I've Decided To Be This Tyrant's Dark Moonlight - Chapter 75

“Your Majesty,” Wei Ying noticed her dazing off and kindly reminded, “Aren’t you thirsty? Have some water.”

Yun Shao absentmindedly took the water flask, lowered her head, and smiled faintly, holding it but not daring to drink.

So much time had already been wasted; thinking she couldn’t compete with the Noble Consort, Wei Ying gave up on trying and tied the reins to a nearby tree. She then went to sit beside the emperor on a rock.

Below them, a spring gurgled and flowed.

Wei Ying leaned back, hands behind her head, watching the sunlight beam through the dense forest, illuminating the slightly yellowing leaves at the treetops. The sun of mid-summer was making a valiant effort, finally scorching the leaves.

Yun Shao followed her gaze upward, saw the autumnal desolate leaves, and smiled lightly. She said softly, “Ying Ying is from Jiangnan. I heard that even in autumn, the leaves there remain green, is that true?”

Wei Ying nodded, then added, “But it also depends on the species.”

“Jiangnan,” Yun Shao murmured the word, a faint smile appearing on her face. She picked up a dry twig at her feet and fiddled with it, “I’ve been to Jiangnan too. It’s very nice, isn’t it?”

Wei Ying smiled. “It’s nice there as well.”

Yun Shao lowered her head, twirling the dry twig among the withered grass growing in the stone cracks, her ears tinged red. She quietly said, “There, Ying Ying…”

Wei Ying propped herself up, tilting her head to look at her. “There… isn’t it Your Majesty?”

Yun Shao lowered her head even more and whispered, “That’s why it isn’t nice.”

Ying Ying is good, so Jiangnan is good; but she herself isn’t, so Shengjing isn’t good.

Whenever it came to matters concerning Wei Ying, Yun Shao’s thinking became simple, almost childlike. She recalled always seeing people standing in sunlight in her memories, and now looking at the girl before her, she gripped the twig tightly and couldn’t help but want to shrink behind that small grape arbor.

Wei Ying frowned slightly, sat up, and ruffled her hair, then got back on her horse, reaching out her hand to the emperor. “Come, let’s go!”

Yun Shao held her hand and let herself be pulled onto the horse, holding onto Wei Ying’s sleeve, obediently sitting behind her.

Wei Ying spurred the horse and led the emperor out of the dense forest. Along the way, they encountered several fleeing wild animals. She raised her hand to shoot an arrow, only to find her quiver empty. Yun Shao thoughtfully offered her own quiver: “Ying Ying, use mine.”

She began using it.

Wei Ying waved her hand. “Never mind, I can’t keep count anyway.”

During the hunt, each person’s arrows were marked. Even if she hit an animal with the emperor’s arrow, it wouldn’t count. It was better to leave some animals alive.

When they reached the hunting ground, the attendants hurried over.

“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Uncle Fu Shou, unable to ride a horse, ran over from the hillside, tears in his eyes at the sight of them.

Yun Shao smiled: “I am fine, I went hunting with Ying Ying.”

Wei Ying dropped a deer on the ground. Seeing that the arrow had a specially made golden tip for the emperor, Fu Shou cheered with delight: “Your Majesty hit the deer! It’s Your Majesty who shot it!”

Every hunting trip, they were lucky if the emperor hit a rabbit, and now he had hit a deer!

Fu Shou’s face showed the proud, satisfied smile of an old father. He hurriedly had the deer carried away to be cooked and served at the evening feast to the emperor, following tradition.

Wei Ying was about to leave when she heard someone ask, “Hmm, the prince has been in there so long, how come he’s still not out?”

She tilted her head and saw it was the newly appointed head of the attendant guards, someone she had never seen before. She smiled and kindly reminded him, “Perhaps you can go find the prince… his horse is gone.”

The attendants exchanged bewildered glances. After receiving the emperor’s silent approval, they entered the forest to search for Prince Lu Ling and his horse.

After a while, Pei Que emerged from the forest. Seeing Wei Ying, she raised her brows and smiled, waving her whip, charging down the hillside: “Ying Ying, what did you hunt? Let’s compare!”

Wei Ying shrugged and turned slightly to show the deer behind her.

Pei Que was momentarily stunned, then laughed. “Not bad, just one deer?”

Wei Ying drew an arrow, its golden tip marking it as the emperor’s exclusive arrow. “It’s Your Majesty’s hunt.”

Yun Shao smiled sweetly at her. “It’s also Ying Ying’s hunt.”

Pei Que: …

She shook her head in disbelief, seeing that Wei Ying had begun indulging the emperor, neglecting her duties!

“Ying Ying, you don’t acknowledge it at all,” Pei Que huffed, putting her bow behind the horse. “It’s no fun at all.”

Wei Ying gestured her over, leaned close, and whispered in her ear: “Even if I hunted a vicious dragon…”

Pei Que was surprised. “What do you mean?”

Wei Ying quietly told her about Prince Lu Ling. Pei Que’s expression shifted from surprise to joy, finally bursting into laughter. She punched Wei Ying playfully and praised, “Why didn’t you tell me such interesting things?”

Wei Ying: “Next time I will.”

Pei Que, thrilled, flailed her eyebrows: “Okay, you better not forget!”

Wei Ying smiled and nodded. “I won’t forget, I’ll definitely tell you.”

Pei Que threw her arm around her shoulder, heading to the hunting ground together: “Then I’ll let you take the top prize. My hunting results can’t compare to one Yin-Yang person, hahaha, so satisfying!”

Thinking of that Yin-Yang person getting pranked, the Noble Consort felt extremely satisfied!

She glanced and saw the emperor standing nearby, fiddling with the golden sleeve, looking at them with a hint of resentment.

Pei Que: …

It felt like even the emperor was becoming more like a little housewife.

Perhaps it was the Yin-Yang aura inherited in the imperial family.

By afternoon, the sun began to set, painting the mountain peaks crimson.

The attendants finally found the forest-weary, disheveled, almost beggarly Prince Lu Ling and brought him to the hunting ground.

“Prince, I’ll escort you to rest,” said the head attendant.

Prince Lu Ling, parched and exhausted, recognized the familiar face. “Are you… from the Empress Dowager?”

The head attendant looked at him meaningfully.

Prince Lu Ling was too tired to care. All he wanted was a hot bath, a full meal, and a good sleep. Unfortunately, they ran into Uncle Fu Shou on the way.

Fu Shou approached with a smile. Seeing Prince Lu Ling, he feigned exaggerated concern: “Prince! What happened to you? My heavens, your clothes are torn, caught on branches?”

Prince Lu Ling weakly smiled. “Uncle, what’s the matter?”

Fu Shou explained: “By imperial edict, the prince must come to the hunting ground feast immediately. The meat is freshly roasted, everyone is waiting for you.”

Prince Lu Ling fell silent for a long while. “Uncle, please tell His Majesty I am unwell and won’t attend.”

Fu Shou: “But the emperor insists you come. He says it’s a perfect day. If you’re there, she can’t eat. If you don’t take the first bite, no one else will. The consorts are all waiting too.”

Prince Lu Ling: …

The officials were waiting, and there were several formidable palace consorts who could snap a willow tree or pierce him with arrows.

He wasn’t afraid of the officials or the emperor, but the palace consorts? Terrifying.

Fu Shou smiled: “Prince, I’ll guide you.”

Prince Lu Ling looked at his tattered clothes. “I don’t get to change?”

Fu Shou nodded. “Naturally, we don’t mind. But a few consorts are hungry, eagerly waiting for you.”

Prince Lu Ling’s legs went weak at the thought of several fierce women, and he needed attendants to steady him. He trembled. “They’re waiting because they’re hungry?”

Are they planning to use me as appetizer?

“Uncle, do I still have to go once I arrive?”

Fu Shou stared at him. “Of course, Prince. What’s this about?”

Prince Lu Ling struggled to hold back tears.

Don’t bow your head, the crown will fall. Don’t cry, or Uncle will laugh. Uncle doesn’t understand what I’m enduring!

Once Fu Shou led the way and opened some distance, Prince Lu Ling whispered to the head attendant sent by the Empress Dowager: “You… you must protect me well!”

The head attendant nodded: “Of course, rest assured.”

Prince Lu Ling trembled. “I can’t relax…”

Who could feel calm after experiencing a girl smashing a large tree, or having their clothes pierced by arrows like a sieve?

The head attendant furrowed her brow slightly, thinking the prince, although a man, was overly timid.

It’s just a meal—why tremble so much?

The bonfire feast began at the hunting ground.

Over the fire, a roasted deer sizzled. Surrounding them were officials, with consorts seated at the front, and the emperor and Wei Ying at the highest seat.

Seeing Prince Lu Ling arrive, the officials lowered their heads, whispering.

“Is that Prince Lu Ling?”

“No way, why does he look like a beggar?”

“Just one hunting trip, how could he look like that? I always heard he was brave and talented, now…”

Prince Lu Ling felt blood rush to his head, enduring humiliation, silently greeting the emperor.

The emperor smiled, descended from his throne, holding a small gleaming knife.

The knife was thin and long like a willow leaf, glinting coldly in the firelight.

The emperor’s face carried a smile as her delicate fingers stroked the hilt, stepping toward him.

At that moment, Prince Lu Ling recalled the afternoon’s fear of being chased. His knees buckled, and he knelt before the emperor: “Spare me, Your Majesty, spare me!”

The officials around were stunned; laughter died down; a dead silence fell.

The emperor helped Prince Lu Ling up. “What are you saying? I just wanted to give you a piece of deer meat.”

Then, smiling, she cut a piece of the sizzling roasted meat onto a silver plate.

Prince Lu Ling reached for it, but the emperor moved his hand aside, letting someone serve the first piece to the impatient girl waiting beside the dragon chair.

Prince Lu Ling reached for nothing, thinking: fooled me.

The officials whispered among themselves: “I heard Prince Lu Ling is a heroic man, now… hmm.”

“Haha, you don’t know the last palace feast. Prince Lu Ling danced—it was charming, graceful, and elegant.”

“What has he been doing in his fiefdom for six years?”

“Shh, palace affairs, none of our business. Besides, we’d lose our heads if we spoke.”

Prince Lu Ling clenched his fists, feeling utterly wronged.

The next few pieces were served to the Noble Consort, Li Pin, and Xiao Qianxue.

Prince Lu Ling objected; he would even give his portion to Xiao Qianxue, fearing the strong girl might overeat and destroy the garden.

Finally, the emperor cut a piece of the roasted deer for Prince Lu Ling personally, smiling: “This is what you wanted, here you go.”

Meeting her dark gaze, he lowered his head, hesitant to accept, feeling as if accepting the plate meant surrendering his very mind.

The emperor lowered her gaze. The deer meat on the silver plate was golden and fragrant.

She sneered: “Hunting deer, huh. People say the more you have, the better, rushing greedily, sacrificing life… is it really better? I don’t think so.”

Prince Lu Ling listened anxiously, saying nothing.

Finally, the emperor forced the plate of meat into his hand, then returned to her seat, lazily leaning against the “demon consort,” revealing the image of a decadent ruler.

Yun Shao opened her mouth, turned her head.

Wei Ying expertly fed her a piece of roasted meat.

Yun Shao was happy and glanced at the Noble Consort, noticing she was too busy eating to care.

Good grief, the rivalry in the carriage still lingered.

After finishing the meat, the emperor prepared to give awards to the person with the most game. By count, the Noble Consort would take the top prize. She wanted to give it to Wei Ying, who politely refused.

She didn’t really care about prizes, treating it as a game.

The emperor gave a bone-made bow, symbolizing victory, to the Noble Consort. Then, leaning close to Wei Ying, he whispered: “I also prepared a prize for you.”

Wei Ying, curious: “What is it?”

Yun Shao’s eyes curved, cheeks tinged with red. She leaned closer, brushing Wei Ying’s ear and whispered softly: “Tonight, come to my room, I’ll personally show you.”

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