My Female General Is A Villain (GL) - Chapter 18

Jiaojiao walked over and tried to open the door, but it was tightly locked. The clanking sound of metal chains was loud, and her insignificant strength was useless against it.

In this desolate place, even if she screamed, no one would hear her. And she might even attract the attention of a killer.

She remembered the description of the Emperor of Great Jing in the book. Before Consort De, he had a beloved concubine, but because of their deep love, the court officials strongly opposed them, calling her a “femme fatale.” Not Wanqing to put the Emperor in a difficult position, she took her own life to end the controversy.

After that, no one dared to mention it again, and the topic became a taboo that could cost a person their head. The favorite concubine’s residence was sealed off and hidden.

If she was right, the place she was in now was the palace’s forbidden grounds, the late concubine’s chamber.

If she was discovered, it would be a disaster.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt weak and limp, unable to stand. She leaned against the door frame. In a daze, her half-closed eyes caught sight of the incense burner, which was letting off a wisp of smoke.

Jiaojiao held her breath, trying to keep her breathing steady.

System 19 seemed to sense the abnormality in her body and called out frantically. 

“Master! Master! Your body is burning up! You’ve been drugged! Find a way to stay awake, or the situation will be very bad for you!”

The drug was starting to take effect. Every vein in her body felt like it was on fire, burning all the way to her brain. The expansion was so strong she could hear every cell swell and shrink.

Jiaojiao’s flushed cheeks were like a winter plum about to bloom. She panted. “You… you came out just to tell me this nonsense? Hurry… help me… find a way…”

Nineteen circled anxiously. “If you need my help, you must pay an equivalent price.”

Jiaojiao’s eyes were already glassy. She shook her head. “…What price?”

Nineteen patiently explained. “The favorability points of your target. This is a special drug from the Western Regions. Getting rid of it isn’t difficult. I can get you an antidote if you give me some of Pei Ji’s favorability points.”

Jiaojiao gave a bitter smile. This was just a minor drug, and Nineteen wanted her to give up the favorability points she had worked so hard to get. It was a joke.

Increasing Pei Ji’s favorability points was harder than reaching the heavens. How could she possibly give them away?

You must be dreaming.

“Is there… any other… way?”

Nineteen’s voice was dejected. “My current abilities are too weak. This is the only way I can think of that will work.”

******

Jiaojiao bit down on her lip until it bled. The metallic taste of bl00d spread across her tongue. The slight pain seemed to give her a moment of relief.

She slid down the pillar, her legs turning to jelly. Using her last ounce of strength, she pulled the sharp, pointed hairpin from her hair and resolutely plunged it into her right thigh.

A string of sweat beaded on her forehead. Jiaojiao clenched her teeth and her fists, keeping her eyes tightly shut. She didn’t let out a single cry, swallowing the pain. She didn’t want the people outside to see her in such a pathetic state. She would not give in.

Bl00d stained her pink dress, splattering like a brilliant, colorful firework.

The girl finally used up all her strength. She leaned against the crimson pillar, motionless, and passed out.

“Master!!!”

********

Pei Ji waited for a long time at the spot where she and He Jiaojiao had planned to meet, but no one showed up.

She thought Jiaojiao was having too much fun with Consort De and had forgotten all about it.

Then, a small palace maid carrying a lantern came towards her. 

“Second Master He, the Second Miss has asked me to come and get you. She is waiting in a side palace for you to rest together.”

Pei Ji glanced at her and said, “Let’s go.”

“Are you one of Consort De’s maids?” Pei Ji suddenly asked halfway through their walk.

The little maid nodded. “Yes. The Consort takes good care of us.”

Pei Ji didn’t say anything, looking down at the familiar shallow footprints. A grim look flashed in her eyes. “This place is quite desolate. Aside from your and my footprints, there’s only the Second Miss’.”

“Oh, wait, there’s another one. It looks like a man’s footprint,” Pei Ji said, pretending to be odd, to the maid. “The Consort went to a lot of trouble to find us such a quiet place in the vast palace.”

The maid stammered a little, her head down as she hurried along. “Yes… yes, she’s always so considerate.”

As the words left her mouth, she quickened her pace, eager to get there.

Pei Ji’s eyes turned up, her dark pupils glinting in the night. She smiled grimly in the desolate night.

Soon, they arrived. The old wooden door was clean of dust. Pei Ji took a step back.

The little maid understood. She went forward, pushed the door open, and bowed to let her pass.

Pei Ji lifted her foot, then put it back down. She faced the maid, put a hand on her shoulder, and narrowed her eyes, showing her teeth. Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle. “Thank you for your trouble. You should go and rest, too.”

The little maid froze. The smile was chilling, colder than the eerie night.

As soon as Pei Ji went inside, the door was shut behind her. She simply ignored it, not caring at all.

“He Jiaojiao,” she called as she walked.

There was no response.

“He Jiaojiao…”

She pulled back the curtain in front of her. The girl leaning against the vermillion pillar had a pale face. A few strands of hair were stuck to her forehead with sweat, and a patch of her leg was stained with a bright red. Her hand was still holding the bloody hairpin. She was completely lifeless.

Her beautiful dress was ruined by the bl00d.

It was clear she had stabbed herself more than once. She had risked her life to numb her senses.

Pei Ji paused for a moment.

She walked towards Jiaojiao and knelt down. She pulled off her hair ribbon and wrapped it around the still-bleeding wound. She gently picked her up, her face calm, but her eyes were a storm of emotions.

The girl was limp in her arms, her head resting on her chest. Her breath was shallow, and her body was hot, but she had lost all her life.

Pei Ji kicked the door open. Two corpses with their mouths agape and their eyes wide lay on the ground. A few flies flew out of their mouths.

She didn’t blink, simply stepping over them.

He Jiaojiao was woken by pain. The intense stabbing in her right leg was like a blade, bringing her back to full consciousness.

A nagging, noisy voice from somewhere rang in her ears, giving her a headache. She couldn’t fall back asleep.

The unbearable heat in her body was gone.

Jiaojiao slowly opened her eyes. The light made her eyelids flutter a few times.

“Did… did you save me?” She was a little confused. She vaguely remembered being held in a cold embrace before losing consciousness.

Could it have been Yuwen Jue?

The book never said the male protagonist was a central air conditioning unit.

Yuwen Jinhuan nodded very seriously, but Yuwen Jue shook his head.

He Jiaojiao didn’t understand. The two siblings were playing a guessing game. Her face was pale, and her brows were furrowed in confusion.

“Wanqing sent a letter saying you would be in danger last night and told me to hurry and save you. But when I got halfway, Pei Ji had already taken you away. To avoid raising any alarm, we decided to keep quiet about it. Consort De still doesn’t know about this,” Yuwen Jue patiently explained.

So it was Pei Ji. But how did she know to be there?

“If it weren’t for us, they wouldn’t have anywhere to stay. Doesn’t that count as saving you?” Jinhuan was indignant, Wanqing to argue about who was right.

“Thank you,” He Jiaojiao said, the words taking a lot of effort. Her body was still very weak. The ordeal from yesterday had drained her completely.

Yuwen Jinhuan didn’t expect those two words to come out of He Jiaojiao’s mouth so easily, as if it were a perfectly normal thing. It truly surprised her.

She was left speechless. She had wanted to say more, but her fire had been completely extinguished.

She looked to the side, a little embarrassed and flustered.

“How did my big sister know I was in danger?” He Jiaojiao asked, her hair a smooth black cascade down her back. Her small, delicate face was like a lotus rising from the mud, pure and clean.

Yuwen Jue was also confused. He frowned in thought, a hint of worry on his face. “Her letter didn’t say. She just warned me to be careful and urged me to save you quickly, or something terrible would happen.”

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for Sister Wanqing, you wouldn’t have gotten away so easily. You had just arrived at my palace last night when Father went to that forbidden chamber. He was furious. He had all the palace maids and attendants who went with him executed. Only Chief Eunuch Zhao escaped. Now the palace gates are all locked. Father is determined to find the killer and get to the bottom of this.”

It seemed she was going to be stuck in the palace for a while. Only when the matter was resolved could she and Pei Ji get out safely.

Her big sister must have known something.

Pei Ji walked in, carrying a bowl of medicine, and sat down naturally on the edge of the bed.

Jinhuan sidled back a bit, nudging Yuwen Jue with her elbow. She whispered, “Brother, didn’t this He Jiaojiao always look down on Pei Ji and treat him badly? Why doesn’t he hate her? He’s even making medicine for her himself, not letting a maid do it. Don’t you think he’s a little…”

Jinhuan tapped her head, a question in her eyes for Yuwen Jue.

Yuwen Jue grabbed her arm and pulled her outside.

“Hey… Brother…”

Inside the room, only Jiaojiao and Pei Ji were left staring at each other. The atmosphere was so quiet that they could hear a pin drop.

Pei Ji held the wooden bowl, stirring the medicine with a wooden spoon.

Jiaojiao reached out her hand. “I’ll do it myself.”

“Mmm.”

The answer came so quickly, as if Pei Ji had been waiting for Jiaojiao to ask.

It was as if she couldn’t wait to get this hot potato out of her hands.

Jiaojiao had always hated medicine, especially the kind made with herbs. It was a chore to get down, and it always made her feel bad for a while.

“I want a winter jujube,” Jiaojiao said, looking at the fruit plate on the table opposite her, her eyes full of expectation as she looked at Pei Ji.

Pei Ji got up and did as she was told.

Looking at the big jujube, Jiaojiao felt a rush of courage. She couldn’t skip the ritual. She spoke to herself, “Okay… I’m going to drink it now…”

Lately, Pei Ji felt that this woman was completely unpredictable. She had seen so many versions of He Jiaojiao she had never seen before.

Before, she was nothing but pure fury. Now, she smiled at others, was a little playful and full of life…

Even Qingyao, the maid who was once terrified of her, was now much closer.

In short, she was so different, as if she were a completely new person.

“If you don’t drink it now, you’ll have to wait another two hours,” Pei Ji challenged.

Jiaojiao: “…”

She held the bowl, took a deep breath, and then drank it all in one go.

Her brows were furrowed in a tight knot. She immediately took the jujube from Pei Ji’s hand and bit into it. The sweet flavor masked the bitter taste of the medicine. She chewed quickly, as if to completely destroy the unpleasant taste.

With that out of the way, it was time to get back to business.

“Last night, were you also led there by a palace maid?” Jiaojiao asked, feigning casualness.

Pei Ji nodded. “I was waiting for you at our meeting spot. She said you were already waiting for me and told me to go with her.”

Jiaojiao was in disbelief. “And you went? Didn’t you think it was dangerous?”

Pei Ji chuckled. “Weren’t you very obedient yourself?” she said, her playful gaze not missing Jiaojiao’s injured leg.

Okay, you win.

Jiaojiao was left speechless. She really hadn’t used her brain much back then.

But the question was, in Pei Ji’s current state, how had she gotten her out safely? A weak, defenseless woman, who could escape without a sound.

The maid last night seemed to have an accomplice. If that was the case, it shouldn’t have been so easy for this little rebel.

Jiaojiao probed. “How did you get out of there safely? Logically, the maid should have had an accomplice. Two people against you, and they didn’t stand a chance? Plus, there was a drug in the room, and yet you’re completely fine.”

Pei Ji’s expression was practically saying, ‘I’m not as dumb as you are.’

The moment the maid said her first sentence, Pei Ji had already felt something was off.

“Are you that determined to see me fail, Second Miss? If something had happened to me, your head wouldn’t be on your shoulders right now.”

He Jiaojiao was angry but couldn’t argue. This time, she had truly miscalculated.

“Thank you…”

Saying those words felt awkward to Jiaojiao for some reason.

Perhaps it was because those words shouldn’t have been in this character’s vocabulary. But at that moment, she felt like she should say them. She wanted to say them.

After all, if it hadn’t been for Pei Ji last night, she probably wouldn’t have seen the sun today.

So she couldn’t go against her true feelings.

Pei Ji seemed to have something caught in her throat. She couldn’t utter a single sound.

He Jiaojiao bit into her jujube absent-mindedly, not daring to look at Pei Ji. She looked around awkwardly, stealing glances at Pei Ji to see her reaction.

Good. That was very Pei Ji. No expression at all.

The incident still didn’t escape He Su’s notice. As soon as he heard the palace gates were locked, he immediately sent a letter to Jiaojiao, asking about her condition.

Not wanting to worry them, He Jiaojiao said she knew nothing about it. It just so happened that she wanted to stay in the palace for a few more days and wasn’t in a hurry to return.

When He Su received her reply, he simply assumed she was in a playful mood and didn’t restrict her much, but he did remind her multiple times that the palace wasn’t like home and she shouldn’t act recklessly.

Basking in the slightly blinding sun, Jiaojiao felt incredibly at ease. So this was what a father’s love felt like.

Her leg hadn’t healed yet, and she was still limping. To avoid drawing attention, Yuwen Jinhuan had announced to everyone that she and Second Miss He were going to have a 300-round Go match and that no one else was allowed to disturb them.

So, in the Ninth Princess’s entire palace, aside from them, Jinhuan’s personal maids, and a few trusted chefs and servants, there were no other people.

And so, He Jiaojiao began her short-term, lifelong dream of a retirement-style life here.

The only thing that gave her a headache was that Yuwen Jinhuan had been relentlessly pestering her to play Go, claiming she really wanted to have a 300-round match.