Saving the Obsessive Villain Boss [Quick Transmigration] (GL) - Chapter 4
The palace hall was heated with charcoal fires, unlike the icy outdoor conditions, the interior was as warm as spring. The Imperial Physician, who had just been transferred here, had finished the consultation and was personally tending to the decocting herbal soup in the outer room, utterly perplexed as to why the ruthless State Preceptor had suddenly had a change of heart and brought His Majesty out of the prison.
— And she had carried her out personally.
He couldn’t help but recall the widely circulated rumors: His Majesty was infatuated with the State Preceptor’s beauty and intended to bring her into the harem, ultimately leading to the State Preceptor’s rebellion and His Majesty being secretly confined to the deepest dungeon of the Liyue Kingdom.
These entangled grudges were the subject of rampant gossip outside, and they only knew half-truths.
The Imperial Physician listlessly watched over the medicinal soup, completely unaware that the medicinal apprentice accompanying him was quietly reaching behind his back.
Before the person could pull out a blade, footsteps were already heard. A stark, dazzling white figure pushed open the door, with swirling wind and snow behind her.
The young apprentice paused, a flicker of unwillingness crossing his eyes, but ultimately, he retracted the blade.
He thought to himself: It’s probably this enchantress devising some other malicious scheme to torment His Majesty.
Shi Qingyi: “…”
The System let out a long sigh of relief: “Thank goodness we made it in time, or Xu Zhaosu would have been rescued.”
Shi Qingyi’s lips twitched slightly, but she maintained a cold, frosty expression: “This is why you woke me up from bed in the middle of the night?”
Overtime shouldn’t be like this, okay? Not even letting the employee get a good night’s sleep in the dead of the night!
“Sleep? What sleep? Xu Zhaosu’s blade is practically at your throat, and all you know is sleeping!” The System chastised, feeling exasperated.
While Shi Qingyi was furiously arguing with the System in her mind, she silently walked past the Imperial Physician and the apprentice, softening her footsteps as she approached the couch.
The person on the couch seemed to be asleep, her breathing shallow and quiet.
The palace lantern by the bed was dim. The frail woman lay in the bed, and a section of her exposed arm was covered with purple bruises and scars.
Shi Qingyi extended her hand, seemingly wanting to touch her eyes and her thin cheeks, but it hovered in mid-air for a long time, and finally, she slowly retracted it.
The Imperial Physician and the apprentice held their breaths, not daring to relax, especially the apprentice, whose hand had once again reached into his sleeve.
Shi Qingyi lowered her eyelids, sitting by the couch and quietly watching the person for a while.
She had lost a great deal of weight. Her once plump and delicate cheeks were visibly sunken. The Empress, who had never done manual labor, now had an exposed arm covered in chilblains, a sight that was almost too painful to look at.
After a moment, Shi Qingyi finally waved her hand and lowered her voice, sounding very tired, saying: “You two should wait in the outer hall for now.”
The Imperial Physician quickly grabbed the apprentice and retreated as if granted a great pardon. The apprentice was reluctant, but he dared not reveal his intentions now and could only quietly withdraw.
The enormous Yuming Hall was finally left with only two people. For a moment, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Shi Qingyi sat still for a while, then rose and picked up the scissors nearby.
The apprentice standing in the outer room tensed up, the white blade in his hand half-unsheathed.
Then, he saw the State Preceptor, who now held supreme power, use the scissors to snip the wick of the palace lantern beside the couch.
She even subtly cupped her hand over it when extinguishing the light, seemingly afraid that the flickering light would disturb the eyes of the sleeping person.
The dagger in the apprentice’s hand was retracted again with an ineffable frustration.
Hmph, there must be another sinister move. This is merely a ruse to lower our guard!
The apprentice crouched outside, gripping the dagger in his hand.
He was a person placed there from outside, and he was also His Majesty’s secret guard. If this traitor made any move, he would risk his life to save His Majesty.
Until the sky gradually brightened.
For some unknown reason, the traitor truly made no move, merely guarding the side of His Majesty’s couch, staring at her quietly all night as if she had never seen her before.
There must be other vicious tricks!
Having not closed his eyes all night, the apprentice’s eyes were bloodshot. The Imperial Physician had been replaced, and he had managed to stay only after much persuasion.
As the day grew brighter, the person finally stood up and walked towards the outside. The night was finally over. Just as the apprentice felt a moment of relief, he saw the person who had walked two steps suddenly turn back, gently tucking His Majesty’s exposed arm into the warm silk comforter.
The apprentice stared, stunned, and his raised heart thumped back down.
When she walked out of the palace gate, Shi Qingyi briefly raised her eyes, glancing at the place where she had lived for two years. Previously, to fit her persona of being a pure-hearted recluse focused on the Dao, the place was decorated like a Taoist temple. Later, to fit her scumbag persona of being an unethical person greedy for power, it was renovated to be ostentatiously splendid and so brightly white it was almost glaring.
Shi Qingyi’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly—in any case, it just doesn’t look like a good person’s residence.
She rubbed her temples, and as she walked out, she instructed: “When… His Majesty…”
She hesitated slightly over the title, but still spoke it out.
“When she wakes up and feels a little better, send her to Mingze Hall—that’s where she used to live. It’s been vacant for two years. Take some people to clean it up thoroughly, replace everything, and start setting up warm stoves now to drive out the cold.”
“Also, have the capable members of the Imperial Hospital come and wait outside the hall. Divide them into three shifts to watch over her, and feel free to take any necessary medicinal herbs directly from the national treasury.”
After giving her instructions, she pushed open the hall door herself, avoiding the maid’s hand. Outside, the heavy snow hadn’t stopped, but sparse sunlight was filtering through the clouds, momentarily blinding her.
The people around her dared not say more, only responding in the affirmative. Only one female official whispered, “State Preceptor, what about today’s court assembly? The various ministers have been waiting in the front hall for a long time.”
Shi Qingyi was slightly taken aback and said, “Then I’ll go.” Having stayed up all night, her voice was somewhat hoarse. She frowned and glanced back.
Outside, the snow was falling heavily, but inside, shielded by the window screens, the Empress was still in a deep, sweet sleep. She reached out and wrapped her heavy cloak tightly around herself.
“Keep your voices down. Don’t wake His Majesty.”
The Female Official: …?
The apprentice still secretly clutching his dagger: ??!
Did they mishear something?
What kind of bizarre turn was this?!
Even when His Majesty adored the State Preceptor and wanted to heap all the world’s treasures before her, the State Preceptor never showed any kindness. Now she’s suddenly changed her nature? Did a donkey kick her in the head?
Shi Qingyi walked forward across the heavy snow with an expressionless face, completely unconcerned with the inner turmoil of the group behind her, thinking: Xu Zhaosu is quite resilient too.
She hadn’t slept all night, and Xu Zhaosu had also pretended to be sweetly asleep all night. She couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.
At least she could move from time to time, but the person pretending to be asleep had to maintain mental tension all night, not moving even once.
— How miserable.
The System couldn’t help but sympathize in her mind with the injured Empress who insisted on staying up all night, and at the same time, it curiously asked: “— How did you know Xu Zhaosu wasn’t asleep?”
“When she sleeps, she always curls up. She’s never been this neat even once, okay?”
System: “…Something seems wrong.”
“Hm?”
The System mentally slammed its hand on the table: “Wait, Shi Qingyi, why the hell do you know how the Empress sleeps?! Are you telling me you actually peeked at her sleeping!!”
“Shi Qingyi!” The System couldn’t help but mentally turn around, and sure enough, in the empty Yuming Hall, the Empress, who had seemed to be in a deep sleep, silently opened her eyes.
Those eyes clearly couldn’t see anything, yet they instinctively turned in the direction Shi Qingyi had left.
The candlelight in the hall was dim, casting her gaze in a murky and indistinct light.