How Dare You?! 成何体统 (Cheng He Ti Tong)
By 七英俊 Qi Ying Jun
Translation by Spider
Xiao Tiancai wanted to stay behind to prepare the medicine, but Yu Wanyin was worried about Xiahou Dan’s impatience, so she left him with Cen Jintian and returned to the palace herself.
. It was fortunate that she made this decision.
Halfway through the journey, the voice of a Shadow Guard came from outside the window, “Your Majesty, someone is following us.”
“Is it someone sent by His Majesty?” Yu Wanyin’s immediate reaction was.
The Shadow Guard replied, “No. The newcomer is hostile. We need to hurry back.”
The carriage suddenly accelerated, galloping for a while before abruptly coming to a stop. Yu Wanyin lunged forward, hitting the wooden wall of the carriage.
Outside the window, sounds of a fierce struggle could be heard. The Shadow Guard shouted lowly, “Assassin!”
The horses neighed. Amidst the chaos, the assailant cut the reins, causing the startled horses to bolt, leaving Yu Wanyin’s carriage surrounded.
The carriage rocked violently. Yu Wanyin struggled to steady herself, feeling for the gun hidden in her sleeve. She cautiously lifted a corner of the curtain to peer outside.
Dusk had already fallen, and the streets were deserted. There were over a dozen attackers, unkempt and ragged, yet they held their own against the well-trained Shadow Guards, blocking every escape route she might take.
They were after her.
She had underestimated the situation. Her entourage was far too small. She hadn’t expected them to be so audacious as to openly commit murder in the streets.
If she were to die here, how would Xiahou Dan react?
The Shadow Guards were outnumbered and momentarily overwhelmed. One of the attackers managed to breach the defence and climbed onto the carriage. He struck down the coachman and ripped the curtains aside. Upon spotting Yu Wanyin, he raised his sword to strike!
Yu Wanyin’s mind went blank. Reflexively, she reached into her sleeve and gripped the gun.
The assailant seemed to freeze for a moment. His eyes flicked downward, following her hand.
Yu Wanyin had already drawn the gun, aiming it at his forehead.
At this critical moment, she inexplicably hesitated.
No, something was wrong.
In that split second, the assailant also hesitated, halfway through lowering his sword defensively across his chest, an instinctive gesture.
No! This thought had not fully formed, but her body reacted faster than her mind. It was as if surviving numerous close calls had honed her instincts, her muscles tensed tightly, halting the action of pulling the trigger.
The next second, a whistling sound pierced the air. The man’s chest sprouted a bloody arrowhead.
Yu Wanyin slid the gun back into her sleeve.
The assassin’s eyes bulged as he stared at her, swayed for a moment, and then collapsed.
With him down, there was no longer any obstruction at the carriage door. Yu Wanyin, her breath still unsteady, saw clearly the figure standing outside the carriage.
Xiahou Bo wore white garments, his long hair partially tied back, standing gracefully in the street, steadily holding a carved bow. Obviously, the arrow just shot had come from him.
Xiahou Bo also recognized the person inside the carriage.
She was dressed as a young man, empty-handed, her face pale with fear.
Their eyes met, and with just one glance, Yu Wanyin knew that Prince Duan had already seen through her disguise. more accurately, he had known it was her inside the carriage even before he took action.
Xiahou Bo spoke calmly, “Who are these ruffians, flagrantly flouting the law and injuring people on the street?” He ordered his men, “Capture them all, and drag the corpse from the carriage. Don’t let this young gentleman be further distressed.”
His men complied, assisting Yu Wanyin’s Shadow Guards. In no time, they subdued the “ruffians.” Then, they moved to the front of the carriage, removing the body, and respectfully helped Yu Wanyin down.
Yu Wanyin said, “…Thank you, Your Highness Prince Duan, for coming to my rescue.”
Xiahou Bo pretended not to know her, smiling, “You recognize this prince? As the saying goes, when saving someone, save them thoroughly. The young gentleman’s carriage is broken, and it’s late now. Why don’t you let this prince give you a ride?”
Oh, so that’s it.
The lightning-fast thought that had flashed through Yu Wanyin’s mind finally completed its journey.
The behaviour of the assassin just now seemed as though he had long expected her to be armed and even guarded against the power of this weapon.
But how could he possibly know she had a gun? The only trace of her bullets left in this world was on Mount Bei, when she was clearly disguised…
. Mount Bei.
Who would bother to investigate on Mount Bei? Even if someone sees bullet holes, at most they would suspect Xiahou Dan. Who would think that these traces might be related to a mere palace concubine?
The answer stood right before her, smiling faintly at her.
Xiahou Bo gestured towards his own carriage, “Young sir, please.”
This was a self-directed and self-acted drama. The ones attempting to kill her and those rescuing her were all arranged by Prince Duan.
Clearly, they didn’t intend to take her life, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone through such lengths; they could have simply killed her outright. If she wasn’t mistaken, this whole drama was designed to force her to reveal her hand in self-defence, to ascertain whether she was armed, and what secrets those weapons held.
Prince Duan was probing her, as well as probing Xiahou Dan’s bottom line.
But so far, he hasn’t succeeded.
Yu Wanyin smiled, “Then I’m grateful to Your Highness.”
She quickly exchanged a glance with her covert guards, signalling them not to act rashly, and calmly boarded Prince Duan’s carriage.
The carriage started slowly. Xiahou Bo sat beside Yu Wanyin and asked with a smile, “Where does young sir reside?”
“Your Highness jests,” Yu Wanyin directly came clean, “Please take me back to the palace.”
Xiahou Bo dropped the pretence as well, “It’s fortunate that you’re unhurt. Luckily, I happened to be nearby and heard the commotion, arriving just in time.” He looked at her with concern, “The city has been chaotic recently. Why did you leave the palace at such a time?”
Yu Wanyin replied, “…A courtier fell ill, and coincidentally, my family has an unmarried young sister who was worried about him, so she entrusted me to check on him. I used visiting the sick as an excuse and asked His Majesty for permission to leave the palace. Recently, for some reason, His Majesty has been very kind to me and granted my request.”
There was no use hiding it. If the other party could track her to here, they could find out where she had been. She could only casually mention Cen Jintian.
Xiahou Bo caught on to the key words, “You said that to him… but is it not true?”
Since earlier, Yu Wanyin had a suspicion: Xiahou Bo could have quickly killed her and then searched her body for the answers he sought. But instead, he chose to betray a few of his own men rather than harm her.
The incident just now happened on a busy street and took so long; Xiahou Dan must have heard about it by now, and might have even sent someone to chase after her. This carriage was so conspicuous that it would be difficult to secretly take her away elsewhere. Could it be that Xiahou Bo really intended to send her back to the palace unharmed?
Why?
If Yu Wanyin didn’t understand Xiahou Bo’s true nature, facing his affectionate gaze, it would be hard not to misunderstand.
But she knew all too well what kind of person he was.
First, she ruled out the possibility of him having genuine feelings for her.
In her mind, she quickly analysed: She and Xiahou Dan had been acting out the drama of chasing after the wife begging for forgiveness. Xiahou Dan had shown much tolerance, while she had kept her distance. In the eyes of ordinary palace residents, their relationship wasn’t that close.
Within the inner palace, there had been countless rounds of bloodshed, and only those who wouldn’t leak secrets remained.
If Xiahou Bo really knew how much her ‘Divine Eye’ had helped Xiahou Dan, would he still go through the trouble to probe?
So, he didn’t know. He might even not have given up on winning her over.
Thinking of this, Yu Wanyin slowly revealed a troubled expression, “Actually, I just couldn’t bear to stay in the palace anymore and wanted to survey the route, preparing for a chance to escape the city in the future.”
Xiahou Bo raised his eyebrows slightly, “Isn’t His Majesty your beloved?”
Yu Wanyin smiled bitterly, “He likes me, or rather, he liked my occasionally insightful Divine Eye.’ I believe Your Highness understands this as well. When immortals fight, we mortals suffer. At this point, I have no more expectations for my beloved; I just want to escape this tiger’s den and live out the rest of my life in peace.”
Xiahou Bo looked at her with surprise. “I understand as well?” A hint of anger flashed in his eyes. “I am not like him. Wanyin, why are you so afraid but never come to me?”
Yu Wanyin: “…”
That wrong option stupidly popped up in her head and was heavily scratched out again by her.
With this acting skill, she could win an Oscar even in modern times. But she wondered if she could win if she was competing against Xiahou Dan.
Xiahou Dan… What is he doing now? Will he lose patience and send someone to intercept Prince Duan’s carriage? The situation is now on the brink, any spark could ignite the flames of war prematurely, and they haven’t made adequate preparations yet…
Yu Wanyin pinched her palm with her fingertips. She needed to stabilise Xiahou Bo.
She closed her eyes and, in front of the ‘actor’ she earnestly displayed her lifetime of acting skills, with a hundred emotions, saying, “Wanyin knows in front of His Highness, she cannot compare to Consort Xie.”
She didn’t know how well she acted, whether she had portrayed that clueless-about-the-undercurrents, only-love-in-her-mind foolishness.
Xiahou Bo: “…”
Xiahou Bo smiled. “Wanyin, haven’t you used your Divine Eyes to see?”
“See what?” she asked.
She expected him to say ‘Xie Yong’er betrayed me’, but heard an unexpected line instead: “To see my future.”
Yu Wanyin: ‘?’
“Xie Yong’er once said that she foresaw me calming the surging waves, ushering in a prosperous age, and leaving a mark in history,” Xiahou Bo stared directly into her eyes, “Was she telling the truth?”
Yu Wanyin’s heart skipped a beat.
A choice between life and death.
If she said ‘yes,’ it would be like boosting Xiahou Bo’s morale for nothing, and would make her appear even more suspicious. Knowing he would win, why hadn’t she sought refuge with him?
If she said ‘no’ or ‘didn’t see,’ whether Xiahou Bo believed it or not was another matter, and whether she could safely navigate this situation was also a problem.
Hmm?” he said.
Before Yu Wanyin could think carefully, she blurted out, “I really didn’t foresee it before. It was just my personal inclination towards His Highness, which led me to advise and plan for him with secret letters. Recently, I dreamed of His Highness being worshipped by the people. But in that scene, the person beside His Highness was not me.”
“Oh? Not you, then was it Xie Yong’er?” Xiahou Bo seemed to find it absurd.
Saying it was Xie Yong’er would be even more wrong. He now viewed Xie Yong’er as a traitor, and hearing that would only confirm it was a lie. Yu Wanyin felt sorry for Xie Yong’er in her heart but showed a hint of confusion on her face. “It seems not to be Consort Xie either. That woman looks somewhat like Concubine Xie but is younger. She also resembles Xiao Mei to some extent but is more dignified and beautiful. His Highness’s gaze at that woman was something I had never imagined.”
As soon as these words came out, Xiahou Bo fell silent.
Yu Wanyin thought it over and was surprised that she had inadvertently given a perfect answer. This answer directly blocked any further questions from Xiahou Bo and reasonably explained her previous actions.
Why didn’t she accept the Emperor and instead wanted to escape? Because she foresaw the Emperor’s downfall.
Why did she clearly like Prince Duan but hesitated to seek his protection? Because there was no place for her in his future.
Did she have weapons? Would she help the Emperor? Of course not, she was just a fish in troubled waters, a pitiful cannon fodder.
Well done, Yu Wanyin!
Xiahou Bo looked at her and smiled with interest.
“Well answered,” he said.
Yu Wanyin felt guilty as a thief. “It’s the truth.” She protested.
“The truth? That can only mean you dreamed wrong.” Xiahou Bo’s expression was indifferent, tinged with some arrogance. “In this lifetime, I will never walk side by side with any woman. If there really is one, it can only be you.”
Yu Wanyin: “?”
That lingering incorrect option surfaced for the third time.
No way, no way, could this guy really be serious?
This matter was completely inconsistent with his usual style, but upon closer inspection, it was not without traces. In ‘Devil’s Beloved Consort’ he, as the male lead, had many chapters entangled in love and hate with Xie Yong’er, showing no sign of being overly impressed. In ‘East Wind’ he fell in love at first sight with Yu Wanyin, seemingly genuinely.
Could it be that his character setting indeed included ‘romantic seeds’? But if there was such affection, how could he be so cruel to Xie Yong’er?
At the crossroads of Yu Wanyin’s inner struggle, Xiahou Bo suddenly took her hand.
Yu Wanyin twitched like an electric shock, but his five fingers suddenly tightened, his martial artist’s hand like iron pliers, making her unable to move a millimetre.
Yu Wanyin gasped coldly. “Your Highness!”
“You’re trembling,” Xiahou Bo leaned closer to her, his voice gentle. “Wanyin, don’t be afraid of me like this.”
“I…,” Yu Wanyin desperately steadied her breath. “I just don’t understand, what about me deserves Your Highness’s favour? In terms of appearance, I’m not as good as that woman in my dreams; in talent, I’m not as good as Consort Xie; as for the Divine Eyes, Your Highness has them yourself, and besides, Consort Xie…”
Where had the carriage reached? At this speed, they should be nearing the palace, right? Would her gun fall out of her sleeve? If it came to that, did she have the ability to kill him instantly?
Xiahou Bo raised a finger to her lips, silencing her words. “You are the best, I knew it from the beginning.”
Yu Wanyin involuntarily shrank back. “I really am not.”
Xiahou Bo persisted, getting closer, his hair mingling with hers. “Then why did His Majesty choose you?”
…
In an instant, Yu Wanyin fell into complete confusion.
What did that mean? How did she suddenly fall behind?
Her confusion had never been so genuine, but Xiahou Bo chuckled softly. “Stop pretending. I’ve been waiting for you for a long, long time…”
More precisely, from that late, ugly night many years ago.
Xiahou Bo quietly hid in the shadows of the trees, listening to the trembling voice of a nearby palace maid. “This servant… This servant was serving in the nearby side hall, often seeing a figure lingering from afar, and seeing those peculiar-shaped flowers, curious, she dug…”
Every word she said was taught by Xiahou Bo.
At that time, he was a teenager, and Crown Prince Duan Dan was just a child. He knew that Xiahou Dan’s mother had killed his own mother, and he knew that the reason he had been beaten and humiliated in the study every day was because of the capricious Crown Prince demanding a companion.
If he were an ordinary illegitimate child, he might forget his dignity, wag his tail for mercy, and just hope the other party would spare him.
But Xiahou Bo was different from birth.
Every day, he thought about how to kill Xiahou Dan.
Intentionally observing, he gradually discovered that the young Crown Prince behaved strangely, sometimes as if possessed, unable to recognize ordinary objects in the world, but uttering some eccentric words. Yet this person reacted quickly; as soon as he showed a slip, he would nonchalantly cover it up.
Xiahou Bo began to track the young Crown Prince and found that he would go to a clump of irises every day to hover and examine.
After the Crown Prince left, Xiahou Bo dug into the soil and unearthed a piece of paper.
The palace maid said, “The characters on that note were strange, the meaning unclear. This servant thought… thought it was some illiterate guard… This servant deserves death!”
In the quiet night, Xiahou Bo heard the Crown Prince’s voice tinged with despair, “Stop pretending. Are you afraid I’ll harm you? Trust me, we’re the same kind.”
The same kind. What kind of same kind?
Xiahou Bo pondered, while not far away, the conversation continued.
“I… I only have you in this world now… You really aren’t?”
“Not… what?”
“Nothing. Now you know my secret.”
Through the gaps in the leaves, Xiahou Bo quietly looked out, watching the palace maid struggle violently, gradually weakening until she moved no more.
Even after leaving the palace and establishing his own residence as an adult, Xiahou Bo never forgot that mysterious conversation that night.
The Emperor harboured a huge secret. But if he were naturally gifted, Xiahou Bo couldn’t see it. Over the years, he had been like a trapped beast, manipulated at will by the Empress Dowager, and increasingly tortured mad.
Xiahou Bo speculated that he had been searching for a crucial ‘kindred spirit.’ And once he found that kindred spirit, what would the Emperor do?
During his leisure time, Xiahou Bo would laugh at himself, feeling overly suspicious. The Emperor was probably just mentally ill.
Until one day, at a palace banquet, Xiahou Bo noticed that Emperor Xiahou Dan had acquired a favoured concubine, stunning and radiant.
Before entering the Yu family, he had seen her, played with her, and then forgot her.
But at the palace banquet, that woman with sharp eyes made him inexplicably feel strange. It was as if reborn, and… as if possessed by something.
Deep down, he had a feeling that she and Xiahou Dan were indeed kindred spirits.
For a moment, Xiahou Bo felt despondent. He had been highly intelligent since childhood, and after many hardships, he had become increasingly brave, always believing that he would eventually rise to the top and possess the world and everything in it. Yu Wanyin’s appearance was like an ominous signal; he had not yet deciphered its meaning, but he instinctively felt a sinking feeling.
Then Xie Yong’er approached him, firmly telling him that she could foresee the future, and he was the chosen one to conquer the world, it was just a matter of time.
Xiahou Bo was satisfied with this prophecy because that’s how he had always thought.”
But as he listened to her words, a conjecture formed in his mind. After indirectly finding some evidence, he secretly met with Yu Wanyin and used deceptive words to test her, “Who exactly are you? And who are His Majesty and Xie Yong’er?”
Yu Wanyin’s reaction confirmed his conjecture: the three of them were indeed of the same kind.
Since then, another knot formed in his heart.
Both of them were people with the ‘Divine Eye’ Xie Yong’er was devoted to him, but Yu Wanyin had not left the Emperor’s side. These two women appeared evenly matched, but Xiahou Bo hadn’t forgotten that the Emperor had initially chosen Yu Wanyin.
From the age of seven, when he was scolded by palace servants and called ‘worthless’. Anything cheap would only make him sick.
She was the best.
He wanted only the best.
At this moment, Yu Wanyin’s delicate neck was within inches of his nose. She looked so fragile, he could almost see her veins pulsing. She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with fear and vigilance, just as they had been in their previous encounters.
“Wanyin,” Xiahou Bo whispered, “I’ll give you one last chance. Stand by my side, and everything will be yours.”
Yu Wanyin remained motionless, as if frozen.
Xiahou Bo lowered his head and lightly pecked her neck, “How about now?”
The next moment, the carriage stopped.
One of his men spoke from outside the window, “Your Highness, the road ahead is blocked by dozens of Imperial Guards, but they haven’t drawn their weapons.”
Xiahou Bo sneered lightly, “The Emperor has come to demand someone.”
Yu Wanyin replied, “…I was ambushed in the street. It’s only natural that he sent someone. ” She glanced at his hand holding hers and used a conciliatory tone, “Your Highness, today’s conversation, I will forget after I get off the carriage and won’t mention it to anyone.”
Xiahou Bo was reminded by her gaze but pretended not to notice, still not letting go, “Oh? Does that mean you’re not considering me anymore?”
Outside the carriage, someone shouted from afar, “Greetings, Prince Duan. Did Your Highness save Consort Yu?”
Yu Wanyin looked pitifully at him, “Wanyin is like a floating duckweed. How could I not be moved by Your Highness’s sincere treatment? But with the Imperial Guards outside, it’s really not a good time to discuss these matters. If Your Highness doesn’t mind, we can continue to communicate through secret letters later, is that acceptable?”
Xiahou Bo slowly released his fingers one by one and gently said, “Alright. Take care of yourself.”
He got off the carriage first and then turned back to lift the carriage curtain politely, inviting her out. He addressed the leader of the Imperial Guards, “A rogue attempted assassination, but fortunately, I happened to pass by. It was a narrow escape.” The other party didn’t reveal his true feelings and exchanged some pleasantries before escorting Yu Wanyin back to the palace.
Xiahou Bo stood still, watching their figures disappear into the darkness, his gaze gradually turning colder.
One of his men approached quietly and reported in a low voice, “Your Highness, the person you shot earlier has been rescued.”
“Did he see anything?” Xiahou Bo asked.
His subordinate replied, “Consort Yu had a mechanism hidden in her sleeve, something we’ve never seen before. It seems to be capable of launching projectiles.”
Xiahou Bo stood in silence in the night breeze for a while.
After a long time, he muttered to himself, “Since this is her choice, I can only fulfil it.”
His subordinate asked, “Your Highness?”
Xiahou Bo turned back towards the carriage and left a command, “Send messages to a few generals. We’re getting ready to start.”
Just before entering the palace gates, Yu Wanyin’s mind was still filled with Xiahou Bo’s strange words.
“Why did the Emperor choose you?” she repeated softly to herself, still unable to grasp the true meaning. When had Xiahou Dan sought her out, and how had he been seen by Prince Duan?
As the palace gates opened, her thoughts emptied completely.
In the dim lamplight, Xiahou Dan stared at her expressionlessly. His brows and eyes were completely hidden in shadows, with only his tightly pursed lips visible.
Yu Wanyin’s heart suddenly filled with guilt and fear. She hurried over, saying, ‘”I was wrong, I shouldn’t have…”
As she approached, she saw his eyes clearly, her voice faltered, and the hairs on her back stood on end.
Xiahou Dan grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the palace.
He seized the spot where Xiahou Bo had pinched her just now. Yu Wanyin winced in pain and reflexively tried to pull away.
Xiahou Dan stopped abruptly.
Slowly turning around, he first looked at her for several seconds. Then, as if with great difficulty, he seemed to tear his gaze away from her and cast it towards the injured Shadow Guards returning behind her.
In the silence, his voice cut through like a blade breaking ice, “Bury them all.”
After getting off Prince Duan’s carriage, Yu Wanyin had automatically entered survival mode. Even her brain, running on overload, had temporarily shut down. Now, she stood frozen in place, not even realising who he was referring to.
Soon after, the Imperial Guards moved forward, seizing those Shadow Guards and forcing them to their knees.
These were several injured men who remained silent, bowing their heads in apology.
“Wait! It’s not their fault. ” Yu Wanyin exclaimed.
Xiahou Dan ignored her protests and forcefully pulled her towards the direction of the palace hall. Anxiously, she pleaded, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty!” She lowered her voice, speaking rapidly, “I had to escape, they didn’t know about your orders. It was my fault, please don’t kill innocent people…”
Xiahou Dan chuckled coldly.
Yu Wanyin struggled to turn her head back, but the Shadow Guards had already been dragged away.
A chill ran through Yu Wanyin’s body as she turned to look at his profile.
He walked so quickly that the palace attendants carrying lamps were left far behind. In the darkness, his dishevelled hair made him look almost frenzied.
This wasn’t the Xiahou Dan she knew.
For a moment, she almost doubted that the person she knew had walked away again. His soul had left this body, leaving behind the original tyrant, ruthless and merciless.
She couldn’t help but tremble, “…President Dan?”
Xiahou Dan didn’t react.
Was it still him? Yu Wanyin disregarded everything else, only wanting to save people, “We only have so many Shadow Guards, and we’ve lost most of them. They were the ones who were willing to die for you!”
Xiahou Dan asked, “How did Prince Duan find you?”
The question seemed abrupt. Confused, Yu Wanyin took a moment to understand his meaning, “His spies must have searched the entire city. It couldn’t have been the Shadow Guards leaking information. If there were traitors among them, the Prince would have known about our plans long ago, and we would have been defeated without a fight!”
Xiahou Dan remained unmoved, “Taking you out of the palace in this situation, how is it different from having an insider?”
Yu Wanyin faltered.
Only later did Yu Wanyin realise in hindsight. Xiahou Dan’s anger wasn’t directed at those Shadow Guards, but at herself.
She had defied him, snuck out of the palace behind his back, and almost allowed Prince Duan to uncover their secrets, jeopardising everything.
But he didn’t want to kill her.
If she didn’t suffer consequences, someone else had to.
She didn’t know when it had started, but he had adapted so seamlessly to the mindset of those in power. Perhaps she hadn’t failed to notice his transformation, but had turned a blind eye to it in self-comfort.
Xiahou Dan was the last fragment, the last lingering attachment to the world she knew. But the world had long since changed beyond recognition, and no one could remain unchanged.
Yu Wanyin took a deep breath and knelt down.
Xiahou Dan, who had been dragging her along, finally let go of her hand.
The winter tiles were already freezing cold, and the moment her knees touched them, the cold pierced through her flesh and skin. Yet Yu Wanyin no longer felt the chill. She hung her head low, speaking softly and humbly, “This matter arose because of me. Your Majesty, spare the Shadow Guards, and punish your humble servant.”
She could only see Xiahou Dan stagger back half a step.
After a long silence, his voice came from above her head, “Very well.”
He instructed the palace attendants, “Lock Consort Yu in the palace hall. From this day forth, until the day I die, she shall not step out.”
Yu Wanyin didn’t raise her head, listening to his footsteps gradually fading away.
The palace attendants helped her up, “Your Highness, please.”
She felt as if walking in mist, absentmindedly led into the palace gates. The sound of the door locking behind her echoed, and out of fear of Xiahou Dan’s wrath, no one dared to follow, keeping their distance from the locked door.
The vast palace hall had never seemed so empty. Yu Wanyin leaned against the door panel, standing blankly.
Her mind was in chaos, worrying about her sore wrist at times, worrying if the Shadow Guards had been rescued, and occasionally thinking of Cen Jintian and others, unsure if Prince Duan would come back to trouble them.
Had Xiahou Dan sent someone to protect them after hearing about this? Would he think Cen Jintian and the others were doomed, or would he consider them useless pawns and think it wouldn’t matter if they died?
In the past, she wouldn’t have speculated like this about him, but now…
Yu Wanyin knocked on the door, “Is anyone there? I have urgent matters!”
After shouting for a while, there was no response.
Though the dragon-shaped hearth burned in the hall, Yu Wanyin felt colder and colder as she stood there. She walked to the bedside and collapsed, burying her face in the blankets like an ostrich.”
Earlier that day, the two of them had been here, taking turns complaining about the memorials.
Now her chest felt like it had a gaping hole in it, all emotion draining out of it, leaving her with nothing but numbness.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly she heard the door open.
Startled, she looked towards the door, “Uncle Bei.”
Bei Zhou stood there holding a wooden tray, “I’ve brought you dinner.”
Yu Wanyin quickly ran over and grabbed his arm, afraid he would leave after setting down the meal, “Uncle Bei, Cen Jin…” She corrected herself mid-sentence, “Xiao Tiancai and Er Lan are still of great use to His Majesty, Prince Duan might trouble them…”
She emphasised the words “of great use.”
Bei Zhou heard the change in her view of Xiahou Dan and sighed, “The Imperial Guards are thorough. While rescuing you, they also relocated Cen Jintian and the others. Wanyin, tonight’s events were Dan’er’s fault. When your fate was uncertain, he nearly went mad.”
Yu Wanyin was stunned.
Bei Zhou continued, “He ordered that if Prince Duan’s carriage reached anywhere without you safely disembarking, Prince Duan was to be executed on the spot. Prince Duan always secretly brings many men with him when he travels, while the Imperial Guards were hastily assembled. If a fight had broken out, the outcome would have been uncertain. The leader of the Imperial Guard was almost executed himself for trying to dissuade him.
Yu Wanyin was silent for a moment, then asked, “Uncle Bei, have you ever seen him like this before?”
Bei Zhou thought for a moment, “You know about his severe headaches. When the pain becomes too much, he loses control a bit. But he tries to avoid seeing you during those times so as not to scare you… that’s why he hasn’t come now.”
“Is it happening more frequently?” Yu Wanyin asked.
In the end, she didn’t touch a bite of her dinner. Shrinking back into her bed, she just closed her eyes in thought at first, and then she fell into a fitful sleep.
She had a strange dream. In the dream, Xiahou Dan had his abdomen split open, lying in a pool of blood. The killer stood beside his body, smiling.
Though the murderer had the exact same face as him, in the dream, she knew clearly that it was the tyrant from the original story.
The tyrant smiled as he walked towards her, “Wanyin, don’t you recognize me?”
He reached out, presenting her with a bloody heart.
The faint sounds around her caused Yu Wanyin to wake up with a start, but she resisted the urge to open her eyes. The scenes from her dream had been so vivid, the terror seeping into reality.
Beyond the fear, there was another equally intense emotion that she hadn’t had time to identify.
Footsteps approached.
The flickering candlelight cast a crimson hue through her eyelids.
The red was then obscured by a shadow. Xiahou Dan sat by the bed, looking down at her.
Yu Wanyin kept her eyes tightly shut. The more she tried to calm her heartbeat, the more it pounded in her ears, determined to betray her.
She couldn’t guess his posture or expression now. Had his madness passed? He was so close that if he did something drastic, she would have no way to escape – though he had never actually harmed her, the murderous aura he exuded before could tear someone apart from a distance.
Yu Wanyin gritted her teeth in silence.
She didn’t want to wake up and face him. She feared seeing a strange and savage smile on that familiar face, and feared seeing the ghostly fire in his eyes like in her dream.
Time ticked by, and there was no sound from the bedside.
Yu Wanyin could no longer bear the tension. Just as she was about to open her eyes, a cold sensation on her wrist made her eyelashes flutter.
A cool hand lifted her wrist. As the light shifted, Xiahou Dan seemed to be examining her skin.
His fingertips brushed a spot on her wrist. It had been sore for a long time now, and Yu Wanyin realised it was the bruise left by Prince Duan’s grip.
Xiahou Dan might have thought he had hurt her, as his touch was extremely gentle, so light that it was almost ticklish.
Then his fingers moved to her neck.
That was where the Crown Prince had pecked her.
Yu Wanyin’s heart tightened. That bastard had deliberately left a mark!
Xiahou Dan’s fingers slowed, still hovering lightly over her skin, the coldness seeping into her neck.
Yu Wanyin held her breath, unable to predict his reaction.
Darkness enveloped her, blocking out the faint light through her eyelids. Xiahou Dan covered her eyes with his hand.
His hand was cold, but his lips were still warm.
Yu Wanyin opened her eyes under his palm.
This time she didn’t have to avoid his gaze as she couldn’t see his face anyway. But the lingering affection in the kiss almost overflowed, like a familiar presence.
It was as if the curtain had fallen on a phantom play, and the mask of white chalk crumbled from his face, revealing the flesh of a living person beneath.
Xiahou Dan kissed for a moment, and when there was no response, he slowly retreated.
Yu Wanyin grabbed his hand, pressing it hard against her face.
Her knuckles turned white, nails digging into the back of his hand.
Xiahou Dan looked down at her, trying to gauge her expression from her exposed half-face, but felt a dampness on his palm.
“…Stop crying.”
Yu Wanyin’s tears flowed silently, squeezing out the words through gritted teeth, “I don’t… want to either. “
In a daze, she recalled the other intense emotion from her dream: it was anger.
She had resolved to resist until the end, but could only watch helplessly as the world tore open his chest, ripping out his heart and liver.
She hated him for changing too quickly, and she hated herself for being powerless. She also hated her tear glands for not obeying her.
She desperately tried to hold back her weak tears, her face turning red from the effort.
Xiahou Dan couldn’t pull his hand back, and his voice carried a hint of helplessness, “Don’t cry. I handled it poorly. The shadow guards are fine, everyone is fine. You won’t be confined. I spoke foolishly in my anger and regretted it the moment I turned around… Wanyin?”
Yu Wanyin shook her head, “No, it was my fault for leaving the palace.”
She finally let go of his hand and sat up to face him, “I misjudged the situation and almost caused a disaster, implicating the others.”
“Not really…”
“I also hurt you.” Yu Wanyin’s sorrow deepened, “It was as if you were about to tear someone apart, or as if you were being torn apart yourself. Where did you go at that moment? Did I push you one step closer to becoming a tyrant?”
Xiahou Dan was silent, his spirit shaken by her question.
Yes, from her perspective, that’s how it was.
She was desperately trying to prevent something that had happened ten years ago, like trying to catch the moon in water, heartbreakingly trying to hold on to an illusion.
All delusions shattered like a veil, only to weave new ones.
Without hesitation, Xiahou Dan firmly embraced her, “No. I’m back.”
Yu Wanyin asked, “Can you not leave again? I’m not afraid of failure or death, but I’m afraid you’ll disappear before then. If you disappear, I feel like I’ll quickly vanish too, eroding away inside this shell…”
“We’re both here.”
In that moment, Xiahou Dan made his final decision.
“No matter life or death, you have a companion. I will never leave alone.”
Even though they were physically close, it felt as if there was a vast chasm between them. His vow echoed emptily.
Yu Wanyin didn’t dare to think further. She bit his lips, drawing blood with her teeth. Xiahou Dan chuckled softly, indulging her, coaxing her, swallowing the blood and tears like a monster savouring a fresh, vibrant soul.
Silk scattered, long hair spread out, winding over intertwined arms.
When the palace lanterns went out, the moonlight on the snow became even brighter.
Yu Wanyin, bearing the title of a demon consort, finally did something a demon consort should do.
She made Xiahou Dan’s healing wounds bleed a little again.
Xiao Tiancai looked at Xiahou Dan’s bare chest revealed under the dragon robe, his face showing resignation.
“Look at the wound, not where you shouldn’t.” Xiahou Dan said.
Xiao Tiancai, afraid of offending this troublesome couple, hurriedly said, “I’ll rebandage it right away.”
He unwrapped the original bandage, squinting to avoid seeing the marks, fumbling to apply medicine and then took out new bandages.
After wrapping half a circle, Xiahou Dan turned, revealing his back.
Xiao Tiancai thought, “…”
It actually looked quite artistic.
Feeling numb, he couldn’t help but glance at Yu Wanyin.
Yu Wanyin, feeling guilty, turned her head away.
Xiao Tiancai, feeling as if a knife was at his throat, sped up, quickly tying the bandage and finally started to breathe again.
He didn’t want to stay any longer but thought of the wound reopening, knowing he’d have to come back. His face twisted, he struggled to advise, “Your Majesty is injured, it’s best to rest… and, uh, moderate…”
He shrank his neck and hurriedly left with his medicine chest.
Yu Wanyin felt humiliated, while Xiahou Dan nonchalantly got up, adjusting his inner robes and slowly tying his belt.
With the servants dismissed, Yu Wanyin lowered her head and walked behind him, helping him with his outer robe, “I was nervous and lost control for a moment.”
Xiahou Dan said, “It’s not a big deal.”
Yu Wanyin was about to change the topic when she noticed his shoulders shaking slightly, “My dear consort needn’t worry, I will just be late for morning court. There’s still a long way to go before the emperor stops attending court altogether.”
“What?” Yu Wanyin asked.
Her face burning, she covered his head with his outer robe, “Are you saying I should keep it up?”
Xiahou Dan’s laughter was muffled by the clothes. He didn’t remove the robe, but turned to hold her, “From the sound of your voice, you seem energetic. It seems I’m the one who needs to keep it up.”
Yu Wanyin stiffened, memories of the chaotic night flashing through her mind, “No, no, let’s follow the doctor’s orders.”
Last night had been too much, her legs were still weak. If it happened again, even if his wounds held up, she wouldn’t.
Xiahou Dan laughed harder at that.
What was he so pleased about?
Yu Wanyin, both annoyed and amused, patted his face through the clothes, “Not afraid of skin contact anymore?”
Xiahou Dan’s laughter softened, and after a pause, he said quietly, “Not anymore.”
“That’s good,” Yu Wanyin smiled, trying to pull her hand back, feeling like a shy bride. However, Xiahou Dan still held her wrist gently, his fingers lightly rubbing her skin.
Yu Wanyin looked down and saw the bruise. She quickly explained, “This wasn’t caused by you; it was Prince Duan.”
She roughly recounted the conversation that took place in the carriage.
Xiahou Dan’s smile gradually faded as he pulled his robe tighter. “After all this time trying to hide, we still couldn’t escape his notice.”
“There’s nothing we can do. Since he knew I had the ‘Divine Eye,’ I have only two outcomes in his eyes: either be used by him or die. I’ve always tried to make him believe I’m on his side, but yesterday’s situation was too frightening. I don’t know if I showed any flaws…”
Yu Wanyin frowned. “If he starts suspecting me, he might change his plan to assassinate you to prevent me from using the Divine Eye to foresee it. That would increase the pressure on us.”
Xiahou Dan looked at her thoughtfully.
Yu Wanyin said, “Forget it, worrying doesn’t help. Let’s do our best and leave the rest to fate. You should go to the morning court…”
“Wanyin,” Xiahou Dan said, “since he will suspect you no matter what, why not just go all out?”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to make you Empress. Why not do it today?”
Yu Wanyin was stunned.
“It’s like this,” Xiahou Dan counted on his fingers, “the Empress Dowager’s faction has almost been integrated, and the Empress Dowager is not well. We can’t hold a coronation during a period of mourning. After that, Prince Duan and I will inevitably have a confrontation. If he wins, he will need to stabilise public opinion. If you are the Empress, he will have more scruples about acting against you.”
Yu Wanyin said, “Prince Duan despises traitors deeply. Do you really believe that the title of Empress will stop him from killing me?”
Xiahou Dan didn’t answer immediately.
Yu Wanyin realised that by ‘acting against you’ he didn’t mean ‘killing you.’
No one could understand Prince Duan’s thoughts, but judging by his behaviour in the carriage, if he managed to kill Xiahou Dan, he might not kill Yu Wanyin. Instead, he might want to possess her.
A former imperial concubine from the previous dynasty could be easily repurposed with a new identity to serve him.
By then, with Xiahou Dan dead, the only remaining protection he could leave her was the title of Empress.
“I don’t know how effective it will be, but consider it a way to give me some peace of mind. Is that alright?” Xiahou Dan said.
Though his words were disheartening, his eyes shone brighter than ever, like a light piercing through the night fog.
Yu Wanyin had been ordered to house arrest by the Emperor the night before, and suddenly she was made Empress the next morning.
Xiahou Dan announced the decree during the morning court without any warning, causing the court officials to almost choke with shock. One actually fainted. That one was Yu Wanyin’s own father.
Xiahou Dan, with an air of righteous indignation, declared, “The Empress Dowager is critically ill. I am deeply pained, wishing I could cut my own flesh to save her. For years, the position of Empress has been vacant, causing her constant worry. Now, by establishing an Empress, we may stabilise the realm and perhaps aid in her recovery.”
In short: to cheer her up.
“Of course,” he added, “as I am currently distressed and Consort Yu is tirelessly attending to the Empress Dowager day and night, the coronation ceremony can be prepared later by the Ministry of Rites.”
As Yu Shaoqing was carried out of the hall, the explosive news quickly spread through the palace.
As soon as Yu Wanyin stepped out, she was swarmed.
The crowd was more enthusiastic than ever, with flatterers, beggars, and pleaders, each with something to say.
Yu Wanyin silently repeated to herself to stay calm, “Yes, the rose dew is nice, but no need to send more, I appreciate it… Little sister, you have a sweet mouth, you are also very pretty… There won’t be a coronation ceremony, the Empress Dowager’s health is still poor, it’s not appropriate to hold one now…”
“The Empress Dowager has always loved you the most. She will surely recover upon hearing this good news!” The concubines smiled genuinely.
Yu Wanyin: “…”
“Oh right, sister, you mentioned something called ping-pong last time. We’ve learned a bit.” A young beauty pulled out two wooden paddles and a colourful hollow ball, looking at Yu Wanyin’s expression, “Do you like it?”
She skilfully bounced the ball seven or eight times.
Yu Wanyin: “???”
Is this what it feels like when the king of Chu likes thin waists?*”
*The full idiom is 楚王好细腰，宫中多饿死. King Chu likes thin waits, Many people in the palace starve to death. Chinese proverb, meaning that the king of Chu loved slim ministers with thin waists, and the people in the palace dieted and lost weight in order to please the king, so much so that some of them died of starvation. The metaphor is that when people at the top have something in mind, the people on bottom will compete to imitate and cater to it.
Yu Wanyin slowly smiled calmly, “Good, good, very energetic.”
Having survived in this world for so long, Yu Wanyin’s acting skills had improved significantly. She now calmly used lines from palace drama novels, feeling no dissonance at all.
The title of Empress felt like a new outfit. She wore it with neither pleasure nor fear.
Perhaps soon, like Xiahou Dan, she would merge with this shell, unable to distinguish when she was acting…
Yu Wanyin suddenly shook her head, startling the young Beauty holding her arm.
She took a deep breath, “Come on, let’s play a couple of rounds.”
Lin Xuanying glanced at the sun, raised a hand, “Stop.”
The black-clad men following him obediently reined in their horses. The massive troop halted abruptly, with no sound beyond the rustling of leaves.
Lin Xuanying shaded his eyes with his hand, looking ahead. The forest was thinning, the terrain levelling out, leading to villages.
A subordinate stepped forward, “Deputy General.”
Lin Xuanying dismounted and tied his horse to a tree, “Set up camp here. We’ll move in batches at night.”
“Yes.”
Behind them, the vast black army stretched into the distance, silently merging into the deep forest.
“At this pace, how long will it take to reach the capital?” Lin Xuanying asked.
The subordinate replied, “If unimpeded, fifteen days.” He hesitated, glancing at him. Lin Xuanying had left early.
Even before the letter from Prince Duan arrived, he had already approached General You. “Prince Duan is planning a rebellion. His personal soldiers alone are not enough, so he will surely borrow troops from the three armies to besiege the capital. Normally, the Central Army is his ally, but with Yan in internal turmoil, the Central Army has to leave troops for border defence and cannot fully mobilise. Therefore, he will soon turn to the Right Army.”
The fat on General You’s face quivered. “The southern border isn’t peaceful either!”
The queen of Qiang had been fervently allied with the King of Yan, even planning to marry him. Now, Tur aggressively launched an attack, forcing the King of Yan to flee in defeat, retreating into the Qiang’s territory.
Qiang was a weak state, dependent on Yan like a parasite. This time, they suffered collateral damage. Amid the chaos, many refugees had no place to go and flooded into Xia.
These Qiang people were not particularly strong but were exceptionally ruthless with their tricks. Stealing food and money was just the beginning; some pretended to beg, gained entry into kind households, and then poisoned the well, slaughtering the entire village before looting and leaving.
General You, who had lived comfortably in the south, had never encountered such a situation. He was overwhelmed with rounding up refugees, and hearing Lin Xuanying’s words made him feel faint. “If we can’t send troops… will Prince Duan be furious?”
From his pitiful tone, one might think Prince Duan’s men were already in the sky, aiming arrows at his head.
Lin Xuanying could easily discern his true concern: ‘Will Prince Duan take back the benefits he promised me?’
Lin Xuanying smirked, “You hold this position; I’ll take some men out.”
General You was appalled. “Xuanying, you can’t leave! How can you drop everything at a time like this?”
“…Then I’ll stay, and you can handle the Imperial Guards?”
General You fell silent.
Everyone knew, even he knew, who truly held up the Right Army.
Standing before him, Lin Xuanying was a full head taller and gave a mocking salute. “Rest assured, General. I won’t take many men.”
Indeed, he didn’t take many, but they were all elite soldiers.
Lin Xuanying took a sip from a water bottle. “Have you found out how many men the other two armies have deployed?”
“About fifty thousand from the Central Army.”
“Wow, fifty thousand… General Luo is going all out, determined to live and die with Prince Duan.”
“The Left Army’s movements are more concealed, but they have sent more troops than us.”
Lin Xuanying paused, then said flatly, “The combined forces of the Imperial Guards in the capital barely exceed ten thousand.”
Even with reinforcements from surrounding prefectures, their numbers were no match for the battle-hardened border troops.
Unless the emperor had some hidden miraculous force, once the three armies encircled, escape from the capital would be impossible.
However, for the participating soldiers, this would be a shameful victory. For generations to come, they would bear the stigma of being rebels.
The subordinate delivering the report was very young, almost a boy. Lin Xuanying saw out of the corner of his eye that he was holding back but eventually spoke, “Deputy General… when I joined the army, I thought even if I died, it would be on the battlefield.”
Lin Xuanying, without looking at him, closed the water bottle. “Find a place to rest.”
The young women who had been practising their ping pong skills thought they had finally figured out Yu Wanyin’s preferences. They promptly set up a ball table in the Imperial Garden, playing with determination despite the cold.
Fortunately, the weather was cold but clear, with no wind or snow. As they played, they began to warm up. Yu Wanyin had only mentioned it in passing, but in truth, she didn’t know how to play ping-pong, and this sport with the embroidered ball was essentially a new game. However, since everyone was equally unskilled and the others were intentionally letting her win to flatter her, it created an illusion of competition.
For a moment, the scene appeared deceptively lively.
After a few rounds, perhaps due to the dopamine being released in her brain or the evolution of palace drama to a team-building event, Yu Wanyin felt relaxed and in her element. She didn’t even notice the cheering from the others had suddenly quieted down.
It wasn’t until she missed a ball and turned to pick it up that she saw it had rolled to a pair of boots not far away.
Boots that belonged to the emperor.
Yu Wanyin: “…”
Xiahou Dan bent down to pick up the embroidered ball. “What is this?” he asked.
After paying their respects, the other concubines stood aside, holding their breath and stole glances at Yu Wanyin’s reaction.
The emperor’s outburst last night and Yu Wanyin being made empress this morning. What was the connection? Countless minds were puzzled.
Those who had survived in the treacherous environment of the palace had learned one crucial lesson: the best way to stay alive here was not to court death. Numerous tragic examples had shown that the more fiercely one fought, the sooner they died.
But this rule didn’t apply to Yu Wanyin.
Since entering the palace, Yu Wanyin had taken on numerous roles: a scheming seductress, a naive lotus, a scholarly talent, a clueless sweetie, an impudent critic of the emperor, a tragic figure in the cold palace… she had tried every role that usually wouldn’t survive more than three chapters in a story, courting death in every way possible.
Other concubines wanted to emulate her but couldn’t figure out which tactic the emperor favoured.
Some believed the key was her chaotic versatility.
Now that she had become empress and was riding high, surely she would show some genuine emotions?
How the emperor and empress interacted would directly influence the future dynamics of the court and the harem. It was crucial to understand immediately.
Yu Wanyin couldn’t think of a better answer. “It’s ping-pong.” She answered.
“Ping…” Xiahou Dan looked at the embroidered ball suspiciously, clearly not convinced.
Yu Wanyin waved her hand, signalling him not to nitpick. “It’s playable, it’s playable.” She took the ball and demonstrated a serve, which the young concubine on the other side didn’t dare to return.
Xiahou Dan hissed. “You’re holding the paddle…” wrong.
Yu Wanyin: “?” Good heavens, is he an expert?
She used her eyes to ask: Do you want to join?
Xiahou Dan shook his head and said gently. “Are you tired, Empress?”
Yu Wanyin sensed he had something to discuss and quickly said, “I am indeed a bit tired. Let’s call it a day and play again another time.”
The young concubine across the table finally snapped out of it and stammered, “Take care of yourself, Lady Yu.”
As Yu Wanyin was carried away in the dragon palanquin, the remaining concubines looked at each other in bewilderment.
Not only did they not understand how the emperor and empress interacted, they couldn’t even fathom how they communicated.
Was it telepathy?
In the palanquin, Yu Wanyin leaned close to Xiahou Dan and breathed out a puff of white mist. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Someone in the border army has moved secretly.” Xiahou Dan replied.
“Which side?”
“All three borders are involved, but the exact number of troops is still unclear. It seems Xiahou Bo can’t wait any longer.”
Yu Wanyin had vaguely guessed this before he spoke.
They had discussed this matter long ago and anticipated that once Xiahou Dan solidified his central power, Prince Duan would have no choice but to seek help from the border armies. Now, all three armies had been bought off, just as they had feared.
So she replied calmly, “Then let’s hurry too, before his reinforcements arrive.”
“Hmm, I’ve told Xiao Tiancai to stop the Empress Dowager’s life-sustaining medicine.”
Yu Wanyin asked, “How many more days can she last?”
“Xiao Tiancai will make the stop look quite artistic.” Xiahou Dan responded tactfully.
Yu Wanyin: “…”
She turned her head to look around.
Xiahou Dan held her hand, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” The winter sunlight was especially precious, and Yu Wanyin couldn’t help but look at the flowers and plants in the Imperial Garden for a moment longer. She had a premonition that the next time they scheduled a game of ping-pong would be a long time coming.
“A moment of leisure in this fleeting life is truly stolen.”
Xiao Tiancai was very efficient.
In the dead of night the next day, Yu Wanyin was awakened by urgent knocking. An Xian’s trembling voice came from outside, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is not well.”
The announcement was like a starting gun, snapping Yu Wanyin to full alertness. She turned to look at the person beside her.
Xiahou Dan was also watching her, asking softly, “Are you ready?”
Yu Wanyin nodded, “Let’s go.”
To express their sorrow, An Xian’s voice was particularly mournful today as he announced, “The Emperor has arrived. ”
Xiahou Dan walked down from the dragon palanquin holding Yu Wanyin’s hand. It was the middle of the night, and the cold wind was biting, making Yu Wanyin shiver.
A guard approached and whispered from behind, “There’s no sign of Prince Duan’s men yet.”
The shadow guards had been lying in wait around the Empress Dowager’s chambers for a long time. As soon as the Empress Dowager breathed her last, Prince Duan could act at any moment. So from now on, they were on high alert.
Xiahou Dan gave an almost imperceptible nod and walked through the main gate.
The main hall was already filled with kneeling palace servants. The faster concubines had rushed over and knelt as well, each one with a deathly pale face and a mournful expression. But since no tears had been shed, it meant the Empress Dowager still had a breath left.
Yu Wanyin followed Xiahou Dan past the crowd into the inner chamber, glancing casually at the people. She was slightly taken aback. Many people were staring at her.
More precisely, they were staring at her belly.
Those probing gazes were almost blatant. Feeling uncomfortable, Yu Wanyin raised her sleeve to block their view.
This only drew more direct stares.
Yu Wanyin: “?”
Several old imperial doctors came out from the inner chamber, followed by Xiao Tiancai, who knelt before Xiahou Dan and tearfully declared, “This minister is incompetent and deserves to die…”
Xiahou Dan, adhering strictly to the protocol, kicked the lead doctor aside and rushed in, his voice echoing ahead of him, “Imperial Mother! Imperial Mother!”
The air inside was thick and foul, a mixture of the stench of bodily excretions and the chill of death.
The Empress Dowager was already dressed in her burial clothes, her emaciated form arranged with her limbs straight and her hands folded over her chest, lying there stiffly like a corpse, her eyes bulging.
The young crown prince was kneeling in a corner, curled up like a puppet with its strings cut, trembling.
“Ah!” Xiahou Dan gasped.
His voice was absurdly loud, as if to ensure everyone outside could hear, “Imperial Mother, rest assured, your son is here!”
Yu Wanyin: “…”
Today, she witnessed acting at its peak.
Xiahou Dan managed to cry out with a quivering voice while flashing a malicious smile at the figure on the bed.
The Empress Dowager convulsed in response, able only to utter “urgh” sounds.
Xiahou Dan sat on the edge of the bed and kindly tucked her in, “Your son understands, understands everything.”
Their eyes met, and Xiahou Dan recalled their first meeting, when the elegant and imposing Empress Dowager had scratched his face with her crimson nails, making his eyelids twitch, yet he hadn’t dared to flinch.
Back then, he had been like a lamb to the slaughter, able only to await the mercy of others.
If she had taught him anything over the past decade, it was perhaps: do not wait.
The nail polish on her fingers had long since chipped away. She stared at Xiahou Dan, gasping for breath, her eyes no longer filled with hatred but with a lingering reluctance.
Xiahou Dan pondered what images might be flashing through her mind in her final moments but couldn’t figure it out.
She had no lover. She had told him she hated the former emperor the most in her life.
She had no paramours. She had never kept a single lover all these years.
She had no offspring. Before she ascended to the throne, the previous Empress Dowager had ensured she would never bear children.
Perhaps from that moment, all she ever desired in her life was power. Killing the old empress, outliving the late emperor, controlling Xiahou Dan, manipulating the young crown prince… Why love the world? Why seek love? The joy of battling others was endless. Xiahou Dan had no doubt that even if she succeeded in killing him and Prince Duan, she would tirelessly continue to scheme until her last breath.
Unfortunately, she lost too early.
The empress dowager thrashed like a dying fish, her mouth forming words but only producing incoherent sounds.
Xiahou Dan, unwilling to lean closer to hear, tilted his head slightly and impatiently asked, “What?”
The empress dowager abruptly smiled.
She slowly uttered a few words.
Xiahou Dan paused.
Her hand, which had been resting on her chest, trembled as it lifted an inch before falling back down, her head lolling to the side, motionless.
Deathly silence.
The imperial physician, sensing something amiss, crawled over on his knees, pulled back the bed curtains, and symbolically checked her pulse and eyes, tremblingly announcing, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty…”
Xiahou Dan remained seated, unmoving.
Yu Wanyin, kneeling at the foot of the bed, waited for over ten seconds, puzzled. She stood up and walked over, pulling him up.
Only then did Xiahou Dan seem to be triggered like a switch, drawing a deep breath before wailing, “Imperial Mother. !”
Outside, the signal was received, and wailing began, echoing one after another. From the inner chamber, Yu Wanyin could hear the grand display of grief, both male and female voices, indicating that the ministers had arrived.
She wondered if Prince Duan had come.
While feigning loud mourning, she mentally reviewed the positions of the shadow guards.
Naturally, Xiahou Dan couldn’t end with just one cry; he continued to close the empress dowager’s eyes and straighten her burial clothes, going through the full ritual.
The young crown prince, also lying on the ground, began to sob. He was probably the only one genuinely crying in the room, quickly becoming a snotty, tearful mess, trembling as if he had malaria, crawling towards the bed to get one last look at the empress dowager.
Yu Wanyin whispered to Xiahou Dan, “What were her last words?”
Xiahou Dan turned to her, his expression wooden, “She said she would wait for me in the afterlife.”
Yu Wanyin felt a chill rise from her feet, “What kind of nonsense, cursing people even on her deathbed…”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the crown prince crawling closer and glanced at him. The crown prince was staring at Xiahou Dan, his face so taut that his features were distorted, holding his breath like a balloon about to burst.
At that moment, Yu Wanyin’s heart tightened.
Relying on an instinct honed by life and death experiences, her body moved.
She lunged at Xiahou Dan, knocking him aside.
At the same time, the crown prince raised his arm, releasing a red mist from his sleeve aimed at Xiahou Dan, but most of it was blocked by Yu Wanyin.
Expecting a dagger or hidden weapon, Yu Wanyin had never anticipated this, inhaling a mouthful and choking violently.
Xiahou Dan, shoved aside, froze for a moment before covering his mouth and nose, rushing back to pull her away. He turned and delivered a powerful kick to the crown prince’s chest.
The young crown prince was sent flying, hitting the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Yu Wanyin fell to her knees, coughing uncontrollably. Xiahou Dan wiped her clothes and hair, his fingers covered in red powder.
The shadow guards quickly subdued all the palace servants and physicians in the room, securing the crown prince as well. “Your Majesty, it’s not safe here, please leave immediately…”
Xiahou Dan strode forward and grabbed the young crown prince by the throat. “The antidote.”
The crown prince screamed.
The commotion reached outside, and the mourning cries abruptly stopped.
Xiahou Dan’s fingers tightened, cutting off the screams. “The antidote.”
The crown prince struggled, his face turning purple-red. Seeing the situation turn dire, the Shadow Guards tried to intervene. “Your Majesty, please calm down!”
Xiahou Dan ignored them, his hand bulging with veins, a dark aura emanating from his brows.
Yu Wanyin finally caught her breath, feeling no other discomfort. She turned her head and saw the crown prince’s eyes rolling back. She hurriedly tried to pry Xiahou Dan’s hand away. “Stop, I’m fine…” But she couldn’t move his hand. Panicking, she whispered in his ear, “Everyone is outside. Do you want to solidify your reputation as a tyrant right now?”
Xiahou Dan didn’t respond.
Yu Wanyin looked closely and was terrified. His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted like a demon’s.
Even in his previous bouts of madness, he had never looked like this.
Yu Wanyin suddenly remembered the red powder. Xiahou Dan had inhaled some earlier too, hadn’t he?
Suppressing her fear, she commanded the Shadow Guards, “Help save the crown prince!”
The Shadow Guards hesitated, not daring to move.
Yu Wanyin urged hoarsely, “Hurry, we need the antidote!” She had inhaled much more of the red powder than Xiahou Dan, and now it felt like a time bomb in her body, ready to go off at any moment. She needed to stabilise the situation while she still had her wits about her.
The Shadow Guards gritted their teeth and struck a nerve point on Xiahou Dan’s arm, causing it to go numb and forcing him to release his grip.
As soon as they pulled the crown prince away, Xiahou Dan hissed, “Kill him.”
The Shadow Guards hesitated. “Your Majesty…”
“Kill him!” Xiahou Dan roared like a beast and swung a punch. The Shadow Guards, unable to block him, stumbled to dodge.
Xiahou Dan lunged to grab a sword.
The Shadow Guards circled around the pillars.
Xiahou Dan reached into his robe and pulled out a gun.
Those who recognized it widened their eyes in shock.
The gun, aimed at the Shadow Guard, was caught by a hand.
Yu Wanyin, trembling all over, said, “Xiahou Dan.”
Xiahou Dan instinctively looked at her. Seeing the tears in her eyes, the storm in his dark, chaotic eyes seemed to pause for a few seconds.
Yu Wanyin, on the verge of losing her composure, slowly moved her fingers along the gun, touching the cold skin of his hand. “Shall we have hotpot tonight?”
Xiahou Dan froze.
Taking advantage of his hesitation, Yu Wanyin whispered, “Knock him out.”
This time, the Shadow Guards didn’t hesitate. A swift strike to the back of his neck knocked the emperor unconscious.
Yu Wanyin looked around. The empress dowager was dead, the emperor poisoned, the crown prince half-dead.
She glanced toward the main hall. The ministers and palace servants were still quietly crying, clearly listening to the strange noises inside.
Everyone inside the room was staring at her.
Forcing a smile, Yu Wanyin said, “The emperor has fainted from grief. Help him back to rest. The crown prince is emotionally unstable and needs to be comforted.”
The Shadow Guards understood and carried Xiahou Dan and the crown prince out the back door.
Yu Wanyin brushed red powder off her shoulder and clenched it in her palm.
The substance had yet to affect her. She had a vague suspicion and reassured the imperial physicians and palace servants, “Don’t panic, continue as usual.”
Her tone was soothing, but her smile was cold.
She might not have realised it, but to others, the new empress exuded an entirely different aura.
Shivering, they hastily moved to action. Some brought a coffin for the empress dowager, others cleaned up the mess.
Yu Wanyin gave Xiao Tiancai a meaningful look, directing her gaze to the empress dowager’s body.
Understanding her intent, Xiao Tiancai bowed and helped arrange the empress dowager’s remains with the palace servants.
Yu Wanyin walked out of the inner chamber.
The main hall was indeed filled with people kneeling, the line stretching out into the dark night. Seeing her emerge, the forced crying resumed.
Yu Wanyin gestured for An Xian to come forward and arrange for the ministers to stay or return home to fast. She herself symbolically helped a few concubines and offered some comfort.
Suddenly, a shadow rushed toward her, calling out, “Empress!”
Yu Wanyin, startled, retreated a few steps. The middle-aged man stopped awkwardly and hesitated before saluting, “Empress, are you well?”
Yu Wanyin hesitated, trying to deduce.
This might be her father.
But she couldn’t be certain. If she called him “father” and was wrong, it would be a disaster. So she wiped away nonexistent tears and vaguely said, “Thank you for your concern, I… I’m fine.”
He responded, “Oh, Empress, don’t worry too much and harm your health…”
“Minister Yu,” a clear and gentle voice interrupted.
Prince Duan had also approached, supporting the man and gently advising, “This is not the time for a reunion.”
It was indeed her father.
But Yu Wanyin’s attention was no longer on her father. Prince Duan was standing too close to her, a distance even the Shadow Guards couldn’t intervene in time.
Yu Shaoqing’s face flushed red, hastily bowed, and said, “This old minister has been disrespectful. I will take my leave.” Before leaving, he glanced at Yu Wanyin’s stomach.
Yu Wanyin’s mind was in chaos at that moment, unable to spare a thought to dissect his gaze. She locked eyes with Prince Duan, ready to flee at any moment, but at the same time trying her best not to show her wariness.
Xiahou Bo sighed sadly, “I haven’t congratulated Your Highness on ascending to the phoenix throne.”
Yu Wanyin smiled sadly too, “Your Highness, now is not the time.”
She directly threw back his own words.
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Bo looked at her deeply, “Your Highness still has to deal with the overall situation. I won’t bother you any further.
Yu Wanyin originally thought he had come to inquire about Xiahou Dan’s condition, so she was somewhat surprised to see him leave so easily.
She rehearsed the lines several times in her mind, then smiled wryly, “Indeed, I’m a little overwhelmed. Thank you, Your Highness, for your understanding. Let’s… discuss this another day.
Xiahou Bo smiled and turned away.
As soon as he turned away, the longing and disappointment in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by sarcasm.
Some people’s fates don’t need warmth.
And some people’s warmth is so stingy that it vanishes in an instant, even they themselves never notice, as it disappears without a trace.
Xiahou Dan didn’t know where he was.
Everything before him was dark, with no images visible.
His ears were buzzing, unable to hear any sound.
If the previous headache was like waves crashing one after another, this time it was like a landslide and tsunami that directly lifted the earth’s crust.
It seemed like someone was shaking his shoulders, shouting at him, but all he heard was meaningless noise.
Too painful.
It felt as though two giant dragons had squeezed into his skull, fiercely fighting in this tiny space, cracking open his skull and spraying out bitterness and flames.
Too painful.
If only he could die immediately.
Even if he fell into hell, burned by karma, it wouldn’t be more painful than this.
Yu Wanyin dismissed everyone with a wave of her hand, leaving a few Shadow Guards to monitor the palace attendants there, and hurried back, with Xie Yong’er and Xiao Tiancai following behind her.
“The powder.” She handed the sweaty lump of red powder she had quietly kept in her palm to Xiao Tiancai. “Go and test it.”
Xiao Tiancai didn’t say a word, his forehead covered in sweat as he took the powder in all seriousness.
Yu Wanyin rushed towards the inner room, but halfway there, Bei Zhou raised his hand to stop her.
She looked up in surprise. “Uncle Bei, what’s the meaning of this?”
Bei Zhou just silently held up his arm, blocking her way.
Yu Wanyin knew that even a thousand of herself couldn’t beat him, and said dejectedly, “Is he forbidding me to see him? Then what about you? Do you also think I should stay away at this time?”
Bei Zhou: “…”
Yu Wanyin felt increasingly desperate as she said, “What am I in your eyes? Just a little ornament for happy occasions?”
Bei Zhou lowered his arm. “I’m a bit sore.”
Yu Wanyin: ?
Bei Zhou turned his body away. “Ah, getting old. Can’t bear the old arms and legs.”
Yu Wanyin belatedly realised what he was doing, quickly running inside.
Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still shocked by the scene before her.
On the bed, Xiahou Dan was wrapped in a quilt by Bei Zhou, bundled up like a dumpling. If it weren’t for the blood on his forehead and lips, the scene would be somewhat comical.
It seemed Bei Zhou had patched him up after he bit himself, stuffing a cloth into his mouth. This way, the screams from his throat were all muffled, greatly reducing their impact.
Yu Wanyin stood like a wooden figure in place, asking blankly, “Does he do this every time he has an episode?”
Bei Zhou’s voice came from behind, “It wasn’t this bad before. About three months ago, he had to be restrained. He didn’t want you to know, so he instated a ban. But I didn’t expect that this time he would try to bang his head against the bedpost and even try to bite his tongue…”
A cold feeling washed over Yu Wanyin’s face, and she touched her face only to find it was her own tears.
Xiahou Dan cried out again, his voice completely torn. Unable to self-harm, he could only transfer the pain in this way.
Yu Wanyin walked over and removed the cloth from his mouth. Xiahou Dan immediately tried to bite himself again, but his teeth were blocked by something else.
Yu Wanyin reached into his mouth with her fingers.
Someone grabbed her hand. “Are you crazy? He’s in a fit, and you’re joining him?”
Yu Wanyin realised Xie Yong’er had also followed in.
Xiahou Dan’s teeth had already pierced into her flesh. Yu Wanyin took a deep breath. “It’s alright. It’s better than him hurting himself.”
Xiahou Dan’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly relaxed his jaw.
With great difficulty, he managed to loosen his teeth, his Adam’s apple rolling twice as he weakly asked, “Wanyin?”
Though his eyes were looking at her, they seemed unfocused. “Wanyin?”
Yu Wanyin’s tears fell drop by drop on his face.
Xiahou Dan seemed stupefied, then after a while, murmured, “Go away.”
Yu Wanyin leaned down to hug him, but he struggled, “Go away, you shouldn’t have come…” He was restless, just wanting her to look away.
With her present, he couldn’t even scream, suppressing the throbbing veins on his forehead.
Xie Yong’er stood aside and watched as one went berserk and the other suddenly turned into a crying mess. Rolling her eyes, she stepped forward and stuffed the cloth back into Xiahou Dan’s mouth, then turned to Bei Zhou and asked, “Why not just knock him out?
“…The guards have already knocked him out once. I’m afraid of not controlling the strength properly and hurting him.” Bei Zhou replied.
“Wait here, I’ll go call Xiao Tiancai,” Xie Yong’er said.
Xiao Tiancai went through a round of acupuncture, exhaling deeply. “It should let him sleep for half a day.”
By now, the sky was beginning to lighten. Yu Wanyin looked as though she had been hollowed out, sitting silently exhausted by the bedside.
After some thought, Xiao Tiancai began his report. “I tested the powder with mice earlier, and there was no reaction.”
Yu Wanyin glanced up slightly.
“Earlier, Your Majesty had me examine the Empress Dowager’s body. I found remnants of the same powder on her fingernails, which seems to have been mixed with this substance. However, the powder itself doesn’t appear to be poisonous; otherwise, you wouldn’t be unaffected after inhaling so much of it.”
“So what’s wrong with His Majesty?”
“I vaguely remember reading in ancient texts about certain poisons divided into a poison and a catalyst. The poison lies dormant in the body until activated by the catalyst.”
Xiao Tiancai bowed his head lower and didn’t continue.
But his conjecture was now clear: Xiahou Dan harboured a dormant poison, and the Empress Dowager had kept the catalyst under her fingernails, gradually worsening his headaches over the years, ensuring he remained an incapable tyrant.
The catalyst itself was weak which explained why Bei Zhou and others had failed to find any direct poison near Xiahou Dan.
The Empress Dowager hadn’t anticipated being outwitted by Xiahou Dan. Facing death, she sought revenge, ordering the Crown Prince to use a large amount of the catalyst to attack Xiahou Dan.
Xiahou Dan had been cautious of everyone but hadn’t expected the timid Crown Prince to make such a move.
The Crown Prince knew that his father was indifferent to him and had just installed his new Empress, putting his position as heir in jeopardy. He gambled that if he succeeded, he would ascend to the throne directly.
Yu Wanyin didn’t know whom to admire.
Perhaps everyone who managed to survive in the palace had become a monster.
“Then go and force the Crown Prince to open his mouth; he should know the antidote,” Yu Wanyin said.
Xiao Tiancai shook his head. “The Crown Prince probably doesn’t know. Even the Empress Dowager might not have known. This type of poison has long been lost in Great Xia. Only scattered mentions in ancient texts remain, and no one knows how it was made.”
“Are you suggesting this poison came from elsewhere into her hands?” Yu Wanyin asked.
Xiao Tiancai seemed to recall something. “The Qiang Kingdom… The Qiang people are skilled in poisons. Their medicines and poisons are intertwined, making it difficult for outsiders to understand.”
He stood up. “I’ll go investigate.”
Yu Wanyin exchanged glances with Xie Yong’er.
Yu Wanyin asked, “Could the Empress Dowager have Qiang bloodline?”
“The original text didn’t mention her lineage,” Xie Yong’er replied, “but it did record her poisoning the Empress Dowager and the Empress of the former Emperor. Xiahou Dan’s grandmother and mother. If she used this type of poison back then, it’s ancient history now, and we won’t find out how she obtained it.”
Yu Wanyin frowned in thought.
The good news was that they finally had a lead on Xiahou Dan’s headaches. If Xiao Tiancai could analyse the components of this poison, perhaps Tur could find an antidote in the Qiang Kingdom.
The bad news was… given Xiahou Dan’s current state, they didn’t know if there was still time.
Xiahou Dan woke up around noon.
Yu Wanyin observed his expression, showing pleasant surprise. “Is your head not hurting anymore?”
“It’s mostly fine,” Xiahou Dan said, still vaguely recalling his recent seizure. He sighed, “Sorry to have scared you.”
Yu Wanyin: “…”
She was a bit annoyed.
Annoyed that he had hidden this from her for so long, preferring to be bundled up like a dumpling rather than letting her accompany him.
But upon reflection, even if she were present, she couldn’t have been of any help. So that bit of anger turned into a deep sense of helplessness.
Xiahou Dan seemed to sense her mood change and changed his tone. “Fortunately, it came and went quickly. I feel much better after a nap.”
Yu Wanyin wasn’t comforted at all.
His seizures came and went in waves; who knew when the next one would strike?
She recounted Xiao Tiancai’s speculation to him. “Do you have any clues yourself?”
Xiahou Dan’s mind was still under assault by nails, the pain still more intense than usual despite the dragon temporarily retreating. His thoughts were scattered, trying hard to remember. The first time he remembered his headache was when the Empress Dowager was dying.
But at that time, the future heir was not present.
As for whether there was any red powder residue on the Empress Dowager’s clothes or bed, he couldn’t recall at all.
Xiahou Dan said, “Even if there was a catalyst at that time… when did the poison take root?”
Before the old Empress Dowager died, that woman was just a palace consort and had never touched him. Not to mention that he was well aware of the dangers of the palace, and had always been careful to be on guard from the day he transmigrated.
“What?” Yu Wanyin asked.
Xiahou Dan regained his composure. “No, I was just thinking about how the Empress Dowager managed to plant the dormant poison.”
Yu Wanyin responded, “That’s impossible to know now. Xie Yong’er said she poisoned your grandmother and birth mother. Think about how many years ago that was.”
Oh, that’s right.
Suddenly, Xiahou Dan had a profound realisation.
It was said that his birth mother, Empress Cizhen, had a difficult childbirth and suffered from illness thereafter, passing away at a young age after only two years.
So, when did the Empress Dowager poison Empress Cizhen?
When she poisoned her… would she have been kind enough to spare her during pregnancy?
Xiahou Dan couldn’t help but laugh.
Yu Wanyin was surprised. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s nothing,” Xiahou Dan chuckled, his smile tinged with bitterness but not leaking into his voice. “This tyrant really has had terrible luck.”
It turned out that his caution had been meaningless from the very beginning. Even long before his birth, even before conception, the fate of this role had already been written.
Translation by Spider
Next: Chapter 19
Previous: Chapter 17