Wen Qitian swore that if she ever trusted the System again, she would change her last name!
She spat: I knew all along that this “bang-bang-bang” system was fishy—you really are no good!
System: [Host, please refrain from attacking the System itself. The “Bang-Bang-Bang Assistant” was deployed without error. If the villain’s clothes hadn’t torn, wouldn’t he have been able to leave?]
The System spoke with righteous confidence, while Wen Qitian gritted her teeth in frustration. But for now, the most important thing was…
“Mmph mmph???” Help! Why is this man actually tying me up without warning?
At this very moment, she was being bound and subdued in a corner by the tyrannical emperor, using strips torn from the man’s own clothing.
Nan Leli’s clothes had suffered severe damage. His dark black Dragon Robe was torn to shreds, and even his inner garments were slightly ripped, revealing his firm chest.
Just as she had felt when he held her, he was robust, with contours and lines that were just right. Her gaze stealthily lingered on the man’s chest, where there was a scar about five centimeters long. It looked old, left behind at some unknown time.
Just as she was about to take a closer look, a heavy pressure fell on her head, and a voice as cold as an ice cellar sounded in her ear: “Are you satisfied with what you see?”
Having his clothes torn open by a woman for the first time, Nan Leli found it hard to give her a pleasant expression.
Wen Qitian made two more muffled sounds, signaling him to let go.
The man’s large hand firmly covered her mouth as he scolded with a dark expression: “Quiet! I don’t want to hear it!”
“……” Then why did you ask?
Knowing she was in the wrong, Wen Qitian shrank back like a little quail. The corners of her eyes were faintly red from the cold, and combined with her wide-eyed stare, she looked utterly innocent.
Occasionally, her thick lashes trembled uneasily, as if she had suffered some great injustice.
Nan Leli sneered: “Don’t pretend with me. I’ve seen through you.”
Wen Qitian: “……”
The half of her face that was visible was full of confusion: “Huh?”
A soft, breathy sound escaped from the corner of her lips, warm and gentle against his palm like a feather, stirring ripples in his heart.
The man jerked his hand back as if electrocuted. The lines of his handsome face were tense, and his expression was fierce and menacing: “Isn’t it just that you like me? I warn you, don’t provoke me!”
Sometimes, for devils, provoking them would never lead to a good outcome. He was not a good person, and anyone associated with him would inevitably leave him.
As for those who approached him with ulterior motives, they were either placed under house arrest or executed by him.
Nan Leli also wondered why he had kept her around until now.
He stood up, looking down from above.
The dark black strips of cloth bound the young girl firmly to the bedpost. Her head was now free, and she looked up to meet his gaze. In her eyes, he could clearly see his own reflection.
Was her gaze filled entirely with him?
Nan Leli pressed his lips together tightly.
“Reflect on your actions. If you dare covet me again, I’ll…” He paused, unable to find the right words to threaten her.
None of the tortures from Anle Palace came to mind for use on her.
He began to hesitate, his expression dark and terrifying. Although Wen Qitian didn’t know where he had gotten the idea that she coveted him, she could sense his terrible mood. So, she stopped provoking him and obediently nodded: “Mhm, mhm, I won’t dare again.”
She wasn’t a pervert—who would want to tear his clothes off?
But for some reason, the man’s expression visibly soured even more. He habitually brushed his tattered sleeve and walked away, not forgetting to glare back at her before leaving.
In the outer hall, Bai Zhi had initially found Yue E’s words hard to believe. Yue E had said that His Majesty had recently been so indulgent in women that he couldn’t “extricate” himself and was reluctant to kill the young lady.
Yet over the years, countless women had been sent to the rear palace, beauties as plentiful as clouds, and none had ever seen His Majesty show any tenderness or pity toward any of them.
They waited outside for a quarter of an hour before His Majesty finally emerged.
When they saw the Emperor, everyone was stunned.
They never expected that while His Majesty had entered perfectly fine, he would come out looking so…
Words failed them. Many maids lowered their heads, their faces secretly flushed with embarrassment—it seemed the situation had been intense.
Meanwhile, some of the older eunuchs wore strange expressions. Among them were veterans who had served the late emperor’s consorts.
Experienced and well-versed, though they lacked the “equipment” themselves…
How could His Majesty only last a quarter of an hour?
Wait, if you counted the preparation time, he hadn’t even lasted that long?
Considering the medicine His Majesty had been drinking two days ago and his recent refusal to take it in anger…
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Fortunately, they knew how to conceal their emotions and didn’t show it, or Nan Leli would have had them dragged out and beheaded in an instant.
Tucking their tails between their legs, they whispered, “Your Majesty, please wait a moment. We’ll have hot water brought for you and the young lady to bathe.”
Nan Leli: “”
Why hot water?
“No need. Just heat water for her.”
As an “experienced” Emperor, he nodded with a stern face, then glanced at Yue E. “Prepare another bowl of medicine for your mistress and make sure she drinks it. If she tries any tricks again, I…” He paused, his tone icy. “I’ll skin all of you to make clothes for her.”
Everyone: “???” Why would their lives be threatened just because Miss Wen refused to drink her medicine?
…
Not long after Nan Leli left, hot water was brought in.
Throughout history, when the Emperor favored a consort, she would be carried into the Dragon Bedchamber and returned after the allotted time. Servants would have hot water ready in advance for their master to relieve fatigue.
Usually, only Bai Zhi and Yue E attended to Wen Qitian. The two of them carried the water inside, and the moment they saw Wen Qitian in the inner chamber, Bai Zhi’s eyes instantly reddened.
“Miss, what happened? What did His Majesty do to you?”
Bai Zhi might as well have written “His Majesty is a beast” on her face. Yue E also looked somewhat uncomfortable.
As young girls in the bloom of youth, they thought certain things were already embarrassing enough, but they never imagined someone could be tied up…
In their minds, they painted an extreme scene: His Majesty, utterly inhuman, tearing off his own clothes and tying the young lady up to do as he pleased…
Yue E lowered her head and nudged Bai Zhi. “Don’t just stand there. Go pour the water. I’ll help untie the young lady.”
Finally free, Wen Qitian bounced off the bed, still shaken. “Did the Emperor say he’d kill me?”
Bai Zhi poured hot water into the bathtub and spoke up first. “After doing this to you, if he kills you right after getting out of bed, would he have any humanity left?”
Wen Qitian: “”
Yue E frowned. “Watch your words. You’ll cause trouble for the young lady.”
Bai Zhi reluctantly stopped and tested the water temperature for Wen Qitian’s bath.
Though Wen Qitian found their behavior strange, she had been ill for many days and indeed needed a good soak.
She wasn’t used to being served by others, so she had them wait behind the screen while she enjoyed a comfortable bath. Wen Qitian narrowed her eyes—if only this were the bathing pool in that man’s bedchamber. A bathtub simply couldn’t compare to the spaciousness of a pool.
The room was heated by the dilong and wasn’t cold, so she casually draped a robe over herself and walked out. Fresh from the bath, she felt drowsy all over. It was still early, and if she slept now, she’d definitely be awake at night. So, Wen Qitian asked Bai Zhi to fetch some storybooks for her to read.
Back in the modern era, she hadn’t been particularly fond of novels. Little did she expect that one day she’d rely on ancient storybooks to pass the time.
Just as she got her hands on the book, she suddenly caught a whiff of herbal medicine and couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose. Looking up, she saw Yue E walking in with a celadon-green porcelain bowl, thoughtfully equipped with a spoon.
She: “…”
As soon as Yue E set the medicine down, she saw Miss Wen recoil like a cat encountering its natural enemy, bristling and retreating to the bed.
Yue E couldn’t help but speak up: “His Majesty said that if you don’t drink it, he’ll take our lives.”
“…”
No wonder he left so abruptly—he was waiting for her here all along…
With a pained expression, she slowly shuffled over, closed her eyes, and downed the medicine in one gulp. Suddenly, she paused, her nimble tongue catching a piece of undissolved malt sugar candy in the bowl, puffing out her cheeks.
From that day onward, Wen Qitian was watched like a child every day as she drank her medicine. By the middle of the month, she had finally fully recovered. With three meals a day taken care of, occasionally reading storybooks during the day and taking short walks in her room, the days, though dull, were bearable.
As for Nan Leli, that man seemed to be angry. She hadn’t seen him for over ten days. Now that Wen Qitian could finally go outside, her thoughts drifted without her realizing it. From an outsider’s perspective, she was simply staring blankly at the snowy scenery.
Yue E usually adhered to etiquette and kept her distance from Wen Qitian, but Bai Zhi had no such reservations. She leaned in and asked, “Miss? What are you thinking about?”
Wen Qitian was taken aback for a moment, then curled the corners of her lips. “I’m craving candy.”
Unaware that something extra had been added to Wen Qitian’s medicine bowl recently, Bai Zhi was slightly puzzled but smiled and said, “Alright, Miss, please wait a moment! I’ll go to the Imperial Kitchen and fetch some for you right away.”
The temperature outside wasn’t high, so Wen Qitian asked her to bring it back to the side hall. Only then did she shake off the scattered snowflakes on the hem of her skirt and head back.
That scoundrel System was urging her again in her ear: 【Host, how can you slack off like this? It’s been ten days, and the villain’s Darkening value has remained stuck at 80%. At this rate, when will you ever get to go home?】
Wen Qitian snorted lightly: Do you think I don’t want to go home? It’s all because of that glutton dragging me down. He’s been avoiding me ever since that incident.
The System was furious: 【Why are you attacking me again? This is the twentieth time you’ve called me a glutton in the past ten days! I wasn’t doing it on purpose back then. As a papapa system, even if I were to mess up, it’d be with papapa stuff.】
“Huh?”
System: 【…】Oops, I let it slip.
Wen Qitian: I knew you were no good.
The System fell silent, not daring to make a sound for a long time.
Wen Qitian couldn’t be bothered to continue dredging up old grievances with it. She returned to her room and resumed reading her storybook. Bai Zhi brought a packet of preserved fruits, smiling brightly. “Miss, these are from the kitchen for making pastries. Give them a try.”
Wen Qitian reached out, took a piece, and popped it into her mouth. A cloying sweetness burst on her taste buds, and she instinctively frowned, puffing out her cheeks.
This taste wasn’t right.
However, she didn’t waste the food, forcing herself to finish it despite the greasiness, and left the rest for Bai Zhi and the others to eat.
These young maids usually never got to eat such things, as the Imperial Kitchen wouldn’t provide them. Bai Zhi, not finding it greasy at all, ate happily when she suddenly heard her mistress say, “If you’ve angered someone, but have no choice but to seek their help, what would you do?”
Bai Zhi was taken aback: “Then… cater to their preferences?”
Wen Qitian fell silent. Should she go and kill herself to liven things up for him?