Shi Sheng cautiously held Ling Yue’s hand. He merely shook a bit, but didn’t wrest himself free. Shi Sheng immediately saw it as consent to completely envelop his hand in hers.
Her hand was very soft, and very warm.
It was like the furnace that warmed his hands during snowy nights.
It was a warmth that seemingly flowed to the bottom of his heart.
Shi Sheng turned to look at the Empress with an arrogant expression. “You’re thinking too much, Your Majesty. If I wanted to rebel, you’d have been out of the picture long ago. Ling Yue is mine. If anyone dares touch a single hair on his head, I’ll take their life as compensation.”Ling Yue’s heart trembled as pain emanated from within.
‘Am I...feeling heartache? But why?’
“Insolence, Jun Liyou!” The Empress screamed at the top of her lungs.
Shi Sheng’s lips hooked up into a smile, making no attempt to conceal the malice in her eyes. “Don’t challenge me, if you want to keep your precious position as Empress.”
The Prime Minister faction: “...” ‘So, are we rebelling or not? Prime Minister, can you please give us a sign before making your move? We can’t guess what you’re thinking at all!’
“You... You...” The Empress pointed at Shi Sheng, her finger trembling. She didn’t finish her sentence even after a long time had passed. In the end, she clutched at her chest and collapsed.
“Kill her! We(z) order you to kill this traitorous vassal for us(z)!”The Empress gasped, her eyes bloodshot.
Her guards immediately started surrounding Shi Sheng.
Naturally, the commonfolk didn’t dare stay any longer. They dispersed, screaming as they fled the scene.
The officials belonging to the Empress’s faction retreated to her side, seeking her protection.
But those from the Prime Minister’s faction didn’t move from their spots. Dai Yue and Ying Yue, who had been standing at a distance, immediately sprinted over as soon as the commonfolk had dispersed.
“Your Excellency...”
“Protect him.” Shi Sheng pushed Ling Yue to them. With a flick of her wrist, her sword appeared.
The sudden appearance of a sword, seemingly from thin air, startled everyone.
‘That doesn’t seem to be a flexible sword... Just where did she pull such a long sword from?’
Shi Sheng took advantage of their shock to charge forward. With each rise and fall of her blade, its cold gleam flashed and fresh blood went spraying.
Ling Yue frowned as he watched Shi Sheng wade into the crowd, collecting souls like the grim reaper.
‘When we fought, her movement seemed rather stiff, as though she was unfamiliar with the sword.’
But today...her moves showed no sign of stiffness or hesitation. Her movements flowed smoothly and made for a beautiful display.
She was either an exceptional genius that had mastered the art of the sword in this short timeframe, or she had been going easy on him that day.
He was more willing to believe that latter possibility, rather than her being one of those hard to find geniuses.
Confusion clouded Ling Yue’s eyes. ‘Why do I feel she went easy on me?’
Whilst Ling Yue’s mind was wandering, Shi Sheng finished off the rest of the attackers.
She cockily stood on a pile of corpses, as fresh blood slowly pooled beneath her feet.
The wind swelled, carrying the scent of blood with it.
They heard the Prime Minister speak, and it was as if her voice came the depths of hell. “Anyone else want to go get an autograph from Hades?”
Although they couldn’t really understand her words, anything that involved the name ‘Hades’ couldn’t be a good thing.
All the officials—except those in the Prime Minister’s faction—retreated.
‘Although the Prime Minister had a bad temper before, at least it was only to the point where she didn’t like to speak ah!
But now it seems her temper’s levelled up, to the point where she’s actually acting on it...
We should just be quiet background characters.
Even if the sky collapses, there’ll be someone taller to take the brunt of it...’
Jiang Zhi, however, had a stiff expression.
As someone from the modern world, how could she not understand Shi Sheng’s words?
‘She is also...’
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
Several sharp screams interrupted Jiang Zhi’s thoughts. She turned to look. The Empress was currently being supported by several people, her head drooping—she had fainted.
Shi Sheng flicked the blood off her sword and walked to Ling Yue’s side. “Let’s go home.”
The two Yues, “...” ‘Aren’t we rebelling? We already summoned the troops! This is a great opportunity to rebel! You can’t just give it up ah, Your Excellency!’
Shi Sheng pointed at herself. “Does this Prime Minister appear to be a traitorous vassal?”
‘This is the face of a god, okay? Dashing as all hell, okay? Why are you guys so insistent I(bbb) rebel?
...Who’s going to rule the place if I rebel?’
The two Yues, “...” ‘Isn’t what you’re doing now the very image of a treasonous vassal?’
Ying Yue’s brain worked faster than Dai Yue’s, so she immediately started to flatter Shi Sheng, “How could Your Excellency be a traitorous vassal? You are our wise and mighty Lady Prime Minister!”
Shi Sheng gave her a vague look. “Don’t you guys think this is a better way to show off?”
Ying Yue, “...”
‘Why do I feel like my efforts at flattery have been wasted? Wait, Your Excellency, just what does ‘show off’ mean?’
“Your Excellency, are we really not going to rebel?”
“You do it. You can crown yourself Empress afterwards.” Shi Sheng waved her off.
Ying Yue, “...”
Dai Yue patted Ying Yue’s shoulder sympathetically. “Can’t you see? Her Excellency only has eyes for Sir Ling Yue now.”
‘Besides, how long has it been since she’s actually cared about mundane affairs?’
Shi Sheng had always used an expression of ‘I’m not keeping you guys around as decorations, so why do you bother me about every little thing?’ whenever she was consulted for instructions.
“So is Her Excellency going to rebel or not?” Ying Yue was perplexed.
‘It’d be a real shame to just give up this opportunity today!’
“I reckon...” Dai Yue rubbed her chin. “As long as the Empress’s people don’t provoke Her Excellency, she won’t rebel.”
“Oh? How do you know?” ‘How come I couldn’t tell that’s what Her Excellency was thinking?’
“You should take more tonics for your brain.” Dai Yue copied Shi Sheng’s mannerisms and earnestly patted Ying Yue’s shoulder.
Ying Yue, “...”
“Hahaha! Actually, I only know because Her Excellency told me.” ‘Who the hell could guess Her Excellency’s thoughts now, anyway?’
“Good ah! You dare to play me for a fool— Dai Yue, don’t run!”
......
After the Heaven’s Ritual had failed, the Empress tried to make things difficult for the priest.
However, the Prime Minister drew her sword against the Empress for his sake and displayed her prowess.
Many different versions of the rumour circulated like fanfiction amongst the commonfolk, and it became a common topic of discussion during mealtimes.
Whether the Prime Minister would rebel had become a hot topic for the people to guess about.
Had the Prime Minister rebelled during the Heaven’s Ritual, she would’ve had at least a 90% chance of succeeding. But she hadn’t.
The Empress was currently still bedridden.
“Your Majesty, it’s time to take your medicine.” A man in palace attire carried in a bowl filled with medicine.
The Empress slapped the bowl away. “Take what medicine? That tramp Jun Liyou is treating us(z) with contempt!”
‘She’s simply too contemptuous and arrogant to dare kill people in front of me! And when did she become so good at fighting?!’
The black-coloured medicine spilt all over the man. He didn’t appear angry, wiping himself as best as he could while comforting the Empress with gentle words. “Your Majesty, even if you are angry, you must think of your health. Only after recovering will you have the strength to deal with her.”
As the Empress stared at his face, some of the anger dissipated. She reached out to hold his hand. “At least you’re caring.”
The man chuckled. “Let me serve you your medicine, Your Majesty.”
The servants sent another bowl of medicine. This time, the Empress didn’t throw a fit and allowed the man to feed her.
Once she had finished the medicine, the two somehow ended up tangling together in the sheets, not even bothering to send away the other servants.
Though the servants appeared too familiar with this conduct; they lowered their heads and pretended to see nothing.
