Kill That Transmigrator Woman - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Which Heartless Bastard?

Dongfang Mosang, jolted awake by a basin of bone-piercing cold water, tumbled off the bed with a thud.

He propped himself up with his arms, half-lying on the ground, coughing uncontrollably.

Who knew what heartless bastard had poured that freezing water all over him in the middle of the night?
The cold water had rushed into his lungs through his nasal passages, choking him into a fit of coughing, even bringing tears to the corners of his eyes.

The frail youth took a long while before he managed to crawl up from the floor. Swaying unsteadily, he clung to the bed’s edge and slowly stood upright. His hair, his clothes, and even that thin, flimsy quilt were all soaked through.

Though winter was nearly over, it wasn’t yet warm spring. His body was never strong to begin with. Now that he’d taken such a hit, if he didn’t fall ill tomorrow, it’d be a miracle of ancestral proportions.

Dongfang Mosang raised his head. His bed had originally been in the only spot in this shabby little hut that didn’t leak.

Now, who knew who had done it, but someone with such a malicious heart had even pried away a large section of his already-pathetic roof.

Dongfang Mosang pressed his lips together. His fists clenched tightly at his sides.

If it weren’t for the ill fate he was born with…
If it weren’t for his utter lack of power…
If he had the title of prince and the fortune of one…
He wouldn’t have spent all these years hiding away in this filthy, desolate place, barely scraping by.

There had been countless times when palace maids and eunuchs had mocked him, pointed at his nose and sneered, asking why he hadn’t died yet.

A prince, even if in name only, yet forgotten in a corner of the palace, crying to the heavens with no response, calling the earth with no answer. Even the Buddha turned a blind eye, and the gods ignored his prayers.

Tonight’s incident was probably yet another maid or eunuch, wronged somewhere else, taking it out on him for sport.

Dongfang Mosang’s eyes were filled with a chilling coldness, like a rat crawling in the gutter, making one’s spine go numb.

His bones were tough. He refused to die.

If ants can cling to life, why should he submit to fate and die?

He would stay alive. As long as he was alive, there was still a sliver of hope. One day, he would crush all those people beneath his feet.

The scum who poured water on him tonight…

———

Cui Wanwan returned to her room, feeling far more pleased than she had during any of her previous outings.

Unfortunately, Dongfang Mosang had suffered far too many tortures since childhood, so that ladle of freezing water had at most made him uncomfortable for a moment, it wouldn’t kill him.

But that was fine. She hadn’t planned on letting him die so easily anyway.

Unlike her moment of satisfaction, it was already deep into the night, and Wei Qingyu still hadn’t fallen asleep.

She wore a bitter gourd face full of world-weariness as she smashed everything in the room.

Her residence was the one and only tranquil, secluded place in the entire Cui Mansion, far from where everyone else lived, so she wasn’t worried about anyone hearing the ruckus on her side.

She absolutely hated that Cui Wanwan. Tonight had been her first time stepping into the spotlight as the female lead in front of everyone.

You have to understand, apart from the pitiful male lead still stuck in the Cold Palace, all the other male supporting characters and countless handsome cannon fodder were present at the palace banquet. She had been fully prepared to amaze the crowd in one go, to dazzle the world with her dance.

She had even memorized all those ancient poems and verses in advance just so she could earn the title of a celestial beauty descended to earth and the number one talented woman of the Northern Lin Dynasty tonight.

But who would’ve thought, after all that careful rehearsal and preparation, before she even had the chance to show it off, everything turned into smoke because of just a few provoking words from Cui Wanwan?!

How could she not hate that vicious supporting female lead?

And then there was that backbiting Lin Qingqing. She knew girls like Lin Qingqing, born into noble families, a true socialite of the capital, would surely perform some sort of talent at the banquet tonight.

So she had planned to make her entrance right after Lin Qingqing’s performance. There has to be contrast for there to be impact.

She wanted to completely outshine Lin Qingqing with her full-blown female lead aura. In her heart, she had even rehearsed dozens of ways to make Lin Qingqing lose face.

But in the end, thanks to Cui Wanwan, the whole chain of butterfly effects ended in total failure.

Not only did she fail to get revenge on the people she wanted to target, but she also missed the most important opportunity of the night, causing her to lose out on a bunch of points for nothing.

The root of it all was Cui Wanwan.
Cui Wanwan, don’t let me catch you slipping.

—

The next morning, daylight poured in. The morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting a dreamy glow over the snow plum design on the rosewood table, it was dazzling to the eye.

Cui Wanwan stretched lazily. She had gone to sleep very late last night and barely caught a few hours before dawn arrived.

This was her first day in the palace—no sleeping in. She had to go greet the Empress Dowager.

She quickly washed and dressed. The Empress Dowager, worried that she might not be used to palace life, had personally assigned over a dozen palace maids and matronly attendants to care for her.

Faced with such a dark, bustling crowd, Cui Wanwan was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

To outsiders, it looked like she had entered the palace to serve the Empress Dowager.

But who would have thought, the Empress Dowager was treating her like some fragile, auspicious mascot to be pampered and worshipped.

Whether it was food, clothing, daily necessities, or her living quarters, everything was the best of the best.

Cui Wanwan couldn’t help but feel flattered, even bold enough to start wondering if the elderly Empress Dowager was experiencing some late-stage spring fever… and had taken a liking to her.

Of course, such outrageous and treasonous thoughts, Cui Wanwan only dared to think them secretly in her heart and wouldn’t dream of voicing them out loud to anyone.

After all… that would cost her her head.

When she went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, the latter was already seated before the Buddha, eyes closed and chanting sutras.

Cui Wanwan didn’t understand such things, so she didn’t dare disturb her. She simply stood obediently in a corner, waiting until the Empress Dowager finished her daily routine before approaching.

“Greetings to the Empr—” She had just bent her knees, and the words had barely left her mouth when the Empress Dowager yanked her up.

No joke, the Empress Dowager might look old, but she was surprisingly strong.

Like pulling up a radish, she lifted Cui Wanwan off the ground with one hand.

And with complete ease, too.

“What are you kneeling for? I’ll be issuing an imperial decree shortly, henceforth, Cui Wanwan of the Cui clan need not kneel to anyone except the Emperor,” the Empress Dowager said, rubbing Cui Wanwan’s cheek affectionately, her expression full of concern.

“Aiyo, have you not been eating or sleeping well here with Grandma? Look how thin your little face is.”

Cui Wanwan: “……”

Could this get any more ridiculous?

It had only been one day. How could she possibly have gotten thinner?

Clearly, the Empress Dowager’s doting affection for her had reached some kind of irrational extreme. Who knew what wild assumptions she had conjured up in her head. The look in her eyes grew more and more loving and pained, and even carried a hint of guilt.

Cui Wanwan cleared her throat, her expression a little odd, and said, “The Empress Dowager’s favor is more than I deserve. This rite of kneeling should not be abolished. I am not a meritorious minister, I cannot bear such an honor.”

“Nonsense!” the Empress Dowager’s face instantly darkened as she took Cui Wanwan’s hand and gently rubbed it in hers.

She then added, “As the old saying goes, Wanwan’s knees are made of gold, only to kneel to Heaven, Earth, and her parents. As for anyone else, there’s no need.”

Only then did Cui Wanwan realize—oh, it can get more ridiculous.

Her face twisted slightly. “Empress Dowager, I don’t think… that’s how the saying goes…”

The Empress Dowager paused. “Hmm? Is that so? I didn’t study much when I was young. The late Emperor often said I didn’t have even half a tael of ink in my belly… Ah, forget it. I’m the Emperor’s mother, whatever I say, that’s how the saying goes.”

And just like that, Cui Wanwan somehow received a baffling special honor.

From that day on, aside from the reigning Emperor, she no longer needed to kneel to anyone. A respectful greeting was enough.

When the decree reached the Emperor, he merely chuckled and waved it off, showing a completely indifferent attitude.

To the Emperor, the one knot in his mother’s heart had always been the late elder sister he barely remembered.

The Empress Dowager had conceived her eldest daughter at sixteen.
After her daughter died, it had dealt her a heavy blow.

That grief had haunted her all her life. Now, with one foot already in the grave, she had finally come across a young woman whose appearance and demeanor were so strikingly similar to that daughter… and could no longer restrain herself from projecting that shadow onto her.

The Emperor was exceptionally filial. Since the Empress Dowager’s decree caused no real harm, he let it be.

Whatever made the Empress Dowager happy, that’s what they would go with.