Chapter 10 Chapter 10 - The Annoying Demon Chen Yingying
When I heard him say he only wanted to prevent me from meeting Meng Xu, I was stunned for a moment. I couldn't wait to agree and said, "Okay, I won't see him, not even once. But please, Your Majesty, don't punish him."
If he doesn't want to see her, then he doesn't want to see her. As long as Meng Xu is fine, it's fine. At least he won't be chopped into a cripple by the angry Li Siyan.
I didn't want to delay his life. Let the dog emperor break up the couple. I thought to myself in despair that Brother Meng was a kind-hearted man and it was good for him to be beaten up by the dog emperor.
"Oh, you're still protecting your lover when the time comes. You want me to let him go easily? You're dreaming." Li Siyan laughed in anger: "Dismissal or beating? You choose one for him."
I stumbled to my feet and tried to reason with him, "I was planning to cancel the engagement when I returned home last time. It was Meng Xu who delayed it out of consideration for our past relationship. It's not that I'm deliberately trying to protect him, it's just the way it is! If Your Majesty doesn't want me to see him, then I won't. Why bother implicating others?"
I added quietly, "Besides, even if they are attendants of the emperor, there is no rule that forbids engagement."
Li Siyan was surprised and asked, "Are you trying to reason with me again?"
I closed my eyes in pain. How could I forget that the dog emperor under the dragon robe has always been an unreasonable bandit.
His hand returned to my chin, and his heavy, hot breath blew against my eyes. He stared at me fiercely and sneered, "Look at you, you've only been away for a day, and you've returned reeking of manliness. Your happy and comfortable appearance is truly dazzling. I kept you in the palace to slowly torture you. How could I let you be so complacent?"
As he spoke, I became increasingly aggravated, and emphasized again, "Brother Meng and I are innocent, as heaven and earth can attest!"
"Why are you crying in a man's arms and saying it's innocent?" Li Siyan sneered, "Normally, when I touch you casually, you act like you've swallowed a fly. Why do you act so careless with him?"
I nearly fainted. I thought closing the door would prevent the guards from watching me, but I didn't expect they could still find a way to detect my every move and report it to the emperor in detail.
I lowered my eyes and said nothing. The more I said, the more mistakes I would make. I had to wait until the dog emperor calmed down before I could take my time.
But Li Siyan's anger was not so easy to calm down. He stroked my chin upwards with his hand, pulling my skin back and forth with great strength, which made my right cheek hurt.
He frowned and rubbed my face, his expression strange as he said, "Meng Xu is just a weak scholar, and he's even willing to do something like a hunger strike to marry you. Look at your plain complexion, and your temper is as stinky and hard as a stone in a toilet. What on earth does he like about you?"
He seemed genuinely confused, yet also seemed to be mocking and ridiculing me.
I didn't dare to move. My face hurt, my nose was sore, and tears slowly gathered in my eyes.
I blinked desperately, trying to hold back my tears, but then I thought, since the dog emperor wanted to see me sad, maybe if I cried, his anger would subside?
So I pursed my lips and let the tears roll down my cheeks.
Li Siyan wiped away the tears with his hand. His fingers were cold, like a poisonous snake crawling across my face.
"Why are you crying? Don't worry, there are so many ladies in Chang'an City. He will forget you soon. When the time comes, I will allow you to attend his wedding banquet." Li Siyan mocked me with that weird expression on his face.
I looked into his eyes through the mist of tears, and saw that his pupils were as black as ink, with a hint of suppressed madness in his eyes.
"Okay," I choked out, "just tell him to forget me."
"Oh, that's not right." He suddenly seemed to remember something and said with a grin, "How could I forget? The young man of the Meng family is deeply in love and would not necessarily marry someone else. But, Chen Ying, if his innocent sister Ying fell into the dust and mud and was contaminated, do you think he would still love you like this?"
Under his cold fingers, my whole body began to tremble violently and my lips trembled uncontrollably.
As if I didn't understand what he said, I squeezed out a sentence from the back of my throat: "You...what do you mean..."
Li Siyan didn't answer. He lowered his eyes slightly. I smelled a hint of danger in horror and wanted to escape but it was too late.
The next second, his hand on my cheek held the back of my head.
My eyes darkened, and I felt a moist warmth on my slightly opened lips. I tasted the refreshing mint drink that Su Xing made in the ear room - from another person's mouth.
He seemed to be not good at this. He held my head up tightly and bit my lips awkwardly and fiercely. My mind was blank and I didn't know what was going on. He pulled me towards him roughly and I was caught off guard and pressed against his chest. Through the soft summer clothes, I could hear his violent heartbeat.
The thunderstorm that had been brewing all night finally came. Amid the sound of pouring rain in Chang'an, the young emperor of the empire, as if venting his anger, kissed the female historian who had an irreconcilable feud with him indiscriminately.
The latter was stunned as if struck by lightning.
A string snapped in my head. What was Li Siyan doing? Huh? He was only a few millimeters away from me, his breath hot and wet, anxious, hitting my face hard.
He...seems to be kissing me.
Almost in a flash, I realized what the Dog Emperor was doing to me. My blood rushed to my body, and I used all my strength to struggle like crazy.
I kicked and punched him, howling in anger and grief, but he refused to let me go. He endured countless blows and kicks from me, still holding my head tightly, as if he was a child holding his favorite toy and not letting an adult take it away.
I was so angry that I bared my teeth and bit Li Siyan's mouth hard.
He groaned, and the smell of blood spread between our lips and teeth. Before I could take a second bite, he bit my lower lip hard with a malicious force, and it hurt so much that I cried.
This behavior has nothing to do with affection, but is simply a form of power suppression, just like a high-ranking raccoon would forcibly lick the hair on the head of a low-ranking companion. It is an obvious insult.
I staggered back, covering my mouth in disbelief, with deep hatred bursting out of my eyes.
With rage piercing my heart, I raised my hand without thinking and slapped Li Siyan's ugly face with a crisp slap.
I hit him so hard that his head turned away, and a bright red slap mark slowly appeared on his wheat-colored skin.
He raised his right hand and gently wiped the corner of his lips, his fingertips dripping with blood.
"Good teeth."
He pursed his lips, as if savoring the previous taste, and a perverted smile appeared on his face.
I answered him with a powerful Shen-style right hook.
I was so angry that I lost my mind. I rushed over and rolled on the ground with him, screaming, scratching his face, kicking his
The dog emperor had no mercy on women. He grabbed my arm and twisted it backwards without giving in. I raised my knee and kicked him away. I picked up the jade paperweight that was a tribute from the Western Regions on his desk and smashed it on his head.
At the critical moment, the Dog King rolled to the side, stood up, and used the method of escorting prisoners in the Dali Temple to control my wrists and lift them high above his head.
I opened my mouth to bite, and Li Siyan said, "Okay, calm down."
"Li Siyan, you bastard!" I cursed.
Li Siyan nodded and said, "That's right, I am a bastard born of a bitch, and you are also a wild woman born of the dog family. You have such sharp teeth. It's really a waste of your talent to be a hall attendant. It would be better for you to be my gatekeeper."
I was so angry that my lungs were about to explode. Damn it, he was obviously the one who flirted with me first, but he actually turned the tables and said that I had strong teeth. What a piece of shit!
"Chen Ying, do you want to regicide?" He reminded: "This is a serious crime that will punish nine generations of your clan."
Every time I couldn't control my emotions, Li Siyan would bring up my aunt and Xiaochuan to scare me. I glared at him and cracked my fingers.
After a fierce ideological struggle, I said coldly, "Let me go."
Li Siyan let go as he was told.
I regained my freedom, moved my wrists, raised my sleeves and wiped my mouth vigorously. Even though I wiped so hard, the strange touch still lingered on my lips, with a faint minty taste.
I was so disgusting, damn, I was really dirty, I felt like a corner where a stray dog had peed, I didn't even want this mouth anymore.
But then I thought, is it the corner's fault that the dog peed on it? I told myself firmly: No, it's the dog's fault.
I hid my face behind my sleeves and tried hard to persuade myself to relax, relax. After all, Chen Ying, you are not a heroine who lives with a chastity arch, but this cannot ruin your innocence.
But I'm still very sad.
My ideal kiss would be in a beautiful little courtyard, I'd be sitting on a swing reading a book, and Brother Meng would hug me from behind, lower his head and gently peck the corner of my lips like a dragonfly skimming the water...
——Instead of being brutally bitten by the vicious dog emperor in the imperial study on a rainy night like this.
I ran to the counter, grabbed my water bottle, and poured a bottle of cold water into my mouth to rinse.
Suddenly I saw my engagement letter, I grabbed it and stuffed it roughly back into my arms.
The Dog Emperor leaned lazily on the table and suddenly asked, "Has Meng Xu ever kissed you like this?"
I wiped my swollen and red mouth and glared at him with resentment.
"Oh, it seems that we have never kissed."
The corners of Li Siyan's mouth curled up slightly, and there was no trace of his previous cruelty. He looked very friendly.
I slammed the table, pointed at him and cursed, "You're so proud! I just took it as a dog bite. Bah, using such a low-brow way to humiliate a woman, Li Siyan, you are shameless and vulgar!"
He smiled maliciously and said, "Yes, I am shameless and vulgar. Not only that, I have even more shameless and vulgar moves that I haven't used yet. As you said, I come from a humble background, and I have seen a lot of vile things from all walks of life. There are even more exciting things waiting for you. Do you want to try it?"
"Die for me!" I grabbed the book on the table and threw it at his head.
Li Siyan laughed loudly and dodged my attack, with a conspicuous slap mark on his face, but he looked happy, as if he was teasing a cat slave.
We fought each other for several rounds, and in the end, because I was small and light, I was unfortunately subdued by the Dog Emperor. He grabbed my waist and twisting hands, and provocatively bit the tip of my nose again. He admired my red nose and shocked face with satisfaction, and sighed: "Chen Ying, are you really a historian? Even the daughters of military generals are not as fierce as you. If Meng Xu saw you like a female demon, he would pack his bags and run away overnight."
I was determined not to be at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, and I cursed loudly: "I will show you the same face as you are. You are such a shameless thing, how dare you compare yourself to Brother Meng? Every decent and well-educated man in Chang'an is a million times better than you. You are not even as good as their heels!"
I seemed to have touched the emperor's sore spot again. His face suddenly darkened again. He looked at me and said, "Look, among all the well-educated and well-mannered young men in Chang'an, which one would be willing to marry a woman who has an ambiguous relationship with the emperor?"
"you!"
I suddenly remembered what Xiaochuan told me during the day, that the censor surnamed Shi had ridiculed Xiaochuan, saying that he was able to enter the Imperial College by relying on my connections. Now that I think about it, if the dog emperor had not deliberately indulged it, how could this rumor have spread out of the Purple Palace?
Not only did he restrict my personal freedom, he also wanted to ruin my reputation as an upright historian, which is extremely important. His intentions are extremely vicious.
I felt so sick that I struggled to get up, glared coldly at the dog emperor, and didn't want to say another word.
He said coldly from behind me, "Chen Ying, there won't be a next time. From now on, you will stay in Zichen Palace obediently. Don't even think about stepping out of Zichen Gate until I get tired of you."
I turned a deaf ear and walked away.
There was a loud sound of rain outside, but the palace was completely silent - it was Qingfu's doing. Seeing that the situation was not good, the old man cleverly dismissed the palace servants who were on night duty and slipped away.
I didn't want to hold an umbrella anymore, so I rushed into the summer downpour alone. The rain hit my whole body and I felt cold, but there was a faint sense of happiness of being washed clean. As the ancients said, rootless water is the purest, and it was true. After being drenched by the rain, I barely felt that I had turned back into the clean Chen Ying.
After feeling relieved, he squatted down sadly and curled himself into a small ball.
I couldn't leave the palace, and Meng Xu couldn't come in again. My little hope was ruthlessly cut off by Li Siyan. I was lonely and alone in the inner courtyard.
I squatted in the rain for a long time, until my feet were numb, and then I returned to my little house.
Xiao Jinlian and Xiao Jinliu had already left. Li Siyan knew that I had been caught in the rain, so he asked someone to bring me hot water for a bath. I got into the bathtub without saying a word and cleaned myself again.
I used to love to add drama to myself in the bathtub, imitating the heroine in the script, pretending to cry while washing and wailing that I was so dirty. Maybe God couldn't stand my exaggerated acting skills, so in order to retaliate against me, he specially arranged a bully to defile me... I was heartbroken, this is what they call "those who act too much will eventually be punished by God."
It was late at night when I finished taking a bath. I was tired and sad, so I threw myself on the bed and just wanted to sleep forever.
I slept soundly all night and had a dream in the middle of the night. I dreamed that Li Siyan turned into a ferocious beast, bit Meng Xu to death and then pounced on me. I woke up from the dream with a scream, and when I touched my chest, my hand was covered with sticky cold sweat.
I was gasping for breath, wishing I could rush into the Zichen Palace and chop off Li Siyan's dog head with a knife.
But impulsiveness is impulsiveness after all. My aunt and Xiaochuan are still in Li Siyan's hands. All the men in the family are dead. They are orphans and widows and they rely on me for protection. I dare not act rashly.
I lay on the couch helplessly, feeling regretful.
...If I had known this would happen, I should have committed suicide in the Xuanzheng Hall, thus avoiding all the subsequent indignities. But now, I can neither die nor live well. This torture continues day after day. I'm afraid I'll go mad before fifteen years have passed.
I shook my head irritably, and seeing that the moonlight outside was just right, I put on my clothes and went out to get some fresh air.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Su Xing and Qing Fu whispering about ten feet away from me.
When I opened the door, I saw two unlucky dogs. I slammed the door shut as if I had seen something dirty.
What they could say was nothing more than that Shen Qijulang was ungrateful and offended the emperor. Especially the old dog Qingfu, who seemed quiet at ordinary times but was actually full of bad intentions and could be easily tricked.
After a while, someone knocked on my door, and Qingfu's old voice floated in from the crack of the door: "Mr. Shen?"
I ignored him and continued reading.
Qingfu said, "Don't be so angry."
I said coldly through the door, “I’m sorry, Grandpa Qingfu, but there’s no hole in my house, so the castrated dog can’t get in.
Qingfu wasn't annoyed, he just sighed, "Look at that broken mouth of yours, it's caused so much trouble, and you've suffered so much and still haven't learned your lesson."
It’s none of your business, old man.
He was still outside the room, speaking through the door, "I know what you're complaining about. Isn't it that I ordered those guards to climb the wall and expose your friendship with Master Meng? To be honest, the first time Master Meng came to the Purple Palace to see the Emperor, I immediately saw that your relationship was far from ordinary. There was an air of intimacy between you two, so indifferent to everyone else that not even a fly could get close."
I was shocked. How did he know that?
"That's why you sent people to follow us." I said angrily, "And you told the dog emperor!"
Qingfu snorted, "You little girl, you don't know what's good for you. Even I can see that you two have a close relationship, and you still want to hide it from His Majesty? It's better for me to relay this matter than for His Majesty to discover it himself. But you are so bold that you dare to flirt with a man in the Purple Palace. Tsk..."
I said righteously, "Brother Meng and I are innocent and innocent. Even if we really did have an affair, it has nothing to do with Li Siyan. Why... Why..."
I couldn't say any more. I didn't have the nerve to tell them that Li Siyan had held my face and bit it.
Qingfu was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "Can't you see?"
"What did you see?"
Qingfu didn't say what he saw, but I could imagine him secretly rolling his eyes outside the door.
He said slowly, "Okay, I've said everything I needed to say. Considering your pitiful life experience, Grandpa Qingfu has one last word to say to you. Mr. Shen, since you've entered the palace as a court lady, you belong to the emperor. Your life and death are all within this door. So I advise you to give up the idea of getting married. Even if you do, don't shout it to the world. Do you understand?"
I don't want to pay attention to him. It's okay to be threatened by the dog emperor, but even his servants want to teach me a lesson. Do you think I'm so easy to bully?
I said coldly, "Are you done? I should rest now."
"Go to sleep and remember to go to work tomorrow morning."
I covered myself with the quilt and just treated his words as nonsense.
The next day, Wei Xizi punched in for work tremblingly, and gave Li Siyan and me two ugly looks in succession.
Li Siyan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and my face was as cold as ice. His face was covered with claw marks and slap marks from my scratches last night, and my mouth was swollen into two pieces of sausages because the swelling failed to go down.
In short, it is very tragic and very imaginative.
The two of us went to court together and completed today's court meeting under the strange gazes of all the civil and military officials in the court.
Given the gossip-spreading abilities of Chang'an residents, the news of my illicit relationship with the dog emperor will spread to every corner of the city within a day. In three days, even the children's rhymes circulated in the streets and alleys might have a new version:
It was she, that was she, the female demon of Rakshasa Country, with dark wind claws and green fangs, who could knock the emperor down with one punch...
Whether it takes the magical route or the romantic route, this matter is an excellent topic for after-dinner gossip.
I have no intention of hiding anything. I have resolutely decided to break the jar and throw it all away. Since the dog emperor has no shame, then neither do I! I let it go, I throw it all away, I sell my reputation and integrity at a low price!
──I want everyone in Chang'an to know that Shen Qijilang couldn't stand the harassment and had a bloody fight with the emperor with bayonets!
Ever since the forced kiss incident, Li Siyan hasn't bothered me for a long time, and of course he hasn't given me a good look either. I'm the same, but I seem to have never given him a good look, so it looks no different from before.
What comforted me a little was that Li Siyan did not make things too difficult for Meng Xu. It was said that he just found an excuse to beat Meng Xu with forty lashes and fined him a few months' salary. It was more of a warning than an actual punishment.
Although Meng Xu was beaten and had his salary reduced, at least he saved his life and official position, which made me feel a little less guilty.
However, I originally thought that he would charge Meng Xu with having an affair with a female official, but it seems that he is very reluctant to have anything to do with Meng Xu, even if it is a crime.
I shook my head, feeling that I was becoming increasingly confused about the strange dog emperor.
In fact, I am not the only one who cannot guess Li Siyan’s thoughts. Many people are secretly observing this young new emperor.
As one of the few close ministers to the emperor, Wei Xizi and I were designated as key contacts by many flatterers. Since I was locked up in the palace and unable to leave, this blessing naturally fell on Wei Xizi's head.
Wei Xizi confided to me sadly: Recently too many people have asked him what kind of ministers the emperor likes. He is so tired that he doesn’t even have the energy to say good morning to the Purple Palace.
I said sincerely, "Brother Xizi, believe me, the emperor loves stupid children, and Li Siyan likes people like you."
As everyone knows, Li Siyan is an unreasonable madman. He is efficient and stubborn. He especially hates forming cliques for personal gain. To survive under this emperor, being obedient and honest is more important than being smart and capable.
Wei Xizi looked even more worried. He whispered, "I...I think that of the two attendants, he seems to like you more."
I was extremely confused: "Which emperor would like a chamberlain with such a bad temper?"
Wei Xizi said, "This shows that your Majesty is open to all opinions and is humble and eager to learn!"
I was so shocked by these eight words that I was speechless for a long time.
Wei Xizi, your scripture teacher taught you to use idioms with beautiful meanings so that you can use these words to describe noble character, not to use them to hit Li Siyan's dragon buttocks...
But on second thought, what Wei Xizi said makes sense.
I thought about it, it's true that I was often mean to Li Siyan and gave him the cold shoulder, but he seldom punished me and would occasionally listen to my opinions.
This shows that although Li Siyan seems to have a strong desire for control, he actually has an even stronger need to be scolded and needs someone to tell him some harsh but honest advice.
It so happened that a friend of mine who was an imperial censor came to the palace to report on his work today. I immediately told my friend my summary of my experience as an official, trying to guide him onto the road to promotion and wealth.
As a result, my censor friend said: Girl, wake up, the grass on the grave of the last person who did this is enough to feed sheep.
I panicked immediately and said, "Don't try it. Saving your life is more important."
The censor's friend sighed, "Why else would everyone say that the emperor treats you differently? It seems the rumors are not groundless..."
"What rumor?" I always feel that it is not something good.
"Oh, I dare not say." My friend, the imperial censor, touched his nose and said, "Probably... when the emperor first ascended the throne, he executed Miss Shen's father and brother. Now he probably feels a little regretful, so he is particularly indulgent to Miss Shen and even gave her an important position in front of the emperor as compensation..."
I was so angry that I slammed the pillar and said, "Who the hell is so mean? Does he want this blessing?"
Qingfu poked his head out of the house and warned me: "Keep your voice down and don't disturb His Majesty."
The censor's friend was also terrified. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Yingzi, please don't scare me. It's rumored that because Master Meng spoke a few more words to you, the emperor fined him four months' salary for misbehaving in front of the palace. My brother still relies on that salary to survive!"
I rolled my eyes. "Do you know why you can chat with me openly?"
The censor's friend guessed, "Because I'm kind?"
I said coldly, "Wrong! Because you're a homosexual! Let me tell you, Meng Xu was fined because of him..."
Qingfu poked his head out of the door again like a giant turtle and warned, "I think we should sew your mouth shut so you know you can't tell anyone about what's going on in the palace."
Before I could say anything, my friend the Imperial Censor had already pushed my face away, rubbing his hands and smiling, saying: "Grandpa Qingfu is right, Yingzi is indeed a bit outspoken, she should change, she should change, hahahahahahahahahahahaha."
Qingfu looked at himself with an expression that said, "As expected, all idiots' friends are idiots," and retracted his head.
My friend, the Imperial Censor, looked at me with admiration and said, "Seeing that Yingzi is truly favored in the palace, I am relieved."
I suddenly had a bad premonition. Maybe after today, my image in Chang'an City would be like that of a spoiled little goblin.
...I'd better be a female demon, I thought to myself. With my ordinary appearance, it's really too shameless to call myself a annoying little demon.
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