Chapter 21 Never Eat Again: Hatred Value and Favorability Fluctuate Dramatically
"My lord, you must avenge my wife! You must not forget your place! You must avenge my wife!"
"My lord, never forget this hatred!"
"Kill them—kill them—!"
It wasn't darkness, it wasn't night, it was an unfathomable blackness. The woman's piercing scream echoed in their ears, only to be swallowed up by the vast, empty blackness.
Qin Jin stared blankly at the woman who had imprisoned him, his heart pounding wildly.
Although the woman's face was blurred, the memories lingering in his heart still made it clear to him that the woman's hatred had long been ingrained in his bones.
Her face was contorted, her eyes were bloodshot, and tears of blood streamed down her face. Beneath her shrill voice lay an unconcealable despair.
A blinding flash of cold light suddenly descended, and warm blood gushed out. The woman groaned, and her petite body fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string. The stench of blood and decay emanated from her body. Her eyes, filled with ferocity, were wide open, still fixed on Qin Jin.
An endless blackness spread, beginning to devour the woman's corpse from head to toe, leaving only her unseeing eyes.
Kneeling blankly on the ground, staring at those eyes that were still streaming blood and tears, Qin Jin didn't know how long he had been kneeling. It was as if a huge mountain had crashed down on his thin body, making him unable to move and almost unable to breathe.
A deep, resonant Buddhist bell rang out.
"Bastard child!"
"You shouldn't have been born into this world..."
"If I had known this would happen, I should have killed you back then!"
"shame!"
"Your existence brings shame upon the family!"
His arm, now just skin and bones, was roughly pulled by his elders, as if they wanted to tear his limbs off. His lips were pale, and after days of starvation, there wasn't a trace of flesh left on his body. He was completely powerless, like a dog barely clinging to life, being forced to sit before the ancestral tablets. His elders looked at him with hatred, spitting at him with ferocious scorn.
They crowded around the person holding the hemp rope, their excitement palpable.
"Strangle him to restore the family's honor!"
"You shouldn't be alive!"
"You and your mother will die together!"
The second Buddhist bell rang.
The elder's ferocious face slowly dissipated like ripples on a lake. Inside the palace hall, the Empress Dowager, dressed in a phoenix robe, looked down from her high position and turned away in disgust.
“I can let you live, but you must always remember your unethical and sordid origins.”
“You must repent every day for your mother’s debauchery.”
"From now on, you will continue to live in the palace, and kneel here every day to atone for your sins and those of your mother!"
The boy's thin back was hunched over, his head buried in his chest, his knees pressed tightly against the ground, as if he would never be able to walk openly and honestly again.
"I've put it away! I've put it away!"
In the black and white scene, a lively and agile paper kite with flowers and butterflies soars into the air, eliciting a girl's melodious laughter. The other end of the white string is held in the hand of a richly dressed girl, whose pretty face is curved with a bright and proud smile.
"I knew it! A mere paper kite couldn't possibly stump me!"
The low chanting of sutras wrapped around him like silk threads, while the raging fire scorched his skin and flesh in front of him. His vision blurred, and his back was whipped by vines until his flesh was festering. He could no longer remember how many days he had been imprisoned.
He gazed longingly at the girl running away amidst the green willows and red flowers, unsure whether he envied her carefree spirit or her eternally fearless, head held high.
The nanny administering the whipping followed his gaze, her cold, mocking laughter echoing in his ears.
“In the past, you and Lady Xue were playmates, but now, who would want to associate with you? You’ve been tainted by filth for no reason. The two of you are now worlds apart.”
Yes, so even though he mastered martial arts, he couldn't wield a sword and turn the tables; the word "shame" was forever branded on his body.
Several muffled claps of thunder boomed, and Qin Jin opened his eyes. His usually nonchalant eyes were now bloodshot. He slowly sat up and gradually came to his senses amidst the familiar layout of the room.
...It's not the same as before. He returned from the Imperial Guard at midnight last night, drank a few cups of wine, and fell into a deep sleep. He is still at the Princess's residence.
Rubbing his swollen temples, Qin Jin sat up. It was about to rain, and the old scars on his back began to ache again.
How many years has it been since I last dreamed of these old stories buried deep in my memory?
Qin Jin couldn't remember.
These past events were like the suffering of his previous life to him, and he did not, as he had guessed in his youth, remain immersed in despair and pain, unable to resist.
Just like that fleeting glance back then, the young boy listened to the cold words of the palace instructor and thought that he would become a stranger to Xue Rongyue from then on.
But who would have thought that they would later become irreconcilable enemies?
After a brief pause in his chaotic thoughts, Qin Jin remained silent for a moment before silently adding—
They are now temporarily allied enemies.
It was still dark, the night had not yet faded, and a few faint stars floated in the hazy sky. A gentle breeze stirred the lanterns under the eaves, and their dim light drifted uneasily.
Qin Jin got up and got out of bed.
He often woke up in the middle of the night. There were always cakes and pastries in the house to fill his stomach. He walked to the table and picked up a mutton flatbread.
The mutton flatbread became even more gamey when it cooled down, and Qin Jin refused to touch it after just one sniff. All that was left was a plate of chestnut cake and a plate of hibiscus meat rolls.
Qin Jin suddenly had a headache.
Looking at these two dishes, which he never tired of eating, he now had no appetite. No matter which dish he ate, Xue Rongyue's face would pop into his mind.
"Since the young master is sharing the table, let's bring another pot of pear wine and a plate of chestnut cake. Also, a serving each of stir-fried bamboo shoots with vinegar, peony swallow's nest soup, and hibiscus meat rolls."
Why do you keep thinking about me like this?
"Didn't you ever think about why we were enemies in the first place? Why did you always treat me only as an enemy? I hate you, I hate that you treated me as an enemy, completely disregarding the past..."
"..."
Completely disregarding what happened in the past?
What exactly did she mean by those two sentences she said in the bamboo forest?
Qin Jin hissed, propping his head up as he couldn't figure it out, but that didn't stop him from reaffirming his assessment of Xue Rongyue.
rhetoric.
They have ill intentions.
Whatever she's trying to achieve or what she's planning, she certainly has no redeeming qualities for him.
Overthinking is useless; it's better to deal with things as they come.
Having made up his mind, Qin Jin completely lost his appetite. He stood up and took two steps, but his face became gloomy again.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks.
...
What exactly does she mean?!
Investigating his preferences and saying strange things—what are they trying to scheme against?
Frowning, Qin Jin was completely baffled. Suddenly, she turned around angrily, picked up the chestnut cake and minced meat rolls on the table, opened the window, and threw both dishes out the window.
With a loud crash, the celadon porcelain plate shattered.
With heavy breathing, Qin Jin's tall and strong figure blocked the window, his gloomy eyes fixed on the chestnut cake that had rolled twice on the ground.
—From now on, he will never eat chestnut cake or hibiscus meat roll again.
There's also stir-fried bamboo shoots with vinegar, peony swallow's nest soup, and pear wine!
*
[Warning to the host: The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has increased by 5.]
[Warning to the host: The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has increased by 3.]
[Congratulations, host! The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has decreased by 3.]
[Warning to the host: The favorability rating of the target [Qin Jin] has decreased by 6.]
[Warning to the host: The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has increased by 3.]
[Warning to the host: The favorability rating of the target [Qin Jin] has decreased by 2.]
[Congratulations, host! The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has decreased by 3.]
[Warning to the host: The hatred level of the target [Qin Jin] has increased by 3.]
...
Xue Rongyue was awakened by the system's continuous notification sounds. It was just past Yin Shi (3-5 AM), and it was still dark. Xue Rongyue turned over sleepily, and seeing that it was still early, she fell back asleep.
It wasn't until Jingnu woke her up at Chenshi (7-9 AM) that she had time to check the system notifications that had been ringing for a long time.
Ultimately, Qin Jin's hatred level increased by 13, successfully breaking through the 90 mark, while his favorability decreased by 10. The total value remains unknown.
Although Xue Rongyue had anticipated that Qin Jin's hatred and favorability would fluctuate when she devised this strategy, she did not expect the fluctuations to be so drastic, with occasional improvements.
She couldn't scroll through all the dense system notifications in one go.
In the middle of the night, he had a nightmare that she poisoned his food.
Xue Rongyue pouted. Just after finishing her breakfast, Princess Yu'an came to her personally: "It's been a long time since I went to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. You have nothing to do at home, so why don't you come with me?"
Xue Rongyue was initially reluctant to go.
Although she was raised in the palace for some time from a young age, apart from paying her respects to the Empress Dowager every day, she spent her long days in the palace being served by palace servants and was not close to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was an extremely disciplined ruler, and paying her respects every day was the most painful time for her. If she was not careful, the palace maids would come and scold her.
Especially after experiencing a free and unrestrained life outside the palace, she found life in the palace even more unbearable.
Princess Yu'an sighed, "Her Majesty the Empress's health has deteriorated again. I heard from the palace servants that she hasn't been able to get out of bed for the past few days."
Xue Rongyue's heart tightened, and she stopped refusing. After bathing and burning incense, she changed her clothes and followed Princess Yu'an into the palace.
The Buddhist hall was quiet, with wisps of smoke rising from it obscuring the compassionate eyes of the Buddha statue.
Qin Jin knelt on the smooth, cold, and hard ground, his knees already numb, while the rigid scolding of the palace instructors filled his ears.
Today is the fifteenth, and just as dawn broke, the Empress Dowager sent someone to bring him into the palace.
"The Empress Dowager ordered the Crown Prince to kneel for five hours before he could leave the palace."
After saying this, the palace nanny turned and left the Buddhist hall, leaving two palace servants to continue monitoring Qin Jin as he was being punished by kneeling.
Qin Jin knew very well that the Empress Dowager was aiming to cripple his legs.
The border regions have been unstable recently, and there is a shortage of capable military officers in the court.
She started to get scared.
A fine, stinging pain shot through my back, and with a loud "boom," the sky, which had been overcast for half a day, finally began to rain.
The pattering rain tapped against the eaves, and the wind and rain spurted in through the half-open window.
Qin Jin was leisurely enjoying the drizzle outside when a furious female voice suddenly pierced through the rain.
"Ugh, it's raining again! My makeup is all ruined!"
Qin Jin was slightly taken aback.
—It is Xue Rongyue.
A note from the author:
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Xue Rongyue: No, I've been carrying this huge burden for so many years?
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