Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: I Hereby Proclaim You the Killing Concubine

"The Li Family’s legitimate daughter is gentle and quiet, learned and talented. She is fit to be the Empress."

"The Xie family’s legitimate daughter is dignified and graceful, with features said to bring prosperity to her husband. She is most suited to be the mother of the nation."

"I think the Zhao Family’s candidate isn’t bad either..."

In Jinluan Palace, the civil and military officials all voiced their own opinions on the selection of the new Empress.

Each of them wanted to push the young lady from their own faction onto the Empress’s throne, and they were arguing heatedly over it.

On the Dragon Throne sat a slender youth dressed in a Dragon Robe. His skin was fair and his features were delicate—an androgynous sort of beauty that completely lacked an Emperor’s gravitas.

’A young Emperor?’

Xiao Yang glanced down between her legs. ’Tch. They’re debating so fiercely, desperate to saddle me with eight hundred wives. For a second, I almost thought something had sprouted down there.’

Xiao Yang had transmigrated here yesterday. Discovering she was the Emperor had been a pleasant surprise; she thought she could finally rely on a daydream to reach the pinnacle of life.

But as it turned out, she was a goddamn Puppet Emperor. With the Empress Dowager ruling from behind a screen and the Regent King holding all the power, she was just a weak and helpless Puppet Emperor caught in the middle, trembling in fear.

Setting all that aside, the thing she found most unacceptable was that the Emperor was a woman disguised as a man.

Well, as a woman, Xiao Yang had always had a grand dream. Alas...

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the transmigration, but this Emperor looked almost identical to her, just several years younger, with skin so tender it seemed to brim with moisture.

That was a small consolation, she supposed.

She lowered her gaze slightly, trying to make her pair of beautiful, almond-shaped eyes look shrewd and calculating.

Her eyes scanned her courtiers from left to right, matching their faces to the inherited memories.

The court was full of officials, mostly wrinkly old men, but there were still one or two who were easy on the eyes.

For instance, there was the guy standing beside her, the one who’d been putting on airs and radiating a chilly aura the entire time—the current Regent King, Rong Yin.

He had deep-set features, his brows and eyes sharp and heroic. His phoenix eyes were icy, and his jawline was so taut it was clearly defined. He was the type of powerful figure you could tell at a glance not to mess with.

His hair was immaculately bound by a silver hair crown inlaid with rubies. He wore a black Prince Python Robe, impeccably tailored from high-quality fabric, its dark patterns shimmering. It perfectly accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

’Now this is top-tier, all-natural, raw beauty. A rare sight indeed.’

As if sensing Xiao Yang’s gaze, Rong Yin glanced over. His look was like thousand-year-old ice—bleak, cold, and sinister enough to make one’s soul tremble.

This was the original body’s muscle memory; it was terrified of this Regent King.

But Xiao Yang wasn’t afraid. Without a trace of avoidance, she stared right back at him, the corner of her lips seeming to curl into a slight smile.

Provocative. Vicious.

’This man looks good, but he’s actually a poisonous demonic flower.’

He could crush a Puppet Emperor like her at any moment.

Having inexplicably taken over this no-win situation, Xiao Yang analyzed the political landscape and concluded that she wouldn’t live for long. Who knew, she might just mysteriously croak one day.

’No, wait, the original owner of this body *did* croak.’

She touched her neck, where a phantom pain still lingered.

The original owner had been strangled to death. A person in black had grabbed her by the throat and killed her in an instant, without her even getting a clear look at who it was.

There was no point in trying to find the killer. The list of people who wanted her dead was too long to count.

She couldn’t struggle in the slightest. If she died, she died. If she didn’t, she’d live.

’So, since I’m going to die anyway, what’s there to be afraid of?’

She looked at his expression, which was like he was looking at a dead person.

She opened her mouth and, with the most obnoxious expression she could muster, silently mouthed: *Go on, kill me.*

"Why not let Your Majesty choose personally?"

The sudden sound of a woman’s deliberately lowered voice from behind made Xiao Yang jump.

She’d almost forgotten there was an Empress Dowager sitting behind the screen, ruling the court from the shadows.

A personal eunuch presented a memorial listing the candidates for Empress.

There were four people in total, each representing one of the four major factions.

The eunuch’s finger deliberately pressed down on one of the names, all but grabbing her hand to make her circle it.

Liu Yumian. Technically, she was her cousin—the Empress Dowager’s person.

’I’m a woman. Marrying anyone else would definitely expose me. Only by marrying my own cousin can I continue this cover-up.’

It was an inevitable choice.

As if!

If anyone was to blame, it was the Empress Dowager for being unable to overpower the other factions. She wanted her own niece to be Empress, yet she was hypocritically making her, the Puppet Emperor, "choose."

Xiao Yang picked up the brush and, with a few quick strokes, drew four large X’s.

The attending eunuch saw this and trembled in fear. "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

He tried to snatch away the ruined memorial to destroy the evidence, but Xiao Yang grabbed it and threw it down.

"The ones you chose? I don’t like any of them."

The entire court was in an uproar.

Rong Yin’s gloomy eyes stared sharply at her. "Then who does Your Majesty wish to choose?"

His deep voice had a chilling effect, sending a shiver down one’s spine.

"Your Majesty, what is this nonsense?" the Empress Dowager’s reprimand came from behind.

Caught between two titans, the poor, helpless Emperor was all alone.

Xiao Yang raised her hand, and someone immediately brought over a blank memorial. She took the brush and scribbled down a sentence.

The eunuch holding the tray chanced a glance, turned pale with fright, and dropped straight to his knees.

Fortunately, Xiao Yang had already finished writing. She picked up the memorial, blew on the ink to dry it, folded it, and tossed it toward Rong Yin.

Rong Yin reacted quickly, catching it instinctively. Xiao Yang’s mischievous voice followed, full of triumphant glee. "Seeing how the Regent King is staring at me, looking like he’s dying to kill me, I hereby confer upon you the title of Killing Concubine."

She waved her hand breezily. "Since you’ve received the decree, that means you’ve accepted. No need for thanks. Court is dismissed!"

Having dropped that bombshell, Xiao Yang beat a hasty retreat.

In the vast Jinluan Palace, everyone was frozen as if they had turned to stone.

They couldn’t believe what they had just heard. What kind of outrageous nonsense was this little Puppet Emperor spouting?

CLATTER!

That was the sound of the memorial falling from Rong Yin’s hand, like the Little Emperor’s merciless mockery.

Someone peeked over and was so frightened they stumbled back two steps.

The frigid air around the Regent King was practically solidifying.

’He’s dead meat. The Little Emperor is so dead!’

-------

SLAP!

Xiao Yang grabbed a nearby gawking eunuch to intercept the slap coming from the Empress Dowager.

’That was close. I almost got hit.’

’You can take my life, but you can’t hit me.’

"Xiao Jin!"

The well-preserved and still-graceful Empress Dowager’s face was twisted with fury.

"You dare to dodge?"

"Are you looking to die? Not only did you refuse to choose an Empress according to my wishes, but you also went and offended Rong Yin. Are you afraid you won’t die fast enough?"

Xiao Yang was unconcerned. "Two candidates for Empress have already died. If I had chosen Liu Yumian, this time next year would be the anniversary of her death."

She grinned, feigning concern for the Empress Dowager. "Now everyone knows I’ve offended the Regent King. The next time someone makes a move on me, won’t you have a perfectly legitimate reason to blame the Regent King, Your Highness? This is a golden opportunity to get rid of him."

’The Regent King only lost face, but I could lose my life. By that math, he’s the one who came out on top.’

Clearly, the Regent King wasn’t the only one concerned with face.

The Empress Dowager was nearly angered to death by Xiao Yang. "You are the Emperor! Your every word and deed represents the court! What good does it do you to cause such a scene and ruin your reputation?"

Xiao Yang: ???

’What does a Puppet Emperor need a reputation for? Can it save my life?’

’I got to shock the courtiers, humiliate the Regent King, and piss off the Empress Dowager. That’s a total win in my book.’