The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Night fell. The long-burning palace lamps that lined the intersecting corridors were lit by the attendants, one after another. The continuous glow of the lights dispersed the heavy shadows that enveloped the imperial palace.

The Emperor sat beside the imperial desk in the Xuan Room. His eyes remained fixed on the candlelight before him for a long time, his figure appearing as if frozen in place.

Even now, he still could not believe everything that had happened: after being shot to death by that arrow that pierced his throat, he had died and returned to life, becoming who he was now.

The current "himself" was indeed himself, yet it was a different, seemingly contradictory "himself."

Aside from the similarity of both being the founding emperors of the Great Yan, this current "himself" had not only unified the world and become the Emperor of Great Yan earlier than he had, but everything else that had happened to this "self" was vastly different from his own past experiences.

From the moment he possessed this body amid that bolt of lightning in the chaos, fragments of impressions regarding this life began to surface in his mind intermittently: it was currently the second year of Taihe; those who had followed him to conquer the world were all still alive, faithfully serving as his generals and officials; his grandmother, Lady Xu, was still alive and had gone to Daming Temple, soon to return to the palace; and the Su woman, who had been the Empress he established in his original world, had actually tried to poison his grandmother!

...

Everything was in chaos, completely chaotic. Everything in this world, including the Xuan Room where he now sat, was both familiar and strange to him!

He had been sitting alone for a long time. The sun had slanted to the west, and the Xuan Room had gradually been shrouded in thick twilight until the night completely swallowed it. The night deepened, yet he remained tightly gripped by the feeling of astonishment surging within his heart like waves. Suddenly, footsteps gradually approached from outside the Xuan Room. Following this, the soft, clear, and extremely pleasant sound of a woman speaking with palace attendants reached his ears. He immediately recognized it: it was the Empress he had seen during the day, the other daughter from the Qiao family.

In his original world, the only impression this Qiao daughter had left him was that of a cold, dead, and beautiful corpse. Yet here, she was the Empress of this other version of himself, and moreover, the only woman he cherished.

As the woman's footsteps drew nearer, the memories stored within the body he had possessed regarding his interactions with her instantly surged toward him like a tide.

During the day, the frames of the amorous scenes between that "himself" and her on their shared pillow and quilt emerged clearly in his mind...

If one were to say these were merely memories from the original "himself," then the sensation of her shrinking into his embrace out of fear of the thunder at the moment he possessed this body was authentic and tangible. Even now, he felt as though he still retained the tactile sensation of holding that piece of warm jade in his arms.

He should not have felt anything unusual due to such a brief embrace from a woman. But for some reason, as her footsteps drew closer, he suddenly felt nervous.

He had not felt what it was like to be nervous for a long time. The sudden, uncontrollable acceleration of his heartbeat made him feel very uncomfortable.

She was the person closest to "himself." If anyone were to notice that something was wrong with him, it would undoubtedly be her. This was the reason he felt nervous facing her, the Emperor told himself in his heart.

Driven by a subtle sentiment he himself could not explain, he did not want others to know what was happening to him. Anyone, including the woman sleeping by his side.

The Emperor took a silent breath, trying his best to relax his body, which had suddenly tensed up.

...

The cat acted as if possessed, causing a ruckus in front of Xiao Qiao all night. When they sent it back to the Jiade Palace, it would just bolt back. The attendants couldn't stop it, let alone catch it. This final time, it rushed toward Xiao Qiao and refused to leave, rubbing and rubbing against her feet, looking up at her, and meowing softly and incessantly.

The cat had always been aloof. Having raised it for so many years, this was the first time Xiao Qiao had encountered a situation like tonight's. She wanted to keep it, but she feared Wei Shao would have an allergic reaction if he returned. If she sent it away by force, she didn't know why, but upon meeting the cat's beautiful eyes—which were gazing at her longingly—and hearing the pitiful, pleading meows at her feet, her heart softened. She picked it up and personally took it to an ear-chamber next to the bedchamber. She had the attendants bring over its bed, and after placing it inside, she squatted down to stroke it, coaxing, "The Empress Dowager hasn't returned yet, so you feel the Jiade Palace is lonely, is that it? It’s fine if you don't return. You can sleep here tonight, but you are not allowed to run around recklessly again! If you keep causing trouble, I will really be angry, you know?"

Wei Shao was so frustrated he felt like going crazy; he wished he could dash his head against a wall if only to knock himself out of this body. But after struggling for half a day and a night, he finally understood that it seemed he would temporarily be unable to escape the predicament of being trapped by a cat’s antics.

No one knew what had happened to him, not even Xiao Qiao. If he made more trouble and was caught and locked away, unable to get close to her, that would be truly tragic.

That short-lived version of himself from the previous life had possessed his body. All else could be discussed, but what he feared most was Xiao Qiao being taken advantage of by that guy.

Although it was his own body, and strictly speaking, the Emperor who had possessed him was not an outsider, his beautiful Empress belonged only to him—not even his past self could have her!

Wei Shao knew he had to accept this reality for now.

The most urgent task was to first win the pity of his beautiful Empress and find a way to stay in this bedchamber. Only then could he seize opportunities to guard against any improper designs that that unlucky ghost of an Emperor might have on the Empress.

"Meow—"

He let out a plaintive cry and took the opportunity to lick her palm with his tongue.

The cat's tongue was wet and hot, covered in soft, backward-facing barbs. Caught off guard by the lick to his palm, it felt numb and itchy.

Xiao Qiao giggled, quickly pulled her hand back, stroked its head instead, and then stood up.

...

Xiao Qiao told the attendants to wait outside and entered the Xuan Room.

The Emperor sat with his head lowered behind the imperial desk, flipping through the memorials in his hands.

Xiao Qiao walked toward him and said with a smile, "Is today's work not finished yet? I saw you hadn't returned for a long time. It’s late, and my husband must be exhausted. If there is nothing important, let's head back to rest. It won't be too late to look at the rest tomorrow."

She arrived by his side, took the memorial from his hand, organized it along with the other files on the desk, and placed them in order, gazing at him with a smile.

The Emperor was astonished and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

In his past life, no woman had ever dared to take anything from his hands like this, let alone imperial memorials.

Furthermore, no woman had ever addressed him as "Husband" (Fujun) or performed such natural, intimate acts of playful wantonness in his presence.

Even Lady Qiao, whom he had married earliest, had addressed him with the respectful title of "Lord Marquis" (Junhou).

As she leaned in close, the Emperor’s nostrils suddenly caught a faint, mesmerizing, and elegant fragrance.

He couldn't help but hold his breath for a moment. He steadied himself and mumbled, "I was just about to head back..." He stood up and walked straight toward the exit.

...

Inside the bedchamber, orchid candles burned brightly. The attendants served the Emperor and Empress as they prepared for bed.

Xiao Qiao lay on the cloud-patterned pillow. Her elaborate hairstyle had been undone, and her raven-black hair fell loosely, half-covering her fragrant shoulders and jade-like arms.

From the moment they entered the bedchamber until they climbed onto the dragon bed, the Emperor’s gaze had barely rested on the Empress. He seemed to deliberately avoid looking at her.

"Husband..."

She called him softly.

"I am tired," the Emperor said with his eyes closed. Yet, in his mind, the scene from the day, where that "himself" had been left wanting more and had made a promise to her for tonight, surfaced. His throat tightened, and he couldn't help but tense up again.

She seemed to have fallen silent.

After a while, the Emperor finally could not help but open his eyes. Seeing her long lashes drooping slightly and her gaze resting on his face, as if she were lost in thought, his heartbeat sped up involuntarily.

"Is the Empress not sleeping yet?"

His voice was a bit dry.

Xiao Qiao smiled.

"My husband has misunderstood," she said softly. "I was just about to say that you seem to have something on your mind. If you are willing, you can tell me anything."

The Emperor exhaled slowly and said, "I have nothing on my mind. Let’s sleep early."

"Very well. I will listen to my husband."

Xiao Qiao flashed him a smile and obediently lay down, closing her eyes.

The Emperor watched the thin shadows cast by her long lashes onto her face in the lamplight. Just as he was becoming slightly distracted, he suddenly saw her open her eyes again. Before he could dodge in time, their gazes met.

"Husband, you usually call me Manman. What is the matter today?" she tilted her head and asked him softly, her expression seeming to carry a hint of grievance.

The Emperor hesitated, not knowing how to respond for a moment, when she smiled again and said, "Never mind, call me whatever you like, Husband. Manman likes it all."

With that smile, her beautiful eyes were crystalline, her face blooming like spring flowers, and her charm was infinite. The Emperor’s heart pounded like thunder, and he stared at her blankly, unable to pull his gaze away.

"Husband, you have an early court tomorrow. Let's rest."

Xiao Qiao gave a sweet smile and closed her eyes again.

After a long while, the Emperor finally withdrew his gaze and slowly closed his own eyes as well.

Manman, Manman—the paired birds of the Classic of Mountains and Seas. If one is missing, they cannot fly.

He chewed on her childhood nickname repeatedly in his heart and suddenly found it very adorable.

...

In the deepest part of the night, Wei Shao was still crouching far away in a corner of the bedchamber. Using the curtains for cover, he pricked up his ears and kept his cat-eyes wide open, staring fixedly in the direction of the dragon bed.

Since becoming a cat, Wei Shao felt his hearing was sharper than before, as was his night vision. No movement on the dragon bed could escape his eyes and ears.

As long as there was anything amiss, he was ready to rush out and cause destruction at any moment.

His Xiao Qiao was foolishly kept in the dark, completely unaware. Fortunately, that guy still had some self-awareness and didn't seem ready to lay a hand on the Empress yet.

As an Emperor, he had been inexplicably possessed by his past-life self and had turned into a cat eavesdropping on a couple...

How infuriating! How sorrowful!

Wei Shao watched until nearly dawn. It was a peaceful night, and he finally drifted off to sleep in a daze. Suddenly, a golden-armored deity descended on clouds, appeared before him, and called out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, wake up, wake up!"

Wei Shao opened his eyes and saw the person was nine zhang tall, wearing a phoenix-winged helmet, stepping on cloud-shoes, dressed in golden armor, with rounded eyes and a lion-nose. He looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, so he asked, "Who are you?"

The visitor withdrew his auspicious clouds and said respectfully, "I am the Golden-Armored Deity under the command of the Golden Mother of the West (Queen Mother) at the Temple of the Queen Mother of the West. Acting on her decree, I have come to see Your Majesty."

Wei Shao was startled. He examined the person and finally vaguely remembered: in the great hall of that Queen Mother’s temple in Yuyang, there did seem to be such a golden-armored statue. He hurriedly said, "You have come at the right time! I have been possessed and trapped in the body of a cat. Quickly, help me escape! Once I recover my original body and return, I will definitely reshape your golden body for the Queen Mother... No, no, I will build another golden hall and offer sacrifices every single day..."

The Golden-Armored Deity laughed, "Your Majesty, to tell you the truth, this tribulation of yours was ordained by the Queen Mother."

Wei Shao was stunned. He jumped up fiercely—one zhang and three chi high—and shouted, "I am the true Son of Heaven! How dare the Queen Mother go against the heavens and treat me this way? How have I ever wronged her?"

The Golden-Armored Deity hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm your anger. You may not know it, but you truly did offend the Queen Mother in the past."

Wei Shao raged, "How did I offend her? That great hall with its incense and offerings was only built because my grandmother provided the funds! She receives human offerings every day without doing any good deeds, yet she harms me like this!"

The Golden-Armored Deity said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Who was it that destroyed the mural in the great hall painted with the golden image of the Queen Mother?"

Only then did Wei Shao finally recall a piece of ancient history.

Back then, that mural of the Queen Mother painted by Gao Bohai had attracted countless worshipers from all directions. Every time people mentioned it, they would invariably discuss the painting and the calligraphy together. When they spoke of Gao Bohai, it was inevitable that they would mention Xiao Qiao. Curious busybodies had even fabricated romantic stories about the talented man and the beautiful woman cherishing each other. Later, when this reached Wei Shao’s ears, he flew into a jealous rage. Finally, on a dark and stormy night, he could not bear it any longer. He sent people to secretly peel off Xiao Qiao’s inscription, but accidentally damaged the Queen Mother’s statue in the process. Not wanting to leave the job half-finished, Wei Shao used the excuse of renovating the hall to tear down the entire wall containing the mural, which finally vented his stifled rage.

This had happened several years ago, and he had long since forgotten where it went.

He was left stunned.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the Queen Mother was quite fond of that mural. One day in heaven is one year on earth. She traveled the four seas, crossing to the Penglai Immortal Mountain for three days. Upon returning, she learned that the sacred image had been destroyed by Your Majesty. Angry at your lack of reverence, the Queen Mother summoned the Underworld Sovereign. Learning that your past life carried too heavy a debt of blood—even though you are destined by heaven to be a ruler—you were fated to undergo one more tribulation in this life. That is why she has imposed this slight punishment upon Your Majesty."

Wei Shao wore a mournful face and grabbed the Golden-Armored Deity: "The sins committed by that guy in my past life have nothing to do with me! How can they all be counted against me?"

"He is you, and you are him. How can you separate yourself from his connection?"

"Can I just reshape the golden body for the Queen Mother... Just give me a straight answer, how can I resolve my predicament?"

"Once the resentment and spirits of your past life have dissipated, this current predicament will be resolved naturally..."

The daylight grew brighter, and the golden body of the deity gradually faded away.