat at the highest position, the Emperor slightly below, and the Empress absent. In the first row sat a stranger, who froze upon seeing Wei Ying and Xiao Qianxue.

Wei Ying scanned the room—it all seemed familiar, like the past Mid-Autumn and birthday banquets, except their seating advanced as they were now elevated to Concubines.

They reached their seats, and before sitting, felt a burning gaze. Looking over, they met the Emperor’s resentful eyes.

Yun Shao: …She still came.

Even after spending the whole day with Wei Ying, she should be tired, and the Emperor even told Fu Shou she needn’t come. Yet, she insisted.

Clearly, she still cared about Prince Luling, so she had to come.

The Emperor: suddenly sour!

Wei Ying smiled at Yun Shao, ignoring everyone else, walked to her side, picked a grape from the golden tray, peeled it, and handed it to the Emperor:

“Your Majesty, may I sit here?”

The Emperor: suddenly sweet!

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