Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Just Taking Over This Mess...

Xiao Yang wasn’t about to trust Bi Fang after just a few words. She lifted her teacup, took a sip to soothe her throat, and swallowed down the faint, coppery taste of blood.

Her long lashes lifted, her dark, cold eyes sizing up the man before her.

’His emotions were stable, and his expression revealed no flaws. He’s a very meticulous person.’

"You have the Empress Dowager’s trust."

Bi Fang replied, "This servant has worked under Wang Hai for years, dealing with many people who were a threat to the Empress Dowager. In her eyes, this servant should be quite trustworthy."

"However, I was not the one originally assigned to Your Majesty’s side. I simply used a few tricks to prevent him from coming, which is how I got the opportunity to be here."

’So, Bi Fang was following the late Emperor’s orders to lie in wait by the Empress Dowager’s side, all for the sake of becoming the new Emperor’s man?’

Xiao Yang took the letter and unfolded it. There were two sheets of paper. One was a letter from the late Emperor to his "son," instructing her on the ways of a king and how to rule in her own right.

The other was a list of names—the personnel the late Emperor had left for her.

’This must be genuine.’

Xiao Yang finished reading and folded the letter.

’The late Emperor... he was clever enough, benevolent and wise. A king who could have brought about a great revival. A shame he was so short-lived.’

Yet, for all his careful planning, he probably never calculated that the son he had awaited with such anticipation was actually a woman.

’In the original timeline, it would have been nearly impossible for the original owner of this body to resist the Empress Dowager. Forget resisting—she probably wouldn’t have even lived that long.’

’Goes to show that man proposes, but God disposes.’

’But then I had to go and transmigrate here, just in time to take over this whole mess...’

Xiao Yang said no more, and Bi Fang offered no fawning pleasantries. They both maintained a measured distance.

Yang Xiu entered with a little palace maid who was carrying a bowl of medicine on a tray.

"Your Majesty, it’s time for your medicine."

Xiao Yang glanced at it, not wanting to drink it in the slightest.

"Just leave it."

Yang Xiu personally brought the bowl of medicine to Xiao Yang. "Your Majesty, the lingering poison in your system has not yet been cleared. It will be difficult to recover if you don’t drink your medicine. There are candied fruits and honey water here, so it won’t be bitter."

Yang Xiu was different from Fang Ping; she didn’t constantly wear a sour, mournful expression. But she wasn’t an overly warm person either. She simply spoke normally, with a trace of gentle reverence.

But that very normal attitude, coming from one of the Empress Dowager’s people, was highly abnormal.

’Could she be like Bi Fang, another one of the late Emperor’s people?’

’Is the Empress Dowager’s inner circle as leaky as a sieve?’

Xiao Yang hated drinking medicine, but her body truly ached. The medicine had to be drunk.

She closed her eyes and finished it, then took a large gulp of honey water to wash down the strange taste.

"Tell me what’s happening outside."

Bi Fang reported, "The Empress Dowager has taken her people to Jinluan Palace and is confronting the Regent King."

The Empress Dowager found a connection between the poisoner and the Regent King, so she’s aggressively cornering him, trying to pin the crime of regicide on him.

The truth, however, was that the palace maid who administered the poison had been put up to it by Sun De, Liu Sheng’s adopted son.

Sun De had learned the truth of Liu Sheng’s death and originally wanted to replace him, coming to the imperial court to become the Grand Steward. But he never expected the Empress Dowager to send Bi Fang instead.

Fueled by hatred and resentment, he persuaded a palace maid who was Liu Sheng’s confidante. The two of them poisoned the Emperor together. It wasn’t a fatal poison; the goal was to make the Emperor suffer while simultaneously framing Bi Fang, thereby creating an opportunity for Sun De to rise in rank.

However, he hadn’t counted on Bi Fang being no ordinary person. Not only was Bi Fang not framed, but he quickly rooted them out.

But the Empress Dowager didn’t kill the pair. Instead, she had them frame one of the Regent King’s informants, thereby implicating the Regent King himself.

The court is now in an uproar over the matter. The Emperor being poisoned is a fact, and no one would suspect the Empress Dowager of poisoning her own son.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager’s adamant insistence that the Regent King was the poisoner is quite convincing.

But the Regent King was no pushover. He pointed out the flaws in the Empress Dowager’s evidence and testimony. With each side sticking to their story, the courtiers split into two factions and began to argue.

"So the Regent King dares to act but not take responsibility?"

"We already said the evidence is faulty! This is pure slander!"

"If you were going to frame someone, why pick the Regent King? His ravenous ambition is plain for all to see! If not him, then who?"

"If the Prince had really done it, why would he leave behind evidence for you to find?"

"Aha! So you admit it! The Regent King harbors ill intentions and covets the throne!"

"Enough!"

The Empress Dowager’s majestic voice echoed through the Golden Hall. "The Regent King, Rong Yin, plotted against His Majesty! The evidence is conclusive! Men, seize him and throw him into the Heavenly Prison!"

Finally able to deal with this powerful political rival, the Empress Dowager could barely contain the excitement in her voice.

But how could the Regent King be taken down so easily?

The Imperial Guards loyal to the Empress Dowager were about to make a move when guards from the Regent King’s faction immediately stepped forward to block them.

The two sides faced off, the confrontation blocking the very entrance to the hall.

The Empress Dowager shouted sternly, "Rong Yin, are you trying to rebel?"

Rong Yin didn’t yield an inch. He couldn’t let the Empress Dowager frame him. "Sun De is Liu Sheng’s adopted son. They are both your people, Empress Dowager. To use your own men to frame me is simply going too far!"

"Frame you?"

The Empress Dowager reacted as if she’d heard something absurd. "The Emperor was poisoned and nearly lost his life. Do you think I would use my own son’s life to frame you?"

Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs. How could a mother bear to harm her own child?

Especially when that child is the Emperor. If the Emperor were to die, the Empress Dowager’s faction would be completely finished.

The Empress Dowager naturally held the moral high ground. This was the very reason she could so confidently pin the blame on the Regent King, despite her evidence being riddled with holes.

Even if some suspected it wasn’t the Regent King, they would assume some other power was behind the dirty deed. They would never suspect the Empress Dowager was involved.

The two factions faced off, swords drawn and bows bent. The air was thick with tension.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Prime Minister Song and Duke Rong stepped forward to mediate.

Prime Minister Song said, "This matter still has many suspicious points. Why not investigate it further?"

The Empress Dowager wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate the Regent King, but he was no pushover. If the two sides came to blows, the situation would get out of hand, and everyone would suffer for it.

Duke Rong also had his own considerations. "Empress Dowager, why not entrust this matter to this old minister’s handling?"

Killing the Regent King now was impossible. The goal was to use this accusation to weaken his power and influence.

The Empress Dowager frowned and finally compromised. "This matter will be handed over to Duke Rong, Prime Minister Song, and the Ministry of Justice for re-examination. Until everything is clear, the Regent King is forbidden from leaving his residence."

If she couldn’t throw the Regent King into the Heavenly Prison, she would at least confine him to his residence.

Rong Yin had other plans in mind, so he temporarily accepted this proposal.

Just as everyone had reached an agreement, Xiao Yang, dressed in a Dragon Robe, made a fashionably late entrance.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Reluctantly, they still had to bow.

The Empress Dowager frowned. "Jin’er, you’re still very weak. Why aren’t you resting properly?"

"Resting properly?"

Xiao Yang walked to the dragon throne and sat down, her gaze falling on the two people kneeling sprawled in the middle of the hall. "Attempting to assassinate the Emperor, yet you’ve managed to live for three days. You even look to be in decent shape. You haven’t even been tortured."

Her voice was hoarse, each word spoken deliberately. Her tone was calm, yet it carried an oppressive weight.

Something about those words was off. The Empress Dowager immediately retorted, "They are important witnesses. Once the case is clear, they will naturally not be spared."

"And what kind of result would be considered ’clear’?"

Xiao Yang raised her hand. Bi Fang presented a jewel-encrusted Emperor’s Sword. She grasped the hilt and slowly drew the blade.