Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Caught off guard, Xiao Yang was yanked out the door by Rong Yin. She froze for a moment but didn’t struggle, only pulling her hand free once they were outside.

Rong Yin gazed at the bustling street, his now-empty palm clenching slightly. An instant later, he strode forward to catch up with Xiao Yang.

"Are you going to keep wandering around?"

Xiao Yang: "Just walking."

Rong Yin: "Every street is more or less the same, and it could be dangerous."

He moved to Xiao Yang’s side, one arm bent to partially shield her. Taller than her by more than half a head, his frame seemed to envelop her.

Xiao Yang didn’t understand why he was spouting such nonsense and didn’t bother turning to acknowledge him.

After a few more steps, Rong Yin revealed his objective. "The plum blossoms at my mansion are blooming magnificently."

Xiao Yang ignored him.

After a moment, he added, "A few white cranes have arrived in the garden."

Xiao Yang didn’t even turn her head.

Rong Yin: "I had a cart of wine brought from Western Tibet, along with all sorts of candied fruits."

Rong Yin realized that no matter what he said, the Little Emperor was determined to ignore him. Yet, gazing at the handsome youth before him—head held high, chest out, brimming with vigor—he couldn’t summon even a shred of impatience.

’The Little Emperor seems naive and lazy, but in reality, she’s cautious and cunning.’

’It’s too difficult to trick her back to the mansion.’

’She was the one who came to my mansion to spend the night before, tormenting me in all sorts of ways. Now that she’s gotten what she wanted, she’s cast me aside like a worn-out shoe.’

’Scumbag!’

"Your Majesty."

A guard hurried over, his expression tense. "Your Majesty, Lord Lan has been injured, and Liu Shixu was rescued."

Xiao Lan had been taken to a clinic. By the time Xiao Yang arrived to see him, a doctor had already finished bandaging his wounds.

The wound was deep, running through his abdomen, but fortunately, it hadn’t damaged any internal organs. There were also two cuts on his arm.

Xiao Lan’s face was deathly pale. He immediately tried to rise when he saw Xiao Yang, but she stopped him. "Don’t move. Tell me what happened."

Xiao Lan said, "Your Majesty, we were just about to capture Liu Shixu when two figures in black suddenly appeared. One of them injured me while the other took Liu Shixu. Their skills were exceptionally high; they vanished with him in an instant."

Xiao Yang wasn’t angry. "If he didn’t have someone protecting him, he never would have dared to appear so openly."

"Focus on your recovery. Don’t worry about the rest."

Xiao Lan was clearly blaming himself for failing his mission, but Xiao Yang said no more on the subject.

She would forgive a subordinate for a lack of ability, but she would not offer comfort.

Rong Yin spoke up. "I have an idea where Liu Shixu might go, but before that, we need to find someone."

Rong Yin led Xiao Yang to the Prince Jing Mansion.

Xiao Lv, who had just been led back to his own home: ?

Prince Jing asked, "What brings you all here?"

Xiao Lv explained the situation with Liu Shixu, after which Rong Yin posed a question: "Prince Jing, of all your brothers, who do you think is most likely to still be alive?"

Prince Jing was completely bewildered. "What do you mean by that?"

Rong Yin: "It means, Prince Jing, that you have a brother who is still alive."

Emperor Taizhong had eight children in total. Besides the late Emperor and Prince Jing, the other six were all dead.

The eldest died young. The second was the Crown Prince, who brought about his own ruin and was placed under house arrest. He lived a life of drunken dissipation until an accidental fire broke out during one of his stupors. He failed to escape and was burned to a crisp.

The third son was wildly ambitious. He amassed a personal army to seize power and was executed by Emperor Taizhong’s own hand.

Prince Jing was the fourth, and the late Emperor was the sixth.

The fifth, seventh, and eighth sons schemed and fought amongst themselves for years, plotting against one another in their struggle for power.

In the end, the fifth son assassinated the seventh, chopping up his body and bringing it back. The fifth was then forced to confess after the eighth son and the late Emperor joined forces against him. He ultimately committed suicide by taking poison in the Heavenly Prison.

The eighth son backstabbed and plotted to murder the late Emperor, for which Emperor Taizhong ordered him beheaded. His body was not even permitted to be interred in the Imperial Mausoleum.

Prince Jing was the only one who did not participate in the war for the throne. That’s not to say he was completely uninvolved; he was framed several times, but both the framing and his subsequent rescues were rather inexplicable.

Even back then, he was already obsessed with the clever mechanisms of the Mo Family and was largely oblivious to these events. In the end, he simply muddled his way through and survived.

Emperor Taizhong and the late Emperor: ... After all the effort they spent, was *this* the thing they had protected and kept alive?

Prince Jing thought and thought.

"My eldest brother was only ten when he died; I was too young to remember. I saw the bodies of the fifth and eighth brothers with my own eyes. The second brother was just a lump of charcoal, completely unrecognizable. The third was killed by Father Emperor, but his body was put directly into a coffin. When the seventh brother was brought back, he was in pieces, so I never saw him either..."

Prince Jing looked completely lost. "This was all fifteen years ago... Could someone really be alive?"

He looked at Rong Yin. "You were young then, but you witnessed the upheaval firsthand. Who do you think could be alive?"

Everyone: "..."

Rong Yin had asked him, but after a long-winded explanation, Prince Jing had simply thrown the question back at him.

’What a waste of a trip.’

Rong Yin took out a Token. "Does Prince Jing recognize this?"

Prince Jing took it and examined it closely, his expression turning grave. "I’ve seen it before."

He clutched the Token and began to pace back and forth, his brow deeply furrowed.

Knowing he was thinking, no one disturbed him.

"My Prince."

A clear, beautiful, yet emotionless voice rang out.

Everyone looked over to see a slender figure approaching slowly. It was a coolly beautiful woman—Prince Jing’s consort, Meng Shuya.

She was not many years younger than Prince Jing, but time had left few marks on her face. She looked as if she were only in her early twenties.

She was the mother of Xiao Hong.

Looking at her face alone, it was hard to imagine she had a seventeen-year-old son.

She entered with her attendants. "I greet Your Majesty and the Regent King."

Xiao Yang: "There is no need for such ceremony."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Prince Jing walked over. "What are you doing here?"

Consort Meng looked at him, her expression serene. "Tonight is the Lantern Festival. I have prepared sweet rice balls."

"Upon learning that Your Majesty has graced us with your presence, I have already ordered them to be cooked. I have also prepared a banquet in Wangyue Pavilion."

Prince Jing slapped his forehead. "Look at me, completely forgot it’s a festival today! I didn’t even think to host you all properly."

Xiao Yang: "...We didn’t come here to drink."

’Besides, just three hours ago, she had been dining with Prince Jing and the others at the palace. Even if he wanted to extend a return invitation, there was no need to be in such a rush.’

For once, Prince Jing’s mind worked quickly. "There’s no time like the present! It’s a rare occasion for Your Majesty and Rong Yin to visit together. We must share a drink."

And so, the group found themselves at the dinner table.

Prince Jing sat at the head of the table, with Xiao Yang to his right and Rong Yin to his left. Xiao Lv sat further down from Rong Yin, while Xiao Hong sat next to Xiao Yang.

Consort Meng stood beside Prince Jing, directing servants to bring the dishes and personally pouring his wine.

After they had chatted for a while, Consort Meng reprimanded Xiao Hong in a measured tone, "Hong’er, you are the youngest one here. You should take the initiative to toast His Majesty and your Uncle Wang."

Rong Yin wasn’t old, but he was of the uncle generation.

Xiao Hong obediently stood up with his cup. "To Your Majesty."

Consort Meng watched her son’s performance with a dissatisfied frown, then her gaze fell on Xiao Lv. "Hong’er is introverted and not skilled in social matters. The Princely Heir is upright and composed. Might I ask the Princely Heir to look after him and teach him a little?"

The relationship between the two brothers, Xiao Lv and Xiao Hong, was distant. For so many years, Consort Meng had shown no intention of letting them grow close. For her to suddenly bring it up now, it was clear her true intentions lay elsewhere.

’The Regent King was an unlikely target, which meant her aim was the Emperor.’

Xiao Lv served in the imperial court; he was no longer just the Heir of Prince Jing, but a trusted confidant of the Emperor, holding real power.

’Was Consort Meng trying to pave the way for her son?’

Xiao Lv did not respond immediately, but instead looked toward the Emperor.

But it was Prince Jing who suddenly spoke. "Xiao Lv, you’re the older brother. From now on, take your little brother under your wing."

Xiao Lv showed little emotion as he nodded. "Understood."