Chapter 62 – Ancient Era: A Dance to Enchant the City—The Emperor’s Celestial Fairy (32)
“You’ve lost weight… Have you not been eating properly?” Jiang Liangwu asked worriedly, gently pinching Bai Tang’s now thinner doll-like face. His once round cheeks had become so gaunt that his cheekbones were visible.
“I couldn’t eat…” Bai Tang listened to Jiang Liangwu’s strong and steady heartbeat. It’s so good… Ah Wu is still here.
The room was filled with warmth and tenderness.
But things were quite different elsewhere.
In the imperial palace, Wu Fanghao furiously tore apart the letter sent back by the assassins. He’s not dead. Not dead! How could he still be alive?
D*mn it… He went to Butterfly Valley, did he? Then he better not come back.
A sinister smile crept onto her face as she sent a message to her trusted aide. A few days from now, whether he comes back or not won’t matter.
…
After waking up, Jiang Liangwu stayed in Butterfly Valley to recover for a few days. During this time, Bai Shang visited Bai Tang multiple times—yet every single time, she happened to arrive just as Bai Tang was acting spoiled and playful with Jiang Liangwu.
Anyone who dares to ruin Tang Tang’s smile deserves the worst fate! The system was completely furious.
With an eerie glint in its eyes, it pulled out a straw doll, holding a gleaming silver needle. With one sharp jab, Bai Shang suddenly let out a pained cry, her delicate facade instantly shattering as she thrashed around on the floor, completely losing all composure. Strangely enough, as soon as she was carried back to her room, the symptoms vanished without a trace.
After this happened several times, Leng Qingqiu began to take notice. It seems that anyone who approaches Bai Tang with ill intent ends up suffering misfortune…
He studied Bai Tang’s adorable face thoughtfully, wondering which sect he belonged to. How could I not recognize the poison techniques he’s using?
Meanwhile, the system seemed to have developed an addiction to jabbing its straw doll. Holding it up, it eagerly asked Bai Tang, “Tang Tang, should I poke this one too?”
Whoever crosses Bai Tang will get stabbed, no exceptions. Even if Jiang Liangwu betrays him, I’ll stab him too. This world’s plot is nearly finished anyway—if worst comes to worst, I’ll just take Tang Tang to the next world.
“Qiu’er, there’s no need. He’s not a bad person.” Bai Tang still had a favorable impression of Leng Qingqiu.
“Don’t waste your points. It’s better to save them for upgrades.” Bai Tang flashed the system a sweet smile.
Ahh~ Tang Tang cares about me… Tang Tang wants me to upgrade… I am Tang Tang’s most trusted companion…
The system was utterly intoxicated with joy.
For safety reasons, Wu Xian refused to let Leng Qingqiu get close to Bai Tang. Every time he saw Bai Tang, he would wrap his arms protectively around him like a mother shielding her cub, his face full of vigilance.
“What kind of look is that?! If he keeps staring at me like that, I’ll stab him!” The system was irritated, pulling out a small straw doll, ready to take action. Bai Tang, both amused and helpless, quickly stopped him. He hadn’t come to cause trouble this time—he had something important to discuss with Wu Xian.
The assassins who had attacked earlier had all used martial arts techniques that originated from the Demon Sect.
As a favor to Leng Qingqiu, Wu Xian stroked his chin in thought before calling in his subordinates. Following the trail of recent assassination orders, they traced it all the way back to a single name—Wu Fanghao.
Bai Tang was furious. Didn’t she claim to love Jiang Liangwu? Yet she still hired assassins to kill Ah Wu?! Is she insane?!
Now that they knew Wu Fanghao was behind the scheme, and considering the recent unrest in the capital, Jiang Liangwu instantly realized her true intentions.
With the emperor absent from the capital and most of the military forces deployed to the border, the Wu family was planning a rebellion.
Understanding everything, Jiang Liangwu let out a cold, mocking laugh. These people… really don’t know their own limits. A mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. But in this case… I am both the cicada and the oriole.
…
In the capital, civil and military officials had always been at odds with each other. The Wu family, a clan of military generals, stood in direct opposition to the Prime Minister Bai’s faction, which was loyal to the emperor. The city was shrouded in an ominous tension.
Using the title of “General Who Guards the Nation,” the Wu family mobilized their private army and surrounded the capital. The citizens were gripped with fear, dreading an impending battle that could bring disaster upon their families. However, with the city now sealed off, no one could leave or enter.
…
Inside the imperial palace, Wu Fanghao moved gracefully, her every step exuding an alluring charm as she entered Cishou Palace.
“Why resist? Just hand over the imperial seal, and you can spare yourself the suffering.”
Across from her, the Empress Dowager sat, bound tightly.
With the emperor absent, the most trusted authority in the palace was none other than the Empress Dowager herself.
And the imperial seal… was undoubtedly in her hands.
The Empress Dowager burst into laughter.
“Hahahahaha… Shameless wretch! I trusted you so much in the past, but I never thought I was raising a tiger that would turn on me. You want the imperial seal? In your next life, maybe!”
She spat at Wu Fanghao’s face. Wu Fanghao’s expression darkened instantly. “So you refuse the easy way and insist on suffering instead?”
“Guards, take good care of Her Majesty.”
The palace had no shortage of brutal punishments for servants, let alone an empress dowager who refused to cooperate. The torturers strapped her fingers between crushing boards, and as the ropes were pulled tight, a piercing scream rang out, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering.
Wu Fanghao, sipping her tea, smiled with satisfaction. “Are you all weaklings? If Her Majesty isn’t satisfied, be careful not to lose your pathetic lives.”
But just as she lifted her cup to take another sip, her hand suddenly trembled, and she lost control—scalding hot tea spilled all over her.
Her hands shook violently. She realized, to her horror, that she could no longer control her own body.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” A maid stepped forward to assist her, only to be slapped to the ground with a forceful strike.
“I… I can’t control myself!” Wu Fanghao’s terrified scream echoed through the hall as her body moved on its own—forcing her to crash headfirst into a wooden pillar.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!” The palace maids, forgetting their earlier task of tormenting the Empress Dowager, rushed to stop her. But their strength was too little. Instead of restraining her, they were dragged along, tumbling into a chaotic heap.
High above, Bai Tang and the system watched from the beams of the ceiling. Only after Wu Fanghao was carried away did Bai Tang, still puffing with anger, signal for the system to stop.
Cishou Palace remained the same, yet a sense of decay and desolation now hung in the air. The only sound breaking the silence was the weak, labored breathing of the Empress Dowager.
Bai Tang leaped down from the beams, landing softly before stepping toward her. “Mother… Mother…”
The Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes. “It’s… Tang Tang…” She barely moved, but the pain from her broken fingers nearly caused her to faint.
“Mother, I’m here to rescue you.” Bai Tang hurried to untie the ropes binding her. With the restraints removed, the Empress Dowager lost her support and collapsed forward.
Bai Tang caught her just in time and steadied her fragile body. “Qiu’er, activate the map mode.”
“Got it!” The system put away the straw doll and activated the map.
The palace was a labyrinth of hidden passages, so intricate that even Jiang Liangwu didn’t know them all. But with the system’s assistance, navigating through the secret tunnels was a breeze for Bai Tang.
In about half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Bai Tang successfully brought the Empress Dowager to Tiancheng Palace.
They say the most dangerous place is the safest—Wu Fanghao had seized control of the palace, yet she never expected that the very person she sought to guard against had already returned, slipping right under her nose.
“Tang Tang, thank you.”
The Wu family had taken over the palace, making it nearly impossible for even Jiang Liangwu to extract his mother without a trace. But Bai Tang had done it.
“No need to thank me. But Mother, you look seriously injured…” Bai Tang gazed at the Empress Dowager’s wounds with concern. Then, remembering the medicinal ointments from Butterfly Valley, he quickly ran to retrieve them.
“Ah Wu, which bottle should we use?”
Once the Empress Dowager’s wounds were treated, there was no longer any reason for Jiang Liangwu to hold back.
He had already laid the groundwork beforehand—his men had planted explosives at the Wu family’s private military bases. At his command, the fuse was lit, and in an instant, the Wu family’s stronghold was reduced to ashes. Their food supplies, their army, even their vast wealth—all destroyed in the raging flames.
Before the inferno, the old General Wu knelt and wept. “It’s all gone… everything is gone… years of effort, all lost…”
With their resources and supplies obliterated, the Wu family was utterly defeated. The rebellion crumbled before it could even begin. Their leader was captured, and their private soldiers, seeing no hope, surrendered without a fight.
Jiang Liangwu, though ruthless, was not a man who slaughtered indiscriminately. Those who pledged loyalty were absorbed into the imperial forces, while those who refused to submit shared the fate of their leaders—locked up in prison, awaiting execution.
…
That day, dark clouds loomed over the capital, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed through the Meridian Gate. The thick scent of iron lingered in the air, refusing to fade…
When Wu Fanghao realized all was lost, she burst into maniacal laughter before hanging herself.
Peace returned to the capital once more.
Bai Shang accompanied Prime Minister Bai to the public execution, finally witnessing Jiang Liangwu’s so-called “cruelty.” Watching the mass beheading, Bai Shang was so terrified that she suffered from nightmares for several nights.
Staying by a man like that was far too frightening. Wu Fanghao had been his concubine, yet he had killed her without hesitation. Bai Shang, unaware of the full story behind Wu Fanghao’s demise, simply assumed that Jiang Liangwu was a ruthless and cold-blooded man who even slaughtered his own woman. That thought alone was enough to extinguish any desire she had of entering the palace.
Upon returning home, Madam Bai was overjoyed, while Prime Minister Bai, though scolding her as an unfilial daughter, couldn’t hide the concern in his eyes. Feeling the warmth of her parents’ love again, Bai Shang wept—not only because she could finally live a normal life, but also because she missed her modern-day parents.
After all, she was just a spoiled girl who had suddenly been thrown into another world, causing her mindset to shift. No longer lost in daydreams, she also rejected all marriage proposals. Instead, she either spent her days at the prime minister’s residence fulfilling her filial duties or devoted herself to chanting scriptures and praying, hoping to return to the modern world and restore the real prime minister’s daughter to her rightful place.
As for Bai Shang’s lies to Lu Feishen, they crumbled on their own. Lu Feishen was deeply disappointed—his image of the perfect woman was shattered upon realizing she was nothing more than a fraud. Having grown up without ever experiencing hardship, he couldn’t accept that he had been deceived for so long. Worse still, he had neglected his responsibilities for her, stirring dissatisfaction among the major martial sects.
Disheartened, he resigned from his position as the leader of the martial alliance and wandered the Jianghu, disappearing without a trace…
Meanwhile, Wu Xian truly became enamored with Leng Qingqiu. Even after enduring multiple beatings from the old master of Butterfly Valley, he persisted in his marriage proposal. To prove his sincerity, he even reformed the demonic sect, abandoning its wicked ways and dedicating himself to helping the common people for several years.
His perseverance finally moved the old master, who eventually acknowledged him, and at long last, Wu Xian and Leng Qingqiu were able to be together.
As for Jiang Liangwu, in the following years, he rapidly strengthened the nation’s power, proactively launching an offensive to reclaim Xiongnu territory. From then on, Xiongnu ceased to exist—what remained on the Yi Dynasty’s vast grasslands were merely nomadic tribes.
Regarding the issue of an heir, Jiang Liangwu carefully selected a highly talented child from a collateral branch of the royal family and raised him in the palace. Once the child had grown into a capable ruler, Jiang Liangwu issued an edict of abdication.
After stepping down, Jiang Liangwu took Bai Tang on a journey to explore mountains and rivers, even attending Wu Xian and Leng Qingqiu’s wedding along the way.
Once the new emperor had secured his reign, Eunuch Li voluntarily left the palace and sought out Jiang Liangwu and Bai Tang. With tearful pleas, he begged to remain by the side of the former emperor and empress dowager to take care of them. Unable to refuse the elderly man who had sincerely cared for her, Bai Tang agreed, and their sweet romantic travels turned into a journey for three.
Years passed, and as Eunuch Li aged, he eventually passed away peacefully.
Decades later, the once youthful lovers had grown old. Nestled closely together, their intertwined left index fingers rested against each other. Bai Tang’s vision blurred, unable to make out Jiang Liangwu’s face clearly. With a weak voice, he whispered,
“Ah Wu, you must, must remember to come find me. I’ll be waiting for you in the next world.”
“…Alright.”
Tears streamed down Jiang Liangwu’s face as he held Bai Tang’s gradually cooling body tightly. He reached for the hidden mechanism on the wall, sealing them both within their royal tomb.
He placed a gentle kiss on Bai Tang’s forehead, lay down beside him, and pulled the stone coffin lid shut.
Tang Tang, you must wait for me.
Author’s Note:
This chapter combines three chapters into one, so today there’s only one update. The ancient era arc ends here.
Regarding the female lead, my original intention wasn’t to make her a villain. She was simply a spoiled girl who had been “poisoned” by too many transmigration novels, leading her to believe she was exceptional. While writing, I realized she hadn’t actually inflicted any significant harm on Bai Tang, so I decided not to kill her off.
Tomorrow, we’ll begin a new world—the apocalypse arc! I wonder if you cuties will like a post-apocalyptic setting? o(^＠^)o
Hmm? The translation is somehow becoming strange…or is it just me? Bai Tang is now using pronoun “her” ???