Nan Fengyao’s palace banquet lasted from morning until evening. By the time Wen Qitian returned, the sky had already darkened. At noon, Yue E had informed her about the rouge’s ingredients, saying it could easily cause skin allergies.
Wen Qitian had initially thought someone disliked her and wanted to kill her.
Little did she expect it was just an allergy. Since it wasn’t a threat to her life, it was clear the other party had ulterior motives.
She had planned to return and interrogate the suspect, but as soon as she approached Nanli Palace, Bai Zhi came running over in a panic.
“Miss, something terrible has happened—Tao Zhi has committed suicide!”
Bai Zhi had fallen ill from eating something spoiled. After recovering and learning that something had happened to her mistress, she felt deeply guilty and went to guard Tao Zhi. Unexpectedly, when she went to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch food for Tao Zhi and returned, she found her lifeless.
Wen Qitian’s heart sank.
In her memory, Tao Zhi was timid and cowardly, utterly incapable of mustering the courage to commit suicide.
She asked, “Who else had contact with Tao Zhi?”
Bai Zhi shook her head. “No one. Tao Zhi was tied up with ropes, and her mouth was gagged. Besides me, there were only imperial guards outside the room.”
Nanli Palace was the Emperor’s residence, and aside from the twenty-fifth day of each month, it was almost always guarded by imperial soldiers. Yet, Tao Zhi had inexplicably lost her life.
Wen Qitian rubbed her temples. She wasn’t skilled in solving cases, and she hardly knew anyone in the palace. With the other party lurking in the shadows, who knew what schemes might be waiting for her?
However…
Though she couldn’t solve cases, she could still win by doing nothing!
…
At Junlin Palace, after finishing a pile of memorials, Nan Leli seemed to remember something and asked Zhang Defu, “Have you prepared the candidates I asked for last time?”
“Your Majesty, they are ready,” Eunuch Zhang replied, presenting a stack of portraits respectfully. “These are all talented young men from the capital, each from a distinguished family. They will certainly not disgrace the princess. Please take a look, Your Majesty.”
Nan Leli frowned disdainfully. “Why should I look at such things? Send them all to the princess and let her choose for herself.”
“Yes!”
Eunuch Zhang acknowledged the order and was about to have someone deliver them to the princess when the Emperor behind him suddenly spoke up. “By the way…”
Eunuch Zhang straightened his back, bracing himself.
A flicker of hesitation flashed in Nan Leli’s eyes. His slender fingers tapped the desk casually, each tap seeming to ring an alarm in Eunuch Zhang’s mind.
The man’s tone was indifferent. “How do these young masters compare to me?”
Eunuch Zhang: “…”
If not for his long-honed survival instincts, he might have blurted out, “Don’t you have any self-awareness?” Fortunately, he reacted quickly and promptly flattered, “Naturally, Your Majesty is wise and mighty, extraordinary in presence, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and as handsome as Pan An. How could these ordinary men compare to you?”
Eunuch Zhang spoke without blushing or skipping a beat, all the while discreetly observing the Emperor’s expression. Seeing his stern face and the softer tapping on the desk, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Was His Majesty pleased or displeased?
After what felt like an eternity, the man raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded with restraint. “Hmm, you may go.”
Eunuch Zhang: “…” It seemed he was quite pleased, though his conscience felt a bit uneasy.
In truth, Nan Leli excelled in every aspect—tall and imposing, inheriting the striking features of the Beituo Princess and the Jingnan Emperor, with deep, captivating looks. Any young woman would likely be utterly charmed by him. The problem was, he was terrifyingly fierce.
His entire being radiated a readiness to kill at any moment, making one’s first impression not of his handsome appearance, but of fear.
The self-satisfied tyrant emperor rose with deliberate dignity, adjusted his robes, and strode back toward Nanli Palace.
From a distance, the small hall beside his bedchamber looked like a little tail, with a lamp lit every night.
Amidst the thousands of lights in the imperial palace, only that one gave him a peculiar feeling.
However…
Nan Leli sharpened his blade with a menacing air. The matter of the bitter melon juice—he absolutely had to teach her a lesson, to show her who truly ruled this palace.
The attendants following behind clearly sensed a change in the Emperor’s demeanor. His gaze was profound, his silhouette sinister and terrifying. Each step he took was steady, his entire body exuding malice.
Everyone was shocked, not daring to breathe loudly.
Just then, the door of the Nanli side hall opened, and a figure rushed out. The guards, thinking it an assassin, were about to act when they suddenly felt the Emperor’s icy gaze fall upon them.
Their bodies seemed frozen in place, rooted to the spot, as the petite figure dashed straight into Nan Leli’s arms.
Nan Leli caught her steadily, looking down to see the young girl with her hair styled in an elegant bun, revealing her delicate, pale neck.
He raised his hand and unceremoniously pinched the back of her neck, a fierce curve forming at the corner of his mouth. Just as he was about to bully her, the girl in his arms wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Wah wah wah~”
“…”
The man stiffened, then sneered coldly. “Realized your mistake? Weren’t you fearless when you were teasing me?”
The girl let out a sob and lifted her small face.
The winter wind was biting cold, the lanterns under the eaves flickering in the gusts, their clothes flapping loudly. Nan Leli’s malicious sneer froze on his face as he lifted her chin.
Glistening tears traced the corners of her eyes. Her expression was full of grievance and fear, her eyelashes trembling uneasily like little brushes sweeping across Nan Leli’s heart.
His expression darkened. “Are you really crying?”
Having known her for a month, as the Emperor of Nanli, it was impossible for him not to have noticed. He knew this brat wasn’t as soft and sweet as she appeared on the surface—otherwise, she wouldn’t have repeatedly dared to provoke him.
He simply couldn’t be bothered to expose her.
In his twisted way, he found Wen Qitian’s crying pleasing to the eye, even wanting to make her cry himself.
But only he was allowed to make her cry.
Right now, this little tear-streaked face clearly showed she had been wronged by someone else.
It was nearly January, the weather cold enough to freeze ice. Nan Leli unfastened his outer robe and wrapped it around the girl, using his fingertips to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. His gaze turned dark and sinister. “Did you encounter someone unpleasant at Yunyao’s Birthday Banquet?”
His icy tone seemed to freeze the air itself, sending shivers down the spines of everyone present.
Wen Qitian had originally thought she would need to whimper a bit longer for it to take effect. She hadn’t expected that after just a few sobs and shedding only a few tears, the other party would already be furious.
Curled up in his embrace, she could clearly feel his chest heaving violently, as if he were suppressing his anger. Knowing when to stop, she pursed her lips slightly, her tone as pitiful as could be: “Someone tampered with my rouge, and then they killed themselves.”
A crease formed between Nan Leli’s brows. After hesitating for a few seconds, he patted her back gently and let out a cold laugh. “Where is Wei Chang?”
Wei Chang led patrols daily and was not at Nanli Palace at that moment. Someone immediately went to fetch him.
Having recovered from his thirty lashes, Wei Chang arrived at Nanli Palace with a team of men and immediately noticed that Nan Leli’s expression was far from pleasant.
He bowed his head in salute.
“Your Majesty!”
Nan Leli: “I give you seven days to find out who in the palace dares to be so bold as to act within my Nanli Palace. If you fail to uncover the culprit…”
“Kill everyone in Nanli Palace, and bring me their heads.”
His chilling tone was uttered with casual indifference, as cold-blooded as a demon from hell, devoid of any trace of humanity.
Wen Qitian: “…”
Oh no, should she try to correct this villainous dog man’s twisted worldview?
That night, Nan Leli suffered from a headache and intended to seek Wen Qitian’s help to alleviate it. Unexpectedly, the young woman tossed her head, her hairpin swinging and hitting him in the face, and she immediately turned hostile.
“Do you really intend to kill everyone in Nanli Palace? Isn’t that a bit… inappropriate?”
Nan Leli: “…”
Humanity—Nan Leli had possessed it in his previous life, but in this one, he had little to none. If he had even a shred of humanity, he wouldn’t have become the tyrant everyone reviled.
In his eyes, these so-called people were nothing but puppets manipulated by the world, their lives utterly meaningless.
His expression darkened.
“I did all this for you, and you say I’m in the wrong?”
Nan Leli couldn’t understand why the only person he had ever tried to help would turn around and criticize him.
Those people were destined to be toyed with and destroyed by fate sooner or later. He was merely helping them find release.
What had he done wrong?
His headache grew severe. Wen Qitian had suffered grievances during the day, and he didn’t want to argue with her.
He raised his hand: “Come here!”
Wen Qitian didn’t approach. She felt she should reason with him.
“I know you’re trying to help me, but Nanli Palace has over a hundred people. With a single word, you’d strip them of their lives. That’s bound to chill people’s hearts, and it’ll be hard to win their loyalty in the future…”
The lights in the side hall flickered precariously. Nan Leli’s expression turned grim, and he no longer sought Wen Qitian’s help. He shot her a cold glance and left without another word.
System: [Villain’s Darkening value +5%]
Wen Qitian watched the man’s indifferent retreating figure, her heart sinking.
System: [The villain’s experiences are rather unique. Careless words might touch upon his sensitive points. In fact, host, you could try communicating with him gradually. No one is born a villain, and no one is born loving to kill. The fact that he tolerates Nan Fengyao’s constant disturbances in the palace out of gratitude for her mother’s kindness proves there is still a glimmer of warmth in his heart.]
Hearing this, Wen Qitian fell into thoughtful silence.
…
Returning from the side hall, Nan Leli remained cold-faced. After a busy day, he went to wash up. As he returned, his peripheral vision caught sight of the wall.
The ghastly white lanterns that once hung there had long been replaced by a portrait. The man in the painting stood tall and straight, his imposing presence undiminished even in sleepwear, though there was something odd about the corner of his mouth.
It looked like a heartless sneer…
Nan Leli’s eyes darkened with gloom: “Zhang Defu, throw it out.”
“This…”
Eunuch Zhang hesitated: “This appears to be a portrait Miss Wen painted carefully for you. To discard it…”
“Zhang Defu.”
Zhang Defu shuddered, not daring to say more, and quickly summoned someone to take down the portrait.
After everyone had left the room, Nan Leli lay on the bed. His eyes involuntarily closed, and as the night deepened, his headache grew worse.
Since meeting Wen Qitian, he had rarely suffered from headaches.
He had endured such pain in the past, so why was it so unbearable today?
He closed his eyes to rest briefly, and scenes from the past flickered through his mind—the disdainful expression of the late emperor and the harsh face of his mother.
“Mother can only rely on you in the future. Why can’t you understand her painstaking effort? You must win the emperor’s favor so we can secure a place in the harem.”
“What use is there in keeping these strays? How many times have I told you, kindness will only harm you. I’ll take care of these for you.”
“Kill him, don’t be afraid. If he doesn’t die, all your previous pretense will be for nothing.”
By the age of twelve, Nan Leli had already learned to pretend.
His birth was an accident. The Emperor did not allow him the slightest ambition for the throne and sought to raise him as a failure.
Tuoba Zhen secretly colluded with Beituo, teaching him poetry, strategy, and martial arts.
Later, when a servant discovered this, a cold dagger and hot blood set him on a path of no return.
As an adult, he accumulated numerous military achievements. Outwardly elegant and refined, he was secretly responsible for countless lives.
The mentor who taught him, deluded into thinking he could control him, ultimately died by his hand.
Before his death, the mentor cursed him as heartless and ungrateful.
But wasn’t that what he had taught him?
He believed the world was filthy, where winners reigned and losers suffered. As long as he acted decisively in killing, he would always be the victor.
It wasn’t until the so-called protagonist appeared that he realized he was merely a stepping stone.
Securing the throne was nothing but handing it over to that person.
Given a second chance at life, should he still hypocritically pity the world?
Nan Leli leaned quietly against the headboard, one knee bent, a hand resting on it, fingers tightening silently. The candle flame went out, and his memories halted at the final image.
“Do you really have to kill everyone in Nanli Palace? Isn’t that a bit too much?”
Cruel?
Nan Leli asked himself—he and she were not the same kind of people.
[Author’s Note]
Tyrant: “I’m angry, the kind that can’t be soothed.”
Tiantian: “Then I won’t soothe you.”
Tyrant: “???” That’s too much!
The male and female leads have different experiences and differing perspectives, but they will both improve later. The runaway wild tyrant will always be reined in by the female lead, gaining depth and humanity, while the female lead will warm the male lead’s heart.