I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 70

Wei Ying: “Hmm?”

Gong Beinu pursed her lips, lowered her head, and clutched the embroidered mandarin duck handkerchief tightly. Ever since she was little, she had been inferior to her elder sister in everything. She pricked herself with the needle while embroidering, forgot what she had memorized in the blink of an eye, and except for being slightly prettier, she was practically useless.

The silly beauty pouted, looking at Wei Ying with a forlorn expression. “Can we not go?”

She was supposed to dislike Duan Wei Ying, but this person didn’t disdain her embroidery, even complimented her, and called them friends.

The word “friend” was too unfamiliar for Miss Gong; it made her body tremble slightly every time she heard it, as if a string of burning sparks had entered her ears and scorched her bloodstream, making her heart skip a couple of beats.

Wei Ying smiled and walked up to Gong Beinu, patting her head. “It’s just the autumn hunt. The participants are chosen by the Empress and the Noble Consort. Besides, Zhaorong knows I’ve always liked archery.”

Gong Beinu’s face scrunched up, emphasizing, “This time is different.”

“Can we not go?” she asked, raising her small face and grabbing Wei Ying’s sleeve. “What’s so good about it? It’s freezing out there. Stay in the palace, I’ll give you lots of Eastern pearls.”

In her whole life, Miss Gong had never lowered herself like this. Normally, if she were speaking to anyone else, she would have issued orders from a high and mighty position. But for a friend… her sister had once said that when speaking to a close friend, one should not hold a high stance.

Friends should see each other as equals.

Although she thought Duan Wei Ying was good for nothing except a pretty face, they were… quite a match.

Gong Beinu entertained the thought happily. She had assumed Wei Ying would be flattered and agree, but Wei Ying only raised a hand to touch her head, looked down with a gentle smile, and said nothing.

Gong Beinu: “Hmph, you turn kindness into donkey liver and lungs!”

The young lady turned her back, fuming, and stomped off. On the way, she bumped into Xiao Qianxue and shot the innocent girl an angry glance.

Xiao Qianxue scratched her head. “Is she mad again? Why is she always mad?”

Wei Ying smiled, jumped onto the bed, and wrapped herself in blankets, thinking over what Gong Beinu had just said.

Not going to the autumn hunt?

But she couldn’t avoid it—the autumn hunt was tied to the next plot point and her mission.

She closed her eyes and sighed lightly, noticing that Gong Beinu was also starting to resist the influence of the “plot force,” even reminding her that the autumn hunt could be dangerous.

Wei Ying leaned against the head of the bed and chuckled softly. She had been through so many worlds; in all of them, everyone seemed to move along an invisible set of strings, compelled to act according to a preordained trajectory, though the participants themselves were never aware of it.

Now, the threads on everyone seemed to show signs of loosening.

She wondered if this world was special.

Perhaps it was because she had stood in the cold last night, and today her nose was a bit congested, and unusual thoughts kept drifting into her mind.

Wei Ying sniffled, curling up at the head of the bed, clutching the blanket, reflecting on the moment of rising despair. Even after so many disappointments, even knowing how terrifying the plot force could be, what fate was, and what divine will was, she couldn’t help but…

Maybe this world really was special.

Xiao Qianxue jumped onto the bed, concerned. “Wei Ying, are you catching a cold?”

Wei Ying’s eyes curved slightly with a faint blush, her fingers touching the corner of her lips, black hair framing her pale cheeks. She tilted her head and asked Xiao Qianxue suddenly, “Will you remember me?”

Xiao Qianxue blinked, confused. “What?”

Wei Ying smiled and gave her a bear hug. “Nothing, let’s go eat!”

After breakfast, Wei Ying instructed the palace assistant to summon the autumn hunt plot from the original book.

The autumn hunt was far more dangerous than the summer retreat. On the way to the hunting grounds, assassins attempted an attack, nearly succeeding, but the nearby female protagonist saved the emperor by taking the blow.

The female protagonist was not fatally injured. The emperor had her sent to a nearby town to recover, but there was an incident that caused a miscarriage, leaving a permanent wound in her heart. The original book didn’t mention what happened to the emperor during the autumn hunt.

Wei Ying’s gaze landed on Xiao Qianxue’s stomach.

Xiao Qianxue bowed her head, eating; her belly seemed round, indeed a little plump.

Wei Ying pondered how to fix this plot bug. Was the solution to have the female protagonist become a voracious eater, enlarging her belly? That was cruel!

Xiao Qianxue looked up. “Wei Ying, what are you staring at?”

Wei Ying averted her eyes and coughed awkwardly. “Ah, eat less.”

Tears filled Xiao Qianxue’s eyes. “Wei Ying doesn’t dote on me anymore q^q, you’ve started to dislike me q^q, Wei Ying has someone else outside.”

Wei Ying sighed, holding her forehead. She always couldn’t stand overly cute, pitiful beauty acts. Now, the protagonist had figured out how to keep her under control.

Damn it.

Well, it didn’t matter too much. For now, Xiao Qianxue would definitely avoid the miscarriage suffering and live brightly and foolishly—perhaps that was a kind of happiness.

As for taking the blow plot…

Her eyes lit up. “I can do it, let me go!”

As a skilled “white moonlight” operative, taking the blow was second nature to her.

“It’s just a pity,” Wei Ying said to the system, “In the past, after taking a blow, I could basically walk away.”

She already knew the routine by heart: sacrifice herself to save the protagonist, spitting blood, staring at the protagonist’s face as if saying a thousand unspoken words, her light fading, and dying beautifully and tragically in the protagonist’s arms, becoming the eternal white moonlight!

Wei Ying frowned, holding her cheeks in both hands, sighing in sadness.

She was young, skilled in death-saving techniques, yet unable to utilize them—a true waste of talent.

Palace assistant: “…As long as you become the palace queen, you can—”

Wei Ying’s fighting spirit ignited. She resolved to work hard for the sake of death-saving techniques!

Night fell, with autumn rain drizzling.

She sat by the window on her beautiful couch, reading, the palace lamp casting a dim, hazy light.

The beauty read by the window, her brows and eyes like a painting.

Xiao Qianxue quietly admired her for a while before sneaking over, peeking down. “Eh?” Wei Ying was holding not a newly released storybook from Shengjing, but a treatise from Yue Shan, widely circulated among scholars.

Wei Ying set the book down, looked up, and smiled. “You go to sleep first.”

Xiao Qianxue frowned. “Why are you reading this?”

Wei Ying explained, “Just bored, and after reading too many storybooks…”

Xiao Qianxue climbed onto the couch next to the consort and smiled. “This was written by the Empress’ father. Look.” She pointed to the authors’ names on the title page; the first was Yue Shan.

Yue Shan had once served in court, advising the late emperor multiple times in vain before resigning and teaching. He became a great scholar, educating many outstanding students, a few of whom Xiao Qianxue had read.

She laughed, pointing out the following names. “The next few are quite familiar, remarkable men.” When she got to the second name, she frowned. “Duan Songyin? Who is this? Why is he second and not famous?”

By logic, anyone co-authoring with Yue Shan should be notable.

She pointed to the third name. “I’ve heard of Yue Zhengming, collaborated with Yue Shan, but he lived in seclusion, perhaps teaching at an academy.”

The last two names were well-known scholars.

Xiao Qianxue didn’t think much about why they were listed later and dragged Wei Ying to sleep.

Wei Ying put the book down, going to sleep beside her. After a while, she heard the sound of hooves outside.

Xiao Qianxue, still awake, turned over. “Hooves? Who’s here?”

Wei Ying got up first, walked to the window, opened a small crack, and looked down. In the dark, a small pear-white horse stood quietly, its fur faintly glowing.

Wei Ying closed the window expressionlessly and told Xiao Qianxue, “Not hooves, it’s just raining.”

Xiao Qianxue nodded and went back to sleep.

Wei Ying quietly left the room.

The emperor had already undressed and lay on her bed, black hair spread across the sheets. She heard the movement, propped herself up, and saw the silk blanket slipped to the waist, the chest tightly bound in bandages, and the slender waist.

Wei Ying frowned. “How can you sleep like this? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

Yun Shao smiled. “Too busy, let it be today?”

Wei Ying approached. “How busy?”

“Very busy,” Yun Shao said, tilting her head, then smiled, covering her chest with her long hair. “If Wei Ying is willing to help, it’s not impossible.”

Wei Ying: …

“Do it yourself.”

The little emperor pouted, curling into the blanket. “Then I won’t undo it.”

Wei Ying couldn’t help smiling at her pride.

Yun Shao pouted for a while, then grabbed Wei Ying’s sleeve. “Come sleep, I’ve warmed the blanket.”

Wei Ying hesitated, thinking of the female protagonist in the other room. She glanced at the wet osmanthus in the corner and sat on the bed. “Your Majesty, sleep first.”

Yun Shao held her sleeve, insisting, “Come lie down, next to me.”

Wei Ying lay down, tense and alert, hoping the emperor would fall asleep quickly so she could sneak to Xiao Qianxue. A little thrill of secret mischief.

Yun Shao tossed and turned, refusing to sleep.

Wei Ying asked, “Aren’t you tired? Why can’t you sleep?”

Yun Shao murmured, “Chest feels tight.”

The binding was too tight, hard to breathe. Having tasted some comfort with Wei Ying, the old restriction now felt unbearable.

Wei Ying sighed. “I should have let you undo it earlier.”

Yun Shao insisted, “Wei Ying, help me.”

Wei Ying: …

She leaned closer, placed her hands on the chest, carefully undoing the knots. Her fingers accidentally touched warm, delicate skin.

Wei Ying paused, feeling the body tense, and scolded softly to cover her embarrassment: “You’re an emperor and don’t have a custom chest garment? This is hard to undo.”

Yun Shao whispered, eyes downcast, ears red.

Wei Ying finished and quickly moved away. “Sleep now.”

Yun Shao murmured, “Mm,” satisfied with the brief embrace.

In the dark, Wei Ying waited until her breathing was even before quietly getting up, dressing, and leaving. She glanced at the emperor, still curled in bed, lips lightly pursed.

Yun Shao softly asked, “Why are you up?”

Wei Ying: “Uh… to go to the bathroom.”

Yun Shao smiled. “Okay, I’ll wait.”

Wei Ying: …Don’t.

She tucked the blanket, smiled: “Rest early. Don’t wait for me.”

Yun Shao’s ears flushed, buried in the pillow. “Okay.”

Wei Ying returned to Xiao Qianxue’s room. She was indeed still waiting, half-asleep, holding Wei Ying’s hand. Wei Ying reassured her that the osmanthus had been placed.

Xiao Qianxue fell asleep for real this time.

Wei Ying carefully withdrew her hand, waited a bit to ensure she slept, then returned to her own bed.

The emperor quickly pressed close, pressing her cold hands and legs, snuggling. Suddenly, she raised her face: “Where did you just go?”

Wei Ying: “Hmm? Didn’t I tell you?”

Yun Shao lowered her eyes, lips tight. “You lied… went to see Xiao Qianxue?”

Wei Ying’s mind raced, suddenly withdrawing her hand. “Your Majesty, were you following me?”

“No,” Yun Shao protested, black eyes moist. “You smell of her perfume.”

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