Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: She Doesn’t Have the Tool for the Crime!

Xiao Yang was, frankly, completely bewildered.

According to the information she had, she was the male lead, Rong Yin was the great villain, and Xie Liuzheng would eventually become her Empress. But she didn’t love Xie Liuzheng; instead, she was caught in a torturous romance with some unknown female lead.

And in the end, she was the one who had Xie Liuzheng killed.

By that logic, the male and female leads were supposed to end up together. As the Emperor and a concubine, they would inevitably be expected to produce heirs.

But there was a bug in this story’s code—she didn’t have the necessary equipment!

The Empress Dowager had developed a complex over giving birth to a daughter, so the chances of a swap or replacement at birth were slim. That meant the original owner of this body was indeed a woman.

How could a woman have a torturous romance with someone? Was the other person a man?

But there was no hint of that in Xie Liuzheng’s tone.

Xiao Yang was filled with questions. As a result, she spent the next two days dutifully handling memorials and reading, behaving so well that Rong Yin and Grand Tutor Xu began to suspect she’d been possessed by some unclean spirit.

The flower-viewing banquet arrived as scheduled. The Empress Dowager had absolutely no intention of inviting the Emperor, but that didn’t matter. Why would she need an invitation to a banquet in her own home?

She had legs; she could walk there herself.

The main reason was that Xie Liuzheng was also coming today.

She was a distant niece of Consort Hui. The Empress Dowager’s invitation had been sent to the Xie family, and she entered the palace with them.

When Xiao Yang arrived, the Empress Dowager reluctantly had a seat added next to her own.

After more than half a month, mother and daughter met again. There were no arguments, no hatred—only mutual disdain.

The Empress Dowager wanted nothing to do with the Little Emperor right now. ’How utterly mortifying!’

Xiao Yang hadn’t managed to seize complete Imperial Power. Because she had held back, the Empress Dowager still retained many of her connections. But the Empress Dowager knew she was trapped.

She couldn’t kill the Emperor—not because she couldn’t bring herself to do it, but because she couldn’t do it without leaving a trace. Besides, given her track record, if the Emperor’s death was even remotely connected to her, she would be finished too.

Her other option was to support the Emperor, to guide her wholeheartedly and help her become a true Emperor. But the Empress Dowager just couldn’t get over that mental block.

First, she was furious that Xiao Yang had dared to defy her. Second, she believed from the bottom of her heart that a woman could not be Emperor.

Two paths: one she could not take, and one she would not take.

What was even more infuriating was that she couldn’t openly oppose the Emperor either.

Being forced to swallow her pride was already agonizing enough. But then the Emperor had to go and proclaim her love for men with such fanfare, causing the Empress Dowager to lose all face, both publicly and privately.

’The more I think about it, the more enraged I get.’

The Empress Dowager desperately suppressed her fury, struggling to maintain her dignified composure. But of course, Xiao Yang couldn’t resist stirring the pot. "Empress Dowager, long time no see. How has your health been?"

The Empress Dowager’s gaze slowly turned to her. If looks could kill, Xiao Yang would be a pile of minced meat by now.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am quite well."

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth, practically forcing the words through them.

Xiao Yang was delighted.

’The Empress Dowager looks like she’s suffering. Good. That’s exactly how it should be.’

The Empress Dowager had two intentions in hosting this flower-viewing banquet. First, to prove that even though the Chen Family had fallen, she was still the Empress Dowager and remained a figure of honor. Second, to test whether the Emperor would strip her of her influence.

That was why she had invited not only the female relatives of the court but also all officials of the third-rank and above.

The other officials, though hesitant, had arrived early. But Rong Yin, Li Wei, and Prince Jing’s retinue waited until the Emperor arrived before making their appearance right behind her.

This clear display of allegiance was utterly vexing to the Empress Dowager.

They were all defenders of Imperial Power; the moment the Emperor made a move, they immediately took her side.

’They only do it because they don’t know the Emperor is a woman. The day they find out, they’ll probably cough up blood from rage.’

However, while she hated the Emperor, she gained nothing if the Emperor fared poorly. That was the most infuriating part of it all.

Xiao Yang was oblivious to the Empress Dowager’s inner turmoil. Her gaze fell to the Empress Dowager’s right, where a beautiful woman of about the same age was seated.

Compared to the Empress Dowager’s sharp, intimidating presence, this woman appeared gentle and frail, her thin frame exuding a faint air of melancholy.

She still possessed a mature grace, a beauty that inspired pity.

In short, she was a very beautiful, mature woman who looked completely harmless.

This was Consort Hui.

Xiao Yang scanned the crowd but couldn’t find her target. She turned and asked the Empress Dowager, "Why don’t I see Suiyi?"

The Empress Dowager answered impatiently, "She is in poor health and dislikes noisy places."

In her original body’s memories, this younger sister barely existed. On the rare occasions they met, she always kept her head down and rarely spoke.

As one of only two concubines to bear children for the late Emperor, it was impossible that he had no feelings for Consort Hui. The idea that she would be cast aside for having a daughter simply didn’t hold water.

Yet this mother and daughter were unusually low-key. Consort Hui was meek and fragile, and the princess was always sickly.

When things are this unusual, something is definitely amiss.

There was definitely a problem here.

Could it be that this princess wasn’t the late Emperor’s child?

But the late Emperor was already dead; a blood-paternity test was out of the question. What was there to be afraid of?

Or were they wary of the Empress Dowager? But why would a princess need to be wary of the Empress Dowager?

It couldn’t be that they knew the original Emperor’s true gender. If that were the case, the Empress Dowager would have eliminated them long ago.

So... Two wires crossed in Xiao Yang’s brain and sent a spark flying. An idea struck her, and the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

’Don’t tell me this sister of mine is actually a boy?!’

’Could there really be a matching set of a Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick for something like this?’

The Empress Dowager spared a moment to glance back, only to see the Little Emperor staring into space with a twisted, shocked expression.

Her brow furrowed. She didn’t want to engage, but she also didn’t want to share in the embarrassment. She couldn’t stop herself from giving Xiao Yang a tug. "What are you doing?"

Xiao Yang snapped out of it. "Nothing. Just that it looks like you and I are about to be finished."

The Empress Dowager immediately had the urge to slap her.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Xiao Yang leaned in, mercilessly delivering a series of statements designed to make the Empress Dowager’s world crumble.

"The Jade Seal has been stolen. Consort Hui’s people did it."

"Princess Suiyi is actually a Prince. He was raised as a princess to guard against you."

This time, it was the Empress Dowager’s expression that became twisted. Her face visibly darkened, turning into the fearsome visage of a child-eating demoness.

"Xiao Jin!!" The Empress Dowager was shocked, furious, and panicked.

Xiao Yang broke into a wide grin. The Empress Dowager was certainly not going to be bored for a while.

Although these were just her own speculations, she stated them as fact, waiting for the Empress Dowager to go and verify them herself.

Let them fight it out. Eventually, someone would deliver the truth right to her.

Among the flowers that bloomed in the tenth month, the most splendid were, naturally, the chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemums of all colors filled the garden. Common varieties served as ground decoration, while the rare and expensive ones were displayed on individual stands, each with its own designated guard.

However, despite this being a flower-viewing banquet, the main attractions today didn’t seem to be the flowers, but rather the young ladies from the various noble families, who were dressed even more beautifully and vibrantly than the blossoms.

Well, that wasn’t quite right either.

As Xiao Yang glanced down at the crowd, she noticed these young ladies were all stealing glances toward Rong Yin and his companions.

The Regent King, the Great General, and the Heir of Prince Jing—all of them were devastatingly handsome, of noble status, held immense power, and most importantly, were all single.

Although rumors were still flying, rumors were rumors, and reason was reason.

Ultimately, the looks and status of these men were enough to make anyone lose their reason.

Even an oddball like Xiao Yang seemed to be a challenge some were eager to take on.