Chapter 135: Intoxication Leads to Missteps (Double Chapter)

In his slumber, Zhu Yu felt as if he had returned to the plush, soft mattress of his past life. Vaguely, he recalled purchasing a body-sized pillow before transmigrating, yet now, no matter how he searched the bed, it was nowhere to be found.

Just as Zhu Yu was growing somewhat irritated by his fruitless search, he finally touched the long-sought-after pillow. It was smooth and tender, like the skin of a young maiden, entirely living up to its price. If he could dream until waking, he vowed to leave the seller a glowing review.

No, wait. With his eyes closed, Zhu Yu explored the pillow up and down with his hands. Why did this pillow have legs? And quite long, slender ones at that.

He had clearly bought a life-sized pillow; how had it turned into a human-shaped one? There would be no favorable review!

Zhu Yu wanted to open his eyes right then and there to see what sort of nonsense the merchant had shipped him, but his eyelids felt unbearably heavy, refusing to part at all.

Forget it. He would just hold it and sleep first; whatever the matter, it could wait until he woke up.

This was precisely where the advantage of being a martial arts grandmaster shone through. Even heavily intoxicated, Zhu Yu's thoughts experienced no delay, and his physical reactions completely kept pace with his mind.

Keeping his eyes closed, Zhu Yu slid his hands from the pillow's thighs down to the joints, and with a firm pull, dragged the pillow straight into his embrace.

Yet the moment he pulled the pillow against his chest, a fierce whistling wind of malice rang out beside his ear.

This time, Zhu Yu's conscious mind failed to react in time, but his body instinctively blocked the malicious gust.

He gave it a gentle pinch with his hand. Ah, so it was the pillow's arm. This pillow was certainly heavy.

Wait, no—why was there clothing? The seller deserved a good review after all; they had actually dressed the pillow up. Buying a pillow and getting clothes included was quite a bargain.

However, these clothes were far too prickly and stiff; it would be much more comfortable to take them off and hold it.

It was just... did this pillow run on batteries? How could it move? And its strength was truly formidable.

After a blow or two, not only had he failed to wrestle the pillow into submission, but he had also been struck several times by it. Zhu Yu's temper flared instantly.

Channeling his true qi, one hand clamped down on the pillow's flailing wrists, while the other circulated his internal energy, directly shattering the pillow's garments into fragments.

Once the clothing was obliterated, the pillow in his arms suddenly went still. Could it be that the pillow itself didn't take batteries, but rather the clothes did? The merchant certainly knew how to play games.

Even so, Zhu Yu did not forget his original purpose. What were body pillows meant for? To be held while sleeping, of course!

Immediately, Zhu Yu pulled the pillow tight against his chest, pressing his arms, legs, and half his body all over it. As for his head?

With such a large pillow, who needed a pillowrest?

His head shifted constantly across the pillow, searching for a position until it finally settled upon the highest peak, whereupon he sank into a profound sleep.

Zhu Yu's final thought before drifting off was that although this pillow was expensive, it was well worth the purchase. It was truly soft, wonderfully fragrant, and even capable of moving—this five-star review was definitely happening!

Meanwhile, outside the dream realm, 'Wang Yuanyan' struggled incessantly against the hands locked in a death grip, her eyes wide with panic as tears streamed down her face continuously.

She never could have imagined why the Emperor—who three years ago possessed not an ounce of martial arts skill—was now a martial arts grandmaster, leaving her utterly powerless to resist.

At the same time, she cursed herself. Why had she gone to seek out the person who looked identical to her? Why did she pity her? Why did she grow soft-hearted and hatch a scheme to occasionally swap identities so that the other could breathe some fresh air outside the deep palace walls?

Indeed, the person currently held in Zhu Yu's arms was not Wang Yuanyan at all, but rather Emotionless, who shared her exact likeness!

Over half a month ago, upon hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's words, Emotionless had found her curiosity getting the better of her and ventured into the imperial palace to investigate.

After searching for a long time, the two had met as wished.

Upon their initial encounter, both were utterly stunned. Aside from their attire, it was as though each was gazing into a mirror.

Soon after, the perceptive Emotionless sensed something amiss with Wang Yuanyan's emotional state and began questioning her.

Faced with Emotionless, who looked precisely like her, Wang Yuanyan unconsciously opened her heart, pouring out all her troubles and miseries to Emotionless like water spilling from a basin.

With her innate sense of justice, Emotionless was filled with indignation upon hearing Wang Yuanyan's account.

True to her nature, she cared nothing for destiny or imperial authority; she was determined to rescue Wang Yuanyan from the palace.

Yet, as an outsider listening to the trials Wang Yuanyan had endured since childhood and everything that had befallen her, Emotionless was forced to admit that the Emperor was right.

Even if she successfully smuggled Wang Yuanyan out of the palace, her life might not necessarily be any better than the one she currently led. Consequently, Emotionless discarded the notion of rescuing her.

Through this back-and-forth, as the two grew increasingly familiar, Emotionless could simply not bear to see Wang Yuanyan locked away day after day in such an isolated courtyard, and thus proposed an idea: they would swap identities.

Whenever Emotionless was off-duty, Wang Yuanyan could assume the name of Emotionless and venture outside the palace to enjoy a taste of freedom.

This plan had been running smoothly, but never had she expected that it would come to an abrupt end on this very day.

What Emotionless did not know was that this plan was not merely terminating on her end; it was blossoming on both fronts.

To say all this took time, yet chronologically very little had passed—barely fifteen minutes had elapsed since Emotionless realized Zhu Yu was a martial arts grandmaster and surrendered her resistance.

The small room was rich with the aroma of wine, which finally drew Emotionless back from her remorse. She lowered her gaze in disgust and abhorrence, glaring at the motionless Zhu Yu sprawled across her body. What a debauched ruler, she thought, getting drunk in broad daylight and indulging in unbridled lust. The Jing Dynasty would sooner or later perish in his hands.

Immediately afterward, a wave of desolate despair washed over her. How was this matter to be handled?

Try as she might, Emotionless could not conjure up a viable solution. At that moment, she truly felt like weeping without tears, the world before her cast in absolute gloom.

What she was unaware of was that, unbenknownst to her, Zhu Yu—who had been resting upon the peak—had already opened his eyes. Most crucially, his gaze was clear, devoid of even a shred of lingering drunkenness!

Yet Zhu Yu dared not move the slightest bit, for he knew he had stirred up a massive disaster. Though he had no idea where the mistress of this courtyard had gone, he could swear on his life that the person beneath him was definitely not Wang Yuanyan, nor was she any concubine from his inner palace.

Zhu Yu forced himself to calm down, deducing that the identity of the person beneath him was not difficult to guess.

First of all, he was currently resting his head directly against her chest. Judging by the strong, steady pulse, she was undoubtedly a martial arts expert.

A woman with high martial arts who could freely enter and leave the imperial palace and quickly win Wang Yuanyan's trust—Zhu Yu racked his brains and could only come up with two possibilities.

One was Li Qiushui, and the other was Emotionless!

Li Qiushui was plausible; she was a veteran grandmaster harboring profound martial arts from the逍遥派 (逍遥派 translated as Carefree Sect), and most importantly, she was Wang Yuanyan's grandmother. With that connection, gaining Wang Yuanyan's trust would not be difficult.

The remaining candidate was Emotionless. For her, entering and exiting the palace was practically effortless, and coupled with her identical face to Wang Yuanyan, given Wang Yuanyan's temperament, winning her trust would likewise be easy.

Between these two, Zhu Yu rapidly locked onto his target: Emotionless!

For no other reason than this—had it been Li Qiushui, would he have been allowed to rest comfortably on her chest for a full ten minutes? He would have long since sent his soul to the western paradise.

Emotionless, however, presented far more troublesome complications. Her prospective boyfriend was Cold-Blood, Iron-Hand had watched her grow up, and her foster father was Zhuge Zhengwo...

He had effectively poked a hornets' nest!

This was precisely one of the reasons Zhu Yu had never laid a hand on her previously. The other, and most crucial reason, was the deep-seated blood feud of extermination and house-raiding that lay between them.

Even if Emotionless had expressed forgiveness, who in their right mind would keep a "former enemy" who had supposedly forgiven them sleeping right next to their bed?

As for her crippled legs, that was hardly a critical issue; whenever Zhu Yu set his mind to it, he could certainly cure them.

The paramount concern right now was figuring out how to make a clean escape.

Additionally, it was worth mentioning why Zhu Yu had sobered up so rapidly.

As is well known, martial arts grandmasters are not easily intoxicated. Furthermore, when he and Emotionless had been wrestling earlier, Zhu Yu's circulation of internal qi had acted as a catalyst, breaking down the alcohol in his system at an accelerated rate.

In less than ten minutes, Zhu Yu had completely shaken off his drunkenness while still in his dream state—which explained why the room reeked so heavily of alcohol.

As for how Zhu Yu had awakened, the reason was quite simple. The "pillow" had indeed been exceptionally comfortable to rest upon, but the posture was wrong, making it rather awkward.

Intending to shift and adjust the pillow's position, Zhu Yu had opened his eyes to a vast expanse of snow-white skin. The sight had given him such a jolt that it instantly froze him in place and halted his movements entirely.

How could he make a flawless escape?

As Zhu Yu immersed himself in a mental storm, growing increasingly flustered and vexed, he subconsciously rubbed his face against the "pillow."

"Mmm~"

The muffled groan from right above his head nearly frightened Zhu Yu into breaking out in a cold sweat.

Trapped in this impossible predicament where advancing and retreating were both foreclosed, Zhu Yu silently cursed alcohol for ruining affairs. In the future... drinking? Alcohol? Wine?

He had it! He hadn't sobered up yet! What couldn't a person acting crazy from drink get away with?

Preigning that he had been jolted awake by Emotionless's sound, he deliberately muttered words that even he couldn't understand, striving to mimic every drunken lunatic he had ever witnessed in his past life.

Initially, Zhu Yu was quite satisfied with his performance, but the moment he got off the bed, he abruptly discovered that his little brother felt somewhat chilly.

This realization dealt a direct blow to his composure. After two awkward seconds of silence, Zhu Yu seamlessly resumed his drunken wandering around the room.

After circling three times, he finally located his clothes by the door.

Then, intentionally speaking more loud, incomprehensible nonsense to divert attention, he nimbly dressed himself. Finally, feigning a sudden, fascinated interest in the door, he studied it so intently that he managed to study his way right outside.

Once the door was securely shut, completely sealing him off from Emotionless, Zhu Yu drew a profound breath of relief. Only then did he realize he was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

Composing his emotions, Zhu Yu turned and quickened his pace, eager to put distance between himself and this place of trouble. After taking barely two steps, he spotted Eunuch Wu stationed by the courtyard entrance, bowing respectfully toward him.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu slowed his pace to a halt and inquired:

"Aside from you, who else knows朕 (Zhu Yu's self-reference as Emperor) came to this courtyard?"

Zhu Yu wanted to ascertain the exact risk of the secret leaking.

"Replying to Your Majesty, apart from this old slave, no one knows Your Majesty has been here."

Hearing Eunuch Wu's reply, Zhu Yu let out yet another sigh of relief.

"Good. Keep this matter under strict confidentiality; do not breathe a word of it to anyone."

"Understood."

Satisfied with Eunuch Wu's response, Zhu Yu intended to turn and leave immediately, yet a lingering, peculiar sensation tugged at his mind. He felt as though there was still something he had left undone, but try as he might, he couldn't recall what it was.

It was a rather uncomfortable feeling, but failing to find an answer after pondering for a long time, he had no choice but to let it go.

Taking advantage of the deserted surroundings, Zhu Yu hurried back to his sleeping quarters.

Inside the room, the immaculate jade body of Emotionless lay stretched across the bed, entirely unclad. The moment Zhu Yu departed, she had pulled the nearby quilt over herself to cover up.

Initially, despair had consumed Emotionless; she simply dared not imagine what the outcome would be when dusk fell and the Emperor awoke, or when Wang Yuanyan returned to the palace.

Yet at that exact moment, the Emperor—who had been fast asleep—had abruptly gotten up for no apparent reason, spouting gibberish as he left the premises.

At first, Emotionless had felt a surge of relief because a better resolution had presented itself, but immediately afterward, a creeping sense of wrongfulness took hold of her.

The Emperor? The two instances of drunken rambling had been vastly different. Was this... a deliberate act?

This doubt abruptly surfaced in Emotionless's mind, causing her cheeks to burn a mortified shade of red. She didn't dare delve into it too deeply; after all, this outcome was arguably the best possible resolution.

Come to think of it, today had truly been the most extraordinary day of her life. She had witnessed things never seen before, and allowed someone else to see—no, to touch—things no one else had ever touched... from head to toe.

She had wanted to mount a fierce counterattack, only to be suppressed utterly. Overwhelmed by a double fatigue of body and mind, Emotionless sank into a profound sleep.

Unbeknownst to Emotionless, as she slept, the shadow of a figure clad in imperial dragon robes gradually materialized in her heart, while the image of the saber-wielding man that had once entirely occupied her inner thoughts began to fracture with invisible cracks.

Meanwhile, matters within the imperial palace had reached a temporary close, while outside the palace walls, the real drama was just about to unfold.

"You are not Emotionless! Who on earth are you?!"

Startled by Iron-Hand's sudden roar, Wang Yuanyan jumped in fright, thinking to herself: *Oh no, I've been exposed!*

Before she could formulate an explanation, however, the intercepted Cold-Blood grew displeased.

"Iron-Hand, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind? If she isn't Emotionless, who else could she be?"

Ignoring Cold-Blood, who had been blinded by emotion, Iron-Hand locked his gaze onto Wang Yuanyan and said, "I acknowledge that Emotionless's martial arts are formidable, but I watched her grow up since she was a child. She has never once come into contact with the Dragon-Clawing Hands. How could she possibly discern all of an opponent's techniques the instant a move is displayed?"

Initially, Cold-Blood intended to continue shielding her, but hearing Iron-Hand state an objective fact, his mouth opened, leaving him clueless as to how to maintain his defense. He had no choice but to cast his gaze toward Wang Yuanyan, awaiting her explanation.

Ultimately, Cold-Blood's expectation came to naught. Wang Yuanyan desperately avoided his gaze, flustered and at a complete loss, unable to utter a single word of explanation.

Seeing this scene, Cold-Blood no longer doubted that Iron-Hand's words were true.

"Who are you? What have you done to Emotionless? Where is she?! Speak! Quickly, talk!"

Realizing that Emotionless's life or death hung in the balance, Cold-Blood entirely discarded the concept of "calm." In a flash, he stepped forward, drew his saber, and pressed the blade against Wang Yuanyan's neck to interrogate her.

"Wait, Cold-Blood, don't act rashly! Let's get the facts straight first."

Iron-Hand hadn't expected Cold-Blood's reaction to be so extreme, and hurriedly stepped in to block him.

"Not act rashly? Tell me how I'm not supposed to act rashly! How can you expect me to stay calm?! The face she's wearing belongs to Emotionless!"

Hearing this, Iron-Hand's complexion turned deathly pale. Had Cold-Blood not mentioned it, he wouldn't even have considered that angle. Usually so composed, Iron-Hand felt a towering rage surge within his own eyes.

"I want to see the Marquis."

Sensing that both men were losing their emotional control, Wang Yuanyan hurriedly pulled out the ultimate trump card Emotionless had taught her.