Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: I Mainly Appreciate Young Master Xu’s Talent

The person who had been so cold and merciless just a moment ago was now instantly incensed, his fury palpable.

The Little Emperor, however, was unhurried. He tilted his head, looking both mischievous and deserving of a slap. "Well, if it isn’t the Regent King. Why are you so worked up?"

Rong Yin got a headache just from hearing her voice. "All the officials are waiting in the Imperial Study Room, and Your Majesty is out here drinking?"

"What law says I’m not allowed to drink?" Xiao Yang retorted.

Rong Yin was left speechless with anger and cut straight to the chase. "Your Majesty, why did you dismiss Grand Tutor Xu?"

"Didn’t I already say? Those with no accomplishments in three years get demoted two ranks. He wasn’t willing to be demoted, so he offered his resignation. I saw he was getting old and approved his request to retire to his hometown."

’She was no evil emperor who exploited the elderly!’

Clearly, Rong Yin and the others were incapable of appreciating her good intentions.

"Grand Tutor Xu is of advanced age. He does not participate in political affairs; his only duty is to instruct Your Majesty. He should not have been part of this assessment."

Xiao Yang was speechless. "Is he not an official? Does he not receive a salary? On what grounds should he be exempt from the assessment?"

"If you ask me, he should have been the first one assessed! Teaching the Emperor, what could be more important? Look at me—what have I learned in the past three years?"

Never mind Rong Yin; even Xie Liuzheng, who was standing nearby, was dumbfounded. ’What a self-aware bad student, and so brazenly righteous about it!’

Rong Yin’s face darkened. "And you also ordered Grand Tutor Xu’s youngest, most handsome grandson to enter the palace as an Imperial Tutor!"

Xiao Yang was completely shameless. "’Young and handsome’ are just adjectives. I mainly appreciate the Young Master Xu’s talent."

Rong Yin gritted his teeth. "What about the Minister of Public Works, then? His performance assessment was fine, and he made no mistakes. Why would you banish him to the Southwest?"

Xiao Yang didn’t understand. "What’s wrong with the Southwest? Wasn’t it a promotion? A high-ranking provincial official—a position others couldn’t get even if they begged for it."

It was indeed a promotion, and he was indeed a high-ranking provincial official. But the Southwest was shrouded in miasma and overrun with poisonous creatures. The local populace was fierce, and it was a place of exile. For a place like that, even a position as a First-Grade Official was no different from being banished, was it?

Rong Yin asked, "Are you sure it wasn’t because of his appearance?"

The Minister of Public Works, Wan Miao, was a down-to-earth and dutiful official. He wasn’t brilliant, but he also didn’t stoop to corruption. The only downside was that his appearance was, admittedly, a bit ugly.

Xiao Yang’s gaze drifted downward as she sighed. "I never thought the Regent King would be such a superficial person. Your words are so hurtful to Wan Aiqing. We are all colleagues in the imperial court, why must you hurt him so?"

Rong Yin: "..."

’So now it’s my fault?’

Xie Liuzheng was spamming "666" in her mind.

She wished she could live as freely and unrestrainedly as the Little Emperor, running wild and acting recklessly without a care for the consequences.

She once again regretted it. ’Why did I have to erase my fellow transmigrator’s memory! She’s such a huge thigh to hug!!’

The Regent King’s face darkened. The Regent King sighed. "Your Majesty, come down!"

"No."

The Regent King grew angry. "Xiao Jin, must you force my hand?"

Xiao Yang threw down her wine pot, arrogant and defiant. "You think I’m afraid of you?!"

Rong Yin could no longer hold back. With a few quick leaps, he flew up to the eaves and reached out to grab her by the collar.

Xiao Yang obviously wasn’t going to be taken without a fight. The two of them started brawling on the roof, sending tiles clattering to the ground.

Xie Liuzheng quickly scurried away with the soup, lest she become collateral damage.

She didn’t run far, though. Finding a safe distance, she watched the Little Emperor punching and kicking the Regent King.

The Little Emperor’s kung fu was lacking, so she made up for it with shamelessness, resorting to biting.

The Regent King seized her by the chin, lifted her right off the roof, and practically dragged her away.

The disgraced Little Emperor started cursing loudly, "Rong Yin, if you’ve got any guts, let me go and we’ll fight one-on-one!!"

Rong Yin said viciously, "You’re approving all of today’s memorials by yourself. You’re not allowed to sleep until you’re finished!"

"You treacherous subject, you usurping villain!"

"Fine, I’m a treacherous subject! And I’m not letting you have dinner tonight!"

Xiao Yang exploded with a flurry of killing moves, but Rong Yin caught her, tucked her under his arm, and resolutely dragged her into the Imperial Study Room, ignoring her frantic pounding.

Xie Liuzheng watched the entire spectacle from a short distance away, left feeling emotional and questioning her life choices.

"System, are you sure the Regent King is the main villain? He seems more like a nagging mother hen, and he looks like he’s about to be angered to death by the Emperor!"

’And the Emperor is clearly a spoiled brat!’

’Can someone like that really carry the great destiny of a male lead?’

System: "For now, his status is still that of a villain. He ranks number one on the Emperor’s list of most hated people."

Xie Liuzheng: "..."

’The Regent King forces the Emperor to study and forces her to work. That is pretty annoying, sure. But shouldn’t a main villain be imposing and awe-inspiring, slaughtering all in his path, committing every evil deed, and scheming against the male lead to usurp the throne? Since when could a mother hen like him be the main villain?’

Xie Liuzheng stood at the entrance to the Imperial Study Room, holding the soup, her eyes filled with confusion.

’This main villain is completely un-conquerable.’

"System, can we switch targets?"

The System was silent for a moment. "Do you wish to target the Emperor?"

Xie Liuzheng’s lips twitched. She refused firmly. "No."

’With the Emperor’s personality, just looking at her gives me a headache. Target her? That would be asking for trouble.’

’She’s a handful that even the Regent King can’t manage. I don’t have the skills for that. Besides, the Emperor likes men!’

"Miss Xie, why the sighing?"

A clear, gentle voice spoke, like a stream of spring water flowing past, instantly moisturizing her parched and weary soul.

Xie Liuzheng looked up, her eyes brightening. "Young Master."

It was Xiao Lv, the Heir of Prince Jing. While he wasn’t devastatingly handsome in the same bewitching way as the Regent King and the Little Emperor, he was still a bona fide pretty boy.

Most importantly, he was handsome in a normal way, had a normal personality, held normal conversations, and his orientation was probably normal too... right?

In all the days Xie Liuzheng had been hanging around the Imperial Study Room, Xiao Lv was the only one who had bothered to speak to her.

Xiao Lv glanced at the soup she had placed to the side. "Bringing soup for His Majesty again?"

Xie Liuzheng sighed. "Yes. His Majesty and the Regent King just had a fight. I don’t even know if I should go in."

Xiao Lv asked, "Miss Xie seems so concerned about His Majesty. Could it be that you wish to become an Imperial Concubine?"

Xie Liuzheng immediately shook her head like a drum rattle. "No, no! Princess Suiyi made this. I’m just helping deliver it."

Xiao Lv smiled knowingly. "Then it must be for the Regent King."

Xie Liuzheng nearly choked on her own saliva. "No, absolutely not! There’s no way anything could happen between us."

For some reason, in that moment, she felt an intense need to prove her innocence.

’The Regent King is handsome, yes, but I’m being forced to win him over. It’s not like I genuinely like him.’

’Even if I was a little tempted by his looks, after days of putting my warm face against his cold butt, any passion I had has been thoroughly extinguished.’

’A woman who gets cheated on by her boyfriend is really not suited for these kinds of missions. If I had any skill at handling men, would I have been done in by a scumbag in the first place!?’

It was unclear if Xiao Lv believed her explanation, but he simply gave a slight nod and walked away.

Xie Liuzheng sighed. "System, I don’t think I can complete this mission."

’Men are just too difficult.’

’Nothing in the world is difficult if you’re willing to give up. If I die, I die. I’ll just reincarnate. Eighteen years later, I’ll be a hero once again!’

System: "Host detected exhibiting passive-aggressive work avoidance. Punishment: Public disclosure of host’s browsing history."

Xie Liuzheng instantly shot to her feet. "FUCK! System, you’re playing dirty! Fine, I’ll do the mission, alright?!" ’She could die, but she couldn’t suffer social death! Her reputation!!!’