Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

「On the third day of the second month, the National Letter from Xirong arrived.」

Two tall, imposing men from Xirong were escorted into the palace by soldiers, holding a National Letter personally penned by the King of Xirong.

"By order of our king, we have come to present this National Letter, in the hope that our two nations may restore good relations and live in peace and harmony."

The two men held the National Letter and spoke courteous words, but their tone was proud and their expressions arrogant. When they bowed, it was merely a slight bend at the waist, the angle almost imperceptible. Their gazes were even more brazen as they sized up the young Emperor on the Dragon Throne.

Xiao Yang held a battle report, leaning casually against the armrest of her throne. She didn’t even lift her head at their words.

Xiao Lv stepped forward. "You fail to bow properly when meeting Our Emperor. It seems your plea for peace is insincere."

The two men glanced at each other and had no choice but to bow deeply once more. The arc of their bow was much greater this time, but their attitude remained largely unchanged.

Xiao Yang finished reading the battle report. Tucked into the last page was a letter from Li Wei. She unfolded it slowly, unhurriedly. Li Wei wrote of the situation at the border, stating he was confident he could defeat the Xirong. He also mentioned that his injuries were no longer a concern and, at the end, did not forget to send her his greetings. As for the matter of the Emperor being a woman, he almost certainly knew, yet he didn’t mention it at all.

Xiao Yang ignored them, and the two men from Xirong would not stand for it. They lifted their heads and snapped, "Emperor Dawei, what is your intention? Do you truly intend to go to war with us?"

Xiao Yang finally deigned to lift her eyes and glance at these two clamoring grasshoppers.

"Teach them how to speak to me."

Xiao Lv raised his hand. Four guards advanced at once, forcefully shoving the two men to the ground.

Just as the two were about to resist, four blades were pressed against their necks.

"We came in good faith to sue for peace! What is the meaning of this?"

"We are envoys sent by our king! If anything happens to us, any possibility of peace between Da Wei and Xirong will be gone forever!"

Xiao Yang gazed at them indifferently. "I am merely showing you the proper posture to use when speaking to me."

Her gaze swept over their knees, pinned firmly to the floor. Xiao Yang raised a hand. "Now, you may present your National Letter."

The two were resentful, but they had no choice but to watch as the National Letter was taken from them and presented to the Emperor.

Liang Sha and Lin Yi inspected it once, then passed it to Xiao Lv for another inspection, before it was finally presented to the Emperor.

The National Letter was unrolled. The tone was that of the King of Xirong—rambling and filled with arrogant insolence. It wasn’t a plea for peace, but rather an act of charity, as if he couldn’t be bothered to fight Da Wei and was warning them not to fail to appreciate his magnanimity.

When he wrote the National Letter, the news that the Emperor of Da Wei was a woman had not yet reached him.

But in the end, she was just a young Emperor, and he paid her no mind.

The end of the National Letter bore the great seal of the King of Xirong, along with a sprawling signature.

Xiao Yang finished reading and closed it.

Her gaze fell upon the two West Rong people, Huyan Zhuole and Wumu Liqi. Both were major surnames in Xirong; one was the King of Xirong’s paternal cousin, and the other was from the main branch of Xirong’s largest tribe.

Xiao Yang asked only one question. "Changlu Pass. Bafang City. Were you both there?"

Huyan Zhuole replied, "Why does the Emperor of Da Wei ask this?"

Xiao Yang’s expression didn’t change. "Your names weren’t in the battle report. I’m merely curious."

Wumu Liqi puffed out his chest and held his head high. "In the attack on Changlu Pass, I was in the vanguard. I was the first to scale the city walls."

"Oh? Quite impressive." Xiao Yang looked at the other one. "You certainly don’t look as capable as him."

Though Huyan Zhuole was the more rational of the two, his face contorted with anger. "I was in the center of the formation, suppressing their entire force! I was the main assault force during the attack on Bafang City!"

Xiao Yang nodded in admiration. "So you two are the tiger generals of Xirong. My apologies."

Their expressions finally softened a bit. ’This Emperor may be young and look effeminate... no, wait, she really is a woman, but at least she has a good eye for talent.’

However, as soon as Xiao Yang finished speaking, she lifted her chin and gave a merciless order: "Kill them."

The order was given, and the blades fell.

Before the two could even react, their throats were slit.

Their bodies were held up, preventing them from collapsing. Blood sprayed from their necks, their eyes wide with shock.

Xiao Yang waved a dismissive hand, tossing the National Letter down. "Send the letter and these men back to the King of Xirong. Once he’s written a proper letter, and once his envoys have learned how to bow, then we can talk of peace negotiations."

Xiao Lv replied, "This servant obeys the decree."

When the courtiers heard the Emperor was meeting with the Xirong envoys alone, they knew something was going to happen. And sure enough, the Emperor had the men killed. The situation had escalated.

Before anyone could question the Emperor, the three Chiefs of Staff and six Assistant Ministers from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Industry, and Ministry of War were summoned to the palace.

No one knew what they discussed, only that when they emerged, their expressions were all extremely solemn and grave.

"Your Majesty... doesn’t intend to continue the war, does she?"

"I don’t know. But Her Majesty killed the Xirong envoys and rejected the National Letter. Even if Her Majesty doesn’t want to fight, the West Rong people won’t let this go."

"As for the grievances from Changlu Pass and Bafang City, if Her Majesty negotiates for peace, the soldiers won’t stand for it. And Li Wei hasn’t retreated yet."

"Speaking of which, General Li must know that Her Majesty is a woman by now, right? Why hasn’t he sent back a memorial or anything? Or did he know all along?"

A crowd of officials, a pile of questions, but no one had any answers. Finally, they turned to the one who hadn’t spoken. "Prime Minister, what are your thoughts?"

Song Qinghe: "..."

It was a testament to his good upbringing that he didn’t lose his temper on the spot.

The duty of the Prime Minister was to support the Emperor and assist in all affairs of state.

The first man beneath the Emperor—the ultimate dream of all officials.

Previously, when the Empress Dowager held court from behind the screen, he had shared a third of the power. He could be considered to have held great authority, a power in his own right.

But after the Emperor seized power, the Empress Dowager’s faction was completely purged and the Regent King was brought to heel. Now, the Regent King was performing the duties that should have belonged to the Prime Minister.

The Six Ministries were all now firmly in the Emperor’s grasp. Her orders were followed without question, requiring no intermediary.

As for him, the Prime Minister, the Emperor hadn’t had to do much at all to marginalize him.

Before he could even get a firm grip on his power, the Emperor had already taken it all away.

He had previously wanted to marry his daughter to the Emperor as a token of his allegiance. But the Emperor was a woman and had no need for such a thing. Instead, his daughter, upon learning the Emperor was female, had been dealt a massive blow and was now threatening to become a nun.

His position was awkward. The Emperor no longer discussed state affairs with him, and he had been reduced to mingling with these second-rank and third-rank officials. And now this group was asking him for his opinion...

He felt a tightness in his chest, yet he couldn’t show his anger. He gave a few perfunctory replies and quickly walked away. He hadn’t even left the palace when a family servant rushed over to report that the young lady had tried to hang herself.

Song Qinghe cast all other thoughts aside and rushed home.

Song Qingyi had tried to hang herself, but she was discovered in time and had not succeeded. Still, a red ligature mark was visible on her neck. She was crying her heart out, looking utterly pitiful.

Song Qinghe knew why his daughter was so heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do.

When the Emperor was a man, he could have shamelessly begged His Majesty to marry Song Qingyi. But now that everyone knew the Emperor’s true identity was female, what could he possibly do?

Lady Song held her daughter, feeling both heartbroken and angry. She could barely accept her daughter suffering so much over a man; now she was trying to kill herself over a woman. ’What in the world is this?’

Song Qingyi’s pregnant sister-in-law came over, cradling her belly. After looking at her sister-in-law’s state, she said, "The person who caused the problem is the only one who can fix it. Why not let Qingyi see Her Majesty? Perhaps then she’ll be able to move on."

At these words, a light suddenly sparked in Song Qingyi’s eyes. But when she remembered the Emperor was a woman, that light was instantly extinguished. However, she did not refuse the idea of seeing the Emperor.

Song Qinghe: "..."

’Children are nothing but debts, every last one of them!’