The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 8

Inside the palace, Li Changsheng sat at his desk, a teacup in hand, scrutinizing it intently. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in a golden glow that seemed to gild his entire being.

His face appeared even more handsome and devilishly charming, framed by the resplendent brocade robes embroidered with intricate golden patterns. The sunlight caught the threads, causing them to shimmer brilliantly, lending him an aura of divine nobility and untouchable majesty.

In truth, while Li Changsheng appeared to be examining the teacup, his gaze was lost in thought. His mind replayed the scene from that day when he had gone to see Tang Suan but unexpectedly encountered Shen Chou along the way.

He couldn’t explain why he had lied; the lie was entirely unnecessary and only made it seem like he was trying to hide something.

What a pointless thing to do, Li Changsheng thought, setting down the cup and rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

His peripheral vision caught sight of the letter lying before him. He picked it up and reread it, his thoughts still lingering on the events of that day.

That day, after leaving the opera house, Shen Chou eagerly suggested they go shopping together. Shen Chou and Tang Suan walked ahead, while Li Changsheng followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Throughout their stroll, Shen Chou was in high spirits, affectionately linking arms with Tang Suan and laughing heartily. Whenever she spotted something that caught her eye, she would excitedly point it out to Tang Suan or share a story about it.

At first, Tang Suan remained aloof, her expression cold and impassive, like a wooden doll devoid of emotion. She simply allowed Shen Chou to lead her by the hand, mechanically walking along the street.

Gradually, however, Shen Chou’s radiant smile seemed to possess a mysterious power. Even Tang Suan, who rarely smiled, found the corners of her lips slowly curving upward into a faint, almost imperceptible smile as she listened to Shen Chou’s amusing tales.

Had Li Changsheng not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that Shen Chou could make Tang Suan laugh.

And he couldn’t deny a pang of jealousy in his heart.

Tang Suan was just as pitiful as him, yet now she had such a cheerful girl by her side. What’s more, this girl had once been fond of him, but now she looked at him as if he were a stranger.

Li Changsheng’s fingers slowly tightened, his gaze turning menacing—a look of pure jealousy.

Just then, a report came from outside the hall.

He instinctively looked up, the dark expression on his face vanishing instantly. As if nothing had happened, he calmly picked up a book, flipping it open casually.

Only after completing this series of actions did he command, “Enter.”

A moment later, a figure appeared in the hall.

This handsome young man was Zhao Cheng, Li Changsheng’s personal guard. Not only was he the most trusted person in the prince’s inner circle, but he also understood him better than anyone else. They had grown up together, inseparable since childhood.

Yet their social statuses were worlds apart: one was the master, the other the servant.

As soon as the command was given, Zhao Cheng pushed open the door, entered, and closed it behind him.

“Greetings, Your Highness!” he said, kneeling respectfully before Li Changsheng.

“Rise quickly!” Li Changsheng hurried to his side, helping him up and clapping him on the shoulder with a smile. “You’ve come at the perfect time. I have a question I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Your Highness, what is it you wish to ask?”

After helping Zhao Cheng to his feet, Li Changsheng resumed his seat, propping his chin in his hands as he gazed intently at Zhao Cheng. “Tell me,” he asked earnestly, “why would someone’s personality change so drastically in such a short time, becoming completely different from who they were before?”

“May I ask who Your Highness is referring to?” Zhao Cheng inquired.

“Shen Chou.”

“What?” Zhao Cheng’s eyes widened in surprise, but Li Changsheng continued, “Though her appearance remains the same, her habits and behavior are completely different now—as if she’s become another person entirely. Especially her personality. She used to adore me and despise Tang Suan, but now it’s the opposite…”

Li Changsheng paused, hesitating.

Zhao Cheng pressed, “What’s different?”

“Shen Chou now adores Tang Suan and despises me…”

“What?” Even the usually composed Zhao Cheng was stunned by this revelation. He murmured, “You’re saying the Ning’an Commandery Princess is in love with Miss Tang Suan? How could that be…”

“You find it unbelievable too, don’t you?” Li Changsheng asked.

Zhao Cheng looked at him and nodded.

The next moment—

“I find it unbelievable myself,” Li Changsheng said, rising from his seat again. He walked to Zhao Cheng’s side and gazed out the window. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, even I wouldn’t believe it. That’s why I’m so puzzled. Her appearance and voice are exactly the same as before, yet her personality and preferences are completely opposite. Do you think it’s possible… that they’re actually two different people?”

“Your Highness’s theory isn’t without merit,” Zhao Cheng replied, “but in all these years, I’ve never heard of Ning’an Commandery Princess having an identical twin sister or younger sister. Moreover, why would Shen Chou’s father have this ‘Shen Chou’ impersonate the previous one?”

Hearing this, Li Changsheng grew even more perplexed, his expression darkening.

“Then who exactly is this Shen Chou now?” Li Changsheng mused, still unable to grasp the truth.

Seeing Li Changsheng’s distress, Zhao Cheng suddenly recalled a rumor he’d heard in the martial world and ventured, “Your Highness, have you ever heard of the Soul-Shifting Technique?”

Li Changsheng asked, puzzled, “Soul-Shifting Technique? What’s that?”

Seeing Li Changsheng’s confusion, Zhao Cheng patiently explained, “The Soul-Shifting Technique, as the name suggests, involves swapping the souls of two individuals. Though the person’s appearance remains unchanged, their soul may no longer be the original one. If what Your Highness said about Shen Chou is true, then it’s highly likely someone used the Soul-Shifting Technique to swap their souls.”

“I see,” Li Changsheng replied. Zhao Cheng’s explanation seemed to make sense of everything.

However, as Zhao Cheng had just pointed out, why would anyone perform a soul swap? Who was the divine being behind this soul exchange? And who exactly was the current Shen Chou? Li Changsheng had no answers to these questions.

Never mind, he thought. I’ll investigate further later. There’s still time.

Remembering that Zhao Cheng must have come to him for a reason, Li Changsheng pushed aside his doubts and turned to ask, “By the way, what brings you here?”

“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress wishes to see you.”

“Do you know why Mother wants to see me?” Li Changsheng asked.

Zhao Cheng shook his head.

Why would the Empress seek me out at this hour? Li Changsheng wondered. He turned to Zhao Cheng and said, “Very well, accompany me to see her.”

“As you command.”

As Shen Chou had said, Li Changsheng’s life had been tragically cruel. Stripped of his role as the scumbag protagonist, he was merely a pitiful man who could never obtain what he desired. The Empress was not his biological mother; his true mother had died long ago, during a bitter winter, in the desolate Cold Palace, in his young arms.

That scene remained etched in Li Changsheng’s memory forever. Outside, snow fell heavily as the dilapidated courtyard filled with people. Clad in thick winter robes, they held blazing torches aloft, their faces solemn as they watched him. He cradled his mother, her face pale, blood trickling from her lips, her body growing stiff and cold. His heart-wrenching cries shook the heavens and tore at his soul.

Perhaps moved by pity, or perhaps simply impatient, a young, beautiful woman finally spoke, her voice soft and delicate: “The Emperor, what do you intend to do with this child?”

“The offspring of a lowly woman,” another voice interjected. “Better to send him to join his mother sooner rather than let him suffer in this world!”

“No!” another voice interjected urgently, even kneeling before the handsome man in the bright yellow dragon robe. “Your Majesty, I beg you to show mercy and spare this child. He is, after all, of your blood. Perhaps… perhaps we could have him adopted by Her Majesty the Empress? She could raise him as her own. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

The kneeling woman glanced cautiously at the noblewoman beside the Emperor before continuing, her voice barely a whisper. “Perhaps we could have him adopted by Her Majesty the Empress? She could raise him as her own. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

At that time, Li Changsheng rarely saw the Emperor, but he had heard his mother speak of him countless times, her eyes and words brimming with adoration. He knew his mother truly loved his Imperial Father. Yet every time he saw his father, Li Changsheng felt an inexplicable terror, and this time was no different.

Perhaps sensing that the moment determining his life or death had arrived, Li Changsheng gradually stopped crying, his sobs growing fainter. Snowflakes settled on his thin, frail, and small body as he stared wide-eyed at the man, though in the darkness he couldn’t make out the man’s face, only sense the oppressive, murderous aura surrounding him.

After what felt like an eternity, Li Changsheng finally heard the man say, “Very well.”

Everyone present stared wide-eyed at the Emperor, Li Changsheng included. The woman who had been pleading moments before burst into tears of joy and rushed over to pull the still-dazed Li Changsheng to his knees, urging him to kowtow in gratitude alongside her.

“Thank… you, Imperial Father,” Li Changsheng rasped, his voice hoarse and childlike.

And so, Li Changsheng miraculously survived, becoming the Empress’s adopted son. The Empress, who had never borne a child of her own, had been declared unlikely to conceive again after her last miscarriage by the Imperial Physician.

Because Li Changsheng was not her biological child—the son of a lowly servant—and because she had lost her own chance at motherhood, coupled with the Emperor’s growing indifference toward her, the once gentle and virtuous Empress began to grow volatile and irrational. Smashing objects became commonplace, and she routinely beat and berated Li Changsheng without reason.

Did Li Changsheng resent her? Of course he did. That’s why he had long ago chosen to seek revenge. But instead of improving his situation, things only grew worse.

He had poisoned the Empress, rendering her, who already struggled to conceive, completely infertile. This way, he would never have to fear being cast aside again.

Fortunately, perhaps because he had grown older, his treatment had improved in recent years. The Empress no longer beat or berated him as casually as before, and even began to show him occasional concern.

Or perhaps it was because he now held a greater secret over the Empress. They had begun to play the roles of a devoted mother and filial son, united in purpose against the outside world.

The story went like this: As the Emperor’s favor toward the Empress waned, she grew increasingly lonely and restless. To alleviate her boredom and frustration, she began seeking out lovers. Having grown tired of the handsome young eunuchs around her, she demanded that her family send men to the palace. At first, her family vehemently refused, knowing that such an act would be a crime punishable by the extermination of their entire clan. But the Empress threatened to take her own life, vowing to drag the entire family down with her.

Her family knew they had wronged her. If they hadn’t tricked her into entering the palace in the first place, she wouldn’t have been separated from her beloved, trapped in this miserable state. Moreover, she was their family’s only Empress. Reluctantly, they agreed to her demands and began secretly sending men into the palace.

Who could have imagined that even more absurdities were yet to come?

The people sent by the Empress’s family—young Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Institute and newly arrived eunuchs in the palace—quickly lost their novelty for her. Then, the Empress turned her attention to her personal maids.

When Li Changsheng first learned of this, he was stunned for days. He knew the Empress had been having affairs with Imperial Physicians, but he never imagined she would share a bed with a palace maid, even bathing and playing with her. He initially assumed this was just another fleeting fancy, like her previous dalliances.

But this time, he was wrong. The Empress doted on the palace maid, even proposing an alliance to seize the throne. Her goal was to secure his help in concealing the truth and protecting the maid. If successful, she promised to leave the Imperial Palace with the maid.

Li Changsheng agreed without hesitation. He had long desired such an alliance. Only by aligning himself with the Empress and her family could he hope to contend for the throne; otherwise, he was nothing. He even felt a strange gratitude toward the palace maid—she had effortlessly achieved what he had failed to accomplish.

The door opened, and one of the Empress’s attendants summoned Li Changsheng inside.

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