Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Loyalty and Gratitude Overwhelmed That Sliver of Ambition

The two sat in silence for a while before Rong Yin was the first to speak. "Does Your Majesty still remember the late Emperor?"

Xiao Yang tutted. "I do."

As the late Emperor’s only ’son,’ he had always valued the original owner of her body, teaching her personally. Before she turned ten, she was under the late Emperor’s protection, and the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have dared to lay a single finger on her.

During those years, although she was forced to study, she had at least known a father’s love.

So those memories were warm and profound, impossible to forget.

However, at that very moment, Xiao Yang suddenly recalled a fact: Rong Yin had always been her teacher.

Rong Yin was her childhood tutor!!

Though they weren’t close, they were by no means strangers.

Otherwise, the late Emperor would never have appointed him Regent King and deliberately granted him so much power.

’So, faced with an Emperor whose personality has changed so drastically, hasn’t Rong Yin ever been suspicious?’

Rong Yin, unaware of the wild thoughts racing through her mind, showed a rare flash of emotion. "The late Emperor was twelve years my senior. From the moment I arrived in the Capital City, he took great care of me and personally taught me many things. He was like a brother and a father to me."

"On his deathbed, my brother appointed me Regent King and entrusted his child to my care. I swore with my own lips that I would protect his heir and his empire with my life."

"Before, in order to oppose the Empress Dowager, I had no choice but to build my own power base. But I have never harmed Your Majesty, nor do I covet the throne. Your Majesty need not test me any further."

’Is this some kind of confession session?’

Xiao Yang said, "So, have you considered the possibility that I genuinely don’t want to be the Emperor? And that I’m not suited to be one, either."

Rong Yin couldn’t understand. "If not the Emperor, then what would you be?"

"Grand Tutor Xu and I will assist you with matters of the court. Among the military generals, as long as Li Wei remains loyal to you, there will be no turmoil. For everything else, you only need to listen to counsel and govern diligently. The empire will surely be stable. Why must you insist on pushing the throne away?"

Xiao Yang tilted her head back, gazing at the sliver of moon peeking out from behind the dark clouds.

’How am I supposed to explain this?’

’Simply not wanting it and lacking the ability were clearly no longer enough to serve as excuses.’

’The only thing that would serve as an absolute refusal was the fact that she was a woman.’

’But she didn’t want to use the reason, "I am a woman, therefore I am unfit to be Emperor." She had never believed that women were unfit.’

’It was just that this all began with a lie, and moreover, she wasn’t the original person and had no desire for this world’s Imperial Power.’

’She had told Xiao Lv she was a woman because Chen Guangzong was using it as a threat. Rather than wait for someone else to expose her, she decided to tell Xiao Lv directly, allowing him to be mentally prepared and make his own choice.’

’Besides, Xiao Lv was her own cousin and not a ruthless person. If he became the Emperor, her life wouldn’t be difficult.’

’But Rong Yin was different. They were distantly related at best and not close. Plus, Rong Yin wasn’t easy to manipulate.’

’Rong Yin’s loyalty, from beginning to end, was to the Imperial Power and the late Emperor. If he found out that the Empress Dowager and she had used deception about her gender to secure that power, he would most certainly not be protecting them.’

’She had high hopes for Xiao Lv and was even willing to offer him some advice to help him in the future.’

’But who would have thought that spineless Xiao Lv would rather use the lives of two families to force those two old men to commit suicide than choose to become Emperor.’

’So, really, what good is an emperor who doesn’t even want the job?’

’But if she wasn’t willing to demean herself on account of being a woman, she couldn’t just toss the throne away. That meant she had to be the Emperor, and suffer through grueling studies, assassination attempts...’

’It was a complete dead end!’

"Rong Yin, I like men. The late Emperor’s line will end with me. Have you thought about how you’ll explain that to him after you die?"

It was a novel angle.

Rong Yin replied, "There is no shortage of children within the Royal Family. Your Majesty may select two and groom them well..."

"Heh..."

Xiao Yang sneered. "You’ve thought of everything, Regent King. Should I thank you for that?"

Rong Yin said, "Your Majesty is too kind. It is merely my duty."

Xiao Yang was so angry she fell silent for a long moment. Finally, she forced the words through her teeth, "Rong Yin, you are... absolutely insufferable!"

----

Feng Xian was startled awake from a dream. When he got up for a drink of water, he heard that the Little Emperor had arrived, and that the Prince was drinking tea and admiring the moon with him.

He immediately had a bad feeling. ’No wonder I was having a nightmare,’ he thought. ’The home-wrecker has arrived.’

By the time he rushed over in a panic, the Little Emperor was gone. Only the Regent King was sitting in the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought.

Feng Xian walked over. "My Prince, has His Majesty left?"

Rong Yin answered with his eyes closed, "He’s gone to sleep in a guest room."

The Little Emperor had wanted to pester him but had ended up getting sleepy, so Rong Yin had someone prepare a guest room for her.

Although the Little Emperor hadn’t managed to stay awake, her goal of bothering him had been achieved. Now he couldn’t get to sleep at all.

"A guest room..."

Feng Xian nearly choked, his face paling in shock. "You’re actually letting the Emperor stay the night in your mansion?"

"Don’t you know how rampant the rumors are out there? If word gets out that the Emperor stayed the night here, there will be no explaining it away!"

Feng Xian was about to die from anxiety, yet Rong Yin, the one at the center of it all, was perfectly calm. It was a classic case of the eunuchs panicking when the emperor isn’t even concerned.

’Bah! I’m no eunuch!’

Rong Yin didn’t understand what Feng Xian was so anxious about.

He had never been in a romantic relationship, but he had seen the looks of admiration or desire in others’ eyes. The Little Emperor, however, had only ever looked at him with scrutiny and suspicion.

The things the Little Emperor had said earlier were just because he’d been angered, a deliberate attempt to get under Rong Yin’s skin. He’d just finished saying how insufferable Rong Yin was. What could possibly happen between him and the Emperor?

As for the rumors, he didn’t care about them, so they couldn’t harm him.

And he certainly wouldn’t change his ways over a few rumors.

A servant brought over some wine, and Rong Yin opened it. "This was meant for the Little Emperor. Since you’re here, you can have a drink with me."

Feng Xian felt he could use a drink too. Otherwise, he’d definitely be too agitated to sleep tonight.

After several cups of wine, Rong Yin spoke with an air of deep consideration. "I have promised the Emperor more than once that I do not covet Imperial Power. You shouldn’t remain trapped in this Prince Mansion either. There is a position open in the Examination Department of the Ministry of Personnel. Would you be willing to take it?"

This was his way of saying he was giving up on Imperial Power and arranging a future for Feng Xian.

The wine cup Feng Xian was raising to his lips paused. He wasn’t shocked—or rather, he’d had a premonition for a long time, ever since the Little Emperor was poisoned and the Regent King did everything in his power to save her.

Rong Yin had been saved and raised by Emperor Taizhong, then cared for and taught by the late Emperor. The deepest familial bonds he had ever known in his life were with those two elders. It was his destiny to be the lifelong protector of the Xiao Family’s empire.

His ambition had only taken root because the Emperor was completely under the Empress Dowager’s thumb and Imperial Power had been usurped.

But that ambition was nothing compared to his loyalty to the Xiao Family’s empire—not even a tenth of it.

Then one day, the Little Emperor changed. After years of forbearance and lying low, she finally revealed her edge.

Her methods were erratic, but she had undeniably changed the game. Not only had she survived a poison that should have been a torturous death sentence, but she had even seized power from the Empress Dowager’s grasp.

From that moment on, the loyalty and gratitude in Rong Yin’s heart overwhelmed that sliver of ambition. It was fated that he would no longer vie for the throne.

"Alright."