In early December, the Jingnan Kingdom was once again greeted by a heavy snowfall. In the blink of an eye, Wen Qitian had been recuperating for many days, yet for some unknown reason, her health had not improved.
Nan Leli’s headaches had subsided, allowing him to attend court as usual. However, certain individuals in the court were once again scheming to stir up trouble, with some wanting to bring Su Dishi back to the capital.
They dared not speak of it openly in court, instead writing their appeals in memorials.
Among them was a man named Liu Wei, this year’s top scholar, who served as a Hanlinyuan Xiuzuan. His memorials were filled with pleas for the Imperial Tutor’s pardon, and he submitted them almost daily.
Today, Nan Leli flew into a rage in the Junlin Palace. All the officials who had written such memorials were dragged out and given several strokes of the rod.
Though their lives were spared, the injuries were severe enough to keep them bedridden until the end of the year.
Yet, this did not deter them from continuing their reckless endeavors. After all, the Imperial Tutor had shown them great favor in the past—how could they abandon Su Dishi now?
Nan Leli was well aware of their intentions, but he showed no mercy. The only reason Old Man Su was still alive was that, in his previous life, he had not wronged him. Otherwise, he would have been nothing more than a corpse shipped to Jiangnan.
Nan Leli had also received kindness from Su Hui in his youth and did not wish for Su Hui to continue opposing him in court. Otherwise, who knew when another headache might strike, leading him to eliminate Su Hui without a trace.
Did these people really think he would allow Su Hui to return?
In his dreams! As long as he lived, he would never let that old man bother him again.
Come to think of it, was there some connection between that old man and that troublesome girl?
The emperor fell into deep thought, and a tear-stained little face appeared in his mind.
Irritated, he stood up. That woman had been ill for days—why hadn’t she recovered yet?
Nan Leli hadn’t realized that his headaches had become less frequent lately, while thoughts of Wen Qitian had grown more frequent.
Whenever he didn’t see her for a while, he felt as though something was missing around him.
Before he knew it, he had already ordered his entourage to prepare his carriage and return to the Nanli Palace.
A group of maids stood quietly by the door of the Nanli Palace. Upon seeing Nan Leli arrive, they panicked and knelt to pay their respects.
Nan Leli frowned. “What are you all doing here? Where is Wen Qitian?”
Bai Zhi dared not speak, while Yue E carefully replied, “The young lady said she would rest after taking her medicine.”
Nan Leli glanced up at the sky.
It was only around 3 p.m.—what kind of sleep was that girl taking?
Sensing something amiss, Nan Leli’s expression darkened. He strode inside, but Bai Zhi, who wanted to alert her mistress of the emperor’s arrival, was stopped by the eunuchs accompanying Nan Leli.
Inside the palace, Wen Qitian naturally heard the commotion outside. Unperturbed, she set down her spoon, coughed a few times, and weakly rose to her feet, leaning on the table for support as she swayed unsteadily.
Nan Leli entered just in time to witness this scene.
His gaze swept around the room, inadvertently landing on the window. He pursed his lips tightly. “Why aren’t you better yet? Do you no longer want my promise?”
Wen Qitian coughed a few more times, her chest aching with a dull pain. Suppressing the itch in her throat, she replied, “Perhaps it’s because I haven’t been ill in so long that recovering from this sudden sickness is proving difficult.”
Her eyes glistened with tears from coughing, and the tip of her nose was flushed red, making her look as pitiful as a kitten.
As she spoke, the man walked up to her, though his expression seemed somewhat unnatural.
Was it guilt? Wen Qitian blinked and seized the opportunity to act up.
She reached out her hand.
Nan Leli took a quick step back, annoyed. “Didn’t I tell you not to hit me without my permission?”
“But…” Wen Qitian pouted her rosy lips and whispered softly, “But I just don’t have the strength. I only wanted you to help me to the bed to lie down for a while. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
Her almond-shaped eyes gazed at him pitifully, the mist gathering thicker and thicker, as if she would burst into tears the moment he uttered another harsh word.
But would Nan Leli, who had argued with every official in the court, care whether she cried or not?
He couldn’t resist a jab: “How could I, the emperor of a nation, stoop to helping you up?”
The young girl’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.
A strange feeling stirred in his heart. Somehow, he found her crying rather pleasing to the eye—much more so than when she was hitting people. If he were to pinch her, would her tears be enough to drown him?
But he quickly remembered the scene from the day she first fell ill. While her crying had been charming at first, it had quickly become unbearable.
Nan Leli’s expression turned serious again. When he looked up, the girl had already wiped her fingers, her tears coming and going as quickly as they had appeared. She shot him a watery glare, then turned away and walked toward the bed without another glance.
At that moment, to others, she seemed like a kitten whose fur had been ruffled, exuding an aura that screamed, “Stupid human, don’t touch me!”
Nan Leli: “…”
Once again, he felt the absurdity of being ignored…
Nan Leli’s body moved faster than his mind. He strode over, one arm reaching past her slender shoulders to wrap around her waist, the other supporting the bend of her legs, lifting her horizontally into his arms.
Caught off guard, Wen Qitian instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Nan Leli’s embrace was broad, but it seemed like this was his first time holding someone this way—clumsy and uncomfortable. His muscles were hard and unyielding, making her feel sore all over. Just as she was about to struggle, he threatened, “Don’t move!”
“Your Majesty, the emperor of a nation, how could I possibly trouble you?” Wen Qitian lowered her gaze, hiding the disdain in her eyes.
Stupid man, always putting on airs.
Unaware that she was cursing him in her heart, Nan Leli only felt how weightless she was in his arms, as light as a feather—too thin.
Her tiny waist felt as if it could snap with a single squeeze.
She was so small, and after just one embrace, she didn’t even dare to look at him. Why was he even bothering with her?
The man scoffed lightly, “I won’t help you up, but I can carry you.”
“…” How childish.
Wen Qitian inwardly sneered.
System: [Darkening value -1%, current darkening value remaining 76%. Host may exchange for a gift pack at any time.]
“Gift pack?”
“That’s right. For every 10% reduction in darkening value, you can exchange for one gift pack. Now that the darkening value is down to 76%, the System’s gift pack has arrived. Please check it promptly.”
What use is it?
Could it also be a golden finger?
Wen Qitian’s eyes lit up.
A 24% drop in darkening value meant two gift packs. Excitedly, she thought: Open them!
It felt like opening a blind box—she had no idea what rewards the System would give her this time.
The System’s mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
[Host, please wait. Opening gift pack…]
[Gift pack successfully opened—Rumeng X1.]
[Gift pack successfully opened—Papapa Assistant X1.]
Wen Qitian: “…”
“Wen Qitian?”
“Huh?”
Wen Qitian snapped back to reality. She realized that while she was talking to the System, Nan Leli had already placed her on the bed and walked over to the window.
He gave her a strange, cold smile. “Shouldn’t you explain why you poured the medicine into the flowerpot?”
A withered yellow petal fell from the windowsill at just the right moment, as if lamenting the suffering it had endured during this time.
Wen Qitian knew the truth was out.
That day when Nan Leli said he would agree to one condition, her heart had raced wildly. She wanted to recover quickly, but who knew she would be defeated by the maddeningly bitter medicinal concoctions of ancient times.
That taste—so bitter it reached the root of her tongue, so pungent it churned her stomach acid—was something she never wanted to experience again.
A cold was something the body could develop antibodies against over time. She could muddle through it; why torture herself with medicine?
So…
She blinked skillfully, trying to charm her way out of it. Nan Leli laughed in anger, “If you don’t want to get better, don’t waste my time. As long as you’re alive, my headaches can be relieved. If you don’t cherish this, I can just tie you up every day and wait for the headache to strike before having you pat me once. The effect would be the same.”
He was furious.
“This is the crime of deceiving the emperor!”
Wen Qitian: “It’s… it’s not that serious, right?” Why is he so angry?
The man glared at her fiercely, flicked his sleeve, and prepared to leave.
System: 【Darkening value +3%, Host!!! Stop him quickly. If he leaves and really orders someone to tie you up, what will you do? It’s better to avoid trouble. Hurry up and papapa… no, wait. You can use the gift pack from earlier now and try its effects.】
It gave Wen Qitian a good idea.
“Which one should I use?”
The System explained that Rumeng could enter a person’s dreams to glimpse their innermost desires, making it easier to complete tasks.
Clearly, that wasn’t useful at the moment.
The other one, the Papapa Assistant, was for when unexpected situations arose during task completion. It could be used to reasonably resolve conflicts encountered in the plot.
As for the effects after using it, they were entirely random.
System: 【Host, rest assured. Products from the System are guaranteed to maximize their effects. Kiss… no, stabilize a tyrant—it’s not a problem.】
The System shared a goal with her and wouldn’t harm her. Without much thought, Wen Qitian chose the Papapa Assistant.
System: 【Papapa Assistant is now activating. Please prepare to receive it, Host.】
Wen Qitian endured the weakness in her body and got up to chase after him. By then, Nan Leli had already strode to the entrance of the inner chamber. With a single push, he could open the door and leave.
Remembering his terrifying expression earlier and the rising darkening value, Wen Qitian felt the System was right. If she let him leave like this and he ordered someone to tie her up, what would she do? It was better to smooth things over first.
Summoning strength from somewhere, she dashed after him as fast as a little rabbit, catching up to him in an instant.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind. Nan Leli’s hand was on the door, his face dark. “Today, I…” definitely won’t be lenient.
He had to teach this girl a proper lesson. She was utterly lawless, daring to deceive even him.
But before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden chill all over.
Wen Qitian frantically grabbed his long sleeve, her fingertips trembling.
System: 【Papapa Assistant activation complete. Wishing the Host a pleasant experience!!】
“Rip~”
Wen Qitian stiffly looked at the piece of fabric she had torn off in her hand.
At that moment, it seemed as if all sound had abruptly ceased. The air was deathly still.
The people outside the hall didn’t notice much, only hearing the door open slightly before slamming shut with a bang, accompanied by their master’s furious roar: “Wen Qitian, I’m going to kill you!!”
This was followed by the little beauty’s pitiful, whimpering voice: “I didn’t mean to… Are you cold? I’ll call someone to help you…”
What happened afterward was unclear, leaving only a series of muffled whimpers, as if her mouth had been covered.
Bai Zhi was startled and wanted to go in to take a look, but Yue E quickly pulled her back. “What are you doing?”
Bai Zhi looked miserable. “Will His Majesty kill the young lady?”
Clutching her chest, Bai Zhi paced anxiously. After spending time together, she knew the young lady was a good person—kind to all the servants, even occasionally acting coquettish. Hearts are made of flesh and blood, after all. If the young lady were killed today, she…
Unlike Bai Zhi’s wild imagination, Yue E spoke meaningfully, “No, His Majesty is in a good mood right now and won’t bear to kill the young lady. But if you disturb them, it’s hard to say.”
Bai Zhi: “…”
[Author’s Note]
This tyrant is practically being toyed with by his wife.
The tyrant kneels on a washboard, massages the beauty’s back, and shouts, “Please bookmark this story!”