In his previous life, after receiving the news of Ying Xu’s death, Xie Jingchen spent several days sorting out the circumstances of her death.
Upon understanding that all of this was caused by a woman—because the emperor had fallen in love with another woman, a lowly palace maid, and in order to make way for that woman, ruthlessly killed Ying Xu, snatching away all her glory and handing it over to a palace maid unworthy of such a position—Xie Jingchen did not hesitate. He ordered troops to march all the way back to Jinling City, to avenge Ying Xu and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her.
Finally, after personally killing the enemy who had caused her death, unable to accept that Ying Xu was no longer alive, Xie Jingchen chose to take his own life. He committed suicide in the Weiyang Palace, where Ying Xu had lived, to accompany the little girl who had never once been bullied.
However, he had never expected that he would be able to open his eyes again, returning two years into the past. Back to the time, according to the records he had sorted in the past, when the woman who had caused Ying Xu’s death had just appeared by the emperor’s side, and the little girl he loved was still alive, two years ago.
Thus, upon understanding his situation, realizing he had truly returned to the past rather than being forcibly saved, Xie Jingchen did not hesitate in the slightest. Just as in his previous life, he chose to walk the path he had already taken before.
He treated it as his first command upon returning:
—Raise an army, attack the capital, overthrow the current emperor, and seize the throne.
—In this new life, he would never allow anyone to harm Ying Xu again.
He thought, since heaven had granted him a chance to return, surely it also pitied Ying Xu, unwilling to let her suffer at the hands of others, right?
Ying Xu was so good—how could anyone bear to let her endure suffering?
Seeing the flash of what seemed both obsession and madness in those dark eyes, Pei Xingzhou couldn’t help but feel he might have asked the wrong question.
Digging into other people’s gossip could be fun, but some people and some matters were truly not meant to be known.
Previously, he had only known that Xie Jingchen loved Ying Xu to the point of obeying her every command, taming his own feral nature, offering the leash that controlled him to Ying Xu, and after being disregarded by the young lady, would only reflect on what he had done wrong to cause her disdain—not suddenly turn dark and attempt a script of forcible plunder that seemed oddly popular with many young ladies in folk stories.
…He had never been able to assert dominance in front of Ying Xu. A tamed dog, how could it strike its master?
But now, the current Xie Jingchen radiated a deeply obsessive madness, as if nothing else mattered except Ying Xu—even though in the past, she had only cared for Ying Xu, this was different.
Ah, yes. From the day he woke, the pure black of his eyes had lost its light. Only when mentioning the name Ying Xu, which he treasured, could one see in those eyes a faint yet careful glimmer of hope.
As if Ying Xu had truly died before, and her survival was his last hope and thought in this world. If that hope failed, unable to see the living Ying Xu, perhaps he would make all mortals accompany the girl who had once been the brightest in Jinling City, creating a living hell on earth.
So indeed, he was somewhat deranged, right? If it were the old him, how could he have done such a thing?
Could a mere nightmare really affect someone to this extent?
Even though Pei Xingzhou, who had unknowingly been reborn once, could not have imagined this, he muttered to himself.
While thinking, he couldn’t resist moving his fingers, intending to secretly sprinkle the bowl of exorcism medicine he had concocted, which was said to be effective, onto Xie Jingchen.
Although he thought that someone who could be so completely unaware except when Ying Xu was mentioned could hardly be found besides Xie Jingchen himself.
Just as he was about to pick up the bowl, a pair of long hands reached out and caught the medicine bowl he had quietly tried to take.
Then Xie Jingchen lowered his eyebrows slightly, and, for reasons unknown, asked, “This medicine, does it really work?”
Immediately following, he added, “Never mind, whether it works or not, we’ll try first.”
His tone was serious. Pei Xingzhou became interested, knowing the answer but still asking eagerly, “You want to drink it?”
The next moment, Xie Jingchen lifted his pure black eyes and said, “There is evil in the palace.”
This left Pei Xingzhou puzzled. Just as he was thinking what kind of new “code words” this could be, Xie Jingchen suddenly asked him another question:
“What do you think, how does he treat Ah Xu?”
Hearing this, Pei Xingzhou froze for a moment, then realized that the “he” Xie Jingchen referred to was clear.
He felt a pang in his heart but, seeing Xie Jingchen’s seriousness, answered sincerely, “Although the current emperor is inferior to you in all respects, his heart loving the young lady is certainly not as genuine as yours, but he does admire her and has always kept himself decent. He would not mistreat her.”
Xie Jingchen lightly responded, “Yes, he also likes Ah Xu. I thought he would treat Ah Xu well.”
So, after being exiled to the northwest by his father, after Ying Xu decided to marry the new crown prince, even though he had the power to stage a coup, he did not resist and went directly to the northwest. Not because of imperial command, but because Ying Xu chose his sixth brother; he respected her choice.
Moreover, she did not love him.
But none of that mattered. As long as Ying Xu was safe, Xie Jingchen would endure anything.
And knowing that the crown prince liked her and would treat her well, he never allowed anyone under him to deliberately seek information about the future crown princess, Ying Xu, destined to be empress.
It was not out of caution, but to avoid causing Ying Xu any displeasure because of himself.
The girl he loved was born noble, a pearl cherished in people’s hands. Her life should have been carefree.
But…
She was killed.
Every time he thought of this, Xie Jingchen could not forgive himself.
If he had been in Jinling at that time, if he could have monitored the emperor’s movements at all times, if he had known earlier that the emperor had shifted his affections… Ying Xu would not have suffered so much.
How miserable her days in the cold palace must have been! She loved beauty, was picky about food…
Xie Jingchen could not imagine the torment Ying Xu had endured, even though it had only lasted a few days according to reports.
…After the dethronement of the empress and Ying Xu’s death, only a few days passed before the new empress was installed.
Recalling these past events, the veins on the hand resting on the medicine bowl bulged.
Fortunately, heaven pitied Ying Xu, giving him every “if” possibility.
Then Xie Jingchen took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and asked a second question:
“What do you think, are Ah Xu’s demands of the servants reasonable?”
Hearing this, Pei Xingzhou instantly began a stream of witty responses, counter-questioning, “This question is broad. Are you talking about the young lady demanding someone break the ice in winter to catch fish for her, or in early summer wanting someone to make a snowman, or whimsically insisting someone pick the moon for her, otherwise she won’t love them?”
Under Xie Jingchen’s deep, dark gaze, his voice gradually grew softer, finally becoming extremely sensible: “Of course, although sometimes the young lady’s demands are beyond human ability, most of the time, the troubles are minor and perfectly reasonable.”
“Whether in the palace or the mansion, the servants had signed contracts before entering, selling their lives. They should serve their masters as oxen and horses, fulfilling every order.”
“But some people are ungrateful, complaining about too many chores.”
Recalling how, after breaking into the palace, he had overheard palace maids secretly praising the emperor’s other maid for her kindness to the servants, in contrast to the “former empress” who tormented people with tasks, Xie Jingchen’s lips curled into a cold smile. That palace maid had somehow bewitched everyone, turning what was naturally right into wrong.
Ying Xu’s rules—so what? Beating, scolding, picking, even killing them, was justified.
A master had every right to act toward their purchased servants; how could a servant resent their master?
Did they not like Ying Xu? To criticize her? Were they even worthy?
Thinking of this, Xie Jingchen’s eyes darkened again.
The pressure from his hand broke the medicine bowl slightly, making a snapping sound, as he solemnly commanded, “Speed up. Still too slow.”
“And don’t forget to prepare your exorcism medicine.”
This vast Jinling City, from top to bottom, needed a proper exorcism.
The palace, the laundry bureau.
“Xiao Wan!”
Through barriers of countless clothes, the emperor, wearing not the dragon robe that symbolized his status but a grey servant-like outfit, called to the girl washing clothes in the corner.
Hearing this, the girl looked up, put down her laundry, and ran toward him.
Seeing the emperor, she exclaimed in surprise, “You’re here!”
Then she added, “But tonight I can’t stay with you. I’ve been punished for washing clothes.” She complained, “I accidentally ruined a piece of clothing before, and the maid punished me with extra laundry I shouldn’t have done and deducted half a month’s salary!”
Her tone was full of indignation: “It was just a cheap maid’s garment, not the legendary Yun brocade. Why deduct so much? That money could buy so many! So frustrating!”
Hearing her complaint, the emperor smiled inwardly. If it were the Yun brocade, the price would be far higher, but he comforted her:
“Don’t be angry. The palace rules are like this. If you care about the money, I’ll compensate you. Don’t be upset.”
Then he thought and said, “You mentioned Yun brocade. Do you want some?”
The girl did not expect this. She had complained hoping for the emperor’s pity.
She cautiously looked up at him and said, “I am a lowly maid. How could I use such precious Yun brocade? I also heard that long ago, all Yun brocade in the palace belonged only to the empress.”
Hearing this, he thought of how much Yun brocade sent to Ying Xu would remain unused. He said, “She wouldn’t use that much. By next year, she’d find it outdated.”
Realizing he might have revealed too much, he quickly added: “I mean, the empress can’t use it all. If you want, I can get some for you. I know people in the palace. So, do you want it? If yes, I can get you two bolts of Yun brocade.”
Hearing this, the little maid immediately smiled, praising, “Xiao Luzi, you’re amazing!”
Seeing her smile, the emperor smiled and said, “As long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”
“Of course I’m happy! You’re so good to me!” She stood on tiptoe, lightly kissed his cheek, and ran away.
Turning her head out of the emperor’s view, her smile vanished.
When he caught up, she returned to an innocent appearance.
Then she suddenly remembered something, asking: “Xiao Luzi, did you enter the palace very early?”
Seeing him nod slightly, she continued: “Then can you tell me about things in the palace?”
The emperor asked, “What do you want to hear?”
She thought for a moment, curious in her tone: “Are there palace secrets?”
The emperor laughed: “There are many palace secrets. What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about the emperor and the empress. I’m curious about their past. I envy the empress, having the emperor treat her so well, pampering her.” Innocent and candid, she added, “And the Northern King, I heard he was the emperor’s most favored son back then.”
She pretended to want to know about the emperor and empress to hide her true curiosity: Xie Jingchen.
She did not notice that when she mentioned the Northern King, the emperor’s gaze, originally gentle, became serious.
Yun Wan only truly wanted to know about Xie Jingchen, the biggest antagonist of “Petting the Maid to Empress.”
She was not originally from this world.
She had crossed into the book—she was a transmigrator.
After staying up late reading a sweet romance novel, she entered the story as the female lead.
The book was a typical Mary Sue romance. The heroine, Xiao Wan, was low-born but kind, loved by all.
The story began with the little maid, Xiao Wan, mistakenly seeing the emperor, thinking he was a eunuch that day, then being moved by his love after a series of events, eventually becoming empress.
She had arrived just after the heroine and emperor met, at the timeline when they were just getting acquainted.
If she wished, she could follow the story to romance the emperor.
But, even though the story framed their romance as perfect, she did not want any relationship with the emperor. No other reason—she disliked the emperor.
Before her, the emperor had a primary empress—the book’s most hated female supporting character.
Among those who liked the heroine, they all had flaws, and the only perfect one was Xie Jingchen: good background, pure, and according to the book, in her twenties, he had never had a concubine, sharing royal blood with the emperor, and poised for rebellion.
Though the book had not yet written that the antagonist fell in love with her, it wasn’t a problem. Every male character in such Mary Sue stories would ultimately be won over by the heroine.
With her strong female lead aura, she was confident Xie Jingchen would fall for her.
As for the villain losing to the male lead, nonsense. She was the heroine; whoever she chose was the true male lead.
Thus, with Xie Jingchen, a pure and flawless treasure, in front of her, Yun Wan had no desire to pursue the emperor.
—She wouldn’t be the type to forsake a virtuous second male lead to chase the corrupt male lead.
That said, she still had to cling to the emperor.
Though at this timeline she didn’t know he was the emperor, as a reader she did. She was still washing clothes daily, unwilling to do so, and wanted the emperor to rescue her.
Thinking of this, she pouted: “Xiao Luzi, do you know anyone in Weiyang Palace? I really want to return to serve the empress…”
Nonsense! The original heroine had offended the empress and was punished here, bullied every day.
Seeing the girl he liked so pitifully, the emperor felt Ying Xu had gone too far—how could she punish someone so cruelly?
Though Yun Wan’s aura strongly influenced him, he still remembered Ying Xu was not easy to deal with. He hastily said: “The empress is temperamental; even if you return to Weiyang Palace, she will still torment you. Better go to Mingguang Palace.”
Mingguang Palace was the emperor’s bedchamber.
Impulsiveness is devilish.
Not long ago, the emperor, charmed by Yun Wan’s kindness, had almost forgotten Ying Xu and tried to give her things meant for Ying Xu. Suddenly, the true Ying Xu became angry.
One day, the emperor was handling affairs in Mingguang Palace when he suddenly received a report: people from the empress’s palace had come by imperial order.
Hearing this, the emperor was confused, but he still saw the people sent by Ying Xu.
A small eunuch, dressed plainly like Ying Xu’s palace, knelt in awe, not daring to look up, but sneaking glances, voice trembling with tears: “Your Majesty, the empress… the empress says…”
Seeing his hesitation, the emperor asked, “What does she say?”
The little eunuch closed his eyes, bowed his head heavily, and shouted: “The empress says… you go to Weiyang Palace!”