Chapter 103: Got You Before, Sweet as Honey; Got You After, Lady Ox?

…

Zhang Chun ran off to prepare for the Imperial Harem Examination, striving to win first place, determined to claim victory in her bet with herself and reap a great reward; lately, she no longer vied for the Emperor's bedchamber, and Zhao Yu understood.

But Ye Shi Yun had no such reason—why then had she stopped coming close to him lately?

This puzzled Zhao Yu, prompting him to start observing Ye Shi Yun's movements.

He discovered that Ye Shi Yun spent her days eating, drinking, and amusing herself, doing whatever brought her comfort, utterly unlike the other four women who struggled for their ambitions.

To Zhao Yu, it felt as if Ye Shi Yun had decided to lie flat.

Once a person begins to compromise, they must keep compromising.

Take Zhang Chun—her excessive lust for power had lost her herself, making her easy to control.

So Zhao Yu never worried about Zhang Chun; in fact, he could manipulate her however he pleased—he offered her a noose, and she willingly stepped into it.

But Ye Shi Yun was different: after the initial phase where she fiercely competed with Zhang Chun, she had taken the path of "The sea accepts all rivers, for its breadth is its strength; cliffs stand a thousand ren high, for their lack of desire makes them unyielding."

This was troublesome.

Zhao Yu knew well that Ye Shi Yun might be pretending.

Yet often, once a person begins to pretend, the more they pretend, the more they become it; and the more they become it, the more it becomes real.

If Ye Shi Yun truly reached that point, Zhao Yu would find it difficult to control her once her desires had vanished.

That was not what Zhao Yu wanted.

Crucially, when Ye Shi Yun wholeheartedly aided Zhao Yu, it was entirely different from forcing her to offer advice.

To prevent any possibility, Zhao Yu decided to give Ye Shi Yun a taste of sweetness first, lest she, seeing no hope, truly lie flat.

At this moment.

Ye Shi Yun tilted her head up at Zhao Yu, her face filled with grievance: "I exhausted every thought to please Your Majesty, yet you ignored me entirely—so I could only assume Your Majesty finds my humble beauty unworthy, and thus dared not disturb you again, seeking instead your true love. Now you twist truth and falsehood, accusing me of cunning tricks to lure you into my trap—what logic is this?"

"Sharp-tongued."

Zhao Yu did not argue with Ye Shi Yun over right or wrong in this matter—it was meaningless—instead, he simply reached out, scooped her up by the waist, and lifted her.

Ye Shi Yun made no struggle; instead, she wrapped her arms around Zhao Yu's neck and goaded him: "Will Your Majesty indulge in lewdness in broad daylight?"

Zhao Yu took the bait: "Not at all—I intend to punish you, this cunning little demon."

Ye Shi Yun pressed her Zhu Chun against Zhao Yu's ear and goaded further: "Your Majesty, come at me then."

Could this be endured?

Zhao Yu didn't know about others, but he certainly couldn't endure it.

So Zhao Yu carried Ye Shi Yun to her bedroom.

This was Zhao Yu's first time entering Ye Shi Yun's chamber; for a moment, he couldn't tell which room was hers.

Just as Zhao Yu was about to pause and search, Zhao Yuannu appeared in time and led him into Ye Shi Yun's bedroom.

Zhao Yu directly placed Ye Shi Yun on the bed.

At that moment, Zhao Yu uttered, "Hm?"

Ye Shi Yun thought, 'At a time like this, why are you spacing out?!'

What reserve did Ye Shi Yun have? She had waited for this day longer than she could count.

So seeing Zhao Yu hesitate, she seized his neck and whispered seductively in his ear: "Your Majesty, I want…"

…

Afterwards.

As Ye Shi Yun savored the exquisite, heavenly sensation, Zhao Yu suddenly said: "Bold Ye Shi, do you know your crime?"

Ye Shi Yun patted Zhao Yu with her tiny fist: "Your Majesty is so naughty~!"

Stop it!

Just now, to ensure a perfect first time, Ye Shi Yun—who had held back for two lifetimes—had given her utmost cooperation; in her eyes, her performance was flawless.

As for whether she was a virgin?

She wished she weren't.

But she needed the chance first.

In short, Ye Shi Yun felt she had done nothing wrong.

Precisely because of this, she was calm, and naturally took Zhao Yu's words as a joke—or even as flirtation.

Unfortunately, Ye Shi Yun, whose stamina was poor, was truly spent.

Otherwise, she would have launched an immediate counterattack and tried again for that exquisite sensation.

Just as Ye Shi Yun was about to close her eyes and sleep peacefully in Zhao Yu's arms, Zhao Yu's face turned stern: "You won't admit guilt?"

Ye Shi Yun opened her eyes, gazing at Zhao Yu's icy expression, uncertain: "Are you serious?"

Zhao Yu picked up the pillow, shoved into the corner by their exertions, and asked Ye Shi Yun: "What is this?"

Ye Shi Yun froze!

'Are you making an issue out of a stupid pillow?'

'Making trouble for no reason?'

'Cutting off the emotionless?'

'…'

As Ye Shi Yun, bewildered, assumed Zhao Yu was retaliating for her earlier feigned indifference, Zhao Yu turned the pillow over and asked: "Evidence is clear—dare you still deny it?"

Only then did Ye Shi Yun see the portrait she had drawn of Zhao Yu on the pillow.

She remembered—she had once beaten this pillow as if it were Zhao Yu.

'Does he know about this?'

'Who betrayed me? Zhang Chun? Zhao Yuannu? Or someone else?'

Besides, is it really worth getting angry over something so trivial? Isn't this a common plot in TV dramas? The domineering CEO protagonist angers the female lead, who can't fight back, so she vents by beating up a punching bag. Later, the male lead always finds out—but in the end, it's always dropped, because who wastes plot on such petty things? Why are you clinging to it so tightly?

Could it be that my behavior just now made me seem too knowledgeable, causing you to misunderstand me as a wanton woman and sparking your disgust?

If I'd known you liked pure girls, I'd have acted more innocent.

Since Zhao Yu had pursued this matter, and given that Zhao Yu was the Emperor—someone she could never defy—Ye Shi Yun could only drag her exhausted body up, kneel before Zhao Yu, and while half-heartedly kowtowing, say: "Your humble servant knows her fault; she should not have vented her anger on the official's portrait."

To Ye Shi Yun's surprise, even after she admitted fault, Zhao Yu still pressed on: "I see you still don't understand where you went wrong."

"Ha! Is it because I've got this explosive temper that you take me for granted? Men are all the same, whether modern or ancient—sweet as honey before you get them, cold as ice after. Had I known this, I'd never have let you get me so easily!" Ye Shi Yun fumed.

If this weren't this era, but her original world, Ye Shi Yun would've immediately put on her clothes and walked out: "So what if you're a domineering CEO? I'm not putting up with this!"

But this wasn't her original world, and Zhao Yu wasn't a domineering CEO—he was an Emperor whose words could decide her life or death.

With no choice, Ye Shi Yun dropped her previous indifference, bowed her head properly before Zhao Yu, and said solemnly: "Your humble servant knows her fault; I beg Your Majesty to pardon me."

What enraged Ye Shi Yun even more was that even after this apology, Zhao Yu asked: "Where exactly did you go wrong?"

"Where did I go wrong? How am I supposed to know where I went wrong?"

"My mistake was crossing over—worse, crossing over as a palace maid; even worse, crossing over as a woman, so you could bully and humiliate me like this!"

"Zhao Yu, just this once. Next time, even if I choke to death, I won't come to you again. As for saving the Song Dynasty's broken economy—find someone else. I'm done."

Seeing Ye Shi Yun on the verge of tears, Zhao Yu realized he couldn't scare her further—otherwise, his economic advisor might vanish.

Zhao Yu leaned close to Ye Shi Yun and whispered: "Do you think I'm heartless? You've done so much for me, gone all out to please me—and yet I've acted irrationally, seizing on trivialities?"

Seeing Zhao Yu understood everything, Ye Shi Yun immediately turned her head aside, tears streaming down her face—fast, endless, impossible to stop.

At the same time, Ye Shi Yun said resentfully: "It's true—I've never been this good to my father or mother, yet you still treat me like this."

Zhao Yu instantly realized Ye Shi Yun had truly broken down—otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken Mandarin, nor used terms like "my father" and "my mother," which didn't exist in this era.

Zhao Yu pretended not to understand: "What did you say?"

Only then did Ye Shi Yun realize she'd spoken wrongly. She quickly tried to cover it, crying as she said: "The official uses my deep affection for him to bully me."

Zhao Yu tapped her head with his index finger: "Do you think I'm bullying you? I'm saving you."

"Nonsense," Ye Shi Yun thought. "If you hadn't come, I was fine—why would I need your saving?"

Of course, she dared not say this aloud. She could only twist her head hard to the side, showing her defiance.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu cut straight to the point: "Tell me—how did Empress Yuanfu falsely accuse Empress Yuanyou? What became of Empress Yuanyou?"

Ye Shi Yun answered offhand: "It was just witchcraft…"

The moment the words "witchcraft" left her lips, Ye Shi Yun finally realized her mistake—her face turned instantly white!

Ye Shi Yun had heard from Zhang Chun that Princess Fuxing, daughter of Meng Xiang, fell gravely ill and no medicine helped. Meng Xiang's elder sister brought Daoist healing talisman water into the palace to treat her. Since talisman water was strictly forbidden in the palace, Meng Xiang was terrified and ordered it hidden, planning to explain everything to Zhao Xu when he arrived. Zhao Xu himself thought it natural and did not blame her. But after Princess Fuxing died, Meng Xiang's adoptive mother Lady Yan and others prayed for Meng Xiang and the princess—this gave enemies ammunition. Liu Qingjing, who enjoyed Zhao Xu's exclusive favor, seized the opportunity to link the two incidents and slander Meng Xiang before Zhao Xu, claiming she was cursing him. Zhao Xu began to suspect her and ordered Liang Congzheng and Su Gui to investigate. This led to the Qin Guan, resulting in Meng Xiang's deposition and Liu Qingjing's successful seizure of the Empress title.

To modern eyes, how innocent was Meng Xiang?

But the problem was, even this far-fetched, overblown accusation dragged Meng Xiang into the Qin Guan—then she was cast into the Cold Palace, her attendants beaten until their bodies were unrecognizable, many with tongues cut or limbs severed.

Now look at her.

She had actually drawn Zhao Yu's portrait on her pillow—and frequently beat it.

If someone accused her of cursing Zhao Yu, and turned it into a Qin Guan…

Ye Shi Yun dared not think further. She rushed to hug Zhao Yu, frantically explaining: "Your humble servant had no intention of framing the official! I was just playing, I…"

Zhao Yu stroked Ye Shi Yun's back and whispered: "If I truly meant to punish you, would I have acted this way?"

Only then did Ye Shi Yun fully realize: Zhao Yu had never been picking fights, never been heartless, never taken her for granted—he was eliminating hidden dangers for her.

Ye Shi Yun also knew everyone in the palace was cutting back on food and clothing, yet she feasted and lived carefree—many already resented her.

She even knew anonymous denunciations against her might already fill several complaint boxes.

Eating and drinking a bit wasn't a problem—others might try to harm her, but with Zhao Yu backing her, they couldn't touch her.

But the Qin Guan was different.

Remember: there had been the Qin Guan under Han Wu Di, which killed one Empress, one Crown Prince, and countless innocent and guilty people. And just recently, Meng Xiang had been deposed as Empress.

If this got exposed, the consequences could be unimaginable.

Worse still—it depended on Zhao Yu's attitude. If he believed she was cursing him, she'd be in dire trouble.

Besides, the several of them had been playing at sorcery—people would absolutely believe she knew curse arts.

Realizing this, Ye Shi Yun trembled with fear: "If Zhao Yu hadn't found out—and if he hadn't wanted to protect me—but if those who wanted to destroy me had found out…"

Ye Shi Yun clung tightly to Zhao Yu, terrified of losing this shield.

This was the first time since her crossing over—no, since her entire two lifetimes—that she had ever been this afraid.

Zhao Yu gently patted Ye Shi Yun's back and whispered softly: "It's fine. I am with you in all things."

Ye Shi Yun kissed Zhao Yu's face fiercely and said with deep gratitude: "Thank you, Official!"

Saying this, she picked up the pillow that had nearly killed her, ran straight to the brazier, and threw it in—destroying the evidence, eliminating the danger.

Watching the pillow burn, seeing her own drawn portrait of Zhao Yu vanish in the flames, Ye Shi Yun returned to bed, then shoved Zhao Yu down, crawling toward him as she said: "Official, teach me how to repay you properly…"

As Zhao Yu enjoyed Ye Shi Yun's repayment, the pillow burned fiercer.

No one knew what filled the pillow, but once burning, it emitted thick, hissing smoke.

Soon, Ye Shi Yun's bedroom was filled with smoke.

The smoke was especially choking.

Zhao Yu and Ye Shi Yun could no longer continue—they hurriedly got up and left.

The brazier was immediately carried outside by several maids summoned by Zhao Yuannu, who had been standing by.

This caused a major misunderstanding: palace fire wardens, thinking a fire had broken out, rushed in with their team to extinguish it.

After sending off the fire brigade, Zhao Yu glared at Ye Shi Yun: "You're not even sincere in serving me. I'm leaving."

Saying this, Zhao Yu departed with his entourage.

Who knew? Ye Shi Yun followed him without being invited.

She leaned close to Zhao Yu, then pressed her lips to his ear and whispered low, "Your servant knows what His Majesty likes; soon, I shall show His Majesty whether I truly mean to serve him in bed…"

……

(End of Chapter)