The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress

CHAPTER 37: That’s a Lot to Take In

    

　　On the mountain path, Shen Ling gasped for breath and asked, “Your Majesty, where exactly are you taking me?” She’d been dragged out early in the morning by Xie Yuanxun for a mountain climb. At first, she was actually kind of happy—after all, she hadn’t moved around like this in ages. But barely a few steps in, Shen Ling was already making little whiny noises, wishing she could just ride a horse up the mountain.

　　Her hand itched to reach for the horse following behind them.

　　—I want to ride!

　　“We’re going to the top to see the view,” Xie Yuanxun said, gripping her hand firmly, leaving no room for refusal. “Walk yourself.”

　　Shen Ling gave him a deadpan stare. “……”

　　—Walk? I’m not even here for a view! I’m about to die from exhaustion!

　　—My legs are literally shaking!

　　—Waaah, I want to ride! I don’t want to walk myself. You’re even scarier than ¹Tiger Dad and Tiger Mom.

　　Xie Yuanxun paused mid-step and glanced back. “Are you tired from walking?”

　　Shen Ling nodded vigorously. “Tired, tired, tired.”

　　—So tired! I want the horse to run me up this mountain!

　　Xie Yuanxun just smiled. “If you’re tired, you should walk more. Once you get used to it, it won’t feel tiring anymore.”

　　—You… damn…

　　Shen Ling’s face instantly drooped.

　　She trudged along, feeling completely defeated. But with Xie Yuanxun holding her hand, she barely had to use any strength. It was almost like he was dragging her up the mountain. The second half of the climb felt surprisingly easy, and when they reached the top, Shen Ling looked at Xie Yuanxun’s face—he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

　　—Okay, clearly your stamina isn’t even in the same species as mine. Are you not tired at all?

　　Shen Ling looked down and saw a vast, rolling forest. The peak they were standing on was the highest point, giving them a clear view of everything below.

　　“This air smells so fresh,” Shen Ling said.

　　Xie Yuanxun replied, “This is what I feel every day. Higher up, the air I breathe is even fresher than what you get down there.”

　　Shen Ling’s gaze darkened.

　　—You little… I was just complimenting how nice the air smells, why are you attacking me about my height?

　　—Yeah, yeah, you’re tall, fine. Don’t act like being tall automatically makes you the essence of life!

　　Roar—

　　Roar roar—

　　While they were talking, a series of roars echoed up from the forest below. Just by the sound, it was clear the beasts were wild and fierce, probably huge too.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “Tomorrow’s hunt will drive everyone down into their territory. The beasts are being funneled here from different directions.”

　　Shen Ling asked cautiously, “Will these beasts hurt people?” If she weren’t careful, she’d just ask outright if anyone could die.

　　Xie Yuanxun’s voice turned cold. “Those who kill are always killed in return. The same goes for wild beasts. If you can’t kill them, you’re useless alive. If you die, you die.”

　　Alright, that’s just his style. Shen Ling asked, “What if I don’t manage to kill the prey?”

　　Xie Yuanxun glanced at her. “All that practice with the sleeve arrow in the palace, you think it was for nothing?”

　　Shen Ling said, “What if… I mean, just in case. In the palace we practiced on rabbits, which are tamed. Now I’m going up against fully wild ones.”

　　Xie Yuanxun nodded thoughtfully. “Then it’s about time you got used to it.”

　　“......”

　　“............”

　　Shen Ling stared blankly at the wild animal driven in front of her. It was a deer, but its eyes were sharp and wary, like it could bolt at any second. Too bad it couldn’t, because… there was an arrow in its leg, shot by Xie Yuanxun.

　　Shen Ling wiped her face.

　　—I can’t even look at it!

　　—Driving the prey right in front of me is one thing, but paralyzing its leg? This is just asking me to look like a complete fool.

　　What could Shen Ling do? Of course, she coldly aimed for the center of the deer’s head and then turned to look at Xie Yuanxun with righteous dignity.

　　—Ha, did you see my heroic stance?!

　　Xie Yuanxun walked over and glanced at the deer’s forehead. “Not bad.”

　　Shen Ling blinked. “Not bad?”

　　Xie Yuanxun snorted. “What did you think it was? You want me to say your arrows are flawless and hit every shot?”

　　Shen Ling’s eyes flickered. “If you put it that way, I guess that’s not impossible.”

　　Xie Yuanxun, “.....” Where did she get that confidence?

　　The following moments, in Shen Ling’s view, were entirely Xie Yuanxun's time to show off his skills. She already knew he was good at archery, but she didn’t expect that once he stepped into the forest, he would become sharp and deadly, like a hunter born for the wild.

　　Every time he hit an animal, a guard would rush to retrieve it and hang it on a horse. Shen Ling glanced at the horses and saw that two of them were already piled high with game.

　　But where was Senior Eunuch Feng?

　　That was the question running through Shen Ling’s mind after looking around. Senior Eunuch Feng was almost always at Xie Yuanxun’s side and rarely left him.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “Stop spacing out and watch me carefully.”

　　Shen Ling replied, “Oh.” While he was lining up his next shot, her eyes flicked around the area, and sure enough, Senior Eunuch Feng was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t her imagination.

　　At first, Shen Ling’s little movements didn’t catch Xie Yuanxun’s attention. She was careful, subtle, and he didn’t expect that after everything he’d said, she’d dare to split her focus at all.

　　But...

　　Shen Ling really did manage to give him seventy percent of her attention while sneaking the other thirty percent elsewhere.

　　Xie Yuanxun said something, and she obediently replied. Nothing seemed off.

　　It was just like school days, when some kids whispered or passed notes during class. Some got caught and had to write apologies, while others were careful enough to fly under the radar. Shen Ling was in that second group. Back then, she’d come home with her bag full of notes. And if she wanted to slack off at work, she could do it flawlessly.

　　—I remember when we left the Imperial Hunting Palace and reached the foot of the mountain, Senior Eunuch Feng was following us. Now that we’re at the top, he’s gone. Could it be...

　　—Could it be he got dragged off by a wild animal?

　　Xie Yuanxun shot her a glance. Hearing her unspoken thoughts, he noticed her lack of focus. “.....” No wonder you were just answering whatever I said so obediently.

　　“Go pick it up,” Xie Yuanxun said.

　　Shen Ling naturally chimed in, “Sure, I’ll go pick it up... huh? Me?”

　　—You really want me to go pick up all the prey you shoot, running back and forth like crazy?

　　—My legs are going to break. Just because you shoot fast doesn’t mean I can keep up with you. Even now, there are four people picking up your shots.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “It’s you. You heard me right.”

　　Shen Ling froze.

　　—You’re heartless, ruthless, shameless!

　　Cursing him in her head, Shen Ling stomped over to collect the animals. Luckily, she wasn’t wearing a fancy flowing palace gown but a riding outfit that made moving easier. She wiped the dirt off her shoes, removing the blood from the dead animals.

　　She stole a glance at Xie Yuanxun. He was over there, she was here, and whatever he hit, she had to run and fetch. The whole scene gave her a weird sense of familiarity, like a master tossing a ball for an excited little dog to fetch over and over.

　　Shen Ling’s face darkened because the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she actually resembled that little dog.

　　Shu-shu—

　　Suddenly a sound came from the forest. Shen Ling didn’t think much of it, assuming it was some animal, until she saw Xie Yuanxun’s expression turn icy as he aimed an arrow at a tree and shot.

　　Shen Ling blinked, “???”

　　—Why aim at the tree?

　　The next second, Shen Ling didn’t even have time to ask, because a person dressed entirely in black tumbled down from the branches.

　　—No way!

　　—Is this an assassin?!

　　—Did the channel just change too fast? One second we’re diligently hunting, the next second it’s suddenly “bang bang bang,” shooting heads, like life or death!

　　Apparently realizing they’d been spotted, a few more figures leapt from other trees, saying nothing, charging straight at Xie Yuanxun and Shen Ling.

　　Shen Ling wanted to curse. Why were they coming at her? What had she ever done to them? Did they really think she couldn’t see through their black masks, the way they were looking at her as if she were already dead!

　　Xie Yuanxun remained unflinching. In the instant they lunged, he shot arrow after arrow, each one precise, deadly, and sharp enough to draw blood. Not a single one got past him. His skill was breathtaking.

　　Shen Ling’s attention gradually shifted from the assassins to Xie Yuanxun, until she couldn’t even blink, afraid she’d miss a single moment.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “One of them’s still alive. Take the poison out of his mouth. Don’t let him die.”    

　　Senior Eunuch Feng said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

　　Shen Ling’s eyes went wide, staring at him in shock.

　　—Wasn’t he not here before? How did he just appear out of nowhere?!

　　Senior Eunuch Feng stepped forward, pried the man’s mouth open, and effortlessly removed his jaw. Shen Ling even heard the bone crack. Then, with one firm pull, he ripped out the poison that had been hidden in the man’s teeth, jaw and all.

　　When Senior Eunuch Feng finished, he smiled and said, “Your Majesty, I’ve already had the area thoroughly checked. Anyone suspicious has been eliminated. The people you just killed aren’t connected to them. The poison in their mouths is different.”

　　Shen Ling hissed.

　　—Thrilling!

　　—Not connected… could there really be two separate groups?

　　Senior Eunuch Feng asked, “Your Majesty, do you want to take this one down for interrogation?”

　　Xie Yuanxun shook his head. “What’s the point of interrogating? Those were the ones who wanted to kill me. Even if they died, it wasn’t clean. Their influence in the palace was mostly cut off by me. Once they realized I was out, they couldn’t resist.”

　　Shen Ling stayed quiet beside him, her gaze fixed on Xie Yuanxun.

　　—Wait a minute! Did he just say too much? Who exactly are “they”? And the ones already dead? If we’re talking about enemies, the only ones I can think of are the late Emperor’s people… it can’t really be connected to them, right?    

    

    

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Glossary:

¹“Tiger Dad” and “Tiger Mom” refer to very strict, high-expectation parents.

It comes from the term “tiger parenting”, which became popular after the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.

A “tiger parent” is usually someone who:

• Pushes their child very hard

• Has high academic expectations

• Is strict about discipline

• Doesn’t tolerate laziness

• Believes tough love = success

So in that sentence:

“You’re even scarier than Tiger Dad and Tiger Mom.”

It means:

“You’re stricter and more terrifying than super strict parents.”

It’s usually said jokingly, exaggerating how scary someone is.

Basically:

Tiger Dad/Mom = Asian parent final boss mode 😭🐯

 

    

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