Chapter 272: Duoduo, Am I Cruel?
Nan Xun shot Princess Yao a look full of disdain, turned around, and left—her retreating figure effortlessly dashing.
Princess Yao stood where she was and screamed, as if making a vow:
“Gong Nineteen, you cheap bitch! I will never let you off—!”
Already far away, Nan Xun couldn’t help looking up at the sky.
There was a road to heaven, yet you refused to walk it. Hell has no gate, yet you insist on barging in. Why not just behave yourself as the Seventh Princess Consort of Eastern Lin? Why insist on scheming against others before leaving?
Now, even if you want to leave, I’m afraid you won’t be able to.
“Little Eight,” Nan Xun asked, “if one of the Chosen One’s stepping stones dies, does it have a big impact on him?”
Before it could answer, Nan Xun continued to herself, “Probably not much. A Chosen One has overwhelming luck—if one stepping stone disappears, he can always find another, as long as the main plot isn’t affected.”
Little Eight exploded. “Damn it, you answered yourself already—why even ask me?!”
Nan Xun replied calmly, “Just going through the motions, letting you know. Didn’t you say Princess Yao was originally supposed to die after being used by Qi Hengqing? But now, whether she’ll even live to the day she marries over there is questionable.”
Little Eight said, “You want to kill her? Forget it, let’s not lower ourselves to her level. Didn’t you already slap her just now? And with her own hand, no less. Even if she wants to frame you, she can’t. Hehe.”
Nan Xun sighed softly. “It’s not that I want to stoop to her level. It’s that she keeps biting at me. Before, she probably only wanted to humiliate me, to teach me a lesson. But after today, she wants me dead.”
Little Eight muttered, “Who told you to provoke her?”
Nan Xun scoffed lightly. “Didn’t you hear all the insults and provocations she threw at me? Women—jealousy is the most terrifying thing. If you don’t fight back and only endure, they’ll only bully you even harder later.”
“Earlier you told me about the Witch Clan’s Saintess. Why did she later secretly kill innocent concubines? Do you really think she was driven mad by jealousy and killed all the women the emperor favored? She was, after all, a Witch Saintess—why would she stoop that low?”
Little Eight asked, “Then why?”
“I think all those dead concubines must have insulted her to her face, maybe even harmed her in secret more than once. That’s why she finally retaliated. It’s just that her methods were far too crude. If she’d acted more subtly, without such obvious killings, the Emperor of Great Zhou wouldn’t have feared her so much and eventually decided to kill her.
“Of course, she also brought it upon herself. Her stubborn obsession doomed her entire clan. She was the Witch Clan’s greatest sinner. Even if she escaped later, the rest of her life would’ve been spent in regret and pain.”
At this point, Nan Xun’s gaze darkened slightly.
The Witch Saintess who misplaced her true feelings might evoke pity at first, even admiration for daring to love and hate so fiercely. But her obsession fulfilled her own love while indirectly costing over twenty thousand lives of the Witch Clan.
Nan Xun suddenly felt worried—would a woman whose entire life was filled with hatred pour all that hatred into her child?
If that were the case, Nan Xun wouldn’t sympathize with her at all. She might even hate her.
Little Eight shivered. “Women really are terrifying… sob sob…”
Nan Xun pulled herself together and said narcissistically, “Actually, women can be quite adorable—like me.”
Little Eight: “…”
On second thought, compared to those shameless, seductive women, Nan Xun did seem much more adorable. Truly—comparison breeds damage.
When Nan Xun returned to Mo Ran Hall, Gong Moran was already back. He looked at her, thin lips pressed together slightly, as if displeased.
Before Nan Xun could explain anything, he casually tossed her a gold token and said indifferently, “If the Empress summons you again, show this token to the eunuch and say you’re unwell. Don’t go.”
Little Eight let out a sharp whistle. “Boss move, Big Boss! That’s a Heavenly Pass Token. Forget the Empress—even the Emperor has to back down when he sees it.”
Nan Xun asked, “That powerful? What does it do?”
“Honestly, not much. Aside from sparing you from execution, it’s mostly used to be lazy and throw weight around. Once this token is shown, no one can force you to do anything you don’t want to.”
Nan Xun was delighted and immediately tucked the token away like a treasure.
“Thank you, my lord. I really like it. You’re back so early today—have you eaten lunch yet?”
Gong Moran reached out and touched her head, his gaze dropping to her refined face as he said softly, “Not yet. I’ve already had the kitchen prepare some dishes. Today, I’ll dine with you.”
Nan Xun smiled warmly and suddenly stepped forward to hug his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. Her voice was soft and gentle.
“My lord, you’re so good to me. It still feels like a dream.”
Gong Moran slowly hugged her back and sighed quietly.
“…Silly girl.”
During the meal, Nan Xun—as usual—cleaned out the entire table. Since the Big Boss already knew she was a glutton, she didn’t bother restraining herself. Her table manners were still elegant; it was just that her chopsticks moved frighteningly fast. Empty plates were a matter of minutes.
When the servants were clearing the dishes in the outer hall, the two of them entered the inner chamber one after the other.
The maids kept their eyes down, focusing only on the dishes, pretending not to see anything else. These tasks weren’t originally theirs, but later, feeling sorry for Miss Nineteen, my lord allowed them to enter the outer hall to do simple chores like serving dishes and cleaning tables.
My lord’s favor toward Nineteen was plain to see.
“My lord, what are you doing?” Nan Xun asked in surprise as she walked up to Gong Moran.
He took out a piece of yellow talisman paper and wrote Princess Yao’s name and birth details on it.
Nan Xun quickly grabbed his writing hand and shook her head slightly. “My lord, no. If Princess Yao dies from witchcraft, Mo Ran Hall won’t escape suspicion.”
Gong Moran glanced at the small hand gripping his and said calmly, “Duoduo is worrying too much. I’m not planning to end her now. Even if she must die, I’ll make sure she dies in Eastern Lin.”
At the end of his sentence, the man’s lips curved upward slightly, his smile carrying a hint of eerie cunning.
Hearing this, Nan Xun released his hand. “I was too rash. My lord’s actions are always flawless.”
Gong Moran tilted his head to look at her and suddenly asked, “Duoduo, don’t you think I’m cruel?”
“Of course not,” Nan Xun said quickly. “I know everything you do is for me.”
Only then did Gong Moran resume his work, saying lightly, “Duoduo, you’d better not be afraid of me. From today onward, no matter what you see or hear, you must not fear me. This is the path you chose yourself. You insisted on stepping into my domain. Since you’ve made that choice, you must bear the consequences that come with it.”
