Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 14

“Ying’er, be a good girl, just hold on a little longer. There will be food soon.” Zhou Qiyue soothed her with heartache, wanting to pick up her little niece, but was unable to due to her weakened limbs.

Little Ying’er sniffed, trying to hold back her sobs, but the more she tried, the harder it became. She whimpered, “Auntie, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty…”

“Ying’er, be good, don’t cry now.” Zhou Qishan felt a pang in his heart and quickly walked over to his daughter and picked her up.

However, Little Ying’er was only a five-year-old child. Although she was very sensible, how could she control her emotions when she was extremely hungry?

“Daddy, I don’t want to cry… hic… Waaah…” But she couldn’t help it. As Little Ying’er spoke, she burst into loud sobs.

The Zhou family members were all barely holding on, their nerves tightly stretched. Hearing the child’s cries, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of shared sorrow.

When would these days end? Would they ever end?

Having lived so many years, they never imagined a day when they couldn’t even get a drink of water.

The somber atmosphere led many Zhou family members to secretly wipe away their tears.

Old Censor Zhou sighed deeply, ultimately blaming himself: “It’s all my fault…”

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, broken only by the continuous sound of the child’s weeping.

Yu Lu closed his eyes, then asked Little Gao, “The steamed buns just now…”

“Sir, the brothers each had exactly one, it was just enough,” Little Gao quickly interjected before Yu Lu could finish his sentence.

If there had been any extra, he certainly would have shared them with the prisoners, but the problem was, there were none.

Yu Lu gazed ahead and, after a long pause, said gravely, “Include the children in the count from now on.”

This meant the children would receive the same treatment as the officers.

“Understood,” Little Gao sighed in response.

Yun Chi couldn’t help but glance at the Zhou family a few more times. The next moment, her hand was clasped by someone.

She looked at Ye Xuejin in surprise.

Under the moonlight, Ye Xuejin turned her head slightly to look at her. Her jade-white cheeks looked as if they had grown thinner, making her features appear more defined.

Her dark brows were slightly furrowed, her lips were pressed into a straight line, and her expression seemed to suggest she wanted to speak but hesitated.

Yun Chi immediately understood what she was thinking and lowered her voice to ask, “Are you feeling sorry for that child?”

A five-year-old child, suffering innocently and crying so miserably, was indeed heartbreaking.

Ye Xuejin did not answer the question. She said slowly, “On the morning court session the day before we were married, the Emperor wanted to abolish the law allowing the appointment of female officials. Some civil officials opposed it, with Old Censor Zhou being the most vehement in his protest, which is why he angered the Emperor…”

The Great Shao Dynasty permitted women to study and sit for the imperial examinations, and also allowed marriage between women, solely because the founding Emperor was a woman.

Historical records state that the Female Emperor was not only a brilliant strategist and exceptionally brave, far surpassing the men of the Zhou family at that time, but she also possessed an unwavering resolve that exceeded the ordinary.

In order to win over the influence of the aristocratic families and stabilize the court as quickly as possible, she outwardly compromised and established a son of an aristocratic family as the Male Empress.

In private, however, she gradually weakened the influence of the aristocratic families like boiling a frog in warm water. After gaining absolute control of the country, the first thing she did was issue the decree allowing women to serve as officials.

In her twilight years, ignoring the objections of her many ministers, she insisted on deposishing the Male Empress and establishing her personal maid, who had served her for many years, as Empress, simultaneously permitting marriages between women.

Throughout history, there had been Emperors who attempted to abolish some of the Female Emperor’s policies, but as long as someone invoked the rule that the Female Emperor was the founding ancestor and all her descendants must respect her edicts, the matter was dropped.

Until the current Majesty…

Ye Xuejin’s eyes grew cold as she recalled the scenes from not long ago.

The Emperor suddenly began to heavily punish officials who supported the Female Emperor’s policies, even launching an attack without any warning, catching her completely off guard.

The young man she remembered, who always smiled and called her “Imperial Elder Sister” and spoke of becoming a sage Emperor, seemed to have changed into a different person the moment he ascended the throne, becoming so utterly unfamiliar.

It wasn’t until she was locked up in the Ministry of Justice prison on her wedding day and subjected to torture…

That she realized some people who appear pure and kind are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing…

Therefore, she felt a trace of pity for Old Censor Zhou, who was condemned by the Emperor for speaking up on behalf of the women of the realm.

Yun Chi fell silent after hearing this.

She did not know much about the original book’s plot, only the ending of the scumbag original host and Ye Xuejin, as well as some less important information.

Now, even that less important information was proving to be inaccurate. For instance, her cousin mentioned that the scumbag host always arbitrarily scolded and bullied the Princess Royal, her actions being truly outrageous.

She herself was also scolding and beating Ye Xuejin from time to time now. Outsiders would likely look upon her and feel, like her cousin, that she was utterly despicable.

The reality, however, was that she was bound by circumstances, compelled to do what she did.

Yun Chi thought for a moment, then squeezed Ye Xuejin’s hand in return: “I can try.”

This was a perfect opportunity to test if giving things to others would yield a reward, and if her storage space could deliver items remotely.

Before today, she naturally would not have entertained such a fanciful idea.

Only after verifying her suspicion that a strong mental desire could bring about her wish did she feel she could try more things, perhaps leading to even more possibilities.

“Be careful, do not push yourself,” Ye Xuejin silently tightened her grip on Yun Chi’s hand, her heart filled with anxiety.

Yun Chi whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t take any risks.”

She turned sideways and leaned in close, her breath falling onto Ye Xuejin’s ear.

Their eyes met. The moonlight was cool, and Ye Xuejin’s heart suddenly began to pound faster.

In a moment of distraction, Yun Chi let go of her hand.

Ye Xuejin felt a strange emptiness in her heart. Then, she anxiously watched Yun Chi, terrified that something might happen to this person.

Yun Chi looked toward Little Ying’er, who was being held by Zhou Qishan. She focused her mind to sense the contents of her storage space. Just as she was about to try remotely sending a bottle of mineral water to the little girl, she silently changed her target.

She almost forgot there were officers and other prisoners. If a bottle of water appeared abruptly, the five-year-old child might not be able to keep calm. If she caused a commotion, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.

After a quick thought, she set her sights on Old Censor Zhou, who was supporting Old Madam Zhou.

Old Censor Zhou had his left arm around his elderly wife, carefully watching the path as they walked. He suddenly froze. In a flash, he instinctively shoved his right hand into his robe.

When Old Madam Zhou saw him stop, she asked concernedly, “What is the matter?”

Old Censor Zhou quietly clenched the hand hidden in his robe and replied in a normal tone, “I have a bit of a stomach ache. Madam, please walk with Da Lang and the others first.” He paused, then called his daughter over, “Little Yue, help your mother. I will be right back.”

Then, he cleared his throat, covered his stomach, and walked towards Yu Lu, thoroughly explaining the reason. After receiving permission, he calmly walked toward the vegetation by the roadside.

Putting some distance between himself and the others, and confirming that no one could clearly see what he was doing, Old Censor Zhou finally took his hand out of his robe. Using the moonlight, he examined the object that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

A bottle made of an unknown material, thin and transparent, was filled with…

It was water!

It was actually water!

Old Censor Zhou’s eyes immediately widened. He impatiently fumbled for a moment and opened the cap.

Bringing it to his lips, he hesitated again.

This water had appeared so strangely; could it truly be safe to drink?

After a moment, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if bracing for death.

The next instant, Old Censor Zhou completely stiffened, his eyes filled with shock.

It really was water!

Cool, refreshing, and quenching, like sweet spring water.

He hastily took several more gulps, then carefully tucked the bottle into his robe and strode back to catch up.

Seeing Old Censor Zhou return, Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin couldn’t help but exchange a look.

“I tried it,” Yun Chi whispered.

Ye Xuejin nodded silently. The two then tacitly looked toward the Zhou family, closely monitoring the situation there.

Yun Chi felt she had been successful. After one bottle of water was missing from her storage space, Old Censor Zhou had left the group and had likely already had a drink.

However, no reward had appeared. She had a strong hunch that the condition for triggering the reward was most likely to give the item to a specific person, such as Ye Xuejin.

To be safe, she decided to observe the situation first before considering the next step.

After Old Censor Zhou returned, he did not rush to share the water with his family. He waited patiently until he was certain there was no discomfort in his stomach. Only then did he feel relieved and overjoyed.

Heaven has eyes!

Old Censor Zhou wished he could look up and laugh. Heaven blesses the Zhou family; Heaven will not destroy the Zhou family!

It took a while before he calmed down. He asked his daughter to move aside and personally held his elderly wife’s arm.

The moment her arm was held, Old Madam Zhou couldn’t help but glance at Old Censor Zhou: “Old man, why are you using so much force?” Furthermore, she wondered why her husband’s hand felt like it was trembling.

Before she could ask, Old Censor Zhou leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Old Madam Zhou was stunned, unable to react for a moment.

Old Censor Zhou put his arm around her and walked forward, saying cryptically, “Don’t make a sound. You must be as calm as I am.”

Old Madam Zhou composed herself and playfully glared at him, thinking: Your hand is shaking so much; clearly, you are also incredibly excited.