The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 54: Extra 1

One day, after finishing her morning audience as Empress Regnant, Tang Suan returned to her Imperial Bedchamber only to find Shen Chou absent.

At first, Tang Suan paid little attention, assuming Shen Chou was out on some errand and would return shortly.

She’s probably just busy, Tang Suan thought, waving a palace maid over to help her change into more comfortable robes.

However, Tang Suan couldn’t suppress her curiosity. As the maid helped her change, she asked, “Where’s A-Chou?”

“Your Majesty,” the maid replied cautiously, “this servant doesn’t know where Her Majesty the Empress has gone.”

Indeed, Tang Suan had not only become a peerless Empress Regnant, but she had also bestowed the title of Empress upon Shen Chou, fulfilling her promise to be with her for life, one heart, one soul.

“Is that so?” Tang Suan’s anxiety began to rise at the maid’s words.

Just as she was about to go searching for Shen Chou after changing, she saw her returning alone.

“Where have you been?” Tang Suan asked urgently.

“Huh?” Shen Chou replied distractedly, “Oh, I was just bored and went for a walk in the Imperial Garden.”

Seeing Shen Chou’s dazed and dejected expression, Tang Suan realized she had been too harsh and her tone too sharp.

To apologize, she took Shen Chou’s hand and said gently, “A-Chou, next time you go out, please remember to tell me, okay? That way, I won’t have to worry so much when I can’t find you.”

Shen Chou stared blankly at her, then slowly nodded. “Mm-hmm,” she murmured.

The next moment, Tang Suan pulled Shen Chou close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Huh?” Shen Chou tilted her head, her eyes wide and confused, like those of a newborn fawn.

Tang Suan chuckled. “A morning kiss. I forgot it when we woke up earlier, so I’m making up for it now.”

“You…” Shen Chou lowered her head shyly. How could she possibly resist Tang Suan’s teasing? She couldn’t.

Besides, Tang Suan spent her days attending court and managing state affairs, yet at night, she would tirelessly torment Shen Chou in bed with endless variations. Shen Chou often wondered where Tang Suan got all her energy.

No one understood Shen Chou better than Tang Suan. When she learned that Shen Chou had gone to the Imperial Garden out of boredom, combined with recent reports from palace staff about Shen Chou’s restlessness, Tang Suan knew Shen Chou was truly growing weary of palace life.

To cheer Shen Chou up, Tang Suan suggested they take a walk outside the palace.

Tang Suan turned to Shen Chou, who was looking around curiously, and said, “Wait a moment. Let’s go outside the palace together.”

“What?” Shen Chou turned her head, a smile on her face, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Let’s go outside the palace together later. Today is the Lantern Festival, so we can watch fireworks and release river lanterns tonight. What do you say?”

“Yes! Yes!” Shen Chou danced with joy at the thought of leaving the palace.

Seeing Shen Chou’s childlike delight, Tang Suan smiled warmly from the bottom of her heart.

Several hours later, the two stood shoulder to shoulder in the bustling marketplace, watching the crowds of people come and go.

Suddenly, Shen Chou spotted something novel and excitedly grabbed Tang Suan’s hand, pulling her along as she shouted, “A-Suan, look over there!”

Tang Suan gazed at Shen Chou with indulgent affection, letting her be pulled along.

When they reached the stall, Shen Chou immediately picked up a rabbit mask and held it up to her face, asking Tang Suan, “A-Suan, look at this! Is it pretty?”

The rabbit mask was playful and adorable.

Tang Suan smiled slightly. “It’s lovely.”

Hearing Tang Suan’s praise, Shen Chou grew even more delighted. She picked up another fox mask and asked, “A-Suan, A-Suan, what about this one? Do you think it looks good?”

Tang Suan nodded. “It looks good.”

Before the words had even left her mouth, Shen Chou slapped the mask onto Tang Suan’s face with a smack, laughing. “Wow, A-Suan, this fox mask really suits you!”

“Really?” Tang Suan took off the mask and examined it closely.

“Yes, I mean it! You have to believe me,” Shen Chou insisted, her rabbit mask tilted expectantly.

Tang Suan rarely refused Shen Chou’s requests. She put the fox mask back on and turned to ask, “Does it look good?”

Shen Chou nodded frantically. “Yes! It looks perfect! A-Suan, this fox mask really suits you!”

“The rabbit mask suits you too,” Tang Suan said, reaching out to gently stroke Shen Chou’s soft, dark hair.

“Really?” Shen Chou asked, her face beaming behind the mask. She immediately bought both masks.

As they strolled away, Shen Chou clutched the masks, laughing as they walked.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Shen Chou looked up, her face registering surprise. She quickly stopped walking and glanced behind her.

Seeing her reaction, Tang Suan asked, puzzled, “A-Chou, what’s wrong?”

Shen Chou glanced at Tang Suan, then at the bustling crowd, and said hesitantly, “A-Suan, I think I saw Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and her young palace maid.”

“Really? Do you want to go see them?” Tang Suan had no interest in the Empress Dowager; she only wanted to spend the rest of her life with Shen Chou.

Besides, once they found Li Changsheng and Tang Yi and dealt with them, this potential crisis would be resolved.

Shen Chou turned her head, recalling how, when she had been isolated and helpless in the Imperial Palace, the Empress Dowager had often visited her personally, keeping her company and chatting to relieve her boredom. The Empress Dowager had also told her about Tang Suan’s recent activities and repeatedly sent people to bring her delicious treats.

Even when Li Changsheng had planned to take her away and then, after she refused, tried to kill her, it was the Empress Dowager’s persistent dissuasion that had delayed his actions.

Yet, unexpectedly, Li Changsheng had turned against the Empress Dowager herself. When Shen Chou learned of the Empress Dowager’s accidental drowning, she had grieved deeply for days.

Seeing the Empress Dowager now, safe and sound, Shen Chou realized she must have known Li Changsheng would try to kill her. That’s why she’d devised the Golden Cicada Escape to slip away.

Thinking this through, Shen Chou nodded, then shook her head. “A-Suan, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is a good person. Since she doesn’t want to be found, let’s not disturb her.”

Tang Suan nodded. “Alright.”

“What were you looking at just now?” a young woman in a long, white floral-patterned dress asked the handsome man beside her.

The man wore a long blue robe, his features striking and fair, his skin pale and delicate. Yet his figure was even more slender than that of most men. Upon closer inspection, one could notice a pierced earlobe beneath his pearly white earring.

This blue-robed man was none other than Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, disguised as a man. She had transformed herself into a village schoolteacher, living with a young palace maid in a secluded village that felt like a hidden paradise. They told the villagers they were husband and wife.

The blue-robed man, formerly the Empress Dowager, replied to the woman in the white dress, “Nothing. I just thought I saw someone I used to know.”

“Really? I didn’t see anyone. Who was it?” The white-dressed woman immediately looked around, but found nothing.

“Perhaps I was mistaken,” the blue-robed man said. “Let’s go.”

Soon, their figures disappeared into the crowd.

“A-Suan, try this! It’s so sweet!” Shen Chou picked up a candied hawthorn skewer and tried to feed it to Tang Suan.

Tang Suan took the skewer from Shen Chou, smiling helplessly. “Candied hawthorns? I’ve had these before.”

“Oh! Sorry, I forgot,” Shen Chou said, a little embarrassed.

Just a moment ago, she had felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Now, she was already running back to the old man selling sugar paintings, asking if he could create one according to her own design.

Tang Suan put her index finger to her lips, thinking for a long while. Suddenly, she had an idea: a sugar painting of herself and Shen Chou.

She said to the old man, beaming, “How about you make a sugar painting of the two of us?”

The old man glanced at the stern-faced Tang Suan beside Shen Chou, then back at Shen Chou, nodding cheerfully. “Alright, no problem at all! You two girls can rest assured, I’ll take care of it.”

Before long, a sugar painting of the two of them was finished. The old man handed it to Shen Chou, who took it and looked at Tang Suan standing behind her, her smile so wide it could barely contain itself.

Shen Chou had originally intended to carefully preserve the sugar painting, but she couldn’t resist eating it. If she asked the old man to make another, she feared she’d just end up eating that one too.

So, she decided to find something else to collect as a memento. Fortunately, they soon came across a clay figurine stall. They asked the artisan to make two figurines: one of Shen Chou herself, and one of Tang Suan.

After browsing the market, the two went to a temple to offer prayers. In the courtyard, they spotted a Sacred Tree adorned with countless red ribbons. Someone said it was a Wishing Tree, capable of granting people’s desires.

Shen Chou stared at the tree for a long moment before turning to Tang Suan. “A-Suan, do you have any wishes you’d like to make?”

Tang Suan gazed at the Sacred Tree, as if recalling something. She nodded. “Yes, I do.”

Hearing that Tang Suan had a wish, Shen Chou’s pupils widened instantly. She looked at Tang Suan with eager anticipation, only to hear her say, “But it’s already come true.”

By the time they left the temple, night had fallen. They found an inn to settle in, and after filling their stomachs, they ventured out again to watch the fireworks and release river lanterns.

As they watched the vibrant fireworks bloom in the distance, they held brushes in their hands, writing their deepest desires on Kongming lanterns.

Shen Chou wrote on her lantern: May I be like the stars, and you like the moon, our radiant light shining together through the night.

After finishing, she glanced at Tang Suan’s lantern and saw the words: I will not betray the Buddha, nor will I betray you.

Upon reading this verse, Shen Chou quickly turned away, her cheeks flushing crimson.

She murmured softly, “Me too.”

Hearing her voice, Tang Suan looked over. When she saw Tang Suan’s gaze fixed on her, Shen Chou lowered her head in embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, when they returned, Tang Suan pinned Shen Chou to the bed and helped her review a classic passage from the Chinese literature text The Song of the Pipa Player that she had once memorized.

In the dim, flickering candlelight, the atmosphere in the room grew particularly intimate. Tang Suan’s hands moved lightly and slowly over Shen Chou’s body, plucking and stroking her skin. Shen Chou’s pipa strings resonated with a cacophony like urgent rain, then softened to a whisper. Together, they played a chaotic yet harmonious melody.

The delicate fragrance of musk and orchids mingled with their breath, silk robes parted to reveal glimpses of skin. At this moment, she no longer regretted his lack of affection. Turning her face, she shed tears like falling blossoms and snow, then climbed onto the bed to embrace the silken tangle. Like mandarin ducks entwining their necks in dance, like jadeite lovebirds nestled in a cage.

Her dark brows drew together in shy concentration, her crimson lips warmed and softened. The air carried the pure fragrance of orchid blossoms, her skin glowed with a jade-like luster. Her wrist moved languidly, her body curved in graceful submission. Beads of sweat glistened on her skin, her hair tumbled in disarray like tangled green onions.

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Note:

This passage quotes the poem Washing Stream Sand: Meeting Again, Speak Not of Tears by Ouyang Jiong, a poet from the Five Dynasties period.

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