Chapter 11: The State Preceptor Scheming to Overthrow the Court

On a fine spring day, after a heavy rain had knocked down the pear blossoms and cleared the skies to a cloudless expanse, a woman in white attire supported a frail girl as they walked with difficulty in the rear courtyard of Yuming Hall.

She walked very slowly, pausing with each step, her body almost entirely leaning on the person beside her. Her legs trembled from the knees down with every movement.

“Your Majesty, it’s already been half a shichen. Rest for a while,” Shi Qingyi’s hand rested properly on her lower back, not overstepping by even a fraction—it was the most appropriate distance. Yet from afar, it still appeared excessively intimate.

After a year of crawling on her knees in an iron cage that forbade standing, Xu Zhaosu’s body had forgotten how to walk. Now, it was as difficult as an infant learning to take steps. Her face was ghastly pale, her teeth biting tightly into her lip, with only fine beads of sweat dampening her temples.

Knowing her strong-willed nature and that she could not accept the fact that she couldn’t walk, Shi Qingyi helped her to the nearby pavilion as soon as she spoke. They rested there for the time it took to burn one incense stick every half shichen, just as the imperial physician had prescribed.

Several plates of delicate pastries and a pot of freshly brewed tea sat in the pavilion. Shi Qingyi dipped a cloth in warm water to wipe the sweat from the Female Sovereign’s temples and forehead. Finally, she knelt down and massaged the Female Sovereign’s nearly rigid leg bones.

Xu Zhaosu’s legs had been eroded by cold qi for a year and had knelt and crawled for too long, damaging her very foundation. Even with the world’s best physicians treating her, she could not stand fully—it could only be said that for the rest of her life, she would be half-crippled and unable to walk far.

Or rather, as a perverted, mad villainous boss, how could Xu Zhaosu possibly have a “rest of her life”?

After she reclaimed the throne and massacred cities, she sat on the imperial seat for less than three years before her tyrannical whims and erratic temper stirred widespread resentment among the people. The heroine, the Former Dynasty Princess, possessed a compassionate heart that pitied the world, while the hero wielded unparalleled valor. They led troops to storm the Imperial City, and Xu Zhaosu ultimately chose to self-immolate in Mingze Hall.

However, after the plot collapsed, Xu Zhaosu directly killed the heroine, and nothing after that existed anymore.

As she pondered this, a chilling question suddenly came from above her head: “Do you know what tea Gu prefers?”

Instinctively, Shi Qingyi sensed danger. She looked up. The sunlight was bright overhead, and the Female Sovereign slightly raised her head. Her skin was white to the point of near-transparency, her jawline sharp to the point of severity. She held a scalding teacup in her hand, her expression inscrutable.

Shi Qingyi thought seriously for a moment before answering, “Your Majesty dislikes bitterness and does not favor tea. You prefer—honey water.”

This had been discovered during a spring hunt one time. Several arrogant young nobles, desperate for the Female Sovereign’s favor to skyrocket to power, had foolishly poked a wasp nest with tree branches from the deep mountains. They failed to win her favor, but their heads swollen like pigs’ became a laughingstock in the capital.

The Female Sovereign had rebuked those dandies for their lack of learning, but she drank quite a bit more honey water afterward.

After she spoke, they waited a moment longer before the teacup was heavily set down on the stone table. The heart Shi Qingyi had raised finally settled back into place.

The System snickered in her mind: “If you’d answered wrong just now, that cup of tea wouldn’t have been set on the table—it would’ve been smashed into your face.”

Shi Qingyi: “……”

She glanced again at the steam rising languidly from the teacup.

Lately, in her role as a humble little palace maid, she hadn’t done anything truly heinous.

She couldn’t help but look up at the Female Sovereign’s expression. Xu Zhaosu’s sullen face softened slightly. Seeming to notice the gaze on her, her tone remained icy: “Gu thought you knew nothing of Gu’s preferences.”

It even carried a hint of passive-aggression, and upon closer listening, a touch of bitterness and mockery.

Shi Qingyi lowered her eyes: “This servant will change it tomorrow.” She paused, then added, “Your Majesty’s preferences are naturally engraved in this servant’s heart.”

The person at the head coldly chuckled, unsure if she believed it or not, but she did not continue to make things difficult.

Xu Zhaosu’s legs were long and well-proportioned. In the early spring, her skirt was no longer too heavy, revealing a section of ankle covered in horrifying purple bruises from frostbite. Even after applying medicine for over half a month, it had only slightly improved.

Even Shi Qingyi, who prided herself on having a heart of stone, felt a pang in her chest at the sight. How much pain, how much despair must that have caused?

After massaging for a while, the taut lines of her legs finally relaxed, no longer trembling faintly in her palms. The sky had darkened to dusk, with an orange sun sinking at the horizon. She covered the slightly feverish leg bones and softly said, “The sky is darkening. The night chill is heavy, Your Majesty should return. Today’s medicine hasn’t been taken yet.”

Xu Zhaosu said nothing. She could not tolerate such a useless version of herself and always persisted until nightfall, when her legs stiffened to the point of immobility, before stopping.

“I’ll prepare honey water for you as soon as we return,” the kneeling person stood up, her voice carrying a strange coaxing tone.

Was she truly treating her like a child? Xu Zhaosu lightly scoffed. Just as she was about to speak, the other had already knelt before her.

“I’ll carry Your Majesty back today.”

In the past, it had always been the Medicine Apprentice who carried the Female Sovereign after washing his hands, or she forced herself to walk back. She always harbored wariness toward Shi Qingyi and refused to get too close. Today, they were returning early.

Before Xu Zhaosu could speak, Shi Qingyi preempted her: “I don’t want others carrying you. Let me carry you back just this once.”

Xu Zhaosu’s hand hidden in her sleeve trembled slightly. After a long moment, when Shi Qingyi thought she would refuse, she finally reached out and placed it on that slender shoulder.

There truly wasn’t much time left. Her aunt would soon arrive at the Imperial City with her troops at the gates. At most, three days remained—on the day of Shi Qingyi’s birthday, she would escape to freedom.

And after that, war would erupt.

A cool, cold plum fragrance wafted from the woman’s hair. She reached around the woman’s slender neck and rested her chin on her shoulder, quietly inhaling.

No scent of Sheep Rock Hook Green.

As the sun set in the west, it bathed the glazed tiles of the Imperial City in a layer of gentle light. On the bluestone path lay pear blossoms fallen from the morning rain, not yet swept away. Shi Qingyi walked very slowly, as if she wanted to keep walking like this forever.

In a corner unknown to Shi Qingyi, Xu Zhaosu quietly opened her eyes and gazed at the person before her. She could only see a hazy silhouette—the profile was exquisite, like someone who had stepped out of an illusion, flawlessly stunning, aloof, and devastatingly beautiful.

This period might have been the first time the two of them were so close.

When she had been the Female Sovereign of Li Yue, ruling with absolute power, she had never allowed anyone to get this close. Shi Qingyi fed her medicine, held her during nightmares, remembered her preferences, and even grew jealous when others carried her…

Her arms unconsciously tightened, pressing closely against Shi Qingyi’s long, pale neck, covering the crisscrossing purple finger marks on it.

The army coming to the king’s aid advanced unstoppable. With Shi Qingyi’s current power, it was impossible for her not to know.

If her guess was correct, Shi Qingyi wanted to survive. She knew Xu Zhaosu could not bring herself to kill her.

Sometimes, Xu Zhaosu found it laughable herself. How pathetic—she had turned herself into a cripple, endured every torment of the mortal world. Even with sky-high hatred, a desire to dismember her a thousand times over, when the chance to strangle her truly came, she still softened.

Xu Zhaosu felt her breathing grow labored. This girl was truly adept at pandering—yes, she indeed wouldn’t kill her. Dying would be too easy, too final. How could it compare to the inhuman suffering she had endured?

The Female Sovereign coldly chuckled and closed her eyes, burying her face in the woman’s sharp shoulder blade, grinding her teeth against it.

The sun gradually sank, moonlight spilling across the land. The main hall of Yuming Hall was not close to the rear courtyard—this walk took quite some time. Shi Qingyi did not feel tired at all; Xu Zhaosu was far too thin, so light she felt almost weightless, like a snapped dry twig.

But even the longest road must end.

The Medicine Apprentice had already brewed the medicine and waited eagerly. When the two finally returned, he hurried forward to help, only to be subtly blocked by the State Preceptor.

“I’ll handle it.” Her voice was cool and clear, her arm blocking him airtight.

The Medicine Apprentice was speechless and silently watched as the State Preceptor helped the Female Sovereign into the hall, changed her clothes, added a warming brazier, and fed her the medicine. He couldn’t help but touch his nose—why did he suddenly feel so superfluous standing there?

Xu Zhaosu slept poorly at night. Ever since emerging from the Dark Prison, she often had nightmares, sometimes staying awake all night as demons haunted her in the dark and her loved ones betrayed her, preventing her from closing her eyes.

“No—no—get away…”

The Female Sovereign abruptly awoke from the nightmare, her vision a blur of light. Someone held her hand, which she gripped in turn with deadly force.

“Your Majesty, wake up, wake up…” The voice by her ear was soft and reassuring.

Her knuckles turned white, her neatly trimmed nails digging deep into the other’s arm. That person never made a sound from start to finish, simply letting her clutch them.

“Your Majesty, it’s all passed. It was just a nightmare, not real…” Her free hand lightly patted the Female Sovereign’s thin back, trying to calm the terrified trembling figure and pull her from the dream.

After a long while, the Female Sovereign finally calmed. In a hoarse voice, she asked, “What time is it?”

Shi Qingyi glanced outside. The sky was pitch black, with only the wind howling past: “It’s still early. Your Majesty, sleep a bit more. This servant is right by your side.”

Xu Zhaosu closed her eyes and said nothing. She could no longer sleep; even this resplendent palace felt like a cage no more than a few zhang wide. At night, rats chittered as they passed by, stealing her food, while bone-chilling cold assaulted her from the knees down.

Day after day, year after year, without end. And the hatred and resentment from betrayal festered wildly in the darkness.

“If Your Majesty truly cannot sleep, this servant will read to you.”

The Female Sovereign paused, her hand quietly releasing its grip. In a hoarse voice: “Approved.”

Thus, Shi Qingyi draped a robe over her shoulders and sat by the couch, reading to the Female Sovereign. Long ago, the one and only time Xu Zhaosu had entered Mingze Hall to recuperate, she had fallen asleep quickly at midnight to the sound of Shi Qingyi reading.

She actually still remembered.

But in just a few short years, everything had changed. This time, the Female Sovereign could not sleep.

This time, she selected a collection of poems. Shi Qingyi’s voice was clear and pristine, like a slowly flowing spring when reading. The Female Sovereign closed her eyes to rest, then suddenly asked out of nowhere: “In your heart, what kind of person do you think Gu is?”

Perhaps it was the midnight melancholy; she suddenly wanted to ask. Amid these years of entangled grievances, what did Shi Qingyi truly think—even if she now didn’t dare face her with her real name.

Shi Qingyi paused, the book slipping onto her lap. She thought for a moment, then slowly spoke as the Female Sovereign kept her eyes closed: “When I first heard that Your Majesty had steadily ascended the throne at the age of ji, I imagined you must be a ruler of swift and decisive action, harsh methods, and overwhelming majesty.”

She paused, then raised her eyes: “Only after seeing Your Majesty with my own eyes did I realize you are a beauty that captivates the nation, with unparalleled grace and allure.”

“One that makes hearts surrender upon sight.”