If only I were really just an embroiderer

In the days that followed, the Embroidery Maid visited even more frequently.

Although they would part on bad terms every time the Empress was mentioned, as long as they avoided that topic, they got along exceptionally well.

It could even be said that this was the happiest and most relaxing time of Wu Lingxiao's entire life.

She gradually discovered that Ye Xuan was like a book that could never be fully read; every single page brought her new surprises and shock.

Originally, she only thought of Ye Xuan as a good-looking, stubborn, and naive young man.

But as their conversations deepened, she was astonished to find that Ye Xuan possessed an incredibly brilliant and perceptive mind.

Even though the Sweet Dew Palace was sealed off, fragments of gossip from passing maids and eunuchs still drifted in. Coupled with the Embroidery Maid occasionally leaking bits of information about the outside world's political situation to test him, Ye Xuan's responses left her, the Empress, completely dumbfounded.

Once, the Embroidery Maid casually mentioned, I heard there has been a lot of rain in the south lately. The price of grain has gone up by twenty percent, and the Zhao family is hoarding massive amounts of spirit rice.

Ye Xuan, who was pruning some flower branches, paused his scissors slightly and casually replied, The Zhao family is courting death.

Why? the Embroidery Maid asked in confusion.

With heavy rains in the south, floods are inevitable. After floods, plagues easily arise. The Zhao family hoarding spirit rice at this time might seem like they are trying to profit from a national disaster, but the head of the Zhao family is a protégé of the current Minister of Revenue.

Ye Xuan said indifferently, This move will incite public rebellion. If I were the Empress, within three days, I would definitely use this opportunity to make an example of the Zhao family under the pretext of 'stabilizing prices and providing disaster relief.' Along the way, I would weaken the Minister of Revenue's power and take back control over the salt and iron industries in the south.

Three days later.

In the imperial court, Empress Wu Lingxiao flew into a thunderous rage. Exactly as Ye Xuan had predicted, she confiscated the Zhao family's entire estate, exiled the Minister of Revenue, and reclaimed power over the south in one fell swoop.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Wu Lingxiao looked down at the officials kneeling all over the floor, yet a chill ran down her spine.

That young man she had locked away deep within the palace had seen through a scheme she had been planning for half a year, all from a single casual conversation!

What kind of terrifying political acuity was this?

What kind of breathtaking brilliance?

If he were willing to enter the court as an official, even Prime Minister Shangguan Wan'er would probably have to step aside.

But it was not just his intellect.

What fascinated the Embroidery Maid even more was Ye Xuan's insight into human nature and the concept of equality that seemed carved into his very bones.

In a place with a strict hierarchy like the imperial palace, people were divided into rigid classes.

High-ranking concubines treated low-ranking ones like weeds, and masters treated servants like pigs and dogs.

But Ye Xuan was different.

He seemed entirely devoid of the concept of high and low status.

The Embroidery Maid saw with her own eyes a little palace maid accidentally break his favorite vase. The girl was so terrified that she knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy until her forehead bled.

Any other consort would have had her dragged out and beaten to death long ago.

But Ye Xuan simply walked over, helped the trembling little maid up, took out his own handkerchief to wipe her blood, and said gently, Broken is broken, it's just a dead object. Does your hand hurt? Be careful next time, don't hurt yourself.

At that moment, the little maid cried her heart out, swearing to serve Ye Xuan like a beast of burden for the rest of her life.

Then there were the guards.

The guards of the Sweet Dew Palace were all imperial soldiers at the Body Integration realm, every one of them arrogant and aloof.

But Ye Xuan would often just pull up a stool and sit at the door, chatting with them. They talked about the wine from their hometowns, their children's studies, and the bottlenecks in their cultivation.

It did not take long before the way these cold-blooded imperial guards looked at Ye Xuan changed. It was no longer the gaze meant for a prisoner, but the look given to a brother.

The most outrageous part was the other consorts in the inner palace.

Logically speaking, since Ye Xuan monopolized the Sweet Dew Palace, he should have been seen as public enemy number one.

But on this day, the Embroidery Maid, hiding in the shadows, witnessed a shocking scene.

Several lower-ranking male favorites sneaked outside the walls of the Sweet Dew Palace. They were not there to hurl insults, nor were they there to poison him.

Brother Xuan, these are osmanthus cakes I made myself, have a taste.

Young Master Ye, that sheet music you taught me last time, I've mastered it. When can you give me some more pointers?

Brother Xuan, the Empress hasn't visited this month, can we play cards together?

Ye Xuan leaned over the wall, holding an osmanthus cake, smiling and chatting enthusiastically with this group of rivals in love.

He remembered everyone's name, knew everyone's preferences, and even comforted those who had fallen out of favor, teaching them how to live more comfortably in the palace.

Don't always keep your eyes glued to the Empress alone.

Ye Xuan imparted his treasonous ideas while munching on the pastry. She's just a woman, busy, tired, and with a terrible temper to boot. You need to live your own lives. Zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, planting flowers, raising birds—which of these isn't more interesting than serving her? We're all miserable people here, why make things difficult for each other?

The consorts below the wall nodded repeatedly, their eyes full of admiration.

The Embroidery Maid in the shadows was speechless.

She felt her entire worldview collapsing.

Was this the palace drama she had expected?

Was this the isolation she feared Ye Xuan would suffer?

This kid was an absolute devil!

He possessed a terrifying magic, a gentle equality originating from the depths of his soul that could melt away all hostility.

Wherever he was, that place became the center.

If he wanted to, he could even turn the entire inner palace into his own territory.

Looking at the young man smiling brightly on the wall, glowing in the sunlight, the Embroidery Maid only felt her heart beating faster than ever before.

If one ignored status and cultivation.

This man was so perfect he hardly seemed to belong in the mortal world.

He was frighteningly intelligent, yet possessed a pure and sincere heart.

He saw through the malice of human nature, yet still chose to treat people with gentleness.

He was stuck in the mud, yet lived cleaner than anyone else.

Ye Xuan...

The Embroidery Maid muttered to herself, pressing a hand against her chest.

There, a never-before-felt palpitation was growing wildly.

At this moment.

Empress Wu Lingxiao, who owned the entire world, actually had an absurd thought.

If... if I really were just an Embroidery Maid.

How wonderful that would be.

Spring passed and summer arrived; the sound of cicadas outside the Sweet Dew Palace grew louder.

For most people deep within the palace, the days remained dull and oppressive.

But for Wu Lingxiao, this period was the most incredible dream of her long imperial life.

She visited more and more frequently.

At first, it was every few days, then it became every other day. Now, as long as she had a moment of free time from state affairs, even late at night, she would don that rough linen disguise, transform into the Embroidery Maid, and hurry to the Sweet Dew Palace carrying a jug of warm wine or a few dishes of snacks.

There, it had become his paradise.

As long as she stepped into that courtyard, she was no longer the Great Xia Empress who needed to constantly maintain her dignity and weigh pros and cons, but just an ordinary, even somewhat vulgar laundry worker.

She would tell Ye Xuan about things happening outside.

Did you hear? Wang Ermazi, who sells flatbread on the West Street, got his legs broken yesterday for peeking at a widow taking a bath.

And that Vice Minister of Rites... oh no, that big official's house, I heard his concubine ran off with the stable boy, causing a huge uproar in the city.

Ye Xuan always listened very seriously.

He would sit cross-legged on the couch, holding a handful of melon seeds. He would laugh without any regard for his image when he heard something funny, and frown in indignation when he heard of injustice.

When it was Ye Xuan's turn to speak, the topic never strayed from his dreams.

"Sister, once my cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment realm, I'll be confident enough to break the restrictions on that side door."

Ye Xuan pointed at the imperial palace defense map he had drawn countless times, his eyes sparkling with longing.

"When the time comes, we'll head south to Jiangnan first. I heard the lotus flowers are blooming beautifully there. We can rent a small boat, drift on the lake, drink some wine, and sleep. Then we'll go to the northern deserts; I want to see the legendary auroras."

The Embroidery Maid propped up her chin, watching him quietly.

When Ye Xuan imagined his life after leaving the palace, his entire being seemed to glow.

This light was too dazzling, stinging her eyes until they ached.

She knew this defense map was fake. She knew that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could never break a restriction set by a Tribulation Transcendence expert. And she knew better than anything else—she would never let him go.

"Do you really want to leave that badly?"

On this day, the Embroidery Maid's voice carried a trace of imperceptible gloom.

She set down her wine cup and looked out at the overcast sky, shattering Ye Xuan's fantasies.

"Do you have any idea what the world outside is like right now?"

"What's wrong?" Ye Xuan asked.

"There is a war," the Embroidery Maid said coldly. "The Great Xia Immortal Dynasty has gone to war with the Heavenly Wolf Divine Dynasty in the north. The borders stretch for tens of thousands of miles, and it is all a battlefield. Countless cultivators fall every single day."

"The imperial court has issued a conscription decree. All rogue cultivators and sect disciples—as long as they have cultivation—are being forcibly drafted into the army. Those low-level rogue cultivators without any background are nothing but cannon fodder when they go, mere meat shields used to fill the front lines."

The Embroidery Maid looked at Ye Xuan, a mocking curve forming at the corner of her lips.

"If you were to leave now, you would run right into the conscription decree. Back when you were just in the Qi Condensation realm, you might have been able to eke out a living. But now that you cultivate the Nine Turns Nirvana Sutra and your cultivation has advanced, you are the perfect material to be sent to the vanguard to die."

"Staying here may lack freedom, but at least you are clothed in silk and fed with delicacies, with no threats to your life. Do you still want to leave?"

She thought this bucket of cold water would extinguish Ye Xuan's enthusiasm.

However, Ye Xuan remained silent for a moment. The light in his eyes did not dim; instead, it gained a hint of yearning.

"Even if it means being cannon fodder..."

Ye Xuan said softly, his tone carrying a startling sense of envy.

"At least, they are free."

"Free?"

The Embroidery Maid's voice suddenly rose, as if she had just heard a ridiculous joke. "Forcibly conscripted, herded onto the battlefield like pigs and dogs, and having their heads chopped off with a single blade—you call that freedom? They cannot escape, and they will not survive!"

"I don't mean the freedom to escape."

Ye Xuan shook his head. He stood up and walked to the window. As he looked at the square patch of sky, his back was as straight as a pine.

"I mean... the freedom to die in battle."

"To die on the path of a charge, to die under the enemy's blade, with my blood spilled across the vast earth and my soul returning to the heavens. That is dying as a warrior."

"Instead of being like I am now..."

Ye Xuan turned around and pointed at the luxurious yet suffocating palace, offering a miserable smile.

"Growing old and dying in this gilded cage as a pet. Or waiting for the day the Empress gets bored of me and grants me death with a cup of poisoned wine in some dark corner."

"If I had to choose, I would rather die on the front lines. Even if my corpse is left without a trace, I want to die in the wind, die in the light."

The Embroidery Maid's hands suddenly clenched her hem.

Her nails pierced her palms, and blood seeped out, but she felt no pain.

She only felt as though a massive hand had ruthlessly gripped her heart, crushing it to pieces.

She had given him the best protection, shielding him from the storms of blood and gore in the outside world. Yet in his eyes, this so-called protection was not even as satisfying as a broken blade on a battlefield.

"You... are truly a madman."

The Embroidery Maid gritted her teeth, her eyes turning red. Dropping these words, she fled from the Sweet Dew Hall in a wretched state.