Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

The third day after recovery.

night.

The moon is round like a plate, its clear light covering the ground.

In the courtyard of Kunning Palace, the old peach tree was in full bloom. As the night breeze passed, the petals fluttered down and covered the two of them with petals.

On the stone table sat a pot of wine and two cups.

Shen Qingci, wearing a plain white cloak, leaned back in her chair and looked at the moon in the sky.

Nangong Ye sat opposite her, holding a wine glass in his hand, but he didn't drink it; he just looked at her.

Look at her profile, edged with silver by the moonlight, look at her slightly trembling eyelashes, look at the occasional curve of her lips.

I can never get enough of looking at it.

"Have you seen enough?" Shen Qingci asked indifferently without turning her head.

Nangong Ye was caught red-handed, but he wasn't angry. He just smiled and said, "I can't get enough of looking at you."

Shen Qingci finally turned to look at him.

Under the moonlight, the man's eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, filled to the brim with her.

"Nangong Ye," she suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

Have you ever thought about this—

She paused.

"Maybe I'm not the Shen Qingci you know?"

Nangong Ye was taken aback.

Shen Qingci turned back to look at the moon, her voice very soft:

"Back then, in the Cold Palace, that Shen Qingci... was actually already dead."

Nangong Ye's hand gripping the wine glass tightened suddenly.

"You…" his voice trembled, "What do you mean?"

Shen Qingci did not look at him.

She simply gazed at the bright moon and slowly began to speak, as if telling a story from a very long time ago:

"When I woke up, I was lying on the floor of the cold palace, covered in wounds, and pregnant."

"A eunuch named Wang Fu is about to humiliate me."

"I broke his wrist."

She paused, a slight smile curving her lips, but the smile held a hint of coldness.

"The real Shen Qingci is gentle and delicate; she wouldn't even have the heart to step on an ant. How could she possibly break someone's wrist?"

Nangong Ye's face gradually paled.

"You're not... Qingci?" His voice was hoarse. "Then who are you?"

Shen Qingci finally turned to look at him.

Under the moonlight, her eyes were clear as water, yet deep as an abyss.

"I don't know who I am."

She said it in a voice so calm it was almost cruel:

All I know is that my name is Ling Ye.

"From...another world."

another world.

These four words, seemingly light and airy, carry the weight of a thousand pounds.

Nangong Ye stared at her blankly, as if he couldn't understand what she was saying.

"In that world," Shen Qingci continued, her gaze returning to the moon, "I was an assassin."

"Trained from a young age to kill, complete missions, and survive."

"No family, no friends, no... anyone I can trust."

"My hands are stained with a lot of blood."

She raised her hand and looked at it in the moonlight.

Those hands were fair and slender, and under the moonlight, they appeared almost translucent.

Sometimes I wonder, am I even human? Or am I just a knife?

"The knife is not afraid, it is not cold, it does not... want anything."

Nangong Ye's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes reddened, but he couldn't speak.

"Later, I died," Shen Qingci said calmly.

"Betrayed by the organization, shot. Woke up here."

"She became Shen Qingci, who was deposed, banished to the cold palace, poisoned, and forgotten by everyone."

She turned her head to look at Nangong Ye, and a hint of emotion finally flickered in her eyes:

Do you know how I felt at that moment?

Nangong Ye shook his head, his lips trembling.

"I'm scared," Shen Qingci said softly, her voice as light as a feather. "I'm really scared."

"I don't know where I am, I don't know if I can survive, and I don't know if the baby in my belly will die."

"I'm an assassin; I only know how to kill, not how to live."

"But that night, lying on the dilapidated bed in the cold palace, listening to the wind outside, for the first time... I wanted to live so much."

Nangong Ye's tears finally rolled down his cheeks.

"Qingci..." he choked up, wanting to reach out his hand, but not daring to.

"Back then, I thought about killing you."

Shen Qingci looked at him, her eyes filled with no hatred, only a calm statement.

"I think that once I crawl out of here, I will definitely kill you with my own hands."

"Because you ruined me, because you put me in a desperate situation, because you are the person I should hate the most in this world."

Nangong Ye closed his eyes, and the tears flowed even more fiercely.

he knows.

He always knew.

She should hate him.

She was right to hate him.

"But later,"

Shen Qingci's voice suddenly softened.

"Baby is born."

"He was so small and soft, lying in my arms, looking at me with those big eyes."

"At that moment, I suddenly realized... I couldn't bring myself to hate anymore."

"It's not that I don't hate you," she said earnestly, looking at Nangong Ye, "it's that I can't hate you anymore."

"With Bao'er in your heart, there is light. Where there is light, hatred cannot linger for long."

Nangong Ye covered his face, his shoulders trembling violently.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he said over and over, his voice broken and incoherent.

Shen Qingci remained silent.

She just watched him quietly.

She waited until he calmed down a bit before speaking:

"It's your turn."

Nangong Ye looked up at her, tears streaming down his face.

"Tell me your story too," Shen Qingci said. "I want to hear it."

Nangong Ye took a deep breath and wiped his face.

He picked up his glass, downed it in one gulp, poured himself another glass, and drank that one too.

He drank three cups before speaking.

His voice was hoarse, but he tried his best to remain steady.

"I've known since I was a child that my position as the crown prince is not secure."

"My father doesn't like me; he likes Nangong Huan—Nangong Shuo's father."

"My mother told me to be patient, to wait, and to prove that I am better than Nangong Huan."

"I studied hard, practiced martial arts hard, and tried my best to do everything well."

"But my father's gaze is always cold."

He drank another glass.

"When I was twelve, I was made crown prince. That night, the Eastern Palace held a banquet to celebrate, and I ate a lot."

"I changed after that."

He gripped the wine glass tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"I started getting angry for no reason, I started becoming paranoid, I started...losing control of myself."

"I thought it was my own fault, that I was just naturally short-tempered, and that I was unworthy to be the crown prince."

"I hate myself."

Shen Qingci listened quietly, a thin layer of mist rising in her eyes.

"I later found out that Nangong Huan had poisoned my food."

Nangong Ye smiled bitterly.

"The 'Heart-Eating Powder' will drastically change a person's personality, eventually turning them into a madman."

"I went from being a normal child to a violent monster."

He turned to look at Shen Qingci, his eyes filled with deep sorrow:

"Qingci, do you know? The person I hate the most is not Nangong Huan."

"The person I hate most is myself."

"Because I didn't know I had been poisoned, I thought that was just who I was, I thought that I had madness flowing in my veins."

"I hate myself for not being able to control my anger, I hate myself for being paranoid, I hate myself for... ruining you too."

Shen Qingci finally reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of his hand.

Nangong Ye was startled.

"So back then," he looked at her, his eyes bloodshot, "I crippled you, not because I really wanted to."

"Because I heard those pieces of evidence and saw those pieces of evidence, I thought... you really betrayed me."

At that time, I only had one thought in my mind—

Another person is leaving me.

Someone is going to betray me again.

Just like my father, just like those who were once kind to me but later sided with Nangong Huan.

"I...I can't take it."

He lowered his head, his voice growing softer and softer:

"So I struck first, crippled you, and banished you to the cold palace."

"I thought that way, I wouldn't get hurt anymore."

"But I was wrong..."

He looked up, tears streaming down his face.

"The person I hurt was the only one in this world who was truly kind to me."

"She is the person I should never have hurt in my life."

Shen Qingci looked at him.

Looking at this man who was once high and mighty, but now cries like a child.

Looking at this person who has been tormented by fate for half his life, yet is still struggling to change for the better.

Looking at this person, covered in wounds, yet still struggling to reach out, trying to grasp a sliver of light.

She suddenly smiled.

That smile was as gentle as the spring breeze in March.

"Ah Ye".

She called out softly.

Nangong Ye was stunned.

"The two of us," Shen Qingci looked at him, saying each word clearly, "are truly a perfect match."

"A killer, a tyrant."

"A lonely soul from another world, a pitiful wretch poisoned by his closest relatives."

"Nobody's any better than anyone else."

Nangong Ye stared blankly at her, tears still flowing, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

"So," Shen Qingci squeezed his hand, "from today onwards, don't say sorry anymore."

"I don't need your apology."

"I need to--"

She paused, a thin layer of tears welling up in her eyes:

"I need someone who understands me."

"You know I used to be a knife, but now I want to be human."

"Do you understand what I'm afraid of, what I want, and why I sometimes feel cold?"

"You understand me... I'm not the real Shen Qingci, but I'm willing to live and love using her identity."

Nangong Ye grasped her hand tightly in return.

"I understand," he said, his voice hoarse but firm. "I understand your fear."

I understand your coldness.

"I understand that you want to be a human being and no longer struggle with the knife."

"Because I'm the same."

"I want to be a good person, a husband worthy of you, and a good father to Bao'er."

"I want to govern this country in a way that is worthy of the sweat and effort you have put in."

Shen Qingci looked at him.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were red and swollen, his face was streaked with tears, and he looked more disheveled than an emperor.

But suddenly she felt that he looked better than ever.

"Ah Ye," she said softly.

"Um?"

Hug me.

Nangong Ye was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up, walked around the stone table, and pulled her into his arms.

They were holding each other very tightly.

It was so tight it felt like it was trying to meld her into her very bones.

Shen Qingci buried her face in his chest, smelling the faint scent of ink and wine on his body, and listening to his rapid heartbeat.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she said quietly.

"Because you're in my arms." Nangong Ye's voice came from above, with laughter and tears. "I've been waiting for this day for three years."

Shen Qingci smiled slightly.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

A night breeze blew, and the peach blossoms rustled.

The moonlight, like water, bathed the two of them, gilding them with a silvery edge.

"Ah Ye".

"Um?"

"If you ever act foolishly again—"

"Go ahead and hit me," Nangong Ye immediately replied, "Hit me to death, I won't fight back."

Shen Qingci smiled and looked up at him.

"Why would I hit you?" she said. "I'll just take Bao'er and run away, so you won't be able to find me."

Nangong Ye's expression changed, and he hugged her even tighter:

"No! Don't run away!"

"Then we'll see how you perform."

"I'll definitely do my best!"

He said hurriedly, like a child who promised to get a perfect score.

"I make plum blossom cakes for you every day, help you review official documents, teach Bao'er sword practice, and warm your hands at night—"

Shen Qingci finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The laughter was crisp and bright.

Drifting in the moonlight, drifting in the spring breeze.

It drifted into Nangong Ye's heart.

He looked down at her smiling face and at her eyes, which were no longer cold and had finally warmed up.

Suddenly, I felt that my life had been worthwhile.

No matter how much suffering or hardship you have endured in the past.

As long as she's smiling in his arms right now.

Then it would be worth it.

"Qingci," he said softly.

"Um?"

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for coming." He looked at her, his eyes filled with deep affection. "Thank you to that assassin named Ling Ye for being willing to become Shen Qingci."

"Thank you for forgiving me and for staying by my side."

"Thank you for letting me know that I can be loved too."

Shen Qingci looked at him, into those sincere and unreserved eyes.

She tiptoed and gently kissed his lips.

Nangong Ye froze.

He remained completely still, as if struck by lightning.

After Shen Qing left, seeing his dazed expression, she couldn't help but laugh again:

"Are you stupid?"

Nangong Ye then came to his senses.

He pulled her back into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her fiercely.

Moonlight, peach blossoms, spring breeze.

With two people who finally opened their hearts to each other.

All the misunderstandings, all the hurt, all the hatred and pain.

At this moment, everything was gently soothed.

Only two hearts remained, pressed together, beating to the same rhythm.

a long time.

They had just separated.

Forehead to forehead, their breaths mingling.

"Ah Ye," Shen Qingci said softly.

"Um?"

"From this day forward, I am neither Ling Ye nor just Shen Qingci."

"I am your wife."

Nangong Ye's eyes reddened again.

"Okay," he said, his voice hoarse. "Okay."

"My wife."

"My wife, Nangong Ye's wife."

"My only wife in my entire life."

Moonlight bathed the courtyard, and peach blossoms fell to the ground.

In the distance, a small figure was peering out of the window.

"Aunt Jinshu!" Bao'er whispered, jumping up and down excitedly, "Father kissed Mother again!"

Jinshu covered her mouth and laughed: "Your Highness, go to sleep. We'll see it tomorrow."

"No! Bao'er wants to see Father and Mother kissing!"

"Oh, Your Highness, you should not look at what is improper..."

What does "Do not look at what is improper" mean?

"It's just...it's just that kids can't watch it!"

"Why can't I watch it?"

"because……"

Jinshu couldn't explain it clearly, so she simply picked up Bao'er and tucked her into the quilt.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep! Tomorrow His Majesty and the Empress will kiss you too!"

Bao'er blinked: "Really?"

"Really, really!"

Bao'er then obediently closed her eyes, a smile still on her lips.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

Tonight, I'm destined to have a good dream.