The Empress Wants It All: The Empire and Me - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Lin Yanran! Lin Yanran!”

Urgently pounding echoed from the gate—Liu Zhenzhen had arrived.

Lin Yanran glanced at Youqin Mingyue. Seeing her remain indifferent, Lin quickly called out, “Coming! Just a moment.”

Youqin Mingyue lowered her eyes, slowly withdrawing the murderous intent from her gaze. This scum deserved to die, but a quick death was too good for her. She retracted her hand, deciding to let this woman die a more wretched death.

Seeing the key disappear into Youqin Mingyue’s palm, Lin Yanran breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up hurriedly and straightened her clothes. Only when she stepped out of the room did she realize her back was chilled to the bone, soaked in a layer of cold sweat.

Opening the door, Liu Zhenzhen immediately asked, “How is Mingyue?”

“She just woke up. I haven’t had time to feed her yet.”

Liu Zhenzhen strode inside with her medicine box, her voice laced with displeasure. “You didn’t feed her last night?”

“I followed your instructions and fed her, though she didn’t eat much.”

Liu Zhenzhen stopped talking and entered the courtyard. Indeed, she saw Youqin Mingyue was awake with food set out on the table. Her expression softened slightly. Lin Yanran took the opportunity to say, “Physician Liu, I’ve given the key to my wife. I’ll trouble you to help her open it.”

Liu Zhenzhen didn’t even bother to acknowledge Lin. She took the key from Youqin Mingyue and unlocked the shackles. However, the iron had bitten deep into the flesh; removing it inevitably tore the skin. Her eyes reddened with pity, and she couldn’t help but turn back to glare at Lin Yanran.

“All of this is your doing!”

She carefully removed the chain. Despite her extreme caution, a layer of skin was pulled away, leaving a ghastly ring of bleeding wounds on the snow-white ankle. Youqin Mingyue remained expressionless throughout the process, not even a flinch of her brows, as if the injury were not on her own body.

Ruthless to her enemies, and even more ruthless to herself, Lin Yanran silently evaluated. She picked up the discarded shackles, washed away the blood, and threw them into the woodshed.

When she came back out, Liu Zhenzhen was cleaning the wounds and applying medicine. Lin stepped forward to help. She only needed to sniff or glance at the various bottles in the medicine box to identify them. Every time Liu Zhenzhen reached out, Lin handed over the exact item needed. This caused Liu Zhenzhen to shoot her several surprised looks.

After bandaging the wound, Liu Zhenzhen helped Youqin Mingyue to the table. “Your body is weak. Eat something to settle your stomach; I’ll re-examine you in a moment.”

“Thank you,” Youqin Mingyue nodded slightly and began to eat. Seeing this, Lin Yanran felt relieved and went to the kitchen to boil water for a bath.

By the time she finished washing and came out, Liu Zhenzhen’s diagnosis had just ended.

“You…” Liu Zhenzhen looked up and locked eyes with Lin Yanran.

Lin had changed into a plain white robe. Her hair was still damp from the bath, tied in a simple bun. Water was still dripping from her temples, and crystalline droplets trailed down her fair face, making her skin look radiant and translucent. She looked fresh, refined, and emanated a pure beauty.

Liu Zhenzhen felt her eyes light up. She had to admit that while Lin Yanran’s character was garbage, her looks were truly exceptional. But for such good looks to be used for such despicable acts—she really is a beast in human form! She averted her eyes, her face darkening again.

Lin Yanran took the initiative to ask, “Physician Liu, how is my wife’s injury? Do I need to get her some medicine?”

Liu Zhenzhen kept her face stiff and didn’t look at her. “Would an Alpha like you ever lower yourself to fetch medicine? I’ll finish what I started and go get the medicine now.”

Lin Yanran quickly said, “Physician Liu, it just so happens the household needs supplies. I can get the medicine on the way. There’s no need to trouble you.”

Liu Zhenzhen gave her a surprised look and placed the prescription on the table. “Remember, Mingyue’s injury is serious. She needs proper rest.”

After speaking, she left in a hurry. Lin Yanran shouted after her, “Physician Liu, the consultation fee?” Liu Zhenzhen ignored her and walked faster. Lin Yanran sighed; changing her image would not happen overnight.

Once Liu Zhenzhen left, the courtyard fell silent. Youqin Mingyue sat quietly by the table. Lin approached her. “Shall I help you to the room to rest?”

Youqin Mingyue looked up, staring directly at her. Those deep, bottomless eyes seemed to peer straight into Lin’s soul. “What are you planning now?”

Lin Yanran didn’t know how to answer. She stepped forward to help her, and seeing the bandaged ankle, she whispered, “Excuse me.”

Just as she opened her arms, those cold eyes looked straight at her. It was a calm gaze, devoid of panic, but as sharp as a blade—filled with a high-level scrutiny as if watching to see what trick she was playing.

Lin Yanran met her gaze squarely and said softly, “I’ll carry you over. Walking will strain the wound.” Without waiting, she decisively reached out, one arm supporting her back and the other sliding under her knees, lifting her in a princess carry.

The person in her arms was light and delicate, a warm and fragrant presence. The extraordinary scent hit Lin’s nose, yet her heart was pounding with terror. Only now did it occur to her: the current Youqin Mingyue was reborn. She knew every bit of harm the original owner had inflicted. Would she be unable to resist ending Lin’s life with a single knife strike?

The short distance felt like walking on thin ice—a gamble with her life. She only breathed a sigh of relief once she placed her on the bed. “Rest at home. I’m going to get the medicine.” She hurried toward the door.

“Two prescriptions. Both need medicine,” a cold voice suddenly came from behind. She stopped and turned to face Youqin Mingyue.

Her eyes were truly beautiful—calm, deep, unreadable—yet one could perceive the vastness and infinity behind that depth. It was a broken, sorrowful, and mysterious world. Despite the bone-chilling cold in that gaze, Lin Yanran couldn’t help but lose herself for a moment.

A moment later, she snapped out of it and hurriedly said, “Alright.”

She went to the table on the porch and saw the two prescriptions. One was for the injuries; though she trusted Liu Zhenzhen, she checked it carefully with her own knowledge. After confirming it was correct, she looked at the second one… and her gaze froze. With one look, she knew Youqin Mingyue had written the second prescription herself. It was likely meant to suppress the increasingly restless pheromones in her body.

The pills in the sachet had likely been damaged during the original owner’s physical abuse, making it impossible to completely hide her status as a top-tier Omega (Kunze). If this were leaked, the consequences would be unthinkable. Once the plot diverged from the original story, it would bring unknown crises.

Lin Yanran’s heart hung heavy. She asked nothing, took the prescriptions, and started to leave. After a few steps, she stopped abruptly. She returned to the room and asked, “Are you feeling any other discomfort? Do you need me to bring anything else back?”

Youqin Mingyue looked at her coldly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Lin Yanran thought for a bit and added, “We’re short on food. I plan to shop along the way, so I might be back late. There is food in the pot in the kitchen; eat if you get hungry.” She paused and added, “Don’t worry about yesterday. I’ve dealt with Zhang Zhen and the others. It won’t be leaked.” With that, she turned and left.

Youqin Mingyue stared at her back, her eyes dark and unreadable. Has the secret of my extraordinary fragrance been leaked after all? No wonder this scum is acting so fearless; she wants to use this to blackmail me.

Her gaze was grim. Suddenly, the door creaked, and someone walked in softly. “Mingyue?” It was Liu Zhenzhen’s voice. Youqin Mingyue slowly released the dagger in her sleeve and sat still.

Liu Zhenzhen hurried in. Seeing her, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Lin Yanran just came to me and asked me to spend time with you when I could. I thought she’d done something atrocious again, so I ran over without stopping.” She was still panting as she spoke.

Youqin Mingyue’s expression softened slightly, and she nodded. “Thank you.”

Liu Zhenzhen smiled, grabbed the teapot, gulped down a cup of tea, and said, “It seems she really is going out. For her to ask me to keep you company… I suppose she’s still human!”

“By the way, Mingyue, you told me before that you ended up here after a disaster. Do you have any family or friends? If we could find them, you’d have some support, and Lin Yanran wouldn’t dare be too cruel to you!” She looked piteously at Youqin Mingyue’s pale face. The woman’s features were as beautiful as if drawn by a divine brush—like a fairy stepped out of a painting, untainted by dust or worldly love.

In reality, however, she had suffered such misfortune—not only ending up in this remote town but also being ground down and beaten by an Alpha. Her graceful frame was thinning day by day, like a wisp of smoke ready to drift away with the wind.

A ripple appeared in Youqin Mingyue’s deep eyes. Family—such a distant memory… She closed her eyes, her long black lashes concealing the surging pain. “I don’t remember,” she said softly, but her mind couldn’t help but flash to a gentle, beautiful face. Mother…

Hearing this, Liu Zhenzhen felt even more pity. “I have to go to the Prefectural City soon and will pass through many places. I thought if you had friends or family, I could deliver a message for you.”

Youqin Mingyue’s heart stirred. In her previous life, her secret guards only found her after she jumped off the cliff. In this life, having awakened her memories early, she naturally didn’t have to wait that long. And Liu Zhenzhen was one of the few people who had been kind to her.

“I think I remember a distant relative in the Prefectural City—” she mused, speaking with uncertainty.

As expected, Liu Zhenzhen was overjoyed. “Mingyue, then write a letter. I’ll help you send it out secretly. Once your relatives find you, you can escape this hard life.”

“Alright.”

Liu Zhenzhen left with the letter. It was written in a private code; even if it were lost, no one would notice anything amiss. But her secret guards would know at a glance. Those people are still watching like tigers, wishing I would be trapped in this broken town forever, preferably tortured to death by that scum Lin Yanran. Wait for it—one day, I will settle everything with blood.

In the afternoon, Lin Yanran returned in a hurry. She had bought oil, rice, flour, and fresh vegetables and meat in bulk. The shop delivered it to the door, saving her the trouble. She directed the workers to unload, then hurried to the room. She had also brought back some takeout dishes.

She opened the food boxes and set them out one by one. “Are you starving? I’m sorry I’m late. The food is still hot; eat some while I go brew the medicine.”

Youqin Mingyue turned around just as Lin was walking out with the basket. Her gaze faltered for a second. Lin Yanran felt increasingly abnormal to her. Ever since the kneeling incident, her actions revealed obvious flattery—and a sense of fear.

A terrifying thought suddenly rose in her heart! Could it be that this person, like me, is also reborn? Is everything she’s doing now just to paralyze me before joining forces with those rats in the gutter to put me to death? Her gaze turned icy.

When Lin Yanran came back with a tray and placed two bowls of medicine before her, that feeling grew even stronger. Seeing that Youqin Mingyue hadn’t touched the food, Lin said with concern, “You’re still recovering; you need to eat more. Let me serve you some rice.” She served the food, placed it before her, served herself a bowl, and began to eat ravenously.

When Lin finished her bowl, Youqin Mingyue still hadn’t moved. Feeling uneasy, Lin hurriedly picked up some food and said, “I’ll eat outside.”

She took her bowl to the porch. The sun was setting, and the sky was growing dark. The black dog, with its tail between its legs, was curled in the corner. It was starving, its belly sunken, its wet black eyes watching her eat longingly, yet it dared not approach.

After a few bites, Lin Yanran couldn’t take it anymore. She found a large bowl and dumped the morning’s leftovers into it. She walked toward the corner. The black dog immediately pressed its chin to the ground in a submissive, pleading posture. It let out a fearful whimper but didn’t run away, as if waiting resignedly to be slaughtered.

Lin Yanran felt terrible. She didn’t know what the original owner had done to the dog to make it so terrified. Thinking of Youqin Mingyue, her heart felt even heavier. She placed the bowl gently on the ground and pushed it toward the dog with her finger. At first, the dog didn’t dare move. After she guided it several times, it lowered its head, cautiously licked the food, and immediately looked up at her, its eyes full of pleading.

“Eat. It’s all for you.” Only then did the dog begin to eat.

Throughout the evening, Lin Yanran cleaned the house. The original owner had locked Youqin Mingyue up and was lazy herself; the house was covered in dust, and some corners even had spiderwebs. She planned to leave the main bedroom for Youqin Mingyue and fixed up a side room for herself. By the time everything was settled, she was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

In her daze, a thick fragrance invaded her lungs, as if igniting all her desires. An unknown heat surged through her body, causing her to snap her eyes open.

A chill hit her neck.

A cold dagger was pressed against her carotid artery; she could feel the sharp blade beginning to sink into her skin. Goosebumps erupted all over her. Youqin Mingyue was staring at her with predatory, gloomy eyes. Terrified, Lin blurted out, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Youqin Mingyue didn’t speak. Her breath was scarily hot, her cheeks were flushed, and her body emanated an extraordinary fragrance. This scent was incredibly alluring, like little hooks gently pulling at Lin’s lungs, dragging out every hidden desire.

Lin Yanran felt her sanity slipping away. She suddenly realized: Youqin Mingyue’s pheromone suppression had failed, and she was suffering a backlash. If not suppressed quickly, she would immediately attract other powerful Alphas!

Lin Yanran reached out, but the dagger on her neck suddenly tightened. “Move once, and you die!”

She froze, hesitating. “Then how can I help you?”

Youqin Mingyue stared at her intensely, her eyes filled with a turbulent struggle, as if undergoing a brutal war—resentment, rage, and deep pain!

After a long silence, she said in a heavy voice, “Release your pheromones and give me a temporary mark.”

Lin Yanran heard the immense reluctance and desperate fury in her voice, but she knew nothing about marking. She said, “I don’t know how.”

Then she saw Youqin Mingyue’s face turn icy. The blade pressed harder against her neck; it felt like her artery would burst the next second!

Terrified out of her wits, she blurted out: “I’m not lying to you! I really don’t know how! I’m actually an Alpha who’s unable to mark—that’s why I was so angry on the wedding night!”