The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress

CHAPTER 72: Extra

　　I am Xie Lin. I am three years old this year, and I am the Crown Prince of the Da Liang Dynasty.

　　Xie Yuanxun is my father, and Shen Ling is my mother. From the moment I was born, I have lived a life of supreme status, dressed in fine clothes and eating the best food.

　　My name was chosen by my father.

　　I heard from Aunt Liu Zhu that Father originally wanted to name me Xie ¹Ailing, but Mother firmly rejected it. Luckily, Mother still loves me and didn’t listen to Father. In the end, they named me Xie Lin.

　　“Lin,” meaning an auspicious mythical beast, and also a symbol of a noble child of the imperial family.

　　My teacher says my name carries all of Father and Mother’s love and care for me.

　　But every time I practice writing my name, it takes me so long that my hand hurts.

　　I really wish my name was Xie Yi.

　　……

　　Today, after my lesson with Grand Tutor, the tutors all praised me again.

　　They said I was extremely intelligent, quick to learn, had an excellent memory, and carried an extraordinary presence…

　　Thinking about it, I shyly touched my little cheek. Mother also loves kissing my cheeks and always says I am cute and good-looking!

　　Qing Tong asked softly, “Your Highness, it’s raining outside. Would you like to walk back as usual today, or take the sedan chair?”

　　Qing Tong was the eunuch attendant Father had chosen for me the moment I was born. He is only ten years old this year, still young, but already very steady and reliable.

　　With him by my side, Mother feels at ease.

　　If nothing unexpected happens, Qing Tong will likely remain by my side just like Senior Eunuch Feng is to Father, all the way until the end of his life.

　　“I don’t need the sedan chair,” I said seriously.

　　I must be strict with myself. I cannot break the rules I set just because of something as small as rain.

　　Well… that wasn’t the real reason.

　　The truth was, I just didn’t want my belly turning into little rolls of fat.

　　The last time I went out of the palace with Father and Mother, I saw several children around my age outside. Their cheeks and bellies were all chubby and squishy.

　　Mother said they were too fat, and that it wasn’t good for their health.

　　I took Mother’s words to heart, so I must take care of my body. I need to exercise every day and absolutely cannot become a little chubby kid.

　　Qing Tong replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”

　　I walked along the palace corridor. Whenever the servants saw me, they would bow respectfully. The moment I passed, I could hear them happily chatting behind me, saying I was adorable, my voice soft and babyish, the cutest child they had ever seen.

　　I tried my best to keep a serious face and thought solemnly, their taste is really good.

　　Swish swish swish——

　　The rain outside kept falling without end.

　　I watched it hit the ground and gather into tiny puddles, splashing up little bursts of water.

　　Then I looked down at my shoes.

　　Mm. Very clean. Not a single drop of rain had touched them.

　　While Qing Tong wasn’t paying attention, I quietly stretched my foot out and let the rainwater splash onto my shoes, soaking them right away.

　　“Qing Tong, I want to take the outside path,” I said.　

　　“Your Highness, the outside path is wet. Your shoes will get soaked if you walk there. If His Majesty and Her Majesty find out, this servant will be punished,” he said anxiously.

　　“My shoes are already wet. Look!”　　

　　“……”

　　In the end, I still got my way and stepped straight into the little puddles.

　　Maybe all children really do have this strange obsession with puddles that adults just don’t understand. Once they see them, they just want to step in them, walk through them, jump in them, run through them. Step, step, step, that’s all there is to it.

　　I was having the time of my life splashing around, while Qing Tong was panicking beside me.

　　“Your Highness, you can’t keep stepping in them. Your clothes are already soaked, and there’s mud all over you now.”

　　“His Majesty and Her Majesty will find out.”

　　“It’s fine. I’ll go back to the Eastern Palace first and change my clothes. Then I’ll go see Father and Mother. As long as you don’t tell them, they won’t know what I did.”

　　Qing Tong looked like he wanted to say something but held it back.

　　When I returned to the Eastern Palace and saw Father and Mother sitting inside, I immediately understood why Qing Tong had looked like that earlier.

　　Mother smiled sweetly as she pinched my cheek.

　　“Lin’er, I caught you stepping in puddles again. Come on, hand over your fine. Ten taels of silver.”

　　Father rested his chin on one hand and looked over lazily. “Mine is ten taels too.”

　　I: “……”

　　Waaah… my private savings.

　　Don’t ask. If you ask, I’ll cry.

　　……

　　Another year passed, and I was already four years old.

　　Mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday gift. I told her I didn’t lack anything. I lived in the grand and luxurious imperial palace, wore fine silk and embroidered robes, and used only the best of everything.

　　After hearing that, Mother looked at me with a very complicated expression and said, “I didn’t expect you to be such a ²Versailles kind of kid.”

　　Me: “Versailles?”

　　Who is that? A man or a woman? That doesn’t sound like a name from the Da Liang Dynasty, so… is it a foreigner?

　　That day, Mother thought that since I was the only child in the palace, I might feel lonely. So she decided to pick some study companions for me, hoping I would have more friends.

　　At the time, I was leaning in her arms and shook my head very coolly.

　　“I don’t need them.”

　　A real man only needs Mother’s attention. Study companions? They’re clearly here to steal Mother’s focus.

　　Not needed! Absolutely not!

　　Mother got emotional and said, “My son is such a cool kid!”

　　My little face turned red, and I leaned in to kiss Mother on the cheek.

　　There was nothing I could do. Her praise was too direct, I simply had no way to repay it, so I could only solve it with a kiss!

　　But then… why did I suddenly feel a cold stare on me?

　　I turned around and saw Father standing at the doorway, expressionless, sending me a full-on death glare.

　　Me: “……”

　　Sigh. Father is perfect in every way, except for one thing. He likes competing with me for Mother’s attention.

　　Why can’t he just be a little more generous about it?

　　The next day, I met the study companions Father had personally chosen for me. There were four of them in total. Some were about my age, others a few years older, but without exception, none of them were dumb.

　　I quietly sighed.

　　Ah… so I can’t return them then. After all, everyone in the palace knows I don’t like idiots.

　　Among them, one of the study companions was named Qu Qingde.

　　He was extremely enthusiastic toward me. Through our conversations, I learned that he was the grandson of Minister Qu from the Ministry of Revenue. Out of all the companions, he had the best looks. Of course, compared to my own beauty, he still fell short by a lot, a lot of points.

　　Still, since he was also a handsome guy, I accepted his overly strange enthusiasm anyway.

　　It wasn’t until half a month later that I finally understood why.

　　Turns out Qu Qingde had once seen my mother before. He even called her “beautiful older sister,” and had once competed with Father for Mother’s attention.

　　Me: “……”

　　Mother, you are truly a woman of great sin. Isn’t Father and me enough for you?!

　　I patted Qu Qingde on the shoulder. Even though he lost, it was still an honorable defeat. After all, I couldn’t win against Father either.

　　But… why did Father even let a rival like Qu Qingde into the palace?

　　Based on my understanding of him, Father was extremely petty. He shouldn’t be this generous or forgiving at all.

　　It wasn’t until Qu Qingde repeatedly tried to follow me when I went to pay respects to Mother, and I kept rejecting him again and again, that I finally realized just how scheming and devious Father really was.

　　He wanted me and Qu Qingde to fight each other, leaving me no time to see Mother. That way, he could have Mother all to himself, with no “third wheel” like me around to interrupt their little two-person world.

　　Heh. Father, your schemes really go deep.

　　But someone as clever as me still saw through it.

　　Now I just need to figure out when, where, and how to casually bring this up in front of Mother.

　　Of course, this is not tattling. It’s just me having a casual chat with Mother.

　　Even though Father would absolutely refuse to accept that explanation, heh heh heh.

　　……

　　I was five years old.

　　I discovered a secret. After observing for quite a while, I realized that Father always seemed to know what Mother was thinking. He said it was their “tacit understanding.”

　　Tacit understanding?

　　I want that too!

　　I made exaggerated faces at Father, hoping he would take the hint and offer to teach me himself.

　　After all, I’m a shy child. It doesn’t fit my image to directly ask adults for things, so I can only rely on subtle hints.

　　To that, Father said, “Do you have something wrong with your eyes?”

　　Me: “……”

　　Father, you are so cold and heartless. Is that what your so-called tacit understanding with me is?!

　　Does our love still exist?!

　　……

　　Heh, I was six years old.

　　I found a storybook while wandering around Chang Le Palace, and it opened up a whole new world for me.

　　But after I saw the character setup of the leads, “Miss Shen” and “Farmer Xie,” I couldn’t help thinking… why do they feel so much like my Father and Mother?

　　That night, I took it very seriously. I climbed out of bed, went over to the bedside in the main sleeping chamber, and shook Father awake.

　　Then I told him we should send the author of this book straight to the imperial prison.

　　Father asked me why.

　　I replied, “Because I feel like there are traces of you and Mother in it. The author is clearly hinting at you two.”

　　Father laughed when he heard that.

　　He patted my head and said, “You’re not wrong. Those two characters are me and your mother. And this book was written by your mother herself.”

　　Me: “……”

　　Wow. You two really know how to play.

　　Also… why am I not included?!

　　……

　　At seven years old.

　　Father said I had grown up and it was time for me to have my own “career.”

　　Me: “???”

　　He brought me all the way to the Taiji Hall. I sat in a chair reading memorials, and I even had to hold a brush to give approvals on them.

　　Meanwhile, Father and Mother were outside, swinging on a swing.

　　Listening to their laughter drifting in from outside, I let out a heavy sigh.

　　“Sigh…”

　　At my age, I was already carrying burdens I should not have had to bear.

　　……

　　At eight years old.

　　My martial instructor gave me a day off, so I invited my study companions to play polo together.

　　We split into two teams, and I even pulled in a few palace attendants who were really skilled at the game. Even though they were impressive, I still ended up winning in the end.

　　On the field, I was unstoppable. As expected, I was basically the king of the polo grounds.

　　When Mother heard me bragging, she leaned against Father’s shoulder, laughing non-stop. Then she said, “I know someone who plays polo even better than you.”

　　I was shocked. “Who?”

　　I’m going to challenge them!

　　Father rolled up his sleeves. “It’s me.”

　　“Come on then, let’s have a match.”

　　Me: “……”

　　I won’t lose!

　　Mother clapped and practically sent the two of us onto the field herself.

　　And then I got absolutely destroyed by Father.

　　Watching him lift his chin proudly while Mother praised him, I teared up.

　　Father, we will settle this again in eighteen years!

　　……

　　Huh, I’m nine years old now.

　　Nothing much happened this year.

　　Wait, that’s not true. We did go to the grasslands.

　　The sky there was unbelievably blue, the land stretched out endlessly, and the girls on the grasslands were so free and unrestrained, it was honestly striking.

　　Next year, I’m coming back again.

　　……

　　At ten years old.

　　I received devastating news.

　　Father wanted to abdicate the throne to me, so he could run off with Mother and enjoy a two-person world outside.

　　Me: “!!”

　　My pupils practically shook.

　　I stared at Father with a long, silent gaze.

　　No wonder, when I was still very young and just learning to speak, he already used court memorials as my “early education materials.”

　　And when I finally learned to hold a brush and write, he didn’t just make me read the memorials anymore. He even made me review and approve them.

　　So it turns out… he had been plotting this from the very beginning?!

　　Father, you have no heart!!!

　　……

　　At eleven years old, my age finally crossed from single digits into double digits.

　　Congratulations to me, truly.

　　But it seems like every big joy has to be followed by a little sadness.

　　That year, my beloved Tibetan mastiff, the one called General, passed away.

　　I was heartbroken. We had always gotten along so well, and when I was little, I used to ride on its back all the time.

　　Mother told me that although General was gone, it had left behind its child to keep me company.

　　I looked at her in shock and said, “Mother, are you trying to make Little General a replacement for Big General?”

　　Mother: “……”

　　Later I realized she didn’t mean it like that at all. I had just been too emotional and misunderstood her.

　　Still… my butt really hurt.

　　I’m already this old and I still got spanked.

　　At least no one else saw it. It was just me and Mother there.

　　Waaah…

　　……

　　Twelve years old now.

　　Time really feels like it’s flying.

　　I found some clothes I used to wear when I was little and held them up against what I wear now. They’re so tiny!

　　So I really was that small back then?

　　When Mother heard me sighing over it, she said, “Yes. You were so small that when your father and I carried you out for walks, we’d sometimes forget where we left you. We’d only remember after we got back to the palace and suddenly realize we had forgotten you. Hahaha.”

　　Me: “……”

　　Hmph. Mother, you’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t the one you forgot.

　　It was me forgetting both of you.

　　That’s my final stubborn stand!

　　……

　　Thirteen years old now.

　　I found several boxes filled with papers in the Chang Le Palace.

　　Inside were all handwriting samples from Father… no, wait, from Mother. I remember Father once said he made Mother practice copying his handwriting for a very long time.

　　Mm. I should bring all the characters I practiced when I was little and keep them here too.

　　……

　　Fourteen years old.

　　I came down with a fever.

　　Father and Mother stayed by my bedside for days without rest, taking care of me. I was so out of it from the sickness that I really wanted to tell them not to worry, that I would get better soon. But I never got the chance to say it, because I was completely knocked out after drinking a bowl of medicine from the Chief Physician.

　　After taking it, my condition started to improve.

　　Mother got so emotional that she said she wanted to reward the Chief Physician with treasures from her private vault. And her private vault is full of the best things.

　　She loved to take me there to wander around. Apart from me and Father, no one else is even allowed to see what’s inside.

　　So for her to want to reward him with those treasures just because he cured me… it really showed how worried she was.

　　Father also issued an imperial decree, granting the Chief Physician the title of ³Duke of Yīguó, along with tens of thousands in gold and silver. After that, he ordered the imperial physicians to take my pulse twice every day.

　　I held their hands, feeling really happy.

　　Even though I was already grown and shouldn’t be acting like a child anymore, I still felt it deeply.

　　Being their child… I’m really, really happy.

　　……

　　Fifteen years old, and something huge happened in the Da Liang Dynasty.

　　A new Emperor ascended the throne.

　　And that new Emperor… was me.

　　Yes, I became the Emperor.

　　I feel like crying.

　　Why couldn’t I just stay the Crown Prince for thirty more years? Honestly, I would’ve been fine being Crown Prince for life. I’m not picky at all!

　　It’s just a pity Father didn’t give me that option.

　　……

　　Seventeen years old, after careful consideration.

　　I decided to become a normal Emperor.

　　Yes, exactly.

　　The kind of “abnormal Emperor” like my father, who somehow got lucky and met Mother.

　　A woman like Mother only exists once in this world.

　　Since I’m definitely not going to find another one like her, I might as well follow the proper imperial setup and have a full palace of consorts.

　　……

　　Twenty years old.

　　I already have an Empress, a noble consort, four consorts, seven concubines, and countless others in the harem…

　　Mother didn’t say much about it. She just told me to take good care of my health.

　　As for Father, he definitely wasn’t going to say anything either.

　　……

　　Twenty-five years old.

　　My Empress hasn’t changed. I’ve replaced two noble consorts, and the rest of the concubines in the harem get swapped out every year.

　　Sigh.

　　I suddenly got tired of it all.

　　Too many women really is just noisy. Maybe I should only keep a single, quiet and obedient Empress?

　　……

　　At twenty-six, I noticed something strange. The way my Empress looked at me had changed.

　　I chatted with her casually, acting like nothing was off, and found out she seemed to think she was my one true love. She even believed I had cleared out the harem for her. In her mind, her place was something like Mother’s.

　　I didn’t expect her to be this foolish.

　　I’ve said it before, I don’t like foolish people.

　　So I deposed her. Then I installed a new Empress.

　　The new one is much more sensible. Not a trace of the old one’s self-importance or delusional daydreaming tendencies.

　　……

　　Thirty years old.

　　Tsk. On my birthday this year, Father and Mother came back… but they left again soon after. Next time, I’m definitely following them no matter what. Whoever tries to stop me, I’ll kill them.

　　……

　　Thirty-one years old.

　　Everything is ready, just waiting for the right moment. Mother, I’m coming.

　　Wait.

　　Father and Mother went out to sea. Why didn’t they take me with them? Am I not your little darling anymore?

　　Don’t think I don’t know. They’re just going to the Yiliu Kingdom to eat fresh seafood.

　　Hmph. I'll never admit it was Mother who wanted to go, so I'm blaming Father. It’s all Father forcing Mother to go to sea. When they come back, I’m absolutely dragging them back into the palace.

　　Ah, I want to eat fresh seafood too.

　　The palace seafood is all transported on ice. No matter how good it is, it can’t compare to something just pulled straight from the ocean.

　　……

　　I’m thirty-two years old.

　　I went to the grasslands with Father and Mother. It was nice.

　　We lay on the grass together, watching the endless starry sky, eating spicy roasted lamb legs.

　　……

　　Forty years old.

　　Mother fell seriously ill. Father and I were both very worried about her. After she recovered, we refused to let her leave the palace again.

　　……

　　Fifty years old.

　　Mother’s health has gotten worse this year.

　　Sometimes when she talks with us, she falls asleep halfway through. I’m really worried about her, and I’m worried about Father too.

　　……

　　Fifty-five years old.

　　Mother could no longer be saved, no matter what medicine or treatment was used. Father and I didn’t cry.

　　Because we knew Mother wouldn’t want to see us like that.

　　Father held Mother in his arms. She said she was old, but to me, she wasn’t. She was still just as beautiful as ever.

　　She told Father to live well after she was gone, not to rush to follow her. Father agreed.

　　Mother told me I was a carefree flirt, not a good husband, but a good son and a good Emperor.

　　……

　　Fifty-six years old.

　　Father was a liar. The second day after Mother left, he followed her too.

　　Now, I am the only one left in this world.

　　When I meet Mother in my dreams, I’m definitely going to tattle on him.

　　……

　　Sixty years old.

　　I miss Father and Mother.

　　……

　　Seventy years old.

　　I miss Father and Mother.

　　……

　　Eighty years old.

　　I miss Father and Mother.

　　……

　　Ninety-one years old.

　　I saw Father and Mother. They’ve come to take me with them.

　　I happily held their hands just like I did when I was a child, and I never want to be separated again.

　　The time we spent apart… I never want to go through that again.

________________

Glossary:

¹Ailing (爱菱): Since the mom’s name is Shen Ling (沈菱), “Ailing” can also be read as:

👉 “love Ling”

👉 “beloved Ling”

Breakdown:

爱 (ài) = love

菱 (líng) = water caltrop (a plant), but in names it gives a soft, pretty vibe, often used for girls

So “Ailing” carries meanings like:

👉 “beloved Ling”

👉 “love Ling”

👉 “one who is cherished”

BUT here’s the important part 👀

The name sounds very feminine in Chinese. Like… almost 100% female lead in a romance novel energy.

Which is exactly why Mom said NOPE ❌

She really saved her son from growing up with a name that sounds like a delicate heroine 😭

Now compare with his actual name:

谢麟 (Xie Lin)

麟 (lín) = qilin, a mythical auspicious beast

👉 symbolizes nobility, good fortune, and royal destiny

So the final result:

✨ “noble, auspicious prince energy”

vs

🌸 “soft, pretty, slightly girly vibe”

Basically… Dad loves Mom so much he almost named their kid after her 💀

Peak henpecked husband behavior. Like sir, that’s not your son, that’s your love confession.

²“Versailles” here comes from the internet slang “Versailles-style bragging” (凡尔赛).

It means: 

👉 pretending to be humble… but actually flexing HARD 💀

So that line:

> “I didn’t lack anything… lived in a luxurious palace… wore the finest silk…”

To normal people: “wow rich kid life”

To Mom: “bro is lowkey bragging”

So when she says: 

👉 “You’re such a Versailles kind of kid”

She means: 

👉 “You’re fake-humble bragging right now”

👉 “Stop flexing while pretending not to flex” 😭

Think of it like: “I don’t really have anything… just a small palace, silk clothes, and top-tier life 🥺”

Yeah… that’s peak Versailles energy 💀

³医国公

Pinyin: yī guó gōng

Breakdown:

医 (yī) = medicine / healing

国 (guó) = nation / country

公 (gōng) = duke / lord

So it literally means:

👉 “Duke of Healing the Nation”

Or more naturally:

👉 “Grand Duke of State Medicine”

👉 “Imperial Duke of Healing”

I actually keep it partially transliterated as:

👉 “Duke of Yīguó (医国公)”

This version preserves:

👉 the original cultural flavor (yī guó gōng)

👉 the noble title structure (“Duke of X”)

👉 and avoids a clunky over-literal translation

……..

T/N: Finally finished this novel!!! Yay!! Sigh, Xie Yuanxun is surprisingly a good husband and father. Usually, a yandere guy like him would only love his wife and neglect his children, but from Xie Lin’s words above, he actually turns out to be a really good dad to him.

I always tear up whenever I read this extra. I don’t know why, but it suddenly makes me think about my own parents if they’re gone. It would feels so lonely and sad… ugh, why does a fictional family hit this hard 😭

See you guys in my ongoing novel: Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback.

Bye 🤣

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