Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Rong Yin and Meng Xuechen were so agitated that they completely overlooked the fact that the guard in front of them was one of the Emperor’s men.

Word of their conversation quickly reached Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang clicked her tongue. "What a pain!"

Rong Yin was a pain, and so was Meng Xuechen.

Both were exceptionally handsome men, rare in their perfection. They lacked nothing in looks, talent, family background, or ability.

Men like them were bound to be exceptional—truly favored sons of Heaven, few and far between.

They were good men, but not good lovers.

Since they lacked for nothing—needing neither power nor wealth—what they naturally sought were emotional returns: true affection, an official title, and unwavering loyalty.

But Xiao Yang was only willing to provide the former; the latter, she had no intention of giving to anyone.

The Regent King did not attend court the next day. After examining him, Doctor Han came to report him ill.

Xiao Yang’s expression was unreadable. "He was perfectly fine yesterday. How did he suddenly fall ill?"

Han Yang was concise. "Excessive drinking, lack of sleep, and exposure to the cold."

Xiao Yang was speechless.

’It seems Meng Xuechen really did a number on him,’ Xiao Yang thought. ’He’s driven Rong Yin into complete seclusion.’

Han Yang stealthily glanced at the Emperor. Seeing that she had no further questions, he bowed silently and withdrew.

Though he was the Regent King’s man, he would not meddle in matters between the Emperor and the Regent King without a direct order.

Xie Liuzheng, who had come to see Xiao Yang, happened to overhear this. She had already caught wind of yesterday’s incident and, with her sharp intuition, sensed that something was not quite right.

She managed to suppress her curiosity and discuss official business first, but once they were done, she couldn’t resist leaning in to whisper, "Your Majesty, did you have a fight with the Regent King?"

Her eyes sparkled with a gossipy curiosity, hungry for information.

Xiao Yang rested her chin in her hand, turning the gossip right back at her. "How about you tell me how far things have gone with you and Xiao Lv?"

Xie Liuzheng immediately clammed up.

She really didn’t want to talk about it, but she had been secretly shipping the Emperor and the Regent King, and her gossipy soul was burning with a fiery passion.

If you want to hear gossip, you have to be willing to make a sacrifice.

After a moment of internal struggle, she spoke with the grim resignation of a martyr. "We slept together... and now I can’t shake him."

’A classic case of *The Troublesome Affair of Accidentally Sleeping With My Boss’s Best Friend’s Cousin*.’

Xiao Yang’s eyes danced with amusement. "Let’s be clear. Who slept with whom?"

Xie Liuzheng’s face instantly turned beet red. Full of regret, she mumbled, "I was the one who slept with *him*."

"Ooooh," Xiao Yang purred, thoroughly enjoying this new ship.

’If Xiao Lv had made the first move, she could have helped Xie Liuzheng out. But since Xie Liuzheng was the active party, well, you couldn’t really blame Xiao Lv, could you?’

’You deal with the man you messed with.’

Flustered and embarrassed, Xie Liuzheng grew bold and grabbed Xiao Yang’s arm. "Your Majesty, I’ve told you everything! Now it’s your turn to answer me."

Xiao Yang gently pinched her smooth cheek. "I don’t argue with men."

Xie Liuzheng didn’t believe her.

Xiao Yang patted her cheek. "If you had stayed at Star Emperor for more than a few days after you were hired, you wouldn’t be looking at me like that."

Thinking about how Xie Liuzheng had been run down and killed by the same fugitive father who had murdered *her*, Xiao Yang’s expression wavered.

She hadn’t been the one to kill her. In fact, she had died even before Xie Liuzheng. But because it was all connected to her, she couldn’t help but feel a certain sense of responsibility.

Xiao Yang’s expression sobered, but Xie Liuzheng, completely oblivious, had suddenly remembered something.

"On my very first day at Star Emperor, I heard people talking. They said everyone’s ultimate goal at the company was to become one of Her Majesty the Empress’s lifelong retainers."

"Everyone called the great president of Star Emperor ’Her Majesty the Empress.’ She was exceptionally capable, a real force of nature who single-handedly turned the company around. Not only did she elevate Star Emperor to new heights, but she also had countless other companies under her control. She was breathtakingly beautiful with an incredible, fiery figure—a heartbreaker for men and women alike."

"She doted on her female employees, handing out designer bags and clothes like they were nothing. Under her, even the cleaning staff supposedly used Louis Vuitton bags for their grocery shopping. Her trusted employees were each given an apartment and a luxury car. She often paid out of her own pocket to spoil the women on her staff, and countless people would have killed to become one of her secretaries."

"Her female staff all had the figures of flight attendants—gorgeous and sizzling—while the men were all over six feet tall and could pass for male models. People said her team was basically her personal harem and that she was into both men and women..."

Xie Liuzheng grew more excited with every word, until her eyes grew misty and her voice trembled. "...That person... that couldn’t have been you, could it?"

’Everyone called the top president Her Majesty the Empress. She hadn’t been at the company long, so she never actually learned the president’s name.’

’She hadn’t connected the dots before, mainly because the current Emperor was a young man, a far cry from the sexy, voluptuous beauty she was describing.’

’But now that she thought about it, His Majesty had transmigrated. The body wasn’t her original one, so a change in appearance was perfectly normal. The personality, though... that hadn’t changed one bit.’

’Just look at how she treated her and Song Qingyi, not to mention that crowd of palace maids who were utterly bewitched.’

She took a sharp breath. ’That level of charisma... it was downright terrifying.’

Xiao Yang was speechless.

’She had no idea that’s how her subordinates saw her. What was all this nonsense?’

’Her Majesty the Empress? Didn’t everyone just call her President Xiao?’

"It’s true that I was selective about the appearance of my team. After all, if you have to see people all the time, they might as well be pleasant to look at. I’m responsible for what my own eyes have to see. But the rumor about being into both men and women is false. My preferences are perfectly normal, and I never dated within the workplace."

’Then again,’ she mused, ’some of the women on my team did seem a little... unconventional in their preferences.’

Seeing the excited gleam in Xie Liuzheng’s eyes, Xiao Yang gave a resigned sigh and flicked her on the forehead. "It’s all rumors. Get a grip."

But Xie Liuzheng couldn’t get a grip. She was filled with regret.

’She’d worked so hard to get into Star Emperor, so how could she have never even gotten a glimpse of the great president?’

’If only she’d become one of Her Majesty the Empress’s secretaries, working alongside handsome men and beautiful women, with such a generous, sexy, top-class boss... she couldn’t even imagine what a happy, outgoing person she would have become.’

Xiao Yang gave up. She had only been trying to tell Xie Liuzheng that she never lacked for lovers. If one became displeasing, she’d simply replace them. No one would ever dare argue with her.

But now, Xie Liuzheng’s focus had gone completely off the rails.

’She didn’t have the heart to tell her that with a personality like that, forget joining her secretarial team—Xie Liuzheng wouldn’t even make it into management.’

’Oh well. The girl was silly enough as it was; no need to crush her spirits further.’

’Besides, her own views on romance were twisted by personal experience. It was better not to pass those on to Xie Liuzheng.’

’Xie Liuzheng had her fun with Xiao Lv and wasn’t even taking responsibility. The least she could do was not add more obstacles to his love life.’

「Meanwhile...」

CRASH.

The medicine bowl lay shattered on the floor. Qing Yu and Qing Feng exchanged a glance, then began cleaning up the mess in silence.

’The bowl was broken, but at least he’d drunk the medicine.’

"His Majesty... said nothing at all?" A hoarse voice came from the bed, the tone outwardly calm but holding something back.

Qing Yu replied, "Doctor Han relayed no message, and His Majesty gave no orders."

"How..."

’How what? Heartless?’

’But he had always known the Emperor was heartless. He was the one who first developed such foolish hopes. He was the one drinking poison to quench his thirst, courting his own doom.’

’Her obedience was an act, her gentleness a sham. The endearing Little Emperor seen day to day was nothing but a disguise. The real her was decisive in her kills, ruthless, and utterly merciless.’

’She played with his heart, watching as he lost all self-control, yet not a single ripple of emotion disturbed the calm in her eyes.’

’From the very beginning, he had been the only one, falling into this trap with his eyes wide open.’

He shot up, violently throwing back the bed curtains. His face was pale and predatory, like a beast poised to strike...