Saving the Obsessive Villain Boss [Quick Transmigration] (GL) - Chapter 8

The Grand Preceptor, that beast, returned to the Mingze Hall that night. Before leaving, he stood by the flower bed for a long time, with the medicine boy attending beside him, only turning to leave when the night was deep.

As soon as the person left, the medicine boy returned to the inner hall and immediately knelt with a thump: “This servant let Your Majesty be humiliated.”

The rumors that year had spread like wildfire. There was even gossip among the populace that the female monarch (Your Majesty) admired the Grand Preceptor and intended to forcibly take him, but the Grand Preceptor preferred death to submission, angrily forced the palace, and imprisoned Your Majesty in retaliation. He actually hadn’t entirely disbelieved it back then. Now it seems that—

That beast Shi Qingyi was actually plotting against Your Majesty!

His thoughts were agitated, but the person on the couch just had her eyes closed. Inside the bed, it was extremely warm, especially the area near her leg bones. The heat spread from her chilled knee area all the way to her fingertips.

When that person left, he came in and placed a hot-water bottle inside her silk quilt. Perhaps he thought she was already asleep and didn’t know. Before leaving, he tucked her quilt in and closed the window. His movements were very gentle, but she felt them one by one.

The medicine boy was still deeply distressed. After a long while, he heard a low, deep voice from the couch: “Withdraw.”

Your Majesty has been insulted by that beast and must be feeling terrible right now. When that beast is finally caught, she must be made to suffer a fate worse than death! The medicine boy slowly withdrew, filled with worry. Just as he stepped out of the hall door, he heard a loud pat-a sound behind him, like a heavy object crashing to the ground.

He thought, it must be that hot-water bottle wrapped in good fur. It was filled with simmered medicinal soup, which the imperial physician said was beneficial for Your Majesty’s legs. So, Shi Qingyi had simmered it for an hour before pouring it in. Fearing it would scald Your Majesty, she wrapped another layer of fox fur around it. It was done with care, but Your Majesty was probably still disgusted.

He was afraid the hot-water bottle had shattered and scalded Your Majesty, but since Your Majesty hadn’t called him, he only dared to wait outside the hall door. After a long time, he heard a faint sound from inside. He waited for another quarter of an hour and, seeing that Your Majesty didn’t summon him, he finally left with peace of mind.

No one knew that, in the dim light, the female monarch struggled to sit up, fumbling to find the hot-water bottle she had just thrown and hugging it in her arms.

Her teeth were clenched tightly. She didn’t know who she was angry with. She told herself in her heart that she would immediately throw it out and smash it to pieces once it turned cold, but the hot-water bottle still had residual warmth until she fell asleep.

—Because it didn’t comply with her wish, it was as utterly hateful as that person.

It was Shi Qingyi who took it from her arms the next morning.

In the early morning, when the medicine boy went out to fetch water to prepare medicine, he almost dropped the medicinal pot in shock when he saw the white-robed Grand Preceptor again. The Grand Preceptor, who after all came from Mount Zhongnan, lightly caught the medicinal pot and handed it back to him, his voice cool: “Don’t disturb Your Majesty.”

There was even a hint of disdain.

The medicine boy was momentarily speechless, complaining silently that if you hadn’t suddenly startled me like this, I wouldn’t have dropped it with my skills.

Xu Zhaosu was frail. The medicine she drank had a sleep-inducing effect, and she occasionally woke up in the middle of the night, so her sleep was very light. Hearing the sound, she slowly woke up. Someone was already supporting her waist, their voice also gentle: “This servant will assist Your Majesty in rising.”

Xu Zhaosu’s entire body froze. That hand was guarding her lower back, with a light but firm pressure, slightly warm.

She really hadn’t expected Shi Qingyi to come over the next day to play such a ridiculous trick. Even if Shi Qingyi were burned to ashes, she could still pick out her sarira from the bones. How could she think that she wouldn’t recognize her?

That hand supporting her reached in and took the soft hot-water bottle from her arms. It was only then that she realized she had held this thing all night long.

A cold glint involuntarily appeared in her eyes. She shouldn’t have picked this thing up yesterday.

The Yuming Hall was peaceful and unconstrained, without many palace maids following. Xu Zhaosu had a poor appetite. She put down her breakfast after only a few bites and leaned against the railing of the pavilion to sunbathe.

There was a pool in front of the hall, which used to be planted with many lotus flowers. Now it was still spring, and no one had trimmed it, leaving only half a pool of water and a few withered branches crossing haphazardly in the water.

Xu Zhaosu was nestled right in the path of the wind. Shi Qingyi came over with the hot-water bottle, placed it in her hands, and was just about to sunbathe with her. Heaven knows she had stayed up all night to process a stack of memorials so she could come and serve Xu Zhaosu today. Sunbathing and taking a nap would be just right.

Presuming that Xu Zhaosu couldn’t see, she was about to settle down on the table when she heard a plop sound. The hot-water bottle she had just brought over splashed up a wave in the water.

She looked up at Xu Zhaosu. The female monarch’s face was exquisitely beautiful, now tinged with a coldness, her hands empty.

Shi Qingyi: “…”

I don’t believe that was a slip of the hand.

It was useless whether she believed it or not. She stood up, utterly defeated, and lowered her voice: “This servant will go find another one for Your Majesty.”

Anyway, there was no shortage of hot-water bottles. If she liked to smash them, then let her be happy.

“I want this one.” The female monarch raised her chin. The spring sunlight cast a shadow from the side of her perfect face, making Shi Qingyi momentarily stunned.

“…”

She thought she must have misheard.

Having not received an answer for a long time, Xu Zhaosu turned her head, her voice becoming increasingly icy, pronouncing each word distinctly: “I said, I want this one. Can’t you understand?”

She had been in a high position for many years, with immense authority. If it were someone else, they would probably be overwhelmed and unable to breathe.

This was clearly deliberately making trouble. It was said that Xu Zhaosu’s temperament had become increasingly erratic and unpredictable since she emerged from the dungeon. Those who came to serve were either driven out or thrown out for making mistakes, which was why the Yuming Hall was now empty except for the medicine boy.

Shi Qingyi sighed, rolled up her sleeves, and resigned herself: “Yes, this servant will go down and fetch it for Your Majesty immediately.”

Her words were submissive, completely devoid of her previous aloofness and cold indifference. Then, she heard a plop sound. The person had already jumped down.

Xu Zhaosu, however, suddenly clenched her hand, her body involuntarily leaning forward.

This pool water was drawn from the mountain by her imperial father back then. Who knows how much silt had accumulated. It hadn’t been cleaned for years. The water was cold in the spring. If she jumped in—

If what?

Wouldn’t it be better if she died? A scoundrel like Shi Qingyi deserved to be shot through the heart with arrows. The female monarch covered the faint chill in her eyes and told herself that even if she drowned, it was her own fault.

Shi Qingyi didn’t think much of it. The spring water was indeed bone-chillingly cold. It permeated her skirt from the knees down, so cold that her teeth chattered. What was worse was her hand.

A few days ago, it was scalded and peeled by the medicinal soup that the female monarch had smashed. The imperial physician said it was best not to touch water, but she couldn’t worry about that now. She waded through the mud, stepping deep and shallow. The water was turbid and unclear, so she could only grope for the approximate location.

The System, seeing her face pale with pain, couldn’t help but advise: “Aren’t you stupid? Why didn’t you just ask someone else to fish it out? Why jump in yourself?”

—After all, she couldn’t see.

Shi Qingyi didn’t speak. Xu Zhaosu was clearly trying to make things difficult for her. If she made a fuss, who knew if she’d be smashed again.

She groped in the water for nearly a quarter of an hour. Just as her whole body was about to turn into an ice block, she found the hot-water bottle. It wasn’t far from the shore, near Xu Zhaosu. She dug the object out of the silt, waded through the water, crouched by the shore, and placed the item at Xu Zhaosu’s feet.

“This servant has retrieved it for Your Majesty.”

Her voice was neither servile nor overbearing. There was no hatred from being deliberately tormented, nor any deliberate flattery, just a clear and calm tone, simply following her order.

Xu Zhaosu suddenly felt hatred again. She tormented and retaliated against her so much, why didn’t she show even a ripple of emotion—just like countless times in the past, no matter what worldly treasure she placed before her, it was difficult to earn her favor.

She was tempted to torment Shi Qingyi and kick the hot-water bottle back into the water, but she finally didn’t. Instead, she closed her eyes in the scorching sunlight, feeling restless and troubled, her slender fingers almost digging several holes into her palm.

Shi Qingyi jumped down neatly, but struggled to climb up. She struggled for a long time by the shore before finally pulling herself onto the bank, covered in mud and water, like a drenched dog. The medicine boy, waiting in the corridor to deliver medicine, watched, dumbfounded, but ultimately said nothing.

The spring pool water was terrifyingly cold. Shi Qingyi borrowed the side hall to bathe and change. Xu Zhaosu sat in the courtyard, listening to the sound of water inside, her face expressionless.

The hot-water bottle had been washed spotlessly clean, though the outer layer of soft fur was removed, and it was placed neatly in front of her. The female monarch was blind, her eyes covered with a white veil, so she couldn’t see. Only when she heard the suppressed low cough from the side hall did her eyes show a slight fluctuation.

Even just placing it there, Xu Zhaosu could smell a hint of bl00d. Her hand should still be bandaged from the scald.

She vaguely remembered three years ago, Shi Qingyi accidentally overturned a teacup due to a political disagreement with a certain official. A cup of boiling tea splashed three or two drops on her hand. She had been so distressed, summoning most of the Imperial Academy of Medicine to examine and treat it, and forced her to apply ointment for a month, only putting her mind at ease when she was sure it was fine.

At that time, she couldn’t bear for Shi Qingyi to suffer even the slightest hardship or grievance. Now, she had reached a point where she could hurt her so much, tear open her wounds, and hate her as if wishing her dead.

The female monarch felt somewhat confused, a hollow feeling in her heart. In just a short year, those past events seemed like they had happened a lifetime ago. Looking back now felt like a world away.

Her lips were tightly pursed. She told herself in her heart that Shi Qingyi deserved all of this. This time, coming here in disguise with a false identity to deceive her, who knows what she was plotting again? Even if she wasn’t plotting anything, for having harmed her to this extent, she had to repay it a hundredfold.

This was just the beginning. In the future—

Her eyes were clouded with menace. Just as she was thinking about how to retaliate one by one, the side hall door opened with a creak. A cold, plum-blossom scent, mixed with a strong smell of bl00d, was carried by the wind.

The person approached her in a few steps and abruptly grabbed one of her hands.

Xu Zhaosu’s eyes slightly trembled, and she sternly shouted: “Impudent!”

Shi Qingyi, who was playing the role of an insignificant little palace maid, placed a handkerchief in her palm and frowned slightly: “Your Majesty, the next time you feel uncomfortable, please grasp something else, don’t hurt yourself.”

The female monarch’s hand was fair like jade, just excessively thin. Her bones almost broke through the thin skin. Four fingernail marks were lined up neatly on her palm, already dug raw into the flesh.

Shi Qingyi took a few more glances and suddenly said: “I will trim Your Majesty’s nails.”

Xu Zhaosu had been imprisoned in the dungeon for a full year, so naturally no one had trimmed her nails. Her originally lustrous pink-white nails had grown wildly, some even embedded into her flesh. Just looking at them was painful.