Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Great General Fang Wenkai was an illustrious military general. By imperial order, he had guarded Changlu Pass for over a decade, deterring the Xirong and ensuring those barbarians never dared to take a single step past the city gates.

Who would have thought that the moment war broke out again, he would be slain just like that?

The imperial court, which had been as still as stagnant water just moments before, instantly erupted into an uproar. The enemy was at the gates—who could possibly remain calm?

"Why would the Xirong attack now? Winter is already over. They have no reason to invade!"

"With General Fang dead, who is commanding the army now?"

"Even if this was sent by the most urgent dispatch, it’s still a report from two days ago. The situation now is likely even worse."

The crowd of officials erupted in discussion, and the entire Jinluan Palace was filled with a loud buzzing.

Lin Yi flicked his horsetail whisk. "Silence!"

Only then did the hall fall quiet.

Li Wei stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I am willing to go and face the enemy."

He was a military general. It was without question that he would be sent to battle in a situation like this.

But he was also worried. ’This is precisely when Your Majesty needs me most. Who knows what sort of conspiracy that person in the shadows is brewing? This battle report arrived too conveniently. I wonder if they’re behind it.’

’I even suspect this is a plot to draw me away from Your Majesty’s side.’

But this was both a secret conspiracy and an overt one. Your Majesty had far too few people who were both trustworthy and capable.

No one knew of Li Wei’s concerns, but his request to lead the army was a great reassurance to everyone present.

Li Wei was young, powerful, and had an undefeated record. If he went to battle, he would surely annihilate those barbarians.

Xiao Yang didn’t hesitate for a moment. He went to retrieve the Tiger Talisman and personally handed it to Li Wei.

"Go. I will await your good news."

Li Wei grabbed Xiao Yang’s wrist. "Your Majesty, I fear this is all aimed at you."

Xiao Yang’s lips curled into a smirk. "Be bolder. It’s not something to ’fear,’ it *is* aimed at me. But so what?"

Xiao Yang’s expression was defiant, without a trace of fear. He clapped Li Wei on the shoulder. "General, you aren’t just protecting me, the Emperor. You are protecting the peace of the nation, the stability of the realm. You do what you must, and I will do what I must."

Setting aside his own personal concerns, as a military general, it was hard not to be moved by such an emperor.

"Take care, Your Majesty. I will absolutely not let you down."

Li Wei made the solemn promise, then departed with the Tiger Talisman, his face a mask of grim determination.

The matter was urgent, leaving little time for preparations. Li Wei immediately mobilized ten thousand troops. Each soldier carried three days of rations as they began a forced march to the battlefield.

"Li Wei is gone."

Upstairs in a tavern, Prince Jing had been forced into a meeting, and his face was livid with anger.

"Xiao Sheng, don’t tell me you had something to do with this."

’Colluding with an enemy nation, having a great general murdered... all just to draw Li Wei away from the Emperor?’

Xiao Sheng offered an insincere smile. "How could that be? It’s merely a coincidence."

Prince Jing didn’t believe a single word of it.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Xiao Sheng replied, "Haven’t I told you? I’m setting things right. Taking back everything that belongs to me."

Prince Jing, ever blunt, retorted, "You’re the one causing chaos right now. Besides, when has the throne ever belonged to you?"

Prince Jing had absolutely no sense of tact. Every word he spoke made Xiao Sheng’s temples throb; there wasn’t a single thing he said that Xiao Sheng wanted to hear. Each sentence was like a painful jab to the ribs.

’Prince Jing is a fool,’ Xiao Sheng thought, ’but he’s still useful.’

’So infuriating. Must. Keep. Smiling.’

"Have you forgotten, Fourth Brother, that you and I are on the same side now?"

"That Little Emperor is a woman. A woman disguised as a man, sitting on the imperial throne... It completely upends the natural order! It’s the most absurd joke in the world! Everything I’m doing is for the ancestral legacy of our Xiao Family."

Prince Jing rolled his eyes, speechless. ’Ancestral legacy? If our ancestors knew about this, they’d jump right out of their coffins!’

’He could save those hypocritical words to fool himself.’

’I may not be clever, but I’m not an idiot!’