After Discovering The Emperor Was A Woman… - Chapter 5

How could her legs not go weak? How could she not kneel?

Liu Jiuning had made countless guesses about the true identity of this woman disguised as a man—the one who had not made a single sound even while rotten flesh was being cut from her wounds.

But not once had she considered that the woman might be the emperor!

The current ruler was that eccentric emperor who kept all women at a distance and maintained an iron grip on imperial power until the very end of the novel.

The imperial family of Great Zhao bore the surname Li. The late emperor had treasured his only child above all else and named her Nanchu.

The lone star of the Southern Dipper, the sun rising at dawn.

Liu Jiuning clearly remembered the opening of the novel. Before the gravely ill late emperor died, he had tightly held Li Nanchu’s hand and repeated the same words over and over.

“Chu’er, the realm is yours. It can only ever be yours.”

She remembered how the novel described the emperor as eccentric and unwilling to let anyone approach. She remembered how the eunuchs and palace maids who attended the emperor died in batch after batch. She remembered that at night, not even the sound of a living creature could be heard inside the emperor’s enormous sleeping chambers.

Most of all, she remembered the emperor drawing a sword without the slightest change in expression and killing a consort who had pretended to stumble into his arms in the imperial garden.

At the time, Liu Jiuning had not understood why the author devoted so much space to these details. Even after finishing the novel, she had assumed they were merely meant to connect neatly with the ending, in which the emperor still held all power.

Only today did she finally understand.

Emperor Li Nanchu was clearly a woman!

Her chest might be a little flat, her voice might be unusually deep, and she might be cold and sparing with words, but she was still a woman!

That damned author had never intended to reveal this hidden plotline. Apart from describing the emperor as “exceptionally beautiful with somewhat delicate features,” everything else made the emperor sound like a murderous tyrant who became violently unstable whenever anyone came near.

Of course Liu Jiuning was panicking!

Reality was far more brutal than any novel could describe.

Many of the noble young women who had entered the palace in the previous selection had known her since childhood. As for the less obedient ones…

The grass growing over their graves was already taller than she was.

In only five years, every remaining consort, palace maid, and eunuch had learned to behave. They all stayed as far from the emperor as possible.

People in the palace had lost their lives merely for attempting to approach the emperor.

…

Now that Liu Jiuning had discovered the emperor’s true sex with her own eyes, did she still have any chance of surviving?

She felt dizzy.

She had simply tried to save someone out of kindness. How had that ended up endangering her precious second life?

Her heart pounded like a drum.

She did everything she could to remain calm. Although her face had turned deathly pale, she made sure that surprise was the most obvious emotion on it. She could not behave too strangely.

Otherwise, she might die sooner—and far more painfully.

“Rise,” Li Nanchu said indifferently.

The court officials and large group of guards who had come searching for her immediately stood. They all rushed to ask about the emperor’s injuries, each phrasing their concern differently.

Every voice overflowed with worry and deep self-reproach.

Yet not a single person dared approach the emperor.

At most, they pretended to step forward twice before stopping.

Li Nanchu had intended to tell them they were being noisy, but decided even that would be a waste of strength. She merely watched her ministers’ performance without expression, unable to tell how much of their concern was genuine.

Very quickly, the anxious voices faded.

Anyone with a brain could tell that the emperor was displeased when stared at them like that. Who would dare continue speaking?

Someone did.

“Why are you here, Ninth Sister?”

Liu Zhuoyi looked at Liu Jiuning in surprise. Then he immediately dropped to his knees before the emperor.

“My younger sister is young, ignorant, and still innocent. She did not know Your Majesty’s identity. If she caused any offense, it was because my family failed to teach her properly and because I failed to watch over her. If punishment is necessary, please place it upon me instead.”

Liu Jiuning knew her eldest brother was trying to save her.

The moment she heard him, she quickly put on a frightened, helpless expression. She shifted where she knelt so that she faced the emperor, then lowered her head and stared at the scattered twigs and dry leaves on the ground.

The fire was still burning, but with every second that passed, her heart grew colder.

Her clothes, which she had only just managed to dry, were almost soaked through with cold sweat again.

Why was the emperor saying nothing?

What did she mean by this?

At least give some indication!

Would she be punished or pardoned?

Would she live or die?

Just get it over with!

Silence was the most terrifying form of torment.

After what felt like an eternity, Li Nanchu finally withdrew her gaze from Liu Jiuning. She raised one hand slightly and said in an even tone, “Go to Anchang Temple.”

The instant she spoke, a shadow guard appeared before her and knelt on one knee, respectfully presenting a longsword with both hands.

Li Nanchu accepted the sword and used it for support as she rose unsteadily, her face pale.

It took her a long moment to regain her balance.

She frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then raised her hand toward the shadow guards again.

The leader of the shadow guards immediately appeared.

She was similar to the emperor in build and wore identical clothing, though her features were far more ordinary and unremarkable.

She hurried forward and supported the emperor.

Li Nanchu took several steps with the shadow guard’s help, then seemed to remember something.

She looked over and said, “Bring her as well.”

Then she turned toward Liu Zhuoyi.

“Let us go.”

Unlike the heavy rain earlier, the evening sky was now completely clear. Aside from the deepening darkness, not even a trace of red sunset remained.

A vast group marched through the muddy depths of the mountain in complete silence. Only the faint, broken sounds of footsteps could be heard.

They resembled an army of ghosts passing through the mortal world.

Liu Jiuning, whose thoughts were in complete chaos, found herself trapped among this “ghost army.”

If Liu Zhuoyi had not been walking beside her and occasionally reassuring her with his eyes, she might have suspected they were taking her to the underworld rather than Anchang Temple.

With that thought in mind, the road seemed far longer than it had on the way there.

After walking in silence for what felt like forever, the enormous group finally slipped quietly into Anchang Temple before nightfall.

Yes—quietly.

News that the emperor had been attacked absolutely could not be allowed to spread. Anchang Temple was usually crowded with worshippers, so they naturally had to avoid being seen.

Of course, once the emperor entered, the entire temple would undoubtedly be sealed.

Having received advance notice, Master Changkong hurriedly took Li Nanchu away to treat her injuries.

Liu Zhuoyi boldly requested the emperor’s permission to leave. After receiving silent approval, he quickly half-dragged, half-carried his ninth sister back to her guest room.

“How did you end up so deep in the mountains? And how did you encounter His Majesty?”

Hearing Liu Zhuoyi’s question, Liu Jiuning raised her head and answered weakly, “I was just walking around, and then I found someone injured…”

A female emperor disguised as a man!

Liu Zhuoyi frowned deeply.

Looking at his younger sister’s pale face, which had lost all its usual liveliness, he could tell she had wandered off because she was too fond of playing.

“Never mind that for now. What happened today must never be mentioned to anyone. Guard your words and actions carefully. Do you understand?”

Liu Jiuning nodded so rapidly that her head bobbed like the Moon Rabbit pounding medicine.

How could she dare say anything?

She wished she were blind, deaf, and mute. At least then, her chances of remaining alive might be a little higher.

Seeing his sister like this, Liu Zhuoyi remembered the many rumors about the emperor and understood that she was terrified.

“Do not overthink it. Eat something and rest early. His Majesty is not so unreasonable…”

He paused.

After all, the rumors surrounding the emperor had not been invented from nothing.

They were painfully true.

He quickly continued, “His Majesty distinguishes right from wrong. If you did nothing wrong, there is no need to panic so much.”

…

He paused!

He had clearly paused at the most important part!

Liu Jiuning felt even less reassured.

Besides, she had done something wrong.

Something terribly wrong.

Her mistake was discovering that the current Son of Heaven was a woman!

Even so, she lifted her head and gazed pitifully at her eldest brother, whose reassurance had not sounded convincing in the slightest.

She tried to coax a more persuasive explanation from him.

“Really?”