“Did you find Liu Xingming?”
Li Changyu looked at Shen Pei from across the table over his spoonful of congee. They were sharing a meal together while they discussed details of their plans. Xiaoyao and Jianxian ate their own fill of cubed meat underneath the table at their feet.
Shen Pei shook her head, “He isn’t in the dungeon, but I have some friends outside looking for him.”
“Hmm…” Li Changyu looked down at his meal and stirred his spoon around in the bowl idly. “You don’t think he was killed, do you?”
He wouldn’t put it past Jin Qiuye, but even that seemed like a stretch. If Liu Xingming did the stupid thing of blabbing about his affair and mistreatment, who were they going to believe?
“There isn’t any evidence to suggest that so far. My cousin who works as the dungeon guard said Liu Xingming walked out of there with other guards. Either they escorted him back to the Capital, or they killed him outside the Imperial City. But there’s something more important I learned.”
That got his attention. He lifted his head back up, “What?”
“My cousin said there’s some strange stuff going on with the palace guards. I didn’t tell him about His Highness, but he had some suspicions that Liu Xingming and a few others are…ah, particular favorites of the Empress Dowager. He also said that their salary has been lowered, and many of the men are grumbling about the Emperor.”
Li Changyu narrowed his eyes. The treasury and grain stores should be fine. Why lower their salary?
She continued, “It may not be related but one man in particular approached him and tried talking to my cousin. He says he has no evidence, and that he could be wrong, but he felt like the man was trying to feel him out in order for him to join something.”
“Something?” He tilted his head. “Like…secret society something?”
“Possibly. That was the impression he got. Do you want me to have him look into this?”
“If he can. Ask my Mother for some money to compensate him–” Li Changyu firmly nudged Jianxian with his foot when the tiger pounced on it. “–Do you have any connections in the Ministry of Personnel?”
“Nope, sorry.” Shen Pei paused her spoon midway, eyebrows raised. “Wait, have you asked Li Wangshu?”
“That’s a brilliant idea!” Li Changyu smacked a hand on top of the table, jostling the tableware, and Jianxian let out a startled wawu. He leaned back to peek down at the greyish pair of eyes glaring up at him. Some meat bits clung to Jianxian’s whiskers, giving him a messy toddler look while Xiaoyao meticulously cleaned their face and paws with long licks as he laid down.
Li Wangshu, as a brothel owner, saw all sorts of clients – many of which were officials. Either on friendly terms, or by blackmail, Li Wangshu could help him get a set of eyes in the Ministry of Personnel which was Prince Zhang Wenru’s department. Everyone appointed in the Court and Imperial Palace went through that Ministry, which meant the Prince Uncle held a significant amount of power.
“Have Bowen send a letter asking to meet. Make sure to have it say cousin, so if anyone in the Palace reads it they believe he’s my cousin.” His friend’s running joke proved useful for once. “Is Hao Feng’s Father still in the Ministry of Revenue?”
Hao Feng was a former subordinate of Li Changyu’s in the military. He had saved his life a number of times, and vice versa. If he could confirm the state of the treasuries, it may be a clue as to what was going on with the guards salaries. If anything, Feng Hao’s Father would be a useful piece on his mental weiqi board. Trying to command a personal war inside the Palace walls was trickier than he thought.
Shen Pei’s shoulders slumped, “…I’m sorry, Yanhe, but Hao Feng is one of the men missing.”
Stricken, Li Changyu dropped his spoon in the bowl and fell back against his chair. This brings a total of fifteen missing. Three or four of the men that were on the list of missing soldiers he could dismiss as up and leaving, but the rest made little to no sense. Hao Feng also had a Wife and children. Li Changyu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
If only I could go outside these walls…His lamenting ended abruptly when Bowen burst in through the door. Jianxian was startled once more and let out a squeaky roar before bounding towards Bowen and circling his feet. Breathless and panting, Bowen awkwardly tiptoed towards them in order to avoid Jianxian’s swiping paws. He reached the table and grabbed the edge to steady himself. Bowen’s chest heaved with each breath, and miraculously he didn’t stutter as he relayed his news in a whisper to Li Changyu’s ear.
“Changyu…Huang Guifei…went into his palace…with concubine Qian Jing!”
This was the opportunity that Li Changyu had been waiting for.
Li Changyu decided to go forth with the theory that if it was Qin Yuze who poisoned him, he must be knowledgeable about herbs. If Li Changyu was someone who had a similar skill, evil, and daring enough to poison someone, it was not a stretch to think that he’d offer some services to other members of the Palace. Drugs and potions were strictly forbidden in the Harem, but such an exchange was assured mutual destruction: both the maker and the buyer, regardless of intent, would be killed. But Qin Yuze was favored by the Emperor, and the same couldn’t be said for them. This was a position he may be able to lord over the others, because would the Emperor really kill Qin Yuze? It was unlikely, and the rest of the Harem knew it.
According to the records of the Harem, a few omegas were due for their heat, and some of the women were off their period. This was a prime time for shopping at Qin Yuze’s little shop of sin. Li Changyu shot up and rushed to his room in order to change into his white robes. After letting his hair down and taking off his shoes, he was ready.
He made his way to the door out of his room, but Shen Pei blocked his path. He pointed at her, “Stay behind and guard the place. Make sure the cubs get plenty of outside time.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Yanhe, I would feel better coming along,” protested Shen Pei.
Li Changyu shook his head, “It looks less suspicious if I am alone. If I had a guard or servant, they’d blame you for letting me run around. At least there’s a level of deniability.”
At her scowl, he gave her an arched brow that was the typical Li ‘I mean business’ stare. With a heaving sigh, she relented and stepped out of his way. He passed a light wave over his shoulder as he stepped out into the chilly outdoors.
The weather didn’t compare to the north. The deserts were filled with unrelenting temperatures, both hot and cold. A man could be in the sweltering heat in the day, driving him to extreme thirst, then freeze to death by nightfall. Lifting his face up to the sky, Li Changyu peered up at the cloudy, overcast day.
The cold ground beneath his bare feet felt pleasant, grounding him in a way as he continued on his path deeper into the courtyards of the harem. He couldn’t help but reflect how different his life was now. Life and death felt so different inside four walls than in the vast wilderness. There he had many friends, but now he could only grasp onto a handful.
At least out there, you would have some breaks from the war, he sighed to himself. In here, it’s never ending.
Li Changyu had since become accustomed to the strange looks he received as he passed by people. He wondered if the servants or guards that hurried away from his path were connected with the people who poisoned him. It was hard to gauge if he had a healthy level of paranoia, or was an anxious mess. These days, playing the helpless little lamb sometimes bled into reality.
He assured himself by repeating his goal, The sooner I find those responsible, the quicker I can clear my name and get justice.
When he made the turn towards Huang Guifei’s mansion, Li Changyu took a bit more precaution. Sneaking around in the day was a lot harder than at night. Strangely, just like over at the Phoenix Palace, there were minimal guards around. He stood beside the wall to the courtyard and watched for signs of the Shadow Guard, but there was also no notice of them. Narrowing his eyes, he thought to himself.
Dismissing possible witnesses? Or is there a shift change and he’s utilizing that time?
Regardless, Li Changyu could use this to his advantage. With an easy leap, he hopped on top of the wall and darted along it till he could jump across to a rooftop. He climbed along till he reached where he estimated the receiving room to be and he laid down against the tile. He lifted one up, allowing him to peek inside. There was some noise coming from a room further inside, so he placed the tile back and scooted across. Lifting up another tile, he found the two figures alone in a room that was like a study. He got a birds eye view, and the somewhat muffled voices carried up to the rafters.
“…that is too much money,” Qian Jing, one of the few female concubines in the harem and an alpha, spoke in a raised tone.
Qin Yuze stood near a sizable iron furnace and stirred some sandy, herbal looking contents inside it with a large spoon. He was dressed lavishly as usual, but his long sweeping white hair was down instead of its usual complicated updo. When Qin Yuze spoke, it sounded nothing like the sweet, honeyed voice that he used around Jin Xiyan.
“If you are unwilling to pay the price,” drawled Qin Yuze, “then quit wasting my time. I am sure you can use your own charms to seduce His Majesty.”
“B-but…” Qian Jing approached Qin Yuze, her hands outstretched and palms up. “Huang Guifei, I don’t have anything near the amount you ask for.”
Qian Jing, he noticed, had a lot less finery on her. If Li Changyu recalled correctly, she was the orphaned niece of a lower official. As a long term concubine, she did not get much of a salary, and probably didn’t have much of her own dowry to dip into, either. The only expensive piece on her seemed to be a set of earrings she wore, which were most likely a gift from Jin Xiyan.
“I can only offer you my loyalty,” she bargained while she pleaded. “I swear, if I give birth to an heir, I’ll–”
“You’ll what?” Qin Yuze stilled his head and tilted his head towards her. “Forget about our arrangement the moment you become a Dowager? No. Helping you does nothing for me.”
“I have information about Chen Ziwei!” she blurted, then smacked her hand over her lips. Even from this high, Li Changyu can see her trembling.
This must have caught Qin Yuze’s attention, because he took the spoon out and set it aside on the table next to the furnace. He glided over to her, his long robes dragging along the ground, and that innocent voice appeared.
“What sort of information, dear? It must be something very serious for you to be so frightened…please, have a seat before you tire yourself.”
Qin Yuze gently guided Qian Jing to a nearby chair. She wrung her hands together, her head bowed low. Chen Ziwei was the male beta consort to Jin Xiyan – a title he shared with his sister, and it was a position just below Qin Yuze’s own as Huan Guifei. Nothing more than a boy toy since he can’t procreate, Chen Ziwei had less responsibility within the harem. Chen Ziwei and his sister were always with Qin Yuze, and looked thick as conniving thieves.
Friendship, apparently, meant nothing amongst the harem.
“You…you have to understand, I could be implicated in wrongdoing by sharing this with you.” Qian Jing spoke so softly that Li Changyu had to strain to hear her words.
“My dear, I promise that whatever I share with His Majesty, no harm will come to you.”
There were hushed sounds of crying, “I…I was out past curfew. I know I should not have been, but I had been cooped up inside and been so frustrated that His Majesty hadn’t visited in so long that I…”
Qin Yuze laid a hand on the top of her head and gently stroked it. Her shoulders sagged and lifted her sleeve to her face, probably to wipe some tears.
“I was planning on sneaking in to see His Majesty. You have to pass the twins’ yards before you get to Maple Hall and…well…I heard something…” Her tone darkened, “It sounded suspicious, and I was scared so I stopped and hid beside a tree. There were more sounds and when I peeked in, I could see shapes in the window. I looked and…”
“…And?”
“Chen Ziwei was in the arms of one of His Majesty’s cousins. I forgot who…he’s the one that is a Marquis of Daren. I remember him from His Majesty’s birthday.”
Li Changyu could tell the wheels were turning inside Qin Yuze’s head. This was damning information. Just because Chen Ziwei couldn’t conceive didn’t mean he wasn’t under the same constraints as the rest of them. He was Jin Xiyan’s property, and for another man to have his property touched…
This could be a death sentence for Chen Ziwei, even if he’s a noble. Li Changyu shook his head sadly. That cousin will only get a slap on the wrist.
“Qian Jing, you are so very, very brave,” Qin Yuze lathered on the praise. “Thank you for sharing this with me. It shows you trust me, and I in turn can trust you.”
Qian Jing raised her head and again used her sleeve. “R-really?”
“Mmm…” Qin Yuze hummed and turned, heading towards his furnace. He went around the table and pulled out a plain looking sachet from a drawer and picked up the spoon. Qin Yuze ladled some of the herbal concoction into the sachet and pulled the string tight to close it.
He motioned for Qian Jing to rise and she did so, approaching him hesitantly with stiff steps. Qin Yuze offered her the sachet.
“Burn this aphrodisiac in your incense burner,” he explained. “It affects alphas, so you might react to it too.”
“I’ll be careful,” Qian Jing promised and took the pouch with a giddy eagerness that made Li Changyu’s blood boil. She hung it from her waist sash. “Thank you, thank you so much, Huang Guifei.”
Hmph! Li Changyu clenched his teeth together to keep himself from making any noise that might alert them to his spying. These two, conspiring to basically drug the Emperor!
The pair walked away towards the door of the room, and presumably were going to leave the building. Li Changyu set the tile back in place and lifted his head to peek around. With the coast clear, Li Changyu hopped up and ran down the length of the roof to the eaves and leapt off. He landed on his feet into Qin Yuze’s yard at the same time he heard voices approaching.
He whirled around and in a rush, he headed towards the entrance to Qin Yuze’s mansion. The two were still chatting by the time he reached them, with Qin Yuze doing a double take. Li Changyu pretended to stumble and Qin Yuze went wide eyed and stepped away to avoid him. He wasn’t the target however, and he fell against Qian Jing. She let out a yelp and fumbled while Li Changyu deftly grabbed the sachet and tucked it into his own sleeve before finally collapsing onto his knees. Qian Jing found her footing quickly and did not fall.
“How dare you enter here without a call!” Qin Yuze hissed and rounded on Li Changyu to stand in front of him. From his kneeling position, Li Changyu lifted his head to look up at him.
“I needed to speak to Huang Guifei,” rasped Li Changyu. Back was his pitiful act, playing the innocent one just as well as Qin Yuze could.
It was probably because of his own acting abilities that Qin Yuze could see right through his ploy. His dark eyes stood out against his pale lashes and brows, all set into a scowl with his sneer as he addressed Li Changyu.
“Oh really? Are you here to spout some of your nonsense?” Qin Yuze sniffed and turned his nose up. “His Majesty already told me all about your accusations.” He glanced at the gawking Qian Jing next, “Our little Empress has slandered me by saying I poisoned him and caused him to miscarry.”
What? Li Changyu’s heart skipped a beat. His jaw went slack and he blinked up at Qin Yuze. Why—
Qin Yuze interrupted his thoughts, “Surprised? Of course he would tell me. He wanted to reassure me that he heard it already, and that if rumors floated about, he knew not to believe them.”
His hands, which had been on his knees, bunched the fabric of his robes into tight fists. Heat rushed to his cheeks and there was a mix of feelings that welled inside his chest. Anger? Jealousy? Li Changyu couldn’t put a name to it, but it made his hands tremble.
“Nothing to say for yourself?” Qin Yuze hummed and swept their frost colored hair back over their shoulders and away from their face. “I didn’t do it, if that’s what you’re thinking. Your baby was probably just doing you a favor.”
Qian Jing finally moved her gaping mouth, “Hua-huang Guifei…”
“What? We’ve all said it.” The corner of Qin Yuze’s wicked mouth quirked up. “It probably didn’t want to be born to an ugly and barbaric Mother in the first place.”
Li Changyu surged up onto his feet and snatched the front of Qin Yuze’s robes in a blink of an eye. Qian Jing let out a cry and for a split second, Qin Yuze’s eyes looked appropriately frightened. Li Changyu raised his hand and brought it down across Qin Yuze’s cheek with a loud resounding smack. He let Qin Yuze fall from the force, where he fell in a heap with a hand cupping the side of his reddened face. Li Changyu towered over him.
“Get up,” he ordered. Qin Yuze’s lip trembled and, dissatisfied with how slow he was moving, Li Changyu reached for his robes again and hoisted him up. He slapped him on the other cheek so both sides matched and shoved Qin Yuze.
Qian Jing’s second cry drew his attention, as did the sound of metal and pounding feet. He felt his arms seized before he could see who it was. Pain shot up his shoulders as his arms were wrenched behind him and he was forced to kneel. Guards had arrived and two of them held Li Changyu back.
“Qin Yuze!” shouted a familiar voice. All three Wives heads turned to see Jin Xiyan storm into the courtyard, his eyes ablaze.
Before he could open his mouth, Jin Xiyan had made his way across and was in front of him. Time moved slowly as Li Changyu watched Jin Xiyan raise his hand and bring his palm down. He didn’t even blink when it came close, staring directly at it until it struck his cheek. The blow was hard enough to make his teeth rattle and he bit his own tongue. Bitter, metallic blood spilled against the inside of his cheek.
As quickly as he had come to hit him, Jin Xiyan rushed to Qin Yuze’s side. He bent down to gently take both of Qin Yuze’s hands into his and help him stand. Qin Yuze cast a sidelong glance at Li Changyu, the smugness legible all over his face. At the last second when he was on his feet, Qin Yuze stumbled and let out a whimper. He leaned into Jin Xiyan and looked up at him with wide eyes.
“I…I think I hurt my ankle,” he whispered hoarsely. The pitiful cadence in his voice grated on Li Changyu’s nerves.
Jin Xiyan wrapped an arm around him, easily supporting Qin Yuze’s miniature frame. He gently cupped the side of Qin Yuze’s swelling face then did something that Li Changyu never expected to happen. Jin Xiyan bent forward and placed soft kisses on Qin Yuze’s mouth. Jin Xiyan’s own words echoed loudly inside his head.
“I don’t kiss on the lips. That shows favoritism.”
Qian Jing, who stepped far away from the couple, politely turned her head away from the display of affection. Telling by her frown, she also understood the implication of this. Jin Xiyan was openly displaying his affection for Qin Yuze, and it seemed like it was something they often did.
A bitterness began to shutter his heart, building up a thick enough barrier to try and shut out the ache. He lied, he realized. He lied to me about kissing.
The kiss did not end quickly enough, but Jin Xiyan did eventually pull away and looked back at him. His glare would have stung if Li Changyu could feel something in that moment.
“Get out of my sight before I do something I regret,” warned Jin Xiyan.
The guards hoisted him up, not letting Li Changyu even reply. With what, Li Changyu didn’t know, but he instinctively wanted to shoot back with some smart remark. The two guards brought him over to the gate of the mansion and literally tossed Li Changyu out. He landed unsteadily on his feet, but was given another quick shove by one of the guards.
“Go on! Get out of here!” the armed man bellowed.
Li Changyu wiped the blood that dribbled out of the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He glared over his shoulder, but the guards had left to go back inside the yard. He straightened himself out and tried to gather his thoughts while his head protested the blood rushing to it. A headache made his temples throb and tears stung at the corner of his eyes.
Then, feeling eyes on him, Li Changyu lifted his head to find no one there. The hair prickled on the back of his neck, and his instinct told him to flee, so he did. He rushed down towards the path that led to the barracks, but took a sharp turn so he could go to the pond. Li Changyu wanted to be alone for a little bit longer before he had to face Shen Pei and the others.
At the pond, he crept as close to the muddy bank as he dared with his bare feet. He squatted, sitting on his heels, and stared at the murky water. His reflection was poor, but he tried to examine it as best as he could. He pushed his bangs out from his eyes and looked closely.
Am I…ugly? The reddened, puffy cheek wasn’t too pretty, but it was a question he never really wrestled with as an adult. When under a helmet, soldiers all looked the same. Yes, superiors used to call him pretty boy to demean him as he served and had to work to be taken seriously, but this was the first time he’d been called ugly.
He let his bangs fall back down and pushed up his sleeves, looking at his scarred arm and a few other knicks on the other. He understood that these were a bit unseemly to most people, which is why he tried to hide them from Jin Xiyan at first.
The more he stressed about his appearance, the more he felt himself sinking. His mind kept circling back to the kiss Qin Yuze and Jin Xiyan shared, and his hand unconsciously reached up to touch his own. He took a deep breath in and let it out, his hand trickling down to rest at the small stone pendant of his necklace. He played with it between his fingers as he thought.
In a matter of seconds, Jin Xiyan became nothing more than a stranger to Li Changyu. He wasn’t a Husband, a lover, or even a friend or acquaintance. He was just…the Emperor now. Li Changyu was just one out of hundreds of thousands that were under his rule. He began to even second guess his childhood, wondering if all along that maybe he imagined something there. Tears stung in his eyes at the thought. Perhaps there wasn’t any special treatment from Jin Xiyan, and maybe what he thought was a kiss all along…
Wasn’t really a kiss? Li Changyu’s sore heart twisted inside his chest and he brought his hand back up to touch his forehead. Drops fell on his hand, which he thought were his tears that flowed down first, but something wet started to cover his head. Lifting it, he examined the sky which had become cloudy. Gentle rain started, but soon thick drops fell against his face, mixing with his tears.
He lowered his head and watched the drops fall and made ripples across the pond. When he habitually touched the necklace once more, a flash of resentment and anger welled up in him. Li Changyu was reminded again what the necklace was for, and he gave it a firm tug. The red cord snapped easily under the strain and he looked at the stone in his palm.
There is no baby for it to protect, and it sure as hell hasn’t given me any luck. Wrapping his fingers around it, Li Changyu gave it a tight squeeze. He stood up and reared his arm back to throw it like he was casting a skipping stone. It whizzed in the air, the cord whipping about until the stone landed with a plunk on the surface of the water. The stone sank immediately, leaving behind ripples that mixed with the falling rain.
The air and wet clothes made him shudder. It was too chilly now, and without any umbrella, Li Changyu dipped his feet in the mud to get to one of the giant lily pads. He yanked one up by the stem and snapped it. He held the giant leaf like an umbrella, and it did a decent job shielding him from the rain.
Li Changyu made the lonely trek back to the Phoenix Palace, knowing that he had to admit defeat.
It is to the author’s credit that you’re able to stir up this much emotion in me. Lord, but I’m livid. Listen, Li Changyu needs to learn that only people who desire to be saved are to be helped cause that emperor…. Bruh. Vexing.
Someone once said to me “Domino your story isn’t free, it’s paid for by tears.”
It really is 😭😭😭
if you have twitter, hit me up I have a present for you. @letsplaydominos – or discord, letsplaydominos#6504
Runs to Twitter I’m still reeling from this last chapter.
I’m so upset…. aaaaaah! The angst!
I look forward to body swap. This emperor…. ugh! I know I know his memory is faulty and is manipulated. But still….
Thanks for reminding me about the body swap and pulling my heart out of the pond 😢. Because ow.
Yes! It will come up soon! …after some more pain.
Still m0re pain…. ????
I have to say I’m so invested in this story. I’m on tenterhooks and the suspense is killing me slowly.. I cant wait for the light…
You’ve done a wonderful job writing
😊
Ah, ah! Here are tissues!!
Ahh thank you for your praise!
WHAT!! there’s a body swap … Who swap with who.. or I’ll go read synopsis again
My heart is breaking for Li Changyu. Betrayal on so many levels by Jin Xiyan. The manipulation and mind games played on him are not an excuse.
hands out tissues
I know right he keeps hearing from others that he knew LinChangyu, the least he could do is have someone investigate the relationship. My poor baby 😭😭😭
My thoughts exactly 🤧
This chapter made me cry.. Why he has to suffer so much to protect his love who didn’t even remember him and the promise they made😭😭😭😭😭
hands even more tissues
Domino, I am trusting you with this. You’re a strong and talented writer with a gift for creating empathetic characters and for getting readers to care…so I am trusting you. I know you are telling us a good story and I must be patient…it is just I really wannacuttabish.
So on top of the “accident”, losing his memories and having them replaced, Jin Xiyan is being used as a weapon to break his Empress. As much as Li Changyu has been wronged, he still has his people. Qin Yuze is just like those predators that isolate their victims so they have nobody else.
THANK you for once again emphasizing the evil that is Qin Yuze
if you have twitter, hit me up I have a present for you. @letsplaydominos – or discord, letsplaydominos#6504
I sent you a Discord message!
I really can’t take it ..it stings …aching my heart so much for li changyu
hides the knife used to stab feelings
Whenever I read JXY’s action i cant see him worthy for LCY. So heartbreaking.
Thanks for the chapter
I will say there is a significant reason the kiss is so out of the blue.
All shall be revealed.
(many chapters from now)
Sigh . Even if i want to stab JXY i believe in you author sama.
should I be a kind author and drop a chapter early?
Just stick to your plans. The flow of the story is actually very good.
Esto sucedió para abrirle los ojos. El emperador también es su enemigo. Debería tratar de pensar un modo de escapar de ese palacio. Hacerse pasar por muerto, o algo así. Su amor no es correspondido. No vale tanto dolor.☹
recuerde que JXY está bajo la influencia de QYZ. Trate de encontrar algo de perdón 🙁
Me dolió mucho el sufrimiento de Li Changhu. ¡Esperaré ansiosa los próximos capítulos! Pero quisiera ver un indicio de cariño de parte de YXY.🥰
How I wish he get twice the pain he’s giving to our changyu ahhh… Tho it’ll hurt me again but he really need to pay for it..
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
I saw your other comment – yes, there is a body swap! Our MC and ML will swap bodies.
I know the emperor’s memory has been tampered with ,I really do but I seriously wanna punch him hard for What he’s making changyu go through 😭 am I bad person to want xiyan to be extremely jealous in the future
You are not bad, and trust me, he will be insanely jealous.
I’m so looking forward sensei!
Waiting for it patiently, thanks for the update!
The best news i got.. i really want JXY to feel pain *insert evil laugh
I’ve read this twice now and it still freakin hurts 😠
are you a glutton for punishment?! 😣
Li Changyu is the most disrespected Empress in history. Even guards yell at him and talk down on him. Aaarrrgggh….so mad and hurt. Why did I read this first thing in the morning 😢
Never read my book first thing in the AM. it will ruin everything./
I recognize the need for content/trigger warnings, but is there any way they can be concealed in a spoiler tag labeled content warnings for each chapter? I got spoiled on the miscarriage (It was obvious that it was coming, but I didn’t need a specific warning in the chapter) by a trigger warning and it really hurts my enjoyment of the story.
Sure, I can take that into consideration. I wanted to be very up front and apparent when it was happening, because of the nature of the trigger, and also as you pointed out – it was obvious I was gearing up for it. Sorry if it spoiled your reading experience.
Hey, thanks for the response! I don’t mean to say that I’m not enjoying the story – keep up the good work! Thanks for thinking about it, even if you don’t end up implementing that change. I understand that there are some sensitive topics for people and I’d hate for someone to be surprised by something they’d rather not read.
It’s no problem! I know there will really only be one more chapter that needs a major content warning, but it won’t be coming up until about two weeks.
I’m not kidding, I felt like they gave me poison to drink, turned me into a human pig, and threw me into the endless abyss of svss :)))))) I don’t want revenge I just want murder
I like how my heart beats fast in this chp..
Dear author, you’re doing such a great job with your novel and characters that i’m starting to be angry at you the most haha. I can’t stomach any more pain for my baby Li Changyu but i really hope the stupid emperor gets to suffer 10x more pain. He deserves nothing but horrible things happening to him and memory loss or not he doesnt deserve Li Changyu’s love.
Hello new reader! Oh gosh I am sorry (not sorry) about you being angry with me now. Trust me, our emperor redeems himself!
Someone can borrow me tissues? Bcs i cry so much