Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: You Won’t Be Satisfied Until You Beat Me Up, Will You?

After getting an earful, Liu Zhongwen—eager to prove he wasn’t useless in front of all the civil and military officials—genuinely sped up the collection of supplies. He had initially only been able to procure thirty percent, but in the end, he managed to deliver sixty percent.

There was truly nothing he could do about the rest.

After all, how could years of overdue supplies for two hundred thousand men be replenished all at once?

Upon learning of Liu Zhongwen’s progress, Li Wei seemed to finally understand the Little Emperor’s "good intentions."

Xiao Yang stared speechlessly at Li Wei, who had rolled up his sleeves to reveal a body of corded muscle. ’So your way of thanking me is to come and beat me up?’

Li Wei had taken the place of the Guard Commander, who usually taught martial arts, and now stood on the training grounds dressed in a Martial Artist’s practical attire.

He had arrived early and already warmed up. He was sweating, so he had pushed his sleeves all the way to his shoulders.

When he saw Xiao Yang approach, he bowed, then picked up a staff for himself and handed Xiao Yang a sword.

"The most important part of martial arts isn’t the forms, but live combat. I will use thirty percent of my strength. Your Majesty may attack with all of yours."

Xiao Yang: "..."

’Although the body’s previous owner practiced martial arts, his personality was such that he only learned the basics. Forget masters, he couldn’t even beat a common Imperial Guard.’

’This body is always getting sick, and it’s impossibly pampered.’

’Li Wei is a Great General who survived the carnage of the battlefield. Even at just thirty percent of his strength, wouldn’t crushing me be as easy as wringing a chicken’s neck?’

"No." ’I’m not looking to get tortured.’

Li Wei frowned. "And why is that?"

Xiao Yang leaned on her sword, looking at him languidly. "You’re stronger than me. I’ll lose no matter what. I have no interest in being a punching bag."

Li Wei’s face grew stern. "What martial arts training doesn’t involve hardship? A proper man can’t be so lacking in spirit, can he?"

Xiao Yang said, "It’s not that I refuse to learn."

Li Wei understood. It wasn’t that she refused to learn, just that she was unwilling to learn from *him*.

Looking at the indolent youth before him and recalling the curses she had hurled at him in Jinluan Palace, he decided he absolutely had to teach this lesson today.

"What will it take for Your Majesty to train with me?"

Xiao Yang chuckled. "You won’t be happy until you’ve beaten me to a pulp, is that it?"

A hint of frank disdain crossed Li Wei’s stern face. "That is not my intention. It’s just that Your Majesty is already sixteen, and you are simply too frail."

At fifteen, he had already mastered all eighteen types of weapons. He was unrivaled among his peers, and on the battlefield, he was a destructive and incomparably heroic force.

He truly looked down on people who were as weak as fledglings.

Xiao Yang, surprisingly, wasn’t angered by his disdain. In fact, she found his exasperation at her lack of ambition rather amusing. "If you want me to train, fine. But General Li must first answer a question for me."

"There are four or five factions in the court. Which one does General Li belong to?"

The question seemed to stump Li Wei, his handsome brows knitting together. "I don’t belong to anyone. I am only responsible for leading troops into battle and defending the border. I have no time to get involved in their dirty power struggles."

’Just as I thought. A truly upright and loyal subject.’

Since ancient times, Emperors have always had a love-hate relationship with military generals—loving their integrity and loyalty, yet fearing their power and influence.

’Xiao Yang thought about her own predicament. She had completely fallen out with the Empress Dowager and offended quite a few people at court. If she wanted to have an easier time, her only option was to seize power, and people like Li Wei were exactly who she needed to win over the most.’

’Unfortunately, she had no interest in the power of this strange world.’

’Imperial Power sounded alluring, but who’s to say whether she would be the one to control it, or if she would be consumed by this so-called power?’

She raised her sword. "Alright, let’s go."

’Xiao Yang herself knew hand-to-hand combat, and the original owner of this body had learned Swordsmanship. She knew she stood no chance against Li Wei, but she could at least treat this as practice with a worthy opponent. Hopefully, it wouldn’t hurt too much.’

Xiao Yang’s movement technique was surprisingly crisp and clean, her strikes carrying an unexpected ruthlessness that caught Li Wei by surprise.

Li Wei’s eyes brightened slightly. He controlled himself, guiding her attacks to help her practice.

The two exchanged blows, seemingly well-matched, but in reality, Xiao Yang was giving it her all.

But in just fifteen minutes, she’d already been hit with the staff three times!!!

She grimaced, the pain making her teeth ache.

This, however, only stoked her competitive drive. She tossed aside the unwieldy sword and charged in bare-handed, using her modern combat moves to fight him.

Caught by surprise for a moment, Li Wei actually allowed her to get in close. His staff became a hindrance, so he simply tossed it aside and used his hands.

His palms and fists, whether chopping or striking, were incredibly powerful.

Xiao Yang was clearly no match for his strength, so she started fighting dirty, aiming for his weak points.

Li Wei’s face grew darker as he parried her attacks, until he finally let out an exasperated laugh. "A great Emperor, resorting to such insidious tactics?"

Xiao Yang shot back, "The goal of a fight is either to win or to kill. Being treacherous is better than being dead. Besides, when the weak fight the strong, knowing you’re outmatched and not trying to find an advantage—*that’s* what’s truly foolish."

A more scrupulous man would have called her reasoning fallacious, but Li Wei, who had truly clawed his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, couldn’t help but agree. He was also stunned to hear such words come from the Little Emperor’s mouth.

Their eyes met, and he saw the sparkling mirth in the Little Emperor’s eyes. The corners of the boy’s eyes and his cheeks were flushed a faint crimson from the fight.

’He was suddenly struck by how good-looking the Little Emperor was—and how delicate. Almost effeminate.’

In that moment of distraction, the Little Emperor landed a punch square on his chest.

It looked like a powerful blow, but it didn’t hurt him at all. Instead, it sent a strange, tingling numbness through him.

"No more."

Xiao Yang backed away. The body’s poor constitution couldn’t handle the stamina drain from her techniques.

’Her lungs were burning, and she had to gasp for breath. If she kept fighting, she’d really be panting like a dog.’

Li Wei could see she was at her limit and bluntly pointed out her weaknesses. "Your Majesty’s techniques are decent, but your body is weak. From now on, you will hold a horse stance for an hour every day, do three hundred push-ups, run around this perimeter for an hour, carry a hundred buckets of water..."

Listening to Li Wei rattle off the long list, Xiao Yang was rendered speechless. "Are you trying to order off a menu?"

’Listen to him. Is that training regimen even humanly possible?’

Xiao Yang walked over to a nearby pavilion and sat down. Tea had already been prepared inside.

Li Wei followed, but remembering his status as a subject, he didn’t dare to sit.

"Your Majesty has great talent for the martial arts. You just need to strengthen your fundamentals, and also—"

Xiao Yang poured him a cup of water. "Sit. Drink. Aren’t you thirsty after saying so much?"

Li Wei paused. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He sat down primly, picked up the cup, and was about to speak again after finishing his drink when Xiao Yang gave him a deadpan look. "Have you given up being a General to become a preacher instead?"

Li Wei was at a loss for words. Before, he had only wanted to teach the Emperor a few moves to keep her from being easily assassinated. Now, he truly hoped she would study hard. Perhaps she really could become a brilliant, powerful, and imposing Emperor.

He had never harbored any inappropriate ambitions for the throne himself, but he desperately wanted the one sitting on it to be strong.

Only a wise and powerful Monarch was worthy of the soldiers’ hardship and sacrifice.

Remembering the soldiers at the border who had died from illness and cold, he tightened his grip on the cup.

Xiao Yang looked up to see Li Wei’s expression turn dark and dangerous. He was gripping the cup so hard that the muscles in his arm bulged, the sinewy lines filled with raw power.

’This wasn’t the kind of muscle built by lifting weights and chugging protein powder in a gym; this was real, practical strength.’

Li Wei sat with perfect posture, legs slightly parted and spine straight. But beneath the disciplined exterior was the imposing, wild aura of a military general—and the blood-drenched killing intent of a man who had truly taken lives.

He was like a tiger that had been taught manners: polite, yet leaving no doubt that the beast could devour a man in a single bite.

’Xiao Yang didn’t like to be controlled, but she had a thing for the strong. It was hard not to admire a man like Li Wei—strong since he was a boy, devastatingly handsome, and radiating pure masculinity.’

’He was, quite simply, her ideal type.’

’Of course, this was purely appreciation. It wasn’t like she was short on men, or even hankering for one.’

"Has Your Majesty never considered seizing power for yourself?"

Xiao Yang’s gaze was still tracing the lines of his arm, lamenting that she hadn’t managed to feel those magnificent muscles. His sudden question made her look up in surprise.

Li Wei was a dangerous man, but he was also brutally direct. He had sensed the Emperor was different now and thought there might be hope for her yet, so he spoke his mind without reservation.

"There is a loyalist faction at court, and I am willing to support you. When does Your Majesty plan to take full control?"

Xiao Yang tilted her head and suddenly chuckled.

"General Li, you overestimate me."

With that, she took a sip of tea, set the empty cup down, stood up, and walked away.

She was just a guest who had fallen into this place by accident. She had no obligation to fulfill anyone’s expectations.