Despite his jade-like appearance, Ruan Ning felt as if she was being stared at by a hungry wolf, involuntarily shivering. Wei Shu was satisfied with her reaction.
He looked back at the emperor, surrounded by layers of bed curtains, feeling a sense of triumph. The old man was finally dying. He had endured for so long and was about to emerge victorious. He would no longer worry about the beloved Jin Wang replacing him, nor endure the old man’s neglect and humiliation—especially after hinting at taking Ruan Ning as a side concubine, only to have the old man whisk her away.
What was his would ultimately be his. The old man would not enjoy her beauty; he would possess her before the sickbed, letting the emperor watch helplessly.
“My beloved,” Wei Shu said, “do you remember meeting me during the Shangsi Spring Outing?”
Of course not. Ruan Ning instinctively knew not to reply and displayed a surprised, helpless expression. Wei Shu was pleased. He had always favored delicate women, especially those charming yet fragile, like lambs awaiting slaughter.
“At that time, you were with Min Shi. I was drinking wine in a pavilion by the road. You looked back at me and smiled, like an immortal,” he reminisced. “I remembered you and had someone inquire about you.”
I originally wanted to take you as a side consort, but unexpectedly, the Emperor occupied you.”
“Since then, I have not had a day when I did not think of you,” Wei Shu held her hand, his expression tender.
Indeed, a Mary Sue moment—she had just transmigrated for a few minutes, and two handsome men were already showing favor to her, making Ruan Ning feel a little pleased.
However, Wei Shu suddenly embraced her tightly and lowered his head to kiss her.
Ruan Ning was startled. The Emperor was still nearby, and as his son, he actually wanted to kiss his mother’s concubine. She quickly blocked him, anxiously saying: “Your Highness, the Emperor is still here!”
“That’s precisely what makes it interesting,” Wei Shu laughed softly, watching her panicked expression. “I have thought about you for so long; today I must fulfill my heart’s desire.”
He wrapped his arms around Ruan Ning’s waist and walked to the dragon bed, lifting the bed curtains.
The Emperor lay in the thick bedding, unconscious.
“Look, he ruthlessly took you away before, and now he can only watch me do as I please with you,” Wei Shu’s voice carried triumph and hatred. “What should be mine will ultimately be mine.”
He placed her on the bed’s edge and suddenly pounced, pinning her down and reaching to untie her clothes.
Ruan Ning’s hand brushed against the cold brocade quilt as she heard the Emperor’s heavy breathing, feeling horrified. She mustered her strength to push him away and tried to escape.
Wei Shu quickly caught her, his gentle facade disappearing. Breathing heavily, he encircled her waist and whispered in her ear: “Doesn’t my beloved find this interesting? He took you away, so I will take you back right before his eyes. Don’t be afraid, I will be gentler with you.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but Ruan Ning dodged. He didn’t force it, kissing her hair gently instead. “My beloved, do you know what to do? Be good, your family and Min Shi will be fine. On the day of the grand ceremony, I will protect you and won’t let you be buried alive.”
Ruan Ning was unsure of what to say. He seemed to like her, but she couldn’t tell if it was for her or because he couldn’t have her.
“Don’t see Min Shi again in the future. I’ll be jealous.” Wei Shu tucked her hair behind her ear and continued, “In the past, you had a marriage contract with him, and I didn’t mind your interactions. But from now on, if you dare to entangle with him again, if I see him in the forbidden palace, my beloved, I’ll take his head.”
His hand slid to her neck, gripping gently as if measuring it. Ruan Ning shivered and nodded obediently.
“My beloved is so good,” Wei Shu laughed, kissing her hair again. “Tomorrow, I’ll arrange a better palace for you. You won’t stay here anymore.”
In the long night, Ruan Ning lay on the imperial concubine’s couch, fully clothed, closing her eyes to process the vast amount of information from the past half-hour.
She had never read Mary Sue novels and didn’t know their tropes. Did all males really fall in love with the female lead? It seemed manageable; she could find a suitable yandere and complete her task.
However, she wasn’t safe. The emperor might die any moment, forcing her to be buried alive, and Min Shi’s plan to take her away was likely known by both Gu Lian Chang and Wei Shu. Wei Shu seemed to want to blackmail her, but what was Gu Lian Chang’s purpose?
As for who was the yandere, Wei Shu was certainly perverted enough, Min Shi seemed normal, and Gu Lian Chang was uncertain.
“Jiao Jiao, is Wei Shu a yandere?” Ruan Ning asked.
The standard female voice promptly replied, “Yes.”
Ruan Ning felt intimidated. Wei Shu wasn’t bad-looking and had an acceptable physique, but his sexual preferences were outrageous. Why would he defile his stepmother in front of his own father? She didn’t want to have sex with a third party watching, even if it was a vegetative person.
“Is Gu Lian Chang a yandere? What about Min Shi?” Ruan Ning asked again.
“Gu Lian Chang is,” the voice responded.
Ruan Ning was overjoyed – there was indeed an alternative!
But… was Gu Lian Chang a man?
“You can verify that yourself,” the standard female voice teased.
Ruan Ning: …
Who would want to verify that!
The rest of the night was calm. The emperor didn’t wake up, and Min Shi didn’t appear. At dawn, a palace maid woke Ruan Ning, informing her that she had been assigned to Yi Kun Palace and needed to move quickly.
“Your Highness is truly blessed. Yi Kun Palace is second only to the Empress’s Kun Ning Palace. Even the highest-ranking Virtuous Concubine lives in the Storage Selection Palace,” said a pretty palace maid named Xiu Xin.
The Empress had died long ago, leaving dozens of concubines, mostly low-ranking. Only the Virtuous Concubine remained among the four ranks, and her son, Prince Jin, was favored by the emperor.
What purpose does he have? Was Min Shi removed by his hand or Wei Shu’s? If he has malicious intent towards her, why stop the De Fei? If not, why bring her into the palace as a living widow and arrest Min Shi?
She thought so much that she was hungry but still couldn’t figure out the reason.
She could only sigh and comfort herself, saying at least she found two sick and clingy characters – truly the hallmark of a Mary Sue protagonist!
However, these characters were not satisfactory. Wei Shu’s habit of applauding in front of others was nauseating, and Gu Lian Zhang was a eunuch, reportedly lacking interest in women. What was the point of flirting?
“If the host cannot make a decision, you can try the analysis function,” the standard female voice reminded her. “This is an exclusive auxiliary tool that can analyze the possibility of someone dying for you.”
“Such a magical tool?” Ruan Ning was pleasantly surprised. “Quick, try it!”
With a ding, a transparent panel appeared, showing Wei Shu on the left and Gu Lian Zhang on the right. Various numbers rolled quickly, making her dizzy. Who would have thought that Jinjiang would have such a tech-savvy screen? The scrolling stopped, revealing 0.01% for Wei Shu and 0.1% for Gu Lian Zhang.
“These are the possibilities of these two people dying for you,” the voice said.
With such results, she might as well look for more reliable sick and clingy characters.
“The host is currently in the imperial palace with few opportunities to meet men. Suggest riding a donkey to find a horse, flirting with these two while looking for others,” the standard female voice stated.
Ruan Ning: …
She, an upright cannon fodder, must now become a green tea bitch. Heaven is truly blind!
