She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 49

“Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the capital. Something has happened.”

At noon the following day, Song Luo stood outside the door to report the matter, but it was not Qiang Ning who opened the door. It was Lin Dongruan, dressed in white.

Song Luo was momentarily stunned, then immediately asked where Her Highness had gone.

“I am afraid A-Ning will not be able to get up for three days.” Lin Dongruan did not look weak; on the contrary, compared to before, she carried a trace of satiated radiance. Dressed in white, her long, straight black hair cascaded down to her waist. When she reached out her hand, even her fingertips looked full of healthy color.

This was not a report that required strict secrecy; the news had already passed through the hands of subordinate’s multiple times, so there was no need to avoid the Imperial Preceptor.

Thus, Song Luo handed the letter to Lin Dongruan.

Lin Dongruan took the document and looked down—The Capital, Nianshi Platform, The Sacrifice of a Hundred…

“A hundred boys and girls were all burned alive,” Song Luo sighed. “I didn’t expect that after all this time, His Majesty would still insist on conducting a human sacrifice.”

“The delay was to ensure the preparations were complete. If the Sacrifice of a Hundred is to achieve its maximum efficacy, the boys and girls must all be born on the same day.” Lin Dongruan closed her eyes in sorrow, grieving over the Emperor’s launch of such an inhumane sacrifice. “The Ministry of Revenue was busy a while ago precisely to calculate and gather these hundred children born on the same day.”

Song Luo also shared some of the rumors he had heard: “His Majesty claimed he was selecting children from the common folk to enter the palace, enrolling them in the Imperial Academy to study for a hundred days so they could chant sutras and recite texts at the Heaven-Celebrating Ceremony. Who would have thought… once they entered the palace, they would never come out again. The parents of the chosen children all received some money, but they had no idea what was happening inside the palace.”

Poor families had no way of knowing the movements within the palace; they might even feel they had secured a wonderful future for their children.

“If it weren’t for the fact that children of high-ranking officials were mixed among these hundred children, this matter wouldn’t have caused such an uproar.” Lin Dongruan’s fingertips brushed over the paper, understanding the situation clearly. “The son of the Great General Protector of the State was among these hundred. Jiang Nianyang returned to the capital from guarding the border, but instead of his beloved son, he was met with this nightmare.”

Song Luo sighed repeatedly, saying to the Imperial Preceptor: “The Imperial Preceptor is merciful and cannot bear to see such tragedies. Speaking of which… why would His Majesty suddenly think of a Sacrifice of a Hundred? You have always taught His Majesty; do you know why he would take such a step?”

“Even when His Majesty was the Crown Prince, he had a habit of neglecting the people to consult ghosts and gods. He panics easily when things happen; he has been like this since he was a child.” Lin Dongruan knew this trajectory was not an accident but an inevitability; therefore, she no longer had the strength to stop it.

As the two talked to this point, they both wore expressions of worry.

“Commandant Song, tell the men to make some preparations. We set out for the capital tomorrow,” Lin Dongruan said. “Bring the horse sent by Jiang Weilan.”

The Eldest Princess had not spoken, so Song Luo did not dare to overstep his bounds by issuing orders. He looked at Lin Dongruan in a dilemma: “Imperial Preceptor, you know as well that the Princess has not yet woken. This subordinate does not have the authority…”

“A-Ning had her long-cherished wish fulfilled last night; she will listen to me in the future.” Lin Dongruan did not force him, simply stating: “We are leaving tomorrow. I am informing you in advance so you have time to prepare.”

Song Luo understood, saying smoothly: “The Imperial Preceptor’s conjecture is very reasonable. This subordinate will begin preparations immediately.”

They were merely packing ahead of time according to the Imperial Preceptor’s “conjecture,” not acting without orders. If the Princess truly intended to go to the capital, they wouldn’t have broken any rules.

“Tomorrow, I must trouble the Imperial Preceptor to wake Her Highness,” Song Luo said.

Lin Dongruan replied: “Let A-Ning rest today. She was too exhausted.”

Song Luo was about to offer a polite, courteous smile, but upon hearing the latter half of her sentence, his smile suddenly froze. He realized something spine-chilling—could it be that the Princess was the one “below,” and that is why she was so tired?

Lin Dongruan offered no further explanation and turned back into the room.

Aside from her and Qiang Ning, no one knew how the events of last night had unfolded. She possessed a unique constitution to begin with, and having been forced to drink so much “warming passion wine,” the medicinal effects had lingered. She had been completely unable to sleep during the latter half of the night, and as a result, she could only make A-Ning persist a little longer.

Lin Dongruan felt a bit guilty looking at A-Ning lying on the couch. Recalling last night, in order to make the other woman continue, she had been forced to provoke A-Ning—from words to actions, she had literally driven A-Ning to keep going until dawn before it ended.

A-Ning’s body was already depleted, and with such overexertion, she had fallen into a deep sleep this morning, showing no signs of waking even by noon.

Lin Dongruan couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. She had already bathed herself, and seeing that A-Ning was still asleep, she went to fetch fresh water. Using a cloth dipped in water, she personally began cleaning A-Ning’s body.

Qiang Ning opened her eyes dizzily, and the first thing she saw was Lin Dongruan, her radiance undiminished, sitting by the couch wiping her body.

Qiang Ning: ???

What was with Lin Dongruan? She had tormented her for an entire night—how could she get up and do these things as if nothing had happened?

Qiang Ning thought she hadn’t woken up properly, so she carefully observed Lin Dongruan’s expression, finding that the other woman truly showed no sign of fatigue.

In a trance, it was as if she had returned to the time when the heavy snow had sealed the mountains. She had been rescued and brought into the hut, lying on the only bed, staring blankly at Lin Dongruan’s profile.

At that time, Lin Dongruan’s appearance was cold and peerless, her black hair falling casually, beautiful enough to seize one’s soul… which was why her heart had been led astray; she had been mesmerized and had lusted after the other’s body.

Qiang Ning: “…”

Now that this scene was repeating, Qiang Ning’s throat moved slightly; she was still hopelessly infatuated.

Of course, that wasn’t the most pathetic part. The most aggravating thing was—she had promised to make Lin Dongruan unable to leave the bed for three days, yet here the woman was the next day, acting like a perfectly normal person.

Qiang Ning was choked with frustration. She propped herself up with her arms, attempting to salvage her crumbling dignity, but the moment she moved, her entire body felt as if it were falling apart. Her legs, in particular, ached severely—likely because the positions yesterday were difficult and excessive—leaving her tendons and bones sore and numb. It was agonizing.

“A-Ning, we are going to the capital tomorrow.” Lin Dongruan knew she couldn’t get up, so she took the Xi Qing List and unfolded it in front of Qiang Ning. “On this are the names of all the rebellious officials. You must remember their names and protect them amidst the strife…”

Qiang Ning interrupted her inexplicably: “Why should I protect these treasonous officials? What does their rebellion have to do with—”

Halfway through, Qiang Ning suddenly fell silent and looked up at Lin Dongruan.

Lin Dongruan returned the gaze with pity.

Qiang Ning: “Are you going to conspire with them to rebel? Don’t you love your ‘precious student’ the most?”

“It is not that I want to rebel.” Lin Dongruan set the list aside and took Qiang Ning’s hand. “A-Ning, the Mandate of Heaven has arrived. You are not revolting against heaven; you are following the will of the people and the mandate of heaven to strike down a cruel ruler.”

Qiang Ning: “…”

How come she didn’t know she was going to rebel?

Lin Dongruan added: “Do not be afraid. We, the old officials on the list, will support you all the way to the supreme throne.”

Qiang Ning’s heart was full of complex emotions: “When did you all start planning this rebellion? Why did you never tell me?”

“It began during the previous dynasty, by the Phoenix Command of your Mother Empress.” Lin Dongruan explained to her calmly, “As for why I didn’t tell you sooner… before, it was because you were young and should not have had to bear such heavy burdens. Now, it is because A-Ning has repeatedly interrupted and stopped me, forcing it to be postponed time and again.”

“So,” Qiang Ning asked her, “the thing you were trying to say before was about this rebellion?”

Lin Dongruan: “Exactly.”

Qiang Ning’s mood became even more complicated. She had thought she would spend her life far from the capital in her fiefdom; she never expected to be pushed into rebellion by her own people. By the time she learned of it, she had no choice but to follow Lin Dongruan’s lead.

“Among the Eight Divisions, the generals on the list have already sharpened their weapons and fed their horses, waiting only for an opportunity to enter the capital in one fell swoop,” Lin Dongruan said.

Qiang Ning said: “With Jiang Nianyang guarding the Eight Divisions, this matter cannot possibly go so smoothly.”

“The son of the Great General Protector of the State died a few days ago because of His Majesty’s Sacrifice of a Hundred.” Lin Dongruan looked out the window. “I imagine General Jiang will not remain indifferent.”

“Who died? Who?” Qiang Ning was horrified. “Has the Emperor gone mad? How could he strike at Jiang Nianyang’s son? No matter how mad he is, he wouldn’t be this insane!”

The Sacrifice of a Hundred—why did no one stop it? Why were the children born on that specific day chosen? Why was Jiang Nianyang’s son swapped and sent among those hundred? And why… did it happen precisely around the time the Great General was returning to the capital?

Countless coincidences wove together to form a treacherous and surging situation. Those at the very center of the storm might not feel the waves, but hearing this outcome, it was hard not to think deeply about the underlying causes and effects.

Qiang Ning felt the development of events becoming somewhat terrifying. She looked at Lin Dongruan and suddenly saw that the corner of her mouth carried a smile. This Imperial Preceptor, who claimed to love only the world—just how much had she done, and what percentage of this great rebellion did she orchestrate?

The conspirators were playing their games in the mist. Even from the remote Wusang Town deep in the mountains, Lin Dongruan could control the situation to this extent. If she returned to the capital…

In all the time Qiang Ning had spent with her, she hadn’t seen at all how the other woman contacted others, let alone how she had extended her reach to the capital.

The current Emperor was a ruler personally taught by Lin Dongruan. Lin Dongruan would surely have guessed what her student would do. If she wanted to stop it, she certainly had the opportunity and the possibility—after all, the Emperor relied on her so much. But for this Sacrifice of a Hundred, did Lin Dongruan actually try to dissuade him?

Qiang Ning had previously assumed that Lin Dongruan had already tried to talk him out of it when she went to see the Emperor. But she never expected the Sacrifice of a Hundred could actually happen, nor did she expect that because of this absurd sacrifice, the Great General’s son would die, directly intensifying the conflict between ruler and subject. From the court to the commoners, there would surely be an uproar.

Lin Dongruan… she really is…