The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress

CHAPTER 62: You Piece of Trash

　　Shen Ling listened expressionlessly as Xie Yuanxun “narrated a story” beside her. Honestly, after hearing once how tragic Shen Jinxiu and Xue Yunshi’s situation was—how miserable they were, how life felt worse than death—anyone would start to feel numb by the second retelling, let alone the third.

　　According to Xie Yuanxun, since she liked listening to him talk, he would make sure she heard it properly. He could repeat it over and over without getting tired.

　　She, however, was already at her limit!

　　Shen Ling deeply suspected, no—she wasn’t even suspecting anymore. She was certain now that Xie Yuanxun was doing this purely out of petty revenge for treating him like a storyteller.

　　—Ahhhhhhh!

　　—This man is not human!

　　With someone this petty, Shen Ling genuinely felt like she could punch him to death.

　　Finally, after a long wait, Xie Yuanxun stopped talking. Shen Ling immediately put on an “ahh, my ears are finally at peace, I’m saved” angelic expression.

　　Xie Yuanxun, however, still looked slightly unsatisfied. “I think the first time I told it was still the best.”

　　Shen Ling: “……”

　　Her face twisted instantly into something demonic.

　　—Are you freaking human?!

　　—If you think the first version was the best, then why did you force me to listen to it so many times?!

　　—Tell me WHY!!

　　At this moment, Shen Ling was genuinely convinced that if Xie Yuanxun ever became a client in contract negotiations, all the contractors in the world would pool their money together just to hire an assassin to take him out.

　　Xie Yuanxun shamelessly continued asking for her opinion. “Come on, tell me, isn’t the first time the best?”

　　Shen Ling kept a cold, expressionless face. “……”

　　—Tch. I don’t even want to talk.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “If you don’t answer, I’ll just keep telling you again.”

　　Shen Ling took a deep breath.

　　“Yeah. I also think the first time was the best. In the first version, your emotions were the most full, your thoughts the most profound, your logic the most flawless, and your voice the most pleasant.”

　　—Adults are always walking a road called “compromise.”

　　—For the sake of my poor ears not suffering anymore, even if I have to flatter you a little, so what?

　　Xie Yuanxun: “……”

　　He had nothing to say to that.

　　Shen Ling pulled his hand away, straightened her collar, and was ready to leave Taiji Hall and return to her Chang Le Palace.

　　But the moment she stepped outside, a wave of cold wind hit her face mercilessly.

　　Shen Ling froze for a second, completely stunned. She touched her cheek and came away with a handful of cold water.

　　—I just said I felt like there was ice shards in this wind. I thought it was my imagination, but damn it, it’s really in here!

　　The moment she thought about getting sliced by ice shards all the way out, Shen Ling very sensibly backed away from the entrance and returned inside. She had decided it. Tonight, she was sleeping right here in the Taiji Hall.

　　Xie Yuanxun took in all of Shen Ling’s movements and expressions without missing a beat. Knowing full well, he still asked anyway, “Why did you come back? Didn’t you want to leave?”

　　Shen Ling: “……”

　　“You’re probably lonely staying here in the Taiji Hall alone.”

　　Xie Yuanxun replied firmly, “No.”

　　Shen Ling completely ignored his denial. “I don’t want Your Majesty to feel lonely, so I’m not leaving anymore. I’ll stay and keep you company.”

　　He let out a light snort. “Go on then, show me what this so-called loneliness looks like. When have I ever been lonely? Why don’t I know about it?”

　　Shen Ling said very seriously, “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about it anymore.” Then, with absolute audacity, she added, “If you really want to see it, just look in the mirror. You’ll understand what it is.”

　　Xie Yuanxun paused. “What does that mean?”

　　¹“…Are you implying I’m the thing?”    

　　Shen Ling: “……”

　　“…No, I don’t think so.”

　　—Why is your brain even moving that fast?!

　　—I was being so subtle when I was shading you, and you still caught it. Not only did you catch it, you caught it instantly. The moment I finished speaking, you already figured it out.

　　Xie Yuanxun: “Say it again. Let me hear you shade me once more.”

　　Shen Ling: “I refuse.”

　　—If I say whatever you tell me to say, where would my dignity even go?

　　Xie Yuanxun: “If you don’t want to, then I’ll just continue telling you about Shen Jinxiu and the others…”

　　Before he could finish, Shen Ling cut him off.

　　Shen Ling: “You’re a piece of trash.”

　　No matter how you looked at it, she said it with complete sincerity. There wasn’t even a hint of acting.

　　Xie Yuanxun burst out laughing. “Hahahahaha.” He laughed so hard he practically collapsed onto the couch.

　　Shen Ling rolled her eyes and stayed silent. “……”

　　—Damn it, you jerk!

　　—All you ever do is threaten me!

　　—What, am I your personal laughter trigger? You see me and just start laughing. Why don’t you laugh yourself to death already?

　　Shen Ling had agreed to stay in Taiji Hall of her own will. But when it came time to sleep at night, she immediately regretted it.

　　Because Xie Yuanxun clung to her like some octopus, holding on tightly. Really tightly. Extremely tightly.

　　She tried to pry his arms off her, but couldn’t budge them at all. In the middle of the night, she was stuck doing “manual labor,” and her face ended up flushed red from the effort.

　　Wait a second. That sounded weird.

　　They were literally just sleeping under a blanket. Nothing was happening.    

　　Xie Yuanxun rubbed lightly against the crook of her neck. “You’re really warm. Like a little heater. Sleeping while holding you feels pretty nice.”

　　Shen Ling: “You’re not asleep?!” She had thought he was already out cold.

　　No, wait.

　　Shen Ling said in disbelief, “So you just watched me struggle like that the whole time?”

　　Xie Yuanxun: “Ah, yeah.”

　　He said it so casually, like it was nothing. “Is that strange?”

　　Shen Ling: “……”

　　—Are you freaking kidding me, is that not strange?!

　　—At least make a sound so I know I wasn’t wasting my energy!

　　Shen Ling angrily lifted her leg and, still under the blanket, started kicking at the man behind her with all her strength.

　　Xie Yuanxun really was something else. In every other area he might be fine, but when it came to being infuriating, he was absolutely top-tier.

　　So angry. So, so angry.

　　......

　　Inside the Princess’s Manor, outside a room filled with the scent of medicinal herbs where only a few old physicians stayed, someone suddenly arrived.

　　It was a servant attending Xue Yunshi.

　　“Physician Wang, Physician Yang, and Physician Ma, it’s time for you to go check the Marquis’s pulse today. Why haven’t you set off yet?”

　　The physicians: “……”

　　They did not want to move at all.

　　The old physician who had first diagnosed Xue Yunshi’s legs as beyond saving had already had his head “removed,” and no one even knew where his body had been buried.

　　They were afraid of dying too.

　　Especially after Xue Yunshi himself asked them whether his legs were truly fine, and whether he would recover. That only made them even more terrified.

　　If they were to be as blunt as that old physician and tell the truth, Xue Yunshi would definitely chop their heads off too. But if they didn’t tell him, his legs truly couldn’t be cured. And once he realized that result, their heads might still end up getting chopped off anyway.

　　So, in order to save their lives, the group gathered together and came up with a unified way of speaking to him.

　　They would never directly tell Xue Yunshi that his legs were beyond saving. Instead, they would use a more roundabout tone, telling him they were studying various ancestral medical texts and searching for solutions, advising him not to rush. They would also say his complexion was improving day by day. In short, they would string together a bunch of vague, evasive words just to buy time.

　　Maybe, if they dragged it out long enough, Xue Yunshi would eventually request an imperial physician from the Palace. Once the imperial physician arrived, they would finally be freed.

　　After all, imperial physicians were far more skilled than them. But strangely enough, even after all this time, Xue Yunshi had shown no intention of calling for one.

　　The physicians felt like crying on the spot. Without an imperial physician to take the brunt of Xue Yunshi’s anger, it would all fall on them instead.

　　Being a physician really wasn’t easy.

　　The physicians, pale-faced and drained of color, finished taking Xue Yunshi’s pulse and left behind a few prescriptions before tremblingly excusing themselves.

　　Princess Yuzhen looked at him with worry in her eyes. “Yunshi, should Mother go to the palace and invite an imperial physician to take a look at you?”

　　Princess Yuzhen did have the authority to request an imperial physician. Not just her, but even members of the Royal clan and Noble families could do so as well. During the previous Emperor’s reign, imperial physicians would often leave the palace to provide consultations on the side. Unfortunately, after Xie Yuanxun ascended the throne, those “outside appointments” came to an end.

　　Although Xie Yuanxun never explicitly forbade people from requesting imperial physicians, everyone tacitly avoided doing so. If they were ill, they would simply find physicians outside instead.

　　Princess Yuzhen was just as afraid of Xie Yuanxun as everyone else, but for Xue Yunshi’s sake, even if her whole body was shaking, she would still force herself to ask for permission from the Emperor to bring an imperial physician out of the palace.

　　Xue Yunshi leaned against the bed with a blank expression. The arrogance and noble air he once carried were gone. In their place was something cold, silent, and deeply grim.    

　　Seeing him in this state, how could Princess Yuzhen not feel heartache?

　　Xue Yunshi said coldly, “Invite an imperial physician? Heh. What, so you want everyone to know my legs are beyond saving?”

　　Princess Yuzhen shook her head quickly. “No, no. Your legs will get better. If you don’t want people to know the imperial physician is being called for you, we can just say it’s for me instead. Say that Mother is unwell and needs treatment.”

　　Xue Yunshi fell silent for a moment, then said, “Do whatever you want.”

　　Princess Yuzhen immediately nodded in relief. “Alright, alright. Yunshi, just wait. Mother will bring the imperial physician back soon.”

　　Xue Yunshi looked at her, his gaze dark and heavy. “If you’re going to fake illness, do it properly. Make it serious. Preferably like you’re on your deathbed. Don’t let anyone see through it.”

　　Princess Yuzhen paused, then replied softly, “Mother will remember your words.”

　　Princess Yuzhen didn’t think much of Xue Yunshi’s words, but the old nanny who served her frowned slightly. Even if the princess was worried for her son and the young marquis was anxious about his recovery, he still shouldn’t be speaking such ill words about his elders.

　　After Princess Yuzhen went to the palace to request an audience with Xie Yuanxun, Xue Yunshi remained in the manor waiting for the imperial physician. He stared out through the window at the scenery outside and then ordered a maid to call for his trusted subordinate.

　　The subordinate arrived quickly. “Marquis.” His gaze instinctively drifted toward Xue Yunshi’s legs.

　　Xue Yunshi shot him a cold look, and the subordinate immediately lowered his head.

　　With an unreadable expression, Xue Yunshi asked, “How is Shen Jinxiu doing?”

　　The subordinate replied, “Young Master Shen is fine. At first, he only suffered a bit of shock. However, recently I’ve noticed the Shen Manor has hired several waves of physicians from outside. Even so, Young Master Shen hasn’t improved at all. In fact, his condition seems to be getting worse. I’ve heard he is now bedridden and unable to get up.”

　　Xue Yunshi let out a low laugh. “Heh. Shock? Shock?!” He threw his head back and laughed, his voice filled with a chilling madness and suppressed violence, laced with killing intent.

　　“This shock of his really came at the perfect time, didn’t it. Right on cue, too.”

　　More than once, Xue Yunshi had thought about it. They had both fallen from their horses back then, so why did Shen Jinxiu manage to avoid the horse’s hooves?

　　If Shen Jinxiu hadn’t dodged, then the one who ended up crippled might not have been him at all.

　　“Tell me, why is it that Shen Jinxiu’s legs are fine, while mine are ruined?” Xue Yunshi asked expressionlessly.

　　“……”

　　The subordinate didn’t dare answer. He kept silent, because no matter what he said now, it could be wrong.

　　Xue Yunshi hadn’t actually expected any answer from him anyway. The room quickly fell into silence.

　　After a long pause, Xue Yunshi asked softly, “Do you think someone with a disability can sit on that position?”

　　“Thud—”

　　The subordinate’s legs gave out and he dropped straight to his knees. The impact of his knees hitting the ground echoed sharply through the room.

　　Xue Yunshi said, “I’m finished. Everything I had ended the moment these legs broke.”

　　The subordinate quickly replied, “No, Marquis. You still have Miss Song, and you still have the Duke of Fuguo. As long as we hold military power, even if the court officials have objections, they won’t dare say anything. Just like the noble families and ministers all know His Majesty acts cruelly, yet none of them dare speak against him.”

　　The subordinate’s words reignited Xue Yunshi’s ambition.

　　“You’re right!”

　　“Strength rules everything. As long as I win, as long as I win, I’ll become the most honored person in this entire world!”

　　“So what if I can’t walk? There are plenty of servants to take care of me!”

　　Xue Yunshi kept rambling on and on. The subordinate couldn’t help but feel uneasy watching him, because Xue Yunshi looked far too unhinged. 

________________

Glossary:

¹ “…Are you implying I’m the thing?”

This line may sound confusing in English because “thing” is vague and unnatural on its own.

Context:

She tells him to look in the mirror to understand “loneliness,” indirectly implying that he himself embodies loneliness (a subtle roast 💀).

He then catches the implication and responds like: “Are you saying I am that?”

So the meaning is correct, but the phrasing in English feels slightly awkward even though it matches the original intent.

 

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