Saving the Obsessive Villain Boss [Quick Transmigration] (GL) - Chapter 10
The artery on the slender neck slowly pulsed beneath her palm. The light blue artery was clearly visible beneath the warm skin. With just a little force, she could make it stop…
Her palm tightened little by little, then tightened again.
The originally quiet person’s breathing could be clearly heard becoming heavy, struggling to gasp for air. Her pale cheeks slowly turned red. She seemed to want to say something but couldn’t make any sound.
Physiological tears welled up from the corners of her eyes, a mist spreading. The bandaged hand lifted and gently rested on her wrist, attempting to gain a breath.
The scalded and water-soaked wound faintly bled. There was practically no strength in her hand; it looked like she wanted to pull away, but in reality, it was just weakly resting on her hand.
The hand clamped on her neck grew tighter and tighter. Shi Qingyi’s eyes slowly closed, as if they would never open again in the next moment.
Xu Zhaosu’s hand suddenly stopped, no longer exerting any force. Her hand bones, which were almost healed, seemed to have triggered some old injury at this moment, rendering them unable to move again.
There, there was a dense array of chilblains, constantly spasming in the dark night.
After a long time, Shi Qingyi’s eyes slowly opened. Her voice was rough and hoarse. She propped herself up on the couch, as if exhausted, her arm trembling: “Your Majesty…”
The System almost jumped out excitedly in Shi Qingyi’s mind: “She really wanted to kill you just now!!!”
Shi Qingyi’s mouth twitched. She didn’t want to pay any attention to this useless hindsight System. Isn’t that obvious? She had just felt the substantial killing intent. Xu Zhaosu truly hated her to the extreme.
It wasn’t until Shi Qingyi’s arm couldn’t hold up that Xu Zhaosu realized the incredible posture they were in. Shi Qingyi’s other hand was still embracing her, even though she had just nearly choked her to death.
“Your Majesty, did you just have a nightmare?” Shi Qingyi’s voice was extremely hoarse, coughing intermittently. Since she was exhausted anyway, she simply lay down behind her.
Cold sweat covered Xu Zhaosu. A silent chill swept over her. So, one day she, too, would be capable of such brutality towards Shi Qingyi. She had thought she would never want to kill her in this lifetime.
But compared to betrayal, her desire to leave her was what truly drove her insane, wasn’t it?
Yes, the monarch who was once above tens of thousands of people is now powerless and relying on Shi Qingyi’s charity to barely survive. How else could she keep her? When the time comes for her and her good master to return to Mount Zhongnan to live happily ever after, what could she do?
Let herself watch helplessly?
It would be better to kill her, to ensure she never takes another step out of the palace for all eternity! Even her bones must belong to her!
The person behind her tried to move closer. A faint bitter tea scent wafted over. The female monarch was well-read. Her imperial mother used to love various famous teas, so she was always knowledgeable about them. She could tell what it was just from a hint of the fragrance.
Yangyan Gouqing.
The mask of composure that had just settled shattered layer by layer again. She swung out a palm and sternly shouted: “Get out—”
Carrying the scent of someone else and daring to crawl into my bed?!
Shi Qingyi was inexplicably pushed away by a palm. Xu Zhaosu, how she did it, accurately and precisely shoved her on the back of her freshly bandaged and loose hand. In an instant, bl00d poured out. Even with Shi Qingyi’s disposition, she couldn’t help but let out a muffled groan.
Therefore, not long after, the female monarch heard the sound of the door gently closing amidst the pattering rain.
The person in the darkness was practically trembling with anger. She actually just left just like that?!
Good, very good. As expected, she went to find her master. After so many years apart, they must have much to say. Why would she run over here in the middle of the night, humbling herself to pretend to be a palace maid and suffer such humiliation?
Lying amidst the luxurious silk, she felt as if her entire self had been dragged into the spring rain outside the window. The bone-piercing cold made her teeth faintly chatter. Her heart ached with a wrenching pain, feeling almost torn apart.
Crazy and terrifying thoughts kept screaming in her heart, but she suppressed them one by one. No, she couldn’t—
At least, not yet.
About a quarter of an hour later, she suddenly heard the door being gently pushed open. Someone approached, and the bitter scent of medicine permeated the moist air.
The porcelain pot was placed by the couch. Shi Qingyi lit a palace lantern. When she turned back, she saw the female monarch’s tightly closed eyes and ashen face. Only fine beads of sweat slid from her temples down to her neck.
“Your Majesty, I know you are not asleep.”
She bent over the side of the couch. Her voice was hoarse, yet carried a subtle, almost imperceptible helplessness. The warm airflow blew onto the female monarch’s ear: “You haven’t had your medicine today.”
After she left, Xu Zhaosu had only vented her anger by smashing things. She refused to consume anything brought by anyone else, looking as if she feared being poisoned. Shi Qingyi couldn’t help but twitch her mouth when she heard the System nagging incessantly in her mind during the time she was talking to her master.
It said she had flown into a rage and had been starving since noon. Forget the medicine, she hadn’t even drunk a sip of water.
Xu Zhaosu finally opened her eyes slowly. One hand shielded her eyes. She waited a moment for her to adjust slightly before letting go, followed by the thin white veil, as if afraid her true face would be seen.
Perhaps Xu Zhaosu had worn herself out this time, exhausted from a nightmare during the night. She didn’t continue to make trouble. She leaned in Shi Qingyi’s arms to drink the medicine. When she wasn’t making a fuss, she was still docile, wrapped in thick fox fur, coughing twice after each sip. Shi Qingyi gently patted her back. After a while, she managed to feed her some, and then set the medicinal bowl aside.
A finger pressed against the corner of her lips. Xu Zhaosu was momentarily stunned, but still subconsciously opened her mouth. A pickled sour plum slid onto her lips and tongue.
The finger was slender and warm, carrying a faint bitterness of herbs, which suddenly reminded her of Shi Qingyi holding her finger in her mouth during the day. This led to a memory from many years ago, when Shi Qingyi first came down the mountain and had never seen a thorny flower, curiously reaching out her hand and getting pricked. The memory was of Shi Qingyi instinctively pulling away when she wanted to blow on the wound.
These old stories came back endlessly. Unfortunately, Xu Zhaosu’s memory was exceptionally good; she could even recall that Master Jing E sent a jar of green plum wine down from Mount Zhongnan every year.
Her face grew even gloomier, almost dripping water. She turned her head and spat the plum into the medicinal bowl.
Shi Qingyi: “…?”
She paused, put down the medicinal bowl, and decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.
“There’s nothing left in the kitchen. This servant only cooked one bowl of porridge. Will Your Majesty manage to eat a little, please?”
The last phrase, “please,” was utterly helpless in tone, yet seemed to unintentionally carry a trace of gentle doting. Xu Zhaosu, with a cold face, graciously took two bites. Shi Qingyi’s cooking skill was mediocre; the porridge was barely edible. Perhaps because she had been hungry for too long, Xu Zhaosu finished it, being very considerate.
Shi Qingyi wiped the corners of her mouth for her, preparing to drag her physically and mentally exhausted body back for a sleep, when she unexpectedly heard a chilling sentence: “Did I let you go?”
Shi Qingyi felt as if an arrow had struck her chest. She slowly turned around.
“…What are Your Majesty’s orders?”
The female monarch on the couch curled a cold smile at the corner of her mouth: “Take off your clothes.”
“…Yes.”
The System typed furiously with excitement: “Are the sins you committed finally going to be repaid with your own body?!”
Joyous to hear, a cause for universal celebration! This is a happy event!
Shi Qingyi’s mouth twitched. She quickly hit the shutdown button and simultaneously prohibited restart. The System was tearfully thrown into the dark room.
The outermost cloak was taken off, followed by a palace robe and skirt, then an inner garment. When only a single undergarment remained, the corners of Shi Qingyi’s mouth couldn’t help but tighten.
When her hand reached for the last ribbon to untie it, the person on the couch finally spoke: “That’s enough.”
“Keep watch for me.”
Keeping watch wearing only a single undergarment…
The person remained silent for a long time but finally agreed submissively, her tone containing weariness and helplessness. She then went out to put away the medicine and porridge bowls. After tidying up, she lit an ambergris incense in the hall, and only then approached, placing her hand on the silk quilt, in the direction of the female monarch’s palm.
“Your Majesty, sleep peacefully. It’s just a nightmare, it’s not real.”
“This servant is always here…”
Xu Zhaosu felt only scorn in her heart. It was precisely because you are here that I can’t be at ease. Who knows when a venomous snake like you will bite back and reveal your true colors?
She slightly squeezed her palm. There was a small dagger in the bed, which she used for self-defense.
Although she mocked her in her heart, perhaps the emotional turmoil of the day had been too great. She soon fell into a deep sleep. Half-dreaming, half-awake, she seemed to see a woman in a simple Taoist robe trying to take someone away, which terrified her and made her tremble uncontrollably. In her sleep, she frantically reached out four times to search.
Her voice was urgent and sharp: “A-Yi—”
Someone reached out and grasped her hand, answering her again and again: “Mm, I’m here, Your Majesty, I’m right here…”
As if she had finally received some reassuring answer, her rapid breathing slowly calmed. She tightly clenched that hand and fell into a deep sleep.
After all this turmoil, the sky was already turning white. It was almost time for court. The hall door was pushed open a crack, and palace servants arrived, carrying lanterns in the morning dew.
The sound of the door opening startled the person who had just fallen asleep. The grip on her hand tightened by a degree, and her breathing quickened slightly.
In the dim yellow candlelight, the Grand Preceptor, wearing only a thin undergarment, held her forehead, her fingers intertwined with the female monarch’s. Her other hand was pressed to her lips, signaling silence.
The palace maid understood, quickly closed the door, and exited with a flushed face.
—The clothes scattered on the floor looked like the Grand Preceptor’s.
Everyone was keeping silent, but it seemed the rumors circulating this afternoon might not be just rumors. So the Grand Preceptor and Your Majesty truly had that kind of relationship…
Shi Qingyi, who had no idea what the palace maid was imagining, only felt cold. The furnace fire that had burned all night was out. Since Xu Zhaosu had just fallen asleep, she couldn’t call someone in to add fuel, and one of her hands was being held.
After thinking for a long time, the remaining hand quietly lifted the quilt and slipped inside. She instantly felt the warmth of spring. Although Xu Zhaosu had a cold constitution, the bedding underneath her was lined with warm jade.
Just a nap, and she would crawl out before Xu Zhaosu woke up.
Originally, this idea would have been fine, with the human-shaped alarm clock, the useless System, being there. The tragedy was that she forgot she had just locked the System away.
This resulted in the awkward situation the next afternoon: Xu Zhaosu was already awake, but she was not.
When Xu Zhaosu woke up, she found someone pressed tightly against her back. One hand was wrapped around her front, and a forehead rested on her shoulder, curled up, occupying a small space.
She had been applying medicine for nearly half a month. The sunlight no longer hurt her eyes as much as it did initially. Perhaps the faint light of the spring morning was truly gentle; she could actually see a little bit.
The hand gripping hers was scarred. First, it was splashed with medicinal soup by her, then soaked in the pond water, and then, with that move last night, the healed, scabbed wound was violently torn open again. One could see the freshly growing flesh inside, which she was currently clutching tightly.
The wound was horrifying. Even Xu Zhaosu was stunned for a moment. Her hand subconsciously wanted to let go, but the person instinctively grabbed it back, mumbling: “I’m here…”
Her voice was terribly hoarse. One could see the bruised finger marks on her neck, which were more apparent after the night. A single glance revealed the intense killing intent from that time.
Shi Qingyi, whose wound was poked by the alternating loosening and tightening of her hand, gradually woke up. Opening her eyes, she met Xu Zhaosu’s emotionless gaze, which was as sharp as a knife in the backlight: “Who told you to get on? Get out—”
“…”
Miscalculation.
The tragic Shi Qingyi rolled off by herself before Xu Zhaosu could kick her. She vaguely sensed something was amiss. Only after a long time did she raise her head. The female monarch seemed completely unaware that she had gotten off. Her glassy eyes were like an ancient well, without a trace of light.
It did not look like she had regained her sight.
She seemed to let out a sigh of relief and whispered: “This servant admits her fault.”
Xu Zhaosu let out a cold laugh and punished her by sending her out to decoct medicine. Only then did the medicine boy step into the inner hall. He not only dared not look anywhere inside the hall but also kept having the current palace rumors surface in his mind.
The Emperor and the Grand Preceptor were having an affair, flirting in the afternoon, and sleeping together at night. It all seemed wrong no matter how he looked at it.
“How is everything with the Aunt (Princess Elder Sister)?”
“Everything is going smoothly with the Princess Elder Sister. She should be leading her army north soon,” the medicine boy, who was a hidden guard, had been mobilizing people inside and outside the palace to gather information. “The Princess Elder Sister urged action again last night, saying that Your Majesty should make plans to withdraw from the palace soon.”
With the royalist army marching north, she would once again have the qualification to ascend to the throne. If she remained in the palace, nothing could be achieved. If Shi Qingyi noticed, it might also become a hindrance to the Princess Elder Sister.
A cold gleam flashed and disappeared in Xu Zhaosu’s eyes. She subtly tightened her grip on the silk quilt: “How are the preparations going?”
The medicine boy bowed and whispered: “Everything is ready. We are just waiting for the Grand Preceptor Shi Qingyi’s birthday banquet in four days, when the palace guards will be lax, to secretly escort Your Majesty out of the palace.”
At that time, the sky will be high and the sea vast. With thirty thousand soldiers under her command, Shi Qingyi, even with the hundred thousand Imperial Guards in the capital region, would be unable to contend against the border generals. The palace coup of a year ago was about to be re-enacted. The female monarch, having endured humiliation and suffering, was finally about to be reborn from the ashes.
The medicine boy hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke cautiously: “The Princess Elder Sister also has one more message for Your Majesty.”
“Say it.” The female monarch nodded slightly.
The medicine boy hesitated again, bowing his head deeply: “The Princess Elder Sister said that Your Majesty must remember not to be soft-hearted this time. When it is time to cut the weeds and remove the roots, if you cannot bring yourself to do it, she can act on your behalf.”
The Princess Elder Sister, despite being thousands of miles away, was clear about this information. If her niece could not deliver the killing blow, she could not just stand by and watch her repeat the same mistake.
The person on the couch’s eyelids fluttered slightly. After a long moment, she raised her head: “I will know what to do.”