The imperial physicians worked quickly, and the medicine was brewed in no time. Nan Leli was usually very picky about food and disliked bitter things. With a murderous expression on his face, he downed the medicine in a bold, sweeping manner that looked nothing like drinking medicine—instead, it made people worry he might start killing at any moment.
Wen Qitian had already changed into the clothes sent by the palace attendants.
Since there were no imperial concubines in the palace, the Imperial Wardrobe Department had no new garments but dared not neglect their duty. It was early winter, and she wore a small red padded jacket and skirt, which made her delicate face appear rosy and tender. A tiny bell hung from her slender waist, and the cuffs and collar were trimmed with white rabbit fur. The pelts from past hunting seasons had been stored in the Imperial Wardrobe Department for making clothes, and now they finally had a use.
In modern times, Wen Qitian had also seen Hanfu and other ancient-style clothing. Although the dynasty in the novel she had transmigrated into was fictional, it still bore some resemblance to ancient Chinese styles.
The imposing figure beside her radiated a murderous aura, so she avoided provoking him and pretended to study her clothes instead.
While waiting for the medicine to take effect, Nan Leli found time to pick a fight, his face full of disdain: “So ugly.”
“…” Was she really catching strays like this?
Wen Qitian pouted and shifted her feet, intending to distance herself from this menopausal tyrant. Nan Leli sneered again: “Hiding so far away—afraid I’ll eat you?”
“…?”
Fine, then. She put on a timid expression and moved back. His expression softened slightly, and his thin lips curled into a rather sinister smile: “Once the medicine takes effect, I’ll have my strength back. You’d better think about how to please me so I might spare you.”
Wen Qitian seemed to understand something and exclaimed in shock: “You mean… you think the imperial physicians’ medicine can cure you?”
Nan Leli sneered, looking utterly confident.
However, a quarter of an hour later, he was weak and limp all over.
The tyrant frowned.
Half an hour later, he was still weak and limp all over.
The tyrant grew impatient.
An hour later, he remained weak and limp all over.
The tyrant erupted in fury: “Drag these useless things out and behead them!”
Eunuch Zhang Defu was an old-timer by the Emperor’s side, skilled at reading his moods. He hadn’t been with the Emperor yesterday, but when he arrived this morning, he noticed the Emperor’s temper had grown even fiercer. Not daring to delay, he scrambled to summon the guards to drag the physicians away.
The imperial physicians were horrified, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy. Their advanced age and pitiful state created a chaotic scene.
Ultimately, this wasn’t the physicians’ fault. The golden finger provided by the System was beyond their ability to cure.
But in Nan Leli’s eyes, these were simply useless fools. In his world, life and death had long lost their meaning, and he felt no mercy.
“Wait!”
Nan Leli glanced sideways, his lips curling coldly: “Pleading for them?”
It made sense—this little bun was timid and would cry for a long time after the slightest scare. Seeing this scene now must have terrified her.
Thinking this, the man leaned back lazily like a leopard, waiting for her to speak.
The physicians, nearly dragged to the door, also cast hopeful glances her way.
In all these years, His Majesty had only had this one woman by his side. She was beautiful and kind-hearted—surely she couldn’t bear to watch and would plead for them.
However, instead of pleading directly, she leaned close to him and whispered softly, like a seductive concubine tempting a tyrant, adding fuel to the fire: “Your Majesty, actually, killing them is fine. They can’t figure it out anyway—what’s the use of keeping them? But please have them dragged farther away before killing them. I’m afraid of blood.”
She lowered her head, tugging at the hem of her clothes, looking as if she had just breathed a sigh of relief.
The imperial physicians wore expressions of utter despair.
They had thought she was a kind-hearted girl, but who could have imagined she would be so ruthless? Then again, what good could come from someone who kept company with His Majesty?
Just as they were being dragged away, Nan Leli suddenly spoke: “Dismissed.”
The imperial physicians: “…”
Eunuch Zhang reacted swiftly, his sharp voice reminding them: “What are you all standing around for? His Majesty has ordered everyone to withdraw.”
The guards dragging the physicians stepped back. The physicians, tears welling in their eyes, thought their lives were spared—but why had His Majesty suddenly pardoned them?
A young physician glanced up and inadvertently caught sight of the Emperor gripping the girl by the nape of her neck, sneering: “I almost forgot—these useless fools can still be put to some use. You look fair and clean, but you’re full of wicked schemes. If they all died and couldn’t cure the symptoms afflicting me, wouldn’t you become utterly lawless?”
Seeing his expression of “I’ve seen through all your sinister plots,” Wen Qitian couldn’t help but let out a genuine sigh of relief.
Indeed, when dealing with a tyrant like this, one couldn’t oppose him directly. The more you tried to stop him from killing, the more he would escalate. Instead, going along with him would trigger his rebellious instincts.
Just moments ago, the System had told her to find a way to stop the tyrant from killing.
Even if the System hadn’t said anything, Wen Qitian, having grown up in an era of peace, wouldn’t have stood by idly. After all, these physicians were innocent victims—if not for her special ability, they wouldn’t have incurred his wrath.
The System’s voice echoed in her mind: [The tyrant’s Darkening value has decreased by 1%. Please continue your efforts, host. For every 10% decrease, a surprise Gift pack will be randomly awarded. Once it reaches 100%, you will be sent home.]
As her thoughts drifted, Wen Qitian felt a sharp pain at the back of her neck. Nan Leli pinched her fair skin, his face fierce like that of a domestic abuser: “Daydreaming in front of me? Give it up. We’ll settle your accounts bit by bit.”
What accounts?
Wen Qitian was utterly confused. And so, she was dragged to Junlin Palace.
Junlin Palace was usually where Nan Leli handled state affairs, and he rarely allowed anyone inside. Those who entered were either reporting matters or assisting him in his “tyrannical deeds.”
As for how one assisted in such deeds, Wen Qitian soon found out.
Her inexplicable appearance in Nan Leli’s bedchamber hadn’t been thoroughly investigated immediately, but he wasn’t about to let it go. Every corner of the palace was under Nan Leli’s control.
Having served the Emperor for so many years, Wei Chang couldn’t possibly be unaware that he would face punishment afterward—yet he had done it anyway.
With his honest, wooden-faced expression, his reasoning was infuriating.
If His Majesty was irritable and wanted to kill someone, what was wrong with delivering him a head?
Nan Leli sat on a golden nanmu chair. On the desk, aside from the memorials awaiting his review, were weapons that sent chills down one’s spine.
From a celadon cylinder, he casually took out a small tasseled dart and toyed with it in his hand. His fingers were long and slender, and as the golden tassel brushed over his distinct knuckles, it carried an indescribable, forbidden allure—as if what he was about to do was elegant and composed. But this was all an illusion. With a flick of his wrist, the dart flew from his hand, whizzing past Wei Chang’s side and embedding itself deeply into the door panel.
Nan Leli roared in fury: “Was that delivering me a head?”
That bastard delivered me an ancestor!
Nan Leli hated nothing more than being out of control. A woman had inexplicably appeared in the Dragon Bedchamber, and she had even committed the grave offense of weakening him—a condition that persisted to this day. All the imperial physicians were useless. If this weakness continued, how could he ever kill…
Wait, had his strength returned?
Nan Leli narrowed his eyes, but then a familiar, bone-deep pain surged through his nerves. He collapsed back into his seat, chest heaving violently, his eyes instantly bloodshot.
Wen Qitian, standing beside him, was the first to notice something was wrong. In her mind, the System warned, 【Host, the antagonist’s emotions are unstable. Stabilize him quickly, or the Darkening value that just dropped will rise again.】
How troublesome.
Wen Qitian pursed her lips in displeasure, though her expression feigned panic.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Eunuch Zhang cried out, “Oh no, His Majesty is having another episode! Summon the imperial physicians at once!”
Nan Leli’s eyes were blood-red, veins throbbing on his forehead. His large hand gripped the table tightly, sweat streaming down his cheeks to his jaw. An aura of brutality enveloped him, like a frenzied wild beast. Memories of his past life flooded his mind—every dawn and dusk.
In his past life, though he was a prince, his status differed from the other princes. His mother was Tuoba Zhen, a princess sent from the Beituo Kingdom for a political marriage. She was strong-willed, controlling, and ambitious.
Even after marrying into the Jingnan Kingdom, she never settled down.
Throughout history, princesses sent for political marriages were merely ties between nations, never truly considered part of Jingnan. Nan Leli’s father had always been wary of her. Nan Leli’s birth was an accident; had Tuoba Zhen not schemed, he would never have existed.
He was the least favored prince in Jingnan.
Under his mother’s pressure, he learned to disguise himself, crafting an image of harmlessness. He even took to the battlefield himself, forcing neighboring kingdoms to kneel and beg for mercy. Yet, upon his triumphant return, his father still sought to kill him.
In his past life, he killed the emperor and his father out of desperation. In this life, he did it for himself.
On his deathbed in his past life, he inadvertently learned that everyone’s fate in this world was predestined.
He was merely a stepping stone, paving the way for others—eliminating all threats only to hand over the kingdom.
Why?
Why should his life be controlled?
Perhaps his resentment was too great. He had clawed his way back from the underworld, but it left a hidden flaw—sometimes the headaches were unbearable.
Nan Leli thought perhaps heaven simply didn’t want him at peace. If so, he would test whether he could plunge the world into chaos before he fell, or whether the world would eliminate him first.
It felt as though countless steel nails were being hammered into his skull. Nan Leli’s eyes burned with malice as he swept everything off the table. If Wen Qitian hadn’t dodged quickly, the flying dart would have struck her foot.
She stared at the man who now resembled a ferocious beast, her heart trembling with fear.
He was far more terrifying now than he had been last night, completely devoid of reason.
She had no doubt that if he had been like this last night, she would have been torn to shreds before she could even process the information about her transmigration.
The room was in chaos. The terrified imperial physicians, who had barely warmed their seats in the Taiyiyuan, were once again “invited” over.
This time, it was Wei Chang who fetched them. He dragged Imperial Physician Chen along like a chick, expressionlessly presenting him before Nan Leli.
“Take his pulse.”
Nan Leli clutched his head, turning with a grim expression. His bloodshot eyes made Imperial Physician Chen’s legs tremble.
How could he possibly dare to examine him in this state?
Just then, a small voice came: “Need any help?”
Imperial Physician Chen turned to look and was surprised to see it was the girl who had been wearing the Dragon Robe earlier. Strangely, she was delicate and pretty, yet she hadn’t been frightened to tears. Instead, she was offering help?
If she had stayed quiet, it might have been fine, but as soon as she spoke, she quickly caught Nan Leli’s attention.
[Author’s Note]
Sweetie: “Need any help?”
Tyrant Kitty on alert: “Don’t you come any closer~”