Saving the Obsessive Villain Boss [Quick Transmigration] (GL) - Chapter 9
Xu Zhaosu’s hands were very beautiful, with skin like ice and bone like jade, and long, slender fingers. Her index finger, from years of practicing calligraphy, had a thin layer of callus. However, after being imprisoned in the dungeon for too long, the cold had eroded them, and they were somewhat deformed.
Some fingernails that had grown into the flesh had to be carefully removed. Shi Qingyi went to find a small knife and placed the overly thin hands on her lap.
“It might hurt a little, Your Majesty, please bear with it.”
A soft, cold scoff came from above, carrying a hint of inexplicable ridicule.
She had endured all the suffering in the world this past year; what was this little bit of pain? As if the speaker cared about her so much.
Shi Qingyi ignored the deliberate sneer and worked very gently, carefully carving out the embedded edges with the knife, trimming the jagged nails neatly.
Finally, a small piece of the index finger had dug in especially deep. When it was cut out, bl00d followed, and Shi Qingyi, without thinking, leaned over and took the pale, transparent finger into her mouth.
Xu Zhaosu was lazily basking in the sun, wanting to see what other tricks this person had up her sleeve. Being suddenly held by the finger made her pause, and one of her arms stiffened completely; she did not dare to move.
The daylight was bright and sunny. The warmth and moisture of the mouth, the tip of the tongue lightly sweeping the wound—Xu Zhaosu’s heart was inexplicably tugged, and in a trance, a tearing pain pulled at her.
Just as Shi Qingyi seemed to realize the inappropriateness and was preparing to take her finger out, the Guoshi’s hand suddenly stopped, and her voice was icy: “Did I tell you to spit it out?”
Shi Qingyi: “…”
It was just a habitual action. Who knew what Xu Zhaosu would overthink now.
Xu Zhaosu’s heart was filled with vexation. When she had loved her, she wished she could offer the whole world to her. Shi Qingyi had disdained her, but now that she was in this state, Shi Qingyi came to carefully appease and flatter her, lowering herself and accepting her humiliation—
She was about to say something when a hurried sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside. A palace maid stopped behind the corridor, and seeing the situation, she suddenly fell silent, dropping to her knees and bowing her head deeply.
Warmth crept up her cheeks, but she dared not look up.
The Guoshi and His/Her Majesty flirting on a spring afternoon—was this something they should be seeing?!
This was certainly not one of her people, so it must be someone looking for Shi Qingyi. Coming to Yuming Hall in such a rush, what could have happened? Could it be Auntie—
Xu Zhaosu’s mind raced, her expression somber. After a long while, she only heard a helpless voice beside her: “The wet nurse is here for me. Can I spit it out now?”
Although the voice was suppressed, it was still remarkably clear in the empty courtyard.
The lowered-head palace maid’s face grew redder; she wished she could bury her head in the dirt and pretend she hadn’t seen anything.
“Get out—”
The Guoshi’s exasperated voice instantly spread throughout Yuming Hall. After the footsteps had truly completely gone, her face darkened even more, and she reached out and smashed the hand warmer beside her.
The broken porcelain shards in the sunlight were like a floor full of irrecoverable sincerity. Xu Zhaosu’s heart was churning. Thinking of something, she gripped the blanket on her lap tightly with her five fingers.
The medicine boy found a broom and carefully swept up the fragments, desperately lowering his sense of presence. After a long time, he heard the Guoshi speak: “Go investigate what happened.”
The medicine boy took the order, quickly cleaned up, and fled. The Guoshi’s mood was as gloomy as a sky about to rain; just staying there felt terrifying. He wondered how the Guoshi, who accompanied His/Her Majesty at all times, managed to endure it.
Pah, that traitor Shi Qingyi must have ulterior motives for putting up with it!
Xu Zhaosu’s mood was extremely bad that day. She smashed the medicine bowl three times when it was delivered, and in the end, she didn’t drink a single sip. It wasn’t until midnight that the medicine boy hurried back, bracing himself to enter the hall.
Out of consideration for the Guoshi’s eyes, the lights in the hall were dim, only illuminating a vague, gaunt, and solitary silhouette.
The person on the couch, hearing the sound, turned her eyes from the shadow. Her gaze was heavy. Perhaps the light was not so harsh at night, the Guoshi’s eyes were not covered with thin gauze, but just looking over faintly carried a chill.
The medicine boy quickly lowered his head, telling himself it must be his imagination. Had he just seen disappointment in the Guoshi’s eyes?
“Your Majesty, we found out. Master Jing’e has come down from the mountain.”
The person on the couch froze suddenly. The medicine boy answered cautiously: “Shi Qingyi is still at Mingze Hall talking with Master Jing’e. Maybe…”
“Maybe she won’t be coming tonight.”
Accompanying his words was the sharp sound of the hand warmer in the Guoshi’s arms hitting the floor.
——
In April, after only two days of clear weather, it started to rain again. A white horse galloped from outside the palace, bringing the chill of a spring, and stopped directly in front of Mingze Hall.
Palace maids and eunuchs had only vaguely heard that this female Daoist from Zhongnan Mountain was the Guoshi’s master, but they had never actually seen her. At this moment, they only heard a “Whoa,” and the horse’s hooves had already stirred up countless dust and mud.
Everyone dodged and scattered. Finally, a palace maid bravely came over, attempting to drape a cloak over the woman in wet clothes, but was stopped by a cold hand.
“Master, Master Jing’e—”
The Daoist nun was not frightening; on the contrary, she could be described as good-looking. Even without makeup, one could see the clear and elegant beauty of her features, but her expression was indifferent, carrying a silent coldness.
“No need,” she took the cloak and put it on herself, her movements clean and decisive, “Take Taxue [the horse] and feed it well. Have the Guoshi come see me quickly.”
Her resolute manner was evident.
A quarter of an hour later, the Guoshi arrived belatedly.
Shi Qingyi was bored in the hall, listening to her master speak. Although called “master,” she was only in her early thirties. She wore a light, pale green Daoist robe with wide sleeves embroidered with a few fluttering bamboo leaves. Her features were delicate but carried an indescribable sharpness.
She had grown up on Zhongnan Mountain and was raised by this woman, who taught her propriety, morality, poetry, and song. Later, she was taken down the mountain by Xu Zhaosu, who fell in love with her at first sight. She never saw her again until she was burned alive.
—At least, that was the case in the last mission. This time, Xu Zhaosu’s situation had changed, and she hadn’t expected other developments.
The aroma of tea curled up in her hand. The woman in plain clothes’ eyes trembled slightly: “I didn’t expect you to still remember that I like to drink Yangyan Gouqing.”
The tea leaves were curved, the strands tight, and the color a fresh, tender green. The tea soup was clear and bright. It was indeed a rare and excellent tea.
“I keep Master’s preferences in mind at all times,” Shi Qingyi took a sip. It was slightly bitter. She thought about it and quietly pushed the tea away a little. Sure enough, she still preferred sweet things.
“Qingyi, I originally didn’t want to interfere in your affairs…” The teapot lid was clanked shut.
“Originally didn’t want to,” meant she was going to interfere now.
Shi Qingyi sighed in her heart and unconsciously straightened her posture.
“Years ago, the Emperor wanted to take you down the mountain, and I couldn’t protect you. Later, due to various circumstances, I never questioned what you were thinking. I only assumed you were enduring humiliation for a greater purpose, but now you have released her—”
“What are you planning to do?”
A thunderclap boomed, shattering the superficial calm and smashing the otherwise placid mirror into pieces, just like the broken tea cup fragments.
——
Xu Zhaosu had a nightmare.
She dreamed that when she was eighteen, the Imperial Astronomy Bureau divined that she would face a great calamity. Her courtiers suggested she travel far to Zhongnan Mountain to pray for blessings. She originally didn’t believe in such things, but a serious illness that winter almost took her life, and she reluctantly agreed after being urged by worried old officials.
Zhongnan Mountain was covered in continuous snow and mountains blanketed in white, far from the human world and the peace and prosperity of the court. She had originally planned to just go through the motions and return, but she unexpectedly encountered an assassination in the mountains.
The attackers were fierce. The dark guards she brought were severely disadvantaged in the vast snowy mountains. They ran and fled, and just as they were about to be unable to escape, they were rescued by a woman in white.
Her severe white robes were like the perpetually unmelted snow. She reached out to support the Empress’s arm but refused to get any closer. Her voice was also merely cold: “Be careful.”
The high-ranking Empress looked up upon hearing the voice. The woman’s long black hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin. Her plain white clothes were untouched by the dust of the world. Without makeup, she surpassed the countless beauties she had seen over the years.
Falling in love at first sight was precisely this.
Later, Xu Zhaosu thought that perhaps that moment was “one look that ruined a lifetime.” The Empress hadn’t regained her senses until the girl in white let go of her hand.
The disciples of Zhongnan Mountain generally did not descend the mountain; cultivating austerely in the mountains for a lifetime was their destiny. The Empress was momentarily bewitched, foolishly wanting to pull the ethereal person into the secular world to see the human world’s prosperity and vast territory with her.
Shi Qingyi was Master Jing’e’s only disciple and initially strongly disagreed. For this matter, she knelt before the Empress’s door for a long time. Yet, the Empress was determined not to let her go.
The snow fell heavily. An hour later, the girl in white arrived, holding a sword. Her expression was composed and cold. She slightly bowed her head and only said: “I will go with you.”
Instantly, the entire courtyard’s wind and snow seemed to recede, and spring returned. The Empress personally pushed open the door to greet her, but only saw Shi Qingyi carefully helping the long-kneeling Master Jing’e up, and then kneeling to perform three proper kowtows. She never looked back at the Empress from start to finish.
She stood quietly in the snow for a moment, then went and took hold of Shi Qingyi’s hand. At that time, she was the ruler who held power over the world. There was nothing she wanted that she failed to obtain. Even the proud female Daoist of Zhongnan Mountain had to leave her order for her.
She had also thought that once she grasped it, she would never let go, never for an entire lifetime.
Later, Xu Zhaosu always wondered if it was wrong from the start. Something forced was not something willingly given, and it was destined to face backlash.
Thus, the palace coup came fiercely and without reprieve. She sat in Yuming Hall, listening to the war breaking out outside. The great fire burned from one end of the palace to the other. The person she had held in her heart, whom she had cherished, broke into Yuming Hall with a sword.
Following that was the dark, endless prison cell. Her leg bones became crippled in the ice and snow. Her eyes gradually lost sight. The frostbite on her body broke and healed, healed and festered, turning into pus and decay, like a clump of mud barely surviving in a place known to no one.
“No—”
She suddenly opened her eyes, her chest aching dully. She could barely breathe, and her back was covered in cold sweat, soaking her clothes. A hand rested on her back, and the voice was very soft. It took her a long time to clearly distinguish the voice from the ringing in her ears.
A voice she wouldn’t forget even if she turned into a ghost—
The current Guoshi, Shi Qingyi.
The voice was gentle: “Your Majesty, it was all a dream, not real… don’t be afraid…”
Before she could finish her sentence, a cold hand suddenly climbed up like a poisonous snake, accurately gripping her throat. In the darkness, nothing was visible, only the sound of rain outside the window and bursts of spring thunder.
“What do you want to do? Do you want to kill me?”
The voice was cold and sharp, as if steeped in a venom that could kill instantly. A moment later, it became frenzied. Even in the darkness, Shi Qingyi could see the frantic, murderous glare in her eyes.
“—Or do you want to follow her?!”