Chapter 18

Xiao Changyuan hunted two musk deer in the deep mountains and also discovered a hawthorn tree laden with fruit.
They picked a good amount of hawthorn berries.
Yun Pianpian wanted to make candied hawthorn sticks to sell in the county town.
But she had no rock sugar at home, and the town market didn't sell it, so she had to make a trip to the county.
After lunch, Yun Pianpian went to Xie Yu's house and arranged to ride with him to the county town the next day to buy rock sugar, along with some daily necessities.
Xie Yu agreed with a smile.
Returning home, Yun Pianpian took the pinecones from the bamboo basket and laid them out in the sun to dry, letting all the scales open up. Once the pinecones were fully dried, she could extract the pine nuts, roast them, and enjoy them as snacks.
The next day, Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan hitched a ride with Xie Yu to the county town.
Every time they went to the county, Yun Pianpian would cover Xiao Changyuan's face with soot from the bottom of a pot, and he had grown accustomed to it.
After arriving in the county, they handed over their game to Xie Yu to sell.
Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan went to the market and bought quite a few things, rock sugar, white sugar, sesame seeds, honey, and bamboo skewers, all materials needed for making candied hawthorn sticks. As they continued shopping, Yun Pianpian suddenly noticed a missing person notice posted on a stone wall.
The portrait depicted an aloof and handsome man.
Yun Pianpian walked over.
The person being sought in the notice was Prince Zheng, twenty years old, severely injured, with a reward of three hundred taels of gold.
Yun Pianpian overheard several commoners behind her murmuring among themselves.
“When did our Mo Kingdom get a Prince Zheng?”
“I've never heard of him. Could he be the old emperor's illegitimate son?”
“Why is the tyrant looking for him?”
“Maybe to eliminate any potential threats?”
Hearing the disrespectful tone these commoners used when speaking of Xiao Changyuan, Yun Pianpian felt a slight pang in her heart.
In the original story, Xiao Changyuan unified the five kingdoms, achieving merit for Mo Kingdom, but he committed crimes against the common people of the world.
At that time, the five kingdoms had been at peace for thirteen years. The commoners didn't want war, who ruled the world made little difference to them. But Emperor Zhaoyan, for his own selfish desires, launched a war, shattering the peace that had lasted thirteen years.
For those two years, war raged everywhere, people were displaced, and the land was filled with suffering.
Military funds, grain reserves, and heavy taxes further burdened the people of Mo Kingdom beyond endurance.
The common people hated Emperor Zhaoyan for starting the war, and they equally despised Xiao Changyuan, who led the campaign personally.
Within half a year of ascending the throne, Xiao Changyuan executed the twelve meritorious officials of Yinglan Hall. Such atrocities made him a target of universal condemnation.
“If it's really about eliminating threats, then why hasn't the tyrant moved against Prince Rui all these years?”
“Who knows? Xiao Changyuan is eccentric, cruel, and bloodthirsty. The palace is often drenched in blood, with corpses littering the grounds.”
“Shh! How can you utter the emperor's name directly?! That's a grave offense!”
“If you don't tell, and I don't tell, how would that tyrant know I'm talking about him.”
Xiao Changyuan turned around upon hearing this and looked at the commoner who had just uttered the emperor’s name directly.
His handsome, jade, like face remained expressionless.
Yun Pianpian: “...” Sir, the tyrant not only knows you’re talking about him, but he’s also staring right at you.
The commoner seemed to sense Xiao Changyuan’s gaze. Though unaware of his true identity, the man felt a chill down his spine under the weight of that dark, intense stare. He quickly tugged at his companion’s sleeve, his face pale, and hurriedly left the scene.
Only after they had gone did Xiao Changyuan turn back, his deep, cold gaze settling on Yun Pianpian.
“Wife, who is Xiao Changyuan?”
Yun Pianpian: “...” That’s such a philosophical question, let me think it over carefully.
Noticing some onlookers nearby, Yun Pianpian hastily covered Xiao Changyuan’s thin lips with her hand and lowered her voice.
“Shh, you can’t mention that name. It’s a grave offense.”
Xiao Changyuan frowned. Her palm was warm and soft as if boneless, pressed against his dry lips.
A tingling sensation, like an electric shock, spread from his lips.
Feeling inexplicably unsettled, Xiao Changyuan gently removed her hand from his mouth.
“That name feels somewhat familiar.”
Yun Pianpian: “...” How could it not be?
It’s your name, after all.
Yun Pianpian tugged at Xiao Changyuan’s sleeve. “Come closer, I’ll whisper it to you.”
Xiao Changyuan obediently lowered his head.
Yun Pianpian leaned in. “Xiao Changyuan is the emperor of Mo Kingdom. It’s a capital offense to speak the emperor’s name directly. You must never mention it in front of others again, understand?”
Her lips were only an inch away from his ear.
Her warm, moist breath brushed against his sensitive ear, stirring a strange feeling within him.
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly and looked at Yun Pianpian.
“What happens if we commit such an offense?”
Yun Pianpian’s heart raced, terrified that hearing his own name might trigger his memories. Her face pale, she replied, “If anyone finds out we’ve disrespected the emperor, he’ll have our heads chopped off and thrown from the city gates.”
Hearing the fear in Yun Pianpian’s voice, Xiao Changyuan straightened up, his dark eyes fixed intently on her pale face.
“Are you afraid of him?”
Yun Pianpian nodded hurriedly, her face ashen.
“He is truly terrifying.”
Xiao Changyuan pressed his thin lips together and comforted her, “Wife, don't be afraid. I will protect you.”
Yun Pianpian: “...”
That statement was utterly unconvincing.
If you don’t kill me after regaining your memory, I’ll be thanking my lucky stars.
How could I possibly expect you to save me?
Xiao Changyuan turned his face to look at the missing person notice.
“Who is Prince Zheng?”
Yun Pianpian paused briefly and said, “I’ve never heard of him before.”
While the common people had no idea who Prince Zheng was, Yun Pianpian knew the truth.
Prince Zheng was merely a pawn used by Prince Rui to conceal his true intentions.
In the original story, after Xiao Changyuan fell off a cliff and his fate remained unknown, Prince Rui seized the opportunity to take control of the court, becoming the regent.
Prince Rui was Xiao Changyuan’s half-brother. For years, he had lived in Xiao Changyuan’s shadow, surviving by depending on his goodwill.
After Xiao Changyuan’s accident, Prince Rui eagerly took over his empire.
To avoid causing unrest in the court, Prince Rui did not publicly announce Xiao Changyuan’s accident after assuming the regency. Instead, he claimed that Xiao Changyuan had caught a chill during an inspection tour and was now bedridden, recuperating in seclusion.
Prince Rui sent people to post notices in every province and county, using the search for Prince Zheng as a pretext to hunt for Xiao Changyuan’s whereabouts.
But Prince Rui was not searching out of concern for Xiao Changyuan’s well, being.
He was merely worried that his position as regent was not secure enough.
A year later, with Chu Yi’s assistance, Prince Rui ascended the throne as emperor.
Later, Xiao Changyuan regained his memories and fought his way back to the capital.
Within the imperial city, the political landscape shifted unpredictably. Countless people rose to power, and countless others fell.
But all of this was merely paving the way for Chu Yi.
In the end, the empire would belong to the male protagonist, Chu Yi.
But why should the empire belong to Chu Yi?
A flicker of resentment stirred in Yun Pianpian’s heart.
Why should the kingdom her tyrant had painstakingly built be handed over to a scumbag like Chu Yi?
How could a man who used women ever deserve to rule the world?
When Yun Pianpian first transmigrated into the book, she had no emotional attachment to this world. Her only goal was to complete the system’s tasks and return home.
But now, she had come to feel the reality of this world. Immersed in its events, it was no longer just a fictional novel to her, it was the genuine fate of countless people, the intertwined lives shaped by destiny.
She did not want Xiao Changyuan to die at Chu Yi’s hands, she wanted to change Xiao Changyuan’s fate.
She would seize Chu Yi’s opportunities.
Yun Pianpian’s fingers, hidden in her sleeves, slowly clenched into fists.
She would make Xiao Changyuan an undefeated monarch.