I woke up as the Villainous Empress

It was a long sleep, filled with dreams. Or should it be called memories of her past life from another world? A world where she was not Yang Ning, but Fang Li. Where she was not the Crown Princess, but an archery athlete who excelled in competition and was skilled in strategies.

However, she failed to be strategic against her competitors—or rather, an enemy—who was hiding under the mask of her best friend.

In her dreams, from the betrayal she faced from her friend to seeing her family cheering for her during competitions, or happy moments of enjoying her favorite food at home, all those memories were running through her dreams like a nostalgic emotional movie, giving her a rollercoaster of emotions. She felt them all - from anger to sadness to happiness.

Thinking about her family that she left behind and the blooming career that collapsed before Fang Li woke up as Yang Ning in this world, tears of sadness and bitterness streamed down Yang Ning's fair face. Though she is happy in her current life, the life she left behind without any warning or goodbyes felt bitter, leaving her feeling sorrowful for her past self.

Her nose turned crimson from crying, and her silent tears turned into soft sobs as she slept, clutching onto the blanket. While she was enveloped by her 'dreams' of her past life, which brought her both sadness and bitterness alongside a sense of happiness to see her family again, even if it was only in her dreams, a hand grasped hers, offering support.

She heard a familiar voice that brought warmth and comfort even in her most vulnerable moment. Her heart, filled with sadness, calmed down when she heard the person calling her name while holding her hand tightly. "Yang Ning."

"Yang Ning!"

"Don't cry. I'm here."

"It's just a dream. Please don't cry. Look, I'm here with you." Zheng Liang, sitting on the edge of the bed, held Yang Ning's hand tightly as he comforted her.

___

A while ago, upon returning to the chamber, Zheng Liang found Yang Ning deeply asleep. Her brows were furrowed, and her hands clutched the blanket tightly as if seeking support. Even in her slumber, she appeared distressed, with sweat beads covering her forehead. Thinking she might be feeling hot, Zheng Liang began to fan her gently with a hand fan.

However, shortly after Xiaowei returned with Master Jiang and the nurse, who was also his disciple and acting as his assistant, Hou Wei, Yang Ning started crying in her sleep. Her silent sobs made her look vulnerable, weak, and helpless, tugging at Zheng Liang's heartstrings.

This reminded him of the conversation he had with his father just a while ago about Yang Ning asking for a promise from His Majesty and not telling anything to Zheng Liang about it. He had many questions, but seeing Yang Ning like this made him realize that he didn't know everything about her.

He had believed he knew everything about her, but it seemed she harbored hardships he wasn't aware of. Despite her outward appearance of strength, she hid her pain, struggling alone. Seeing her cry so sorrowfully in her sleep, he realized she must have many burdens weighing on her mind.

To comfort her, he tightly held onto her hand and called her name several times, hoping to rouse her from the painful dream.

With him calling her name multiple times and holding her hand tightly, Yang Ning finally broke away from the dreams that enveloped her in sadness, and she woke up. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the face of the man looking at her intently with worried eyes.

"You finally woke up. I was so worried to see you cry like this in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?" He wiped her wet tears with the back of his other hand as he spoke.

Seeing the face of the man she loves most in this world, Yang Ning calmed down and smiled through her teary eyes. In a voice slightly hoarse from sleep, she whispered, "I'm fine. It was not a nightmare, just a sad dream." She managed a bitter smile, her eyes reflecting her sorrow.

As she tried to sit up, Zheng Liang stopped her. "What are you doing? Stay like this."

Yang Ning blinked in confusion. "But I'm fine. I was just sleeping and had a sad dream. You don't need to worry about me. Also, if I keep sleeping, who will manage the palace affairs?" She attempted to sit down on the bed, feeling the need to attend to her duties. She couldn't afford to spend the whole day in bed sleeping; what would others think of her?

Having already slept through the entire morning and even taken a nap after breakfast, Yang Ning couldn't afford to stay in bed any longer. She couldn't risk showing Zheng Liang and everyone her lazy side. After all, she was the Crown Princess and had duties to attend to. If she kept sleeping, who would handle her responsibilities?

However, Zheng Liang didn't heed her words and gently pushed her back onto the bed. "No need. Just stay in bed today and rest. I have called Master Jiang to check on you, so you will stay here until he examines you." With that, he stood up from the edge of the bed to make way for Master Jiang to come and assess Yang Ning.

Hearing this, Yang Ning was left speechless, only then realizing that other than Zheng Liang, Xiaowei was standing there with a worried expression, along with Master Jiang and his assistant, Hou Wei. She suddenly felt a wash of embarrassment, realizing that she had cried in her dreams while everyone was in her chamber. How embarrassing!

The Head Physician Jiang approached the bedside and sat on the stool next to it, gently placing Yang Ning's outstretched wrist on a small wrist pillow to check her pulse.

"Why did you bother Master Jiang? It's nothing. I'm fine. Don't overreact," Yang Ning said, her brow furrowing as she attempted to retract her hand.

However, Master Jiang held onto her wrist firmly and replied in an indifferent tone, "It's not a bother, Princess. This is my duty. Please don't move and let me examine you."

Hou Wei noticed Yang Ning's frown and offered some comfort, saying, "Princess, they say even dreams have meaning. If you've been having troubling dreams lately, it's better to have them checked. There's no harm in it." She smiled reassuringly.

Hearing her words, Yang Ning, though reluctant, let out a helpless sigh and remained lying on the bed without moving. "Alright, I won't say anything," she said in a resigned tone. She sighed and allowed them to proceed.

Even though she was fine, as long as it helped ease Zheng Liang's mind, she didn't mind going through an unnecessary examination. Explore more at empire