Rebirth on the Day She Was Poisoned by an Aphrodisiac - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Dog Food

Liyang almost couldn’t keep her footing as she stood outside the door, listening to the youth inside haggling with the Empress Dowager.

“Were you and the late Emperor also this… reserved?”

“That’s not how you say it,” the Dowager countered. “Your grandmother and I were mutually in love. There was no ‘reserve,’ only things happening naturally. A-Chen, you should be reserved. A peach that is overripe loses its flavor.”

“But a peach that isn’t ripe isn’t tasty either.”

“Then don’t eat it at all! What a waste of a good peach.”

Pei Chen: “…” She understood now. In the Dowager’s heart, she was the “pig” rooting through the garden.

Pei Chen rolled her eyes and turned around, only to find Liyang standing at the entrance. She had clearly been listening for a while. Feeling awkward, Pei Chen quickly stood and bowed. “Your Highness.”

“Young Master,” Liyang returned the bow.

Separated by a threshold, the two exchanged formal greetings. Amidst the ancient palace walls, the scene felt remarkably warm.

The Empress Dowager didn’t mince words. “Liyang, do you know about the ‘Red Lantern’ rule?”

“Red lanterns?” Liyang was clearly confused.

“If you don’t know, forget it. I’ve ordered the rule abolished. Neither of you needs it,” the Dowager decided with a grand sweep of her hand, grumbling to herself, “What a rubbish rule. If I’d known it existed back then, I might have played along for fun.”

(The idea of the Empress needing to hang a lantern to let her consort into the palace…)

Liyang accepted the decree, and Pei Chen’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Liyang glanced at the youth and shook her head inwardly.

The Shadow of the Eight

After being dismissed by the Dowager, the two walked together down the long palace paths. After a hundred paces, the Eighth Princess, surrounded by maids, came running toward them.

“Big Sister! Big Sister!”

Liyang caught the youngest princess and lifted her into her arms. “Are you going to pay respects to Grandmother?”

“Mhm! And you?”

“I just came from there.”

As the sisters shared an affectionate moment, Pei Chen studied the Eighth Princess. She was the youngest and seemingly the least advantageous. How did she end up winning the throne in the previous life?

All eight princesses were orphans adopted by the Empress, sharing a common bond of having no kin. Under the lonely eaves of the ninefold palace, their sisterly bonds were deep. Pei Chen remembered how Liyang had spiraled into madness for days after the Eighth Princess was eventually killed.

As the child’s footsteps faded, Pei Chen asked, “Does the Empress favor the Eighth Princess?”

“Moderately,” Liyang replied carefully. The Empress was diligent with all of them but rarely showed overt favoritism.

Pei Chen’s lips quirked into a mocking smile, though her eyes remained clear. “I think the Empress likes her very much.”

Liyang wasn’t surprised; Pei Chen was observant. The Empress did love “Little Eight” and ultimately gave her the throne. But in this life, Liyang did not intend to step aside. Little Eight was too kind-hearted; she couldn’t carry the weight of the world.

“Your Highness should prepare early,” Pei Chen sighed, looking at the distant rooftops.

Liyang hesitated before taking a step. “Pei Chen, you are very decisive.”

“To be honest, Your Highness, I once had a heart of benevolence. Unfortunately, it was crushed. Now, only the heart of a demon remains. Standing with someone like me, you can rest easy. I won’t hold you back. I will do what must be done—and what shouldn’t be done.”

The warmth in Pei Chen’s eyes vanished, replaced by a ruthless glint. A person who has crawled out of a pool of blood and fire does not speak easily of mercy.

The Slaughter to Come

Pei Chen returned to her manor, the sound of construction acting as a lullaby. She needed to break the Empress’s “fallback plan.” Only by removing the Eighth Princess would the Empress be forced to focus entirely on Liyang.

She sat before her mirror, her face pale. She was a king who had woken from the abyss; other than Liyang, she had no room for pity.

There was less than a month until the wedding. She decided she would kill a few people to celebrate her marriage.

She began listing the names of future famous generals—the eighteen warriors under Pei Ming’s command. Some were currently serving in the capital. She sighed; she didn’t like killing, but some people’s existence was a plague upon the common folk.

The Tournament and “Dog Food”

The Second Princess, Minglan, announced a martial arts tournament to choose her consort. The participants had to sign a life-and-death waiver—if you died, no one was responsible.

This was the Third Princess’s “brilliant” idea to help Minglan avoid marrying a scholar from the Gu family. Since the Gu men were all poets and writers, a martial arts trial would automatically disqualify them. Many sons of military families were eager to join—including Pei Ming.

Pei Chen was delighted. She dragged Liyang to the event and spent a thousand taels to buy the contestant list from the Third Princess.

“Can I enter the tournament?” Pei Chen asked.

Liyang was startled. She had seen Pei Chen’s ruthless, lightning-fast fighting style. “What are you trying to do?”

“Just playing,” Pei Chen said with a gentle, terrifyingly kind smile.

Liyang felt dazed. For a moment, she actually thought Pei Chen looked tender. She looked at the sickly youth and remembered the “waste” who used to be bullied by noble children years ago. Pei Chen had let them hit her back then without a word. Now, that “waste” was going to step into the ring against her former tormentors.

Liyang nodded. “As long as you don’t end up winning and having to marry the Second Princess.”

“Her? I wouldn’t take her even if she were a gift,” Pei Chen sneered. She took a pill from a bottle.

“What is that?”

“A supplement.”

Pei Chen looked radiant today, like a portrait of a beautiful, heartless noble. She handed the bottle to Liyang. “Remember, if I die, you must remarry.”

Liyang burst out laughing, the “ice” on her face melting into something more alluring. “We haven’t married yet, so it wouldn’t count as ‘remarrying.'”

“Is that so? Then I’ll come back alive.” Pei Chen stood and walked toward the stage. Her back looked frail, as if a single punch would break her.

Liyang sniffed the pill bottle; the bitter scent made her frown.

On the stage, the Second Princess, Minglan, gasped. “Pei Chen! Get down! If you die, the Empress Dowager will kill me!”

“Today’s battle is life or death,” Pei Chen said, smoothing her robes with a faint smile. Her back was tensed like a bowstring. She was excited. She loved fighting.

Minglan grabbed Liyang’s hand. “What is she doing? Tell her to stop!”

Liyang, knowing Pei Chen’s true strength, simply raised an eyebrow. “Your brother-in-law says she’ll clear out the ‘useless trash’ for you first. She’ll leave only the worthy ones for you to choose from. How about that?”

Minglan: “…” She felt like she had just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food (romantic PDA).

The Empress Dowager was right—dog food isn’t meant for human consumption.

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