Strongly Spoiled by the Villainous Tyrant After Climbing into the Dragon’s Bed - Chapter 7

Zhan Jing was a registrar of the Imperial Academy, a seventh-rank official. His residence appeared significantly more prosperous than that of ordinary folk.

Having seen the Imperial Palace, Zhan Yueqing felt this manor wasn’t even as large as the Embroidery Palace.

The sky was still shedding heavy, goose-feather snow.

Ice had formed on the streets, and white mist bloomed with every breath; it was bone-chillingly cold. Even the carriages had wrapped extra ropes around their wheels to prevent slipping.

Zhan Yueqing naturally assumed that in such “hated by cats and dogs” weather, no one would be willing to go out.

However, when he arrived at the Zhan residence, he discovered several carriages parked before the gates, each looking more precious than the last. Some bore family emblems—lotuses, bamboo leaves, red maples—while others displayed flamboyant traditional characters.

At a glance, there were about a dozen of them.

Sensing something was wrong, Zhan Yueqing signaled the driver to stop. He narrowed his eyes and frowned in confusion. “Why are there so many people? Did Zhan Jing die? Are these people here for his funeral?”

He had no good impression of the original owner’s negligent, scumbag father.

Beside him, Zhou Jiu, who was disguised as an ordinary guard, raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing this.

Zhan Yueqing looked so well-behaved; who would have thought he could say such things?

—Only much later would Zhou Jiu understand that “obedient” was merely a facade. In private, Zhan Yueqing was wild and capable of anything.

“The Third Young Master has returned,” Zhou Jiu reminded him. “He was released yesterday, the same day you entered the palace.”

Zhan Yueqing glanced at him and, recognizing him, found it somewhat peculiar. “Why are you here?”

Zhou Jiu “loyally” sold out his master: “His Majesty sent me to follow you, fearing you might run away.”

He had an intuition—if anything happened to Zhan Yueqing, he might actually receive twenty strokes of the heavy board. After the incident with Zhang Yu last night, Zhou Jiu faintly sensed that in the Emperor’s heart, Zhan Yueqing seemed different from everyone else.

He had never seen the Emperor act this way before.

Zhan Yueqing narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. “Under the wide heaven, is there any land that is not the King’s? No matter where I go, aren’t I surrounded by His Majesty’s people? Could I truly escape?”

Besides, he had no intention of running.

Zhou Jiu silently made a mental note of this.

The Second Young Master says he is His Majesty’s person!

The Zhan residence featured carved beams, painted rafters, pavilions, green-tiled eaves, and winding paths, with a small stream meandering from beneath the corridors.

Inside the vast Flower Pavilion, laughter filled the air and the scent of blossoms lingered. Though it was winter and the world outside was frozen, many charcoal braziers had been lit inside. The warmth coaxed the flowers into full bloom, releasing a heady fragrance.

“Madam Zhan is truly fortunate. Not only is your son successful, but Master Zhan is also so devoted to you. Because you said you liked flowers, he built this pavilion. Now that Yan’er is engaged to the Su family, you will have endless blessings in the future.”

Several noblewomen were gathered in the pavilion, their movements elegant and their hair adorned with pearls and emeralds. Their words were filled with flattery.

In the seat of honor sat a woman in a deep purple “auspicious cloud” skirt. This was Xu Shi, Zhan Jing’s childhood sweetheart and first wife. Although she was nearly fifty, she was well-preserved and looked like a young woman in her twenties.

The ladies in the hall looked at her with envy.

“Madam’s skin looks even better than before. Have you used some rare jade ointment?”

Xu Shi smiled and looked toward her daughter, Zhan Yan, pulling a small jade bottle engraved with a bird motif from her bosom.

“Speaking of this, I have Yan’er to thank,” Xu Shi said. “This jade ointment was sent along with the betrothal gifts. Yan’er is filial, so she offered it to me.”

One lady recognized the mark on the bottle and gasped in shock. “Is this the jade ointment from the Flying Swallow Pavilion? I heard their items are worth a city! Young Master Su even prepared this for Yan’er? It seems she will enjoy boundless wealth once she marries in.”

The Flying Swallow Pavilion was a place where eccentric and talented individuals gathered. Rumor had it that its members were mysterious, and some even whispered that immortals lived there. Many high-ranking officials sought them out but failed because their location remained a mystery. Their products were exquisite and rare—many could not be bought regardless of price.

Zhan Yan gave a shy smile. “Madam, you flatter me. My own happiness isn’t important; I am more worried about my Fourth Sister. She is almost of age…”

“Fourth Sister?” a lady asked in confusion, suddenly remembering something. “Is your Fourth Sister the one who splashed water on my face and ran away when I visited last time?”

A shadow in pink, tucked away in the back, paled at these words. She remembered her second brother’s advice and suppressed the urge to lose her temper, her eyes turning red.

Second Brother is missing… no one is here to protect me or speak for me. I must endure.

There were many women in the hall, and because Zhan Xiaosong was malnourished and short, she sat at the very end. The lady didn’t see her at first and grew more arrogant. “Where is the Fourth Miss? Is she afraid to see me and dares not come out?”

Zhan Yan smiled gracefully, lowering her eyes to hide a cunning glint. “Sister—why don’t you come out and apologize to Madam Li?”

Used to being treated as a foil, Zhan Xiaosong lowered her head and stood up, giving a casual, slight bow. “Xiaosong apologizes to the Madam.”

Her posture was indifferent and her words clipped. Compared to the smiling, well-mannered eldest daughter, she was worlds apart.

Madam Li frowned, intentionally finding fault. “You’re so far away, who can hear you?”

She wasn’t just nitpicking; she was looking for a reason to curry favor with Zhan Yan. Power outweighed money. Although her husband was one of the top merchants in the capital, no matter how wealthy a merchant was, they could never compare to these officials.

Zhan Xiaosong clenched her fists.

“My sister has been unruly since childhood. she doesn’t like reading the Admonitions for Women and refuses Mother’s discipline. It’s only natural she behaves this way,” Zhan Yan said with a gentle, beautiful smile. “Madam, I shall apologize on her behalf. Please, forgive her.”

Madam Li paused, then snorted. “Fine, fine. You shouldn’t bother disciplining her anyway. The seed of a lowly maid is rotten at the root; how can one expect her to bear beautiful fruit like the eldest Miss Zhan?”

Zhan Xiaosong could no longer take it. She slammed the table, stood up, and rushed over, grabbing Madam Li by the collar—

“Say one more word, and believe it or not, I’ll throw you off this pavilion! I splashed you last time because you called me and my brother useless! I didn’t want to settle scores with you, but you insisted on being overbearing, claiming the child of a maid is lowly—”

She sneered. “And you, acting as someone else’s pawn here, are you supposed to be noble?”

This sudden outburst of rage caught everyone off guard. She moved so fast that the women in the hall were startled, their faces turning pale as they realized what was happening.

“Sister! Put the Madam down!” Zhan Yan stood up, frowning. “If you are this shrewish, how will you ever get married?”

Madam Li struggled, only to find that although the girl was small, her grip was incredibly strong. She panicked instantly—

“Help! Someone help! She’s going to strangle me!”

“Fourth Sister! Stop!”

A male voice came from outside the pavilion. A refined man in green robes walked in. Generally, men were not allowed in women’s gatherings, but he entered as if no one could stop him.

Seeing him, Xu Shi immediately found her pillar of support. “De’er! Quick, stop your sister!”

This was the Third Young Master, Zhan De. He was so brilliant that he had passed the palace examinations at sixteen. The capital praised him as a young prodigy destined for greatness.

Zhan Xiaosong was truly enraged this time. She had no desire to talk to them. Dragging Madam Li by the neck, she reached the window—

“Shut up!! I’ve endured you all for long enough!” she roared with bloodshot eyes. “Every time, it’s always like this! Even a rabbit bites when cornered! You’ve gone too far!”

They were on the third floor. Below them was a frozen koi pond.

Looking at the height, Madam Li’s vision went dark. She struggled frantically. “Zhan the Fourth! Let go! Or my husband will never let you off!”

“Yes, Fourth Miss, calm down! She is the wife of the capital’s richest merchant.”

“If you provoke her, there will be no good end for you…”

Everyone was pleading with her.

Zhan Yan stood indifferently behind the crowd, her eyes narrowed, saying nothing.

When the Su matriarch had asked for her, she had mentioned a “concubine-maid,” suggesting that Zhan Xiaosong’s looks were decent. If Zhan Yan failed to bear children quickly, this half-sister could serve the purpose of procreation. Once a boy was born, the child would be adopted by Zhan Yan, and Zhan Xiaosong would be killed.

At the time, Zhan Yan had agreed with a smile, but privately, she didn’t even want to go that far. She couldn’t say it openly, so she had conspired with her brother to design a situation where Zhan Xiaosong would commit a catastrophic mistake and die first.

Like right now.

“So what! I have no family left in this world!” Zhan Xiaosong cried out in madness. “My mother is dead, and now my brother is gone—you must have killed him! You just can’t stand to see us well… clearly… clearly…”

She began to sob, her body trembling as she whispered, “Clearly, we were already trying so hard to survive…”

Sensing her lapse, Madam Li took the chance to break free and shoved her away—

CRASH!

The window railing snapped.

Caught off guard, Zhan Xiaosong tumbled backward. Falling from the third floor onto the ice meant she would be either dead or crippled.

“AAAAHHH!!!!”

Screams erupted inside and outside the pavilion.

In the blink of an eye, a figure in white arrived gracefully—

Zhan Xiaosong screamed, expecting to fall, but her arm was suddenly caught by a pair of hands. She snapped back to reality as she was hauled back inside.

Zhan Yueqing gripped her arm, using every ounce of his strength to pull her up.

He was too weak. He could barely pull up a young girl. He decided he really needed to work on his arm strength later.

“Brother…”

The voices of both Zhan De and Zhan Xiaosong rang out simultaneously.

Zhan Yueqing’s face was cold as he scanned the people in the hall. Some of the women, unable to bear the scene, had already been led out by their servants in a state of shock.

Now, only the Zhan family remained.

“Zhan Yueqing!” Xu Shi looked at him in shock. “How are you…”

Zhan Yueqing ignored her. He looked at Zhan Xiaosong and said in a low, gentle voice, “Sister, are you alright?”

Tears fell from Zhan Xiaosong’s red eyes. She hugged him and wailed, “I’m… I’m fine! I’m fine! Brother, where have you been these past two days?! I was so worried about you, wahhhh…”

In her state of extreme shock followed by joy, she actually fainted.

At her words, the members of the Zhan family who knew the truth all froze.

Zhan De’s eyes filled with suspicion and alarm.

Zhan Yueqing… how can he still be alive?

Leaving aside the knockout drug, the blood loss from his arm combined with the medicinal bath water should have caused his wounds to burst. How could he possibly be alive?

Did the two guards he bribed fail to do their job?

Once Zhan Yueqing confirmed that Zhan Xiaosong had only fainted from exhaustion, he stood up. He stared at Zhan De, adopting the cold, sinister tone of the tyrant Emperor, and spoke chillingly:

“Third Brother.”