Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Brother, Beat Him Up

Xiao Yang had nothing good to say to the Empress Dowager. With their fundamentally different worldviews, anything she said would be wrong.

The Empress Dowager refused to leave, so Xiao Yang simply stood up to go herself. But the Empress Dowager wasn’t about to let her.

"I am your own mother. Is this how you treat me?"

Xiao Yang: "..."

She lazily lifted her gaze to glance at her. "Then what is it you actually want?"

At a single glance from the Empress Dowager, a Palace Attendant who was waiting entered at once, carrying a food box. In moments, more than a dozen breakfast dishes covered the table.

The Empress Dowager remained as haughty as ever. "Come, accompany me for a meal."

Xiao Yang said, "You must have heard the saying, Empress Dowager: when someone fawns over you for no reason..."

’...it means they’re up to no good.’

The Empress Dowager’s face turned livid. "I am your mother!"

Xiao Yang retorted, "That title is the only thing you have to hold over me now. Or are you planning to charge Us with the crime of being unfilial?"

Xiao Yang was firm and uncompromising, and the Empress Dowager reached the end of her patience.

"Seize her for me!"

After so many years in power, she wouldn’t allow anyone to defy her—not even her own daughter.

The Palace Attendants and Imperial Guards were supposed to be subjects of the Emperor, yet at the Empress Dowager’s command, they all moved against the Emperor without a moment’s hesitation.

Bi Fang tried to step forward but was immediately restrained by the Imperial Guards who had already been watching him.

Forced back, Xiao Yang found her back against a pillar. There was no more room to retreat.

Wang Hai, his face a deathly white, smiled like a reanimated corpse. "The Empress Dowager made a point of waking up early today, just to have a meal with Your Majesty."

"How can there be grudges between a mother and her child? The Empress Dowager is simply preoccupied with matters of state. She has been so exhausted that she has neglected Your Majesty, but deep down, she truly dotes on you..."

Xiao Yang gave him a cold look. ’Do you even believe what you’re saying?’

With no escape, Xiao Yang finally sat at the table. The Empress Dowager, her face cold, had someone place food on her plate.

Xiao Yang didn’t rush to eat. Instead, she had the food taster test every single dish. When they were done, that still wasn’t enough for her. She looked at the Empress Dowager. "Why aren’t you eating, Empress Dowager? Are you too angry to stomach your food?"

The Empress Dowager was, in fact, almost too furious to eat. But from Xiao Yang’s posture, it was clear that if she didn’t touch her chopsticks, Xiao Yang wouldn’t eat either.

Xiao Yang wasn’t very hungry anyway. Whatever the Empress Dowager ate, she would take a single, symbolic bite.

Not one bite more.

By the time she ate, all to put on this show for the Empress Dowager, the food was stone cold and tasteless.

Today’s dishes were a bit salty, though. Even those one or two bites left her parched.

She picked up the teacup beside her. The tea had cooled to a perfect drinking temperature.

Before drinking, she hesitated. ’The Empress Dowager wouldn’t poison the tea, would she?’

’The Empress Dowager still needs me, her Puppet Emperor. She definitely wouldn’t have me killed.’

’A sedative? A beating?’

A hundred thoughts raced through her mind, but it was useless. She was cornered and alone. If the Empress Dowager truly wanted to do something to her, there was no escape.

’Letting my guard down could get me killed, but being on guard is no guarantee of survival either.’

Xiao Yang drank the tea. She waited a moment. She didn’t vomit blood.

Seeing how guarded she was, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but let out a cold, mocking sneer. Losing her appetite completely, she slammed down her chopsticks and left.

Xiao Yang watched her go, raising an eyebrow slightly. ’So, the Empress Dowager really just wanted to have a meal with me?’

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

SMACK!

Xiao Lv had failed to get the dazed Little Emperor’s attention, but the Grand Tutor’s ruler succeeded.

Xiao Yang instinctively wanted to strike back, but then she saw the Grand Tutor’s snow-white hair and held back. ’Don’t hit old men!’

Xiao Lv noticed something. When the Regent King held class, the Little Emperor would desperately try to escape and resist with all their might. But in Grand Tutor Xu’s class, even if they were so tired they could fall asleep, they sat there obediently. Even getting hit with the ruler only made them angry for a fleeting moment.

’How well-behaved.’

’Is this what they call respecting your elders?’

Halfway through the lesson, Liu Shixu arrived. Dressed in white robes, he had an ethereal air about him. "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Xu."

Grand Tutor Xu nodded, and Liu Shixu walked over to an empty seat and sat down.

Xiao Yang merely gave him a lazy glance before looking away, but Xiao Lv stared at Liu Shixu for a good while.

’A member of the Liu Family, placed by the Emperor’s side. His purpose is self-evident. But with so many scions in the Liu and Chen Families, why send this ethereal one who seems so detached from the world?’

’Liu Shixu is famous for his indifference to fame and fortune, and his aversion to conflict. Could it all be an act?’

Xiao Yang didn’t know or care if Liu Shixu was acting. She just knew she was feeling very strange.

She didn’t want to look, but her eyes kept drifting toward Liu Shixu today. She found him to be a little more pleasant to look at than before.

After finally making it to the end of class, she rushed outside for a breath of fresh air. As she passed by Liu Shixu, she suddenly caught a whiff of a wonderful scent.

It was like flowers, yet not. A single sniff was enough to make her feel it was exceptionally pleasant, and her mood seemed to lift.

Xiao Yang subconsciously turned to find the source of the scent and nearly collided with Liu Shixu.

"Your Majesty, be careful."

Liu Shixu raised a hand to steady her. As his sleeve fluttered, the fragrance grew stronger.

Xiao Yang knew for sure then. The scent was coming from him.

"What is that scent on you?"

Liu Shixu lowered his eyes slightly. "?"

Xiao Yang felt a bit strange herself. The scent made her feel a sort of craving, but it wasn’t for food.

She wanted to investigate, but she couldn’t bring herself to lean in and sniff him like some kind of creep. She quickly took a few steps back to put some distance between them, until she could no longer smell it.

Xiao Yang just assumed Liu Shixu had a peculiar scent and didn’t think much of it. After lunch and reviewing some court memorials, it was time for afternoon martial arts practice.

Today’s instructor was, once again, Li Wei.

Xiao Yang looked at his rippling, powerful muscles and decided she wasn’t particularly eager to improve.

So she offered up Xiao Lv as a sacrifice. "Brother, go get him!"

Xiao Lv stumbled before steadying himself. He turned to look at Xiao Yang, his eyes wide with shock. ’What did you just say?’

’Get who? Me, get Li Wei? Do I look like I have a death wish?’

Xiao Yang grinned. ’Or how about he and I team up to get *you*?’

Xiao Lv reluctantly picked up a sword. He practiced martial arts as well; learning a few pointers from Li Wei could only be a good thing.

However, Li Wei was not a qualified teacher in the slightest. At best, he would just hold back a little while pummeling you.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Xiao Lv was beaten so badly he could no longer hold his sword.

Xiao Yang mocked him without mercy. "Brother, you’re not very good at this!"

Xiao Lv gritted his teeth. "You think you can do better? Then you go!"

Half an hour later, Xiao Yang sat down next to Xiao Lv, clutching her reddened hand, her eyes welling up with tears of pain.

Xiao Lv wanted to laugh at her, but she looked so pitiful that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he just let out a quiet snort to convey his feelings.

Li Wei looked at the pair of good-for-nothings sitting together, his brow deeply furrowed. "It’s barely been half an hour. Get up. Continue."

Xiao Yang glared at Li Wei with deep resentment, then decided to form an alliance. "Brother, let’s go at him together. You take the left, I’ll take the right. Whoever lands the first blow wins. The bet is a gold bar!"

A single gold bar wasn’t enough to make Xiao Lv greedy, but it did give him a bit of motivation.

"Deal!"

The two of them openly plotted to gang up on Li Wei right in front of him, and even placed a bet on it.

Li Wei’s brow relaxed slightly. It was a ridiculous plan, but at least it got these two little weaklings willing to fight again. That was a good thing.

However, fifteen minutes later, they were both on the ground, having collapsed in almost the exact same pose.

They looked at each other, and a fighting spirit ignited in their eyes. "Again!"