This Is What a Villain Is Like

Her situation would be even more dire.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Soon, Prince Chong’an, Chongzheng, was led into the main hall by a eunuch. After bowing with clasped hands, he spoke bluntly, "Your Majesty, I believe your handling of Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, was improper..."

"Whether what his son, Xiao Teng, said in the hall that day was true or false has yet to be verified. The matter cannot be so easily dismissed. The remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect have lain dormant for a long time. Before his son, Xiao Teng, was murdered, he secretly met with someone, yet he deliberately concealed this fact in the hall that day."

"Whether Prince Zhenbei, Xiao He, is colluding with the remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect still requires investigation. For you to let him off so easily makes it difficult to placate your ministers and is a miscarriage of justice. For the past few days, all sorts of rumors have been spreading throughout the Imperial Capital."

"I ordered the experts in my household to investigate, and they’ve noticed that the Dragon Energy in the Imperial Capital seems to be tainted. It contains a blackish, blood-red color, which is a truly inauspicious sign."

"I implore Your Majesty not to lose the people’s support over personal feelings. The very fact that you, a woman, are on the throne—acting against all precedent—has already given many people a reason to talk..."

He had a handsome face, a square jaw, and a broad forehead. Clad in a Five-Clawed Python Robe, his thick brows and large eyes gave him an imposing, martial air. He delivered his words in a stern, powerful tone, seemingly unafraid of incurring Emperor Xia’s wrath.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia’s brow furrowed, but her expression quickly smoothed over. He was, after all, her maternal uncle, and she had relied heavily on Prince Chong’an’s support over the years to secure her throne.

Harsh advice is hard to swallow, but his words were indeed meant for her own good.

"’Uncle, you need not say more. I am fully aware of your concerns, but my mind is made up,’ said Emperor Xia. She addressed him as ’Uncle’ rather than ’Prince Chong’an,’ a gesture meant to shorten the distance between them.

She could tell that Xiao Teng had indeed been hiding something in the hall that day, but she hadn’t pressed the issue. The abduction of Xie Jianjia outside the Imperial Palace was a matter that had to be kept in the shadows.

She had chosen to forgive Prince Zhenbei and Xiao Teng so easily because she didn’t want to blow the incident out of proportion. The matter of the lost Dragon-Suppressing Seal would be exposed sooner or later. The more furious she appeared now, the more people might doubt the official story when it eventually came out.

Conversely, the calmer and more composed she acted now, the better. When word eventually spread that the Dragon-Suppressing Seal had been stolen by the Blood Immortal Sect, she could dismiss it as malicious rumors spread by the sect. This would buy her time to stabilize public opinion and formulate a response, preventing her from being cornered from the outset.

Chongzheng’s face grew grim. ’I’ve already said so much, yet Emperor Xia still plans to favor Prince Zhenbei. I thought for sure that after the Southern Hunting exercise, Xiao He would fall from grace. His military authority would be gradually revoked, and I could then take command of his million-strong Heavy Cavalry. I could fortify the northern border, prepare for war, and perhaps one day, contend for the throne.’

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has unexpectedly arrived and requests an audience..."

Just then, the eunuch who had made the announcement hurried back, his face etched with panic.

Prime Minister Jiang Lintian rarely came to the Imperial Palace outside of morning court, let alone to request a private audience with Emperor Xia.

Chongzheng was stunned. ’Why would Prime Minister Jiang Lintian come to see Emperor Xia at such a critical moment?’

’Could the court rumors be true? Have the Prime Minister and Emperor Xia reached some sort of agreement?’

’During the Southern Hunting exercise, if the Prime Minister hadn’t meddled, how could Emperor Xia have afforded to slip away from the Qianyuan Cave Realm to successfully break through to the Eighth Realm?’

His expression darkened. He glanced toward Emperor Xia behind the curtained screen, gave a stiff bow, and chose to withdraw.

Emperor Xia hadn’t expected the Prime Minister’s sudden arrival either.

She froze for a moment, her brow deeply furrowed. Sitting up from the soft couch where she had been lounging, her expression hardened into one of regal authority. "Admit him," she commanded.

’Let’s see what game this old fox is playing.’

As Prince Chong’an, Chongzheng, retreated outside the hall, he saw Prime Minister Jiang Lintian at the foot of the stairs. Dressed in the tall hat and wide-sashed robes of a refined scholar, he was slowly ascending the steps.

"Prime Minister..."

He managed to force a smile, intending to offer a polite greeting. But Jiang Lintian acted as if he hadn’t seen him—or perhaps he had, and simply didn’t care. He walked straight past, utterly ignoring him.

The smile on Chongzheng’s face instantly froze. In the moment it took for the Prime Minister to pass, his expression twisted into an ugly, sullen glower.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, Emperor Xia watched him approach through the screen, her eyes filled with undisguised indifference and cold.

When she first ascended the throne as a child, Jiang Lintian held all the power. The court ministers treated her as little more than a puppet, ignoring her completely.

Even matters of great importance were only brought before her for the final stamp of approval after they had first received Jiang Lintian’s permission.

"To what do I owe the Prime Minister’s sudden visit?" Emperor Xia asked coolly.

Jiang Lintian was not in the habit of bowing. Upon entering the main hall, he simply waved his hand. At his gesture, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs picked up their Golden Lamps and withdrew, as if he were the true master of the nation.

At this sight, Emperor Xia’s eyes grew even colder.

"I received a secret letter today that concerns you, Emperor Xia," Jiang Lintian said coolly, wasting no words. "Since this matter pertains to the very foundations of the Great Xia, I have, after careful consideration, decided to present it."

As he finished speaking, he casually flicked a letter onto the desk before the astonished Emperor Xia. It was a secret missive, and its seal was already broken.

’The aura of a Blood Immortal Sect Cultivation Technique?’

Now a cultivator of the Eighth Realm, Emperor Xia instantly identified the residual aura on the letter. Her eyes narrowed, a calculating and suspicious glint within them.