Gold Medal Mediator [Quick Transmigration] 22p3

Chapter 22: I Conquered This Empire for You (Part 12-3)

Shen Qingyu stayed at the villa to accompany the Empress Dowager for a week, and for that entire week, Hua Baihe did not leave Jiang Yao’s side palace. Sometimes, Hua Baihe didn’t even see Shen Qingyu, but whenever Jiang Yao returned from the Empress Dowager’s, she would be in a bad mood and torment her.

And she had no idea that in that short week, the power struggle in the rear between the Empress and the Empress Dowager had already reached its conclusion.

The Empress Dowager was very disappointed in Consort Jing, who had no desire to compete for favor. She couldn’t understand where the solid alliance between her and the Empress had come from. The day she lost her authority, she fell gravely ill. Jiang Yao used the excuse of attending to her to visit.

But Hua Baihe felt that the Empress Dowager might get even sicker.

“Are you very satisfied with the current situation?” the System asked in her mind.

Hua Baihe feigned a sigh. “You can see my situation now. Jiang Yao hasn’t given me any work to do at all. After all, she’s busy doing me all day. Ahem… And the Emperor is thousands of miles away. I have the heart to matchmake them, but the Emperor hasn’t sent a second family letter. I don’t even have a chance to boost his presence.”

Though she said this, she was ecstatic on the inside.

Because this world practiced polygamy, the System hadn’t given Hua Baihe a beautiful appearance like in the last world, for fear that she would attract the Emperor’s attention and become the biggest third party between the imperial couple.

But it turned out…

After all that, Hua Baihe still couldn’t avoid the fate of messing with the official pairing.

But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was—“Do you know why the Emperor hasn’t sent a second family letter?”

Hua Baihe admitted honestly, “I don’t know.”

After all, she had no access to the memorials, nor did she know any members of the Grand Secretariat.

The System let out a cold laugh. “Hmph. Because the Emperor is about to die.”

From the moment Jiang Yao started acting strangely and touched Hua Baihe, the System had reported it to its superiors and applied for permission to view this world’s development line at any time. The result was a shock.

“The letter Jiang Zhenhai sent back earlier was about the main force, led by the Emperor’s Great General, being lured deep into enemy territory while pursuing the Yelu Di. Meanwhile, Liu Ye’s rear was besieged by the fourteen Di Rong tribes. The Emperor was shot in the left arm with an arrow. The poison is incurable. He doesn’t have long to live.”

Hua Baihe: “…!!!”

She immediately sat up in bed. The red silk ribbon tied to her wrist pulled, making her wrist ache, but she was too shocked to care.

“W-what will happen if that big pig’s trotter dies?”

The System informed her with a blank expression, “The mission will fail. You will be forcibly extracted from this world. Based on the final mission rating, it will be determined whether you continue with the transmigration missions or your contract is forcibly terminated.”

If her contract were to be forcibly terminated by the Prime Deity’s side, Hua Baihe would not receive a single cent.

Hua Baihe felt as if she had seen a hundred million flying towards her, only to make a sharp U-turn midway—

She murmured, “What should I do then? Can I save the Emperor?”

The System was relieved that she still had some sense. Now it wouldn’t have to watch single-player movies on the edge of a mosaic every day.

“I have already analyzed the components of the poison. I will send you the antidote recipe now. Download it. We will head there now. I have even planned the route for you. We will definitely make it in time.”

Hua Baihe: “…You were prepared for this, weren’t you?”

She knew the System couldn’t stand her daily revelry. It turned out it had been holding this back for so many days.

**

That evening.

Jiang Yao received a secret report from Jiang Zhenhai from the army. The previous family letter had been written in a special code. On the surface, it seemed to be about trivial matters in the army, but it was actually telling her:

Everything is in order.

According to the plan, Liu Ye would be tied up in the northwest by this war for some time. Then, a reasonable arrangement would be made for him to be injured. At that time, she could rush to the front lines under the pretext of caring for him and temporarily take over his power.

Jiang Yao knew that what she wanted was immense, so she was not in a hurry. She started from the rear and proceeded slowly. As for letting Liu Ye die on the battlefield now, she had never considered it.

This was all happening too fast.

Jiang Zhenhai wrote in his letter: Accident. Poison arrow. Come quickly.

It seemed this was a slow-acting poison, otherwise it wouldn’t have taken so long to discover.

If Jiang Yao didn’t arrive in time, the throne might not be hers for the taking. If the country was without a ruler for even a day… chaos would ensue.

Jiang Yao pinched the letter, held it to the flame of the candle on the corner of the table, and watched as the paper was slowly consumed by fire, the flames dancing in her pupils, leaving only a small pile of ash on the table.

She sat in her chair for a long time, her thoughts unreadable.

In the side palace.

“Ahhh, it hurts—”

Sweat beaded on Hua Baihe’s forehead as she strained to reach for something outside with her foot, wishing she were a cat so she could stretch herself indefinitely.

Then her foot, not disappointing her at all, promptly cramped.

She could only wail to the System, pull her foot back, and sit on the edge of the bed blowing on it pitifully. Because she had pointed her toes too hard, the cramp was excruciating.

The System calmly prompted her, “If you delay for another two quarters of an hour (approx. 30 minutes), you can enjoy your pleasure again. It seems you plan to demonstrate the principle of ‘seize the day’ for me?”

Hua Baihe: “I know, I know. Geez, you’re so naggy.”

She took a deep breath. Since her hands and the bed were currently one with fate, she could only continue to use her foot to reach for a golden hairpin on the dressing table outside the bed. It was the plum blossom hairpin the Empress had placed on the table this morning. The filigree was exquisite, and it was currently the only ‘key’ that could free her hands.

Her big toe and second toe reached the table but couldn’t get a grip on the thin hairpin. After a Herculean effort, she finally managed to grasp it. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to slowly move it towards the bed—

The moment the hairpin left the table and was held in the air by her toes, there was a soft tink!

The hairpin fell heartlessly to the floor.

Hua Baihe: “…”

The System was quiet for a few seconds before speaking. “Let me play an appropriate song for you.”

Hua Baihe thought it was going to encourage her, maybe play some rousing march. The next moment, what she heard was:

“The cold will of heaven turns my longing for you into a river / And becomes the spring mud to nurture me / The shallow years brush my lover’s sleeves…”

Hua Baihe: “…”

What was even more terrifying was that before the System could retract the music, Empress Jiang Yao walked in from the study, her steps in perfect time with the song.

Hua Baihe: “…” She felt her future was crystal clear.

She immediately kicked the quilt off the bed, covering the hairpin.

When Jiang Yao approached and saw the quilt on the floor, her brows furrowed. “You are quite bold today, even throwing a tantrum at This One.”

As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the quilt.

Hua Baihe’s hands were tied to either side of the headboard with red silk. Fortunately, it was only to keep her on the bed, and the silk was quite long. Now, she threw herself onto the bed and knelt before Jiang Yao with a heavy thud, almost hearing the sound of her own kneecaps shattering.

“Your Majesty, this servant cannot go on like this. Even if His Majesty is not here now, if the others in the harem find out, Your Majesty’s reputation will be ruined!”

Jiang Yao’s movement paused for only a second, her gaze falling on her knees. “Does it not hurt?”

Hua Baihe: …Hey, don’t remind me!

Her expression changed, but she didn’t stop her speech. She continued to speak directly to Jiang Yao, “Your Majesty! If this continues, this servant… this servant will have no face to live in this world!”

Jiang Yao let out a cold laugh, stared at her for a few seconds, and said coolly, “You dare?”

Hua Baihe was terrified on the inside, but on the outside, she put on the air of a chaste and virtuous woman. Though her head was bowed, her back was straight.

Jiang Yao looked at her for a few seconds, then yanked the quilt off the floor.

—The hairpin lay there in plain sight. Several of the plum blossom petals were bent.

Hua Baihe: “…!”

Jiang Yao bent down and picked up the broken golden plum blossom hairpin. Her face showed no emotion as she said coolly, “No wonder you were so submissive these past few days, yet today you dare to threaten me with death. It turns out you were planning to leave This One all along.”

Hua Baihe: …Actually, if I said this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, would you believe me?

She bit the bullet. “Your Majesty, this servant was only thinking of your reputation—”

“This hairpin,” Jiang Yao interrupted, looking up at her. Her cool face lacked its usual gentleness, and the emotion in her eyes was unreadable. She said, “This One was originally planning to give it to you tonight.”

Hua Baihe: …Great. Just before losing a hundred million, she had first lost a 24-karat solid gold hairpin.

“Today is your birthday,” Jiang Yao said, looking at her deeply.

Hua Baihe replied dryly, “…What a g-good day.”

Jiang Yao hummed in agreement. “It is also the day when I, being foolish, snuck out of the manor with Zhenhai and was captured by bandits. You were just a beggar then, yet you dared to knock on the manor gates and find someone to rescue us.”

Hua Baihe: “…” Why does she have so much backstory!

“Your Majesty, this servant is not as noble as you think. At that time, I was at my wit’s end and about to starve to death, so I just wanted to cling to the great tree of the royal manor,” she explained, forcing herself.

Jiang Yao looked at her, smiled, and said, “This One does not wish to hear it.”

“Whether your loyalty is real or fake, whatever your reasons for coming to the manor back then, you only need to remember one thing: now, you are mine.”

With that, she pushed Hua Baihe back onto the bed. Under her terrified gaze, she mercilessly ripped off the clothes she had just put on and pulled her once more into the abyss of desire.

**

In the early hours of the morning.

Jiang Yao looked at the utterly exhausted, sleeping Hua Baihe, sighed, and got out of bed.

She still had many things to attend to.

After she left, Hua Baihe quietly opened her eyes. She looked at Huan Xi, who had come to her side to help her up, and stared at her blankly, two streams of tears falling.

Huan Xi was startled and whispered, “Q-Qing Jia…”

Hua Baihe’s face was filled with pain. “Huan Xi, you and I have followed Her Majesty for many years, watching her get to where she is today. Can you bear to see her reputation ruined in my hands?”

Huan Xi was shocked by her thoughts, and the same pain appeared on her face. She looked around and could only whisper, “Qing Jia, I know you do not wish to bear this identity, but we are both loyal to Her Majesty. I dare not have any other thoughts—”

Hua Baihe sighed. “I know. So rest assured, I will not implicate you.”

With that, she whispered something to Huan Xi. Huan Xi’s eyes widened, and then her face quickly became resolute. She said to her, “Good. The farther you go, the better!”

A quarter of an hour later.

The two stared blankly at the clump of undissolved sleeping powder in the wine pot.

Hua Baihe: “Wait, System, how is this different from what they show in the TV shows???”

Wasn’t it supposed to be that you just sprinkle the drug into the pot and it automatically dissolves, colorless and odorless?

What is this clumpy fake stuff?!