Chapter 127 - The Ruthless Emperor

Chapter 127: Chapter 122: The Ruthless EmperorLi Wan watched Ye Qiu entering the palace, and the moment she lowered her head, a look flashed across her eyes that seemed to be a mix of infatuation and self-satisfaction.

For ten consecutive days, except for the scheduled visits to Princess Ping Chang, he had been staying with her, and the gifts kept coming non-stop, which gave Li Wan the illusion that Ye Qiu couldn’t do without her.

"Emperor, do you love me?" After their intimate encounter, Li Wan lay on Ye Qiu, her voice lazy and coquettish.

Ye Qiu kept his eyes closed, with a hint of laughter in his voice: "Doesn’t my beloved princess know whom I love?"

Li Wan, pleased in her heart, couldn’t help speaking in a somewhat willful tone: "Then, may I ask for something from you, Your Majesty?"

Ye Qiu suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp, but unfortunately, Consort Rong, who was lying on him, did not see it. Ye Qiu chuckled lightly, "What, are you treating me like an outsider today? Whatever exotic treasure you want, I will give it to you."

Li Wan’s slender, fair fingers drew circles on Ye Qiu’s chest as she pouted: "I don’t want those; I’ve grown tired of seeing the same jewelry over and over with no novelty."

Ye Qiu pinched her mischievous hand, asking in confusion, "Then what do you want?"

"I want a Golden House."

A house made of gold? "What’s the fun in that? It’s both cumbersome and tacky, and it wouldn’t suit your palace at all!"

Li Wan’s words stuck in her throat. She suddenly remembered that the tale of the Golden House Hiding Beauty didn’t exist in this world, so she explained, "I’m not asking for a toy or an ornament. I’m asking for a real Golden House."

Seeing that Ye Qiu was silent, Li Wan continued, "When I was among the commoners, I once read a storybook, in which an emperor built a Golden House for the woman he loved the most. Emperor, I want one too! Aren’t you the one who loves me the most? Just think, thousands of years from now, the story of our love might still be told, perhaps it will even be called Golden House Hiding Wan!"

As Ye Qiu listened to her words, he got up to dress, and suddenly addressed the emotionally exposed Li Wan with a hint of something in his tone: "Then, do you know the ending for the woman in that story?"

"Of course, the emperor and his beloved woman happily lived out their lives and became immortalized in history!" said Li Wan as though it were a matter of fact.

"But how do I remember that after the man became emperor, he abandoned the promise of the Golden House Hiding Beauty?" Ye Qiu gazed directly at Li Wan, speaking coldly.

Suddenly hearing the phrase Golden House Hiding Beauty, Li Wan was stunned, hastily looking into Ye Qiu’s eyes, she asked dryly, "How do you know about that?"

But she was not unworthy of her experience transmigrating through multiple worlds, quickly regaining composure, with a sense of guard and dread: "Who exactly are you?"

"That’s my question, who are you? And what exactly is your purpose in using all these schemes to bewitch me?" Ye Qiu bore down on Li Wan with a pressure that made her retreat again and again.

Li Wan was greatly shaken inside, never expecting that Ye Qiu in front of her has not been bewitched by her; on the contrary, she was kept in the dark. Moreover, her system had no offensive capabilities, and now that her target had seen through her, she was completely helpless, cold sweat running down her spine as her Divine Sense continuously called to her system.

"System, are you there?"

"System, what should I do now?"

"Beep... Failed to conquer the target, the Host will be punished to remain in this world forever."

"No, no! I’m willing to pay any price, System, take me away from this world." Li Wan’s heart was screaming, her face deathly pale.

"The Host shall serve the System for life until the Divine Soul is extinguished. Do you agree?"

"Agree, I agree." Li Wan ecstatically consented. She had always been willing to linger in various worlds; after the System stated the conditions, she didn’t even want to think about it, just to leave this place as soon as possible.

"Beep... The Host has signed a lifelong contract with the System. You will leave this place for another world in ten minutes."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan instantly let go of her worries. She looked at Ye Qiu with no fear in her eyes anymore, instead, she said arrogantly, "Considering how comfortably you have served me recently, I will tell you that I am a woman completely out of your league. You should feel honored."

Ye Qiu was on the verge of laughing from the absurdity, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he looked at her indifferently, as if looking at a clown: "Really? But do you truly believe that your System can take you away from here?"

At the mention of the word "System," Li Wan’s pupils shrank sharply, and she asked with caution, "Who on earth are you?"

At the same time, she urged the System to speed up because Ye Qiu’s gaze told her that if she did not leave quickly, she might never be able to leave.

"Who I am is not important. What matters is that you don’t need to think about stalling for time anymore. You should stay!" Ye Qiu said with a cold laugh as he suddenly activated a powerful Divine Sense and severed the connection between Li Wan’s System and the outside world.

The excruciating pain of Divine Sense extraction made Li Wan scream in agony. During this cold winter night, her shrill cries woke the drowsy palace attendants outside from their sleep. However, Ye Qiu had ordered that no one was allowed to enter, leaving everyone looking at each other in confusion.

"What are you doing? Stop, I command you to stop!" Li Wan, in excruciating pain, rolled on the ground while still screaming in torment.

She was no match for Ye Qiu, and the stripping process went smoothly. In less than ten minutes, a shiny, milky-white light emerged from Li Wan’s brain. It collided around within the confines of Ye Qiu’s Divine Sense as it seemingly searched for a way to escape.

"Congratulations to the Host for acquiring the Skill ’Conquer Emperor System’. Would you like to erase the opponent’s intelligence?"

"Yes."

Clearly, Ye Qiu’s System was much more advanced than his opponent’s, as it instantly purged the other’s intelligence, leaving behind only the most primitive program. Perhaps in years to come, given some opportunity, it might develop a new intelligence.

But at this moment, Ye Qiu ascertained one thing: it seemed that his skills might not necessarily have to be bought with Merit within the System.

After the "Conquer Emperor System" was stripped away, Li Wan passed out from the pain. When she awoke, she had become an idiot.

The screams that night spread throughout Ganlu Palace. Ye Qiu had Consort Rong thrown into the Cold Palace for the crime of affronting him, and at the same time, her maternal family was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for offenses like land encroachment, willful murder, and more. Thus, Consort Rong’s once illustrious presence in the harem came to an end.

Li Yanlan looked at the man holding their daughter, feeling increasingly perplexed by him: you could say he was just and wise, yet he had previously indulged Noble Princess Consort Xiao and Consort Rong in their arrogance because of their favor; to call him foolish, yet the previous dynasty was clear and bright, peace reigned over the world, and many came to pay tribute.

But now she no longer wanted to understand, as long as she remained the Empress, as long as her Crown Prince’s position was secure, as long as her daughter lived carefree, as long as her Li family was safe and thriving, that would be enough. She had no regrets in this