Volume One, Chapter 30: The Empress Gives Herself

At the doorway, Ying listened to Fan Xiu’s words, her right hand gripping the hilt of her long sword, her expression grave. Several times, she had been on the verge of rushing in to cut Fan Xiu down! Every word out of his mouth was an act of treason—crimes severe enough to warrant the execution of one's entire clan. Yet, she held back. The Empress was inside. More importantly, as Fan Xiu continued, she found herself thinking his logic held water. Could the Great Yin really be in such a wretched state?

Inside the room, Xiao Ruoqing felt her body sway involuntarily at Fan Xiu’s words, her face turning as pale as paper. If the Great Yin were to fall, the consequences were too terrifying to contemplate. No! The Great Yin must never reach such a point! And it certainly must not perish by her own hand! She wondered, did Fan Xiu have any ideas?

"Then..." Xiao Ruoqing asked tentatively, "Fan Xiu, if you were the Empress, faced with this situation, what would you do?"

"Me?" Fan Xiu leaned against the wall and said, "If I were the Empress, I definitely wouldn't do a thing. I’d eat well and live well every day! And I’d find a few handsome... no, wait, the Empress is a woman! Then I’d find a few handsome male favorites."

"I am being serious! I’m not joking with you; I really want to know!" Xiao Ruoqing glared at Fan Xiu indignantly.

At the doorway, Ying craned her neck. Finding the Empress a few male favorites—that was actually feasible. The Empress was indeed too lonely on her own. However, she was even more curious to hear what else Fan Xiu might say.

Fan Xiu squinted at Xiao Ruoqing and asked, "Your Liu family in Jingzhou has already been wiped out, yet you’re still so concerned about the survival of the Great Yin? Don't tell me you have some connection to the Imperial family?"

Xiao Ruoqing’s heart trembled. Oh no! Had her eagerness betrayed her?

"I... our Liu family used to be imperial merchants. Even though we’re gone now, we still don't want to see the Great Yin Dynasty fall," Xiao Ruoqing said, thinking quickly.

"Alright then. Wife, hehe, if you kiss me, I’ll tell you!" Fan Xiu stretched out his head and pointed to his cheek.

"You..." Xiao Ruoqing was so infuriated by his shamelessness that her liver ached. She gritted her teeth and glared at him. Calling her 'wife' every other sentence—who was his wife? How could such a shameless person exist in this world!

At the doorway, Ying could barely stop herself from spitting at him! This Fan Xiu was far too bold! To think he would dare ask the Empress to kiss him? Where did he get such gall?

"Fan Xiu!" Xiao Ruoqing said sternly. "We are discussing serious matters! As a subject of the Great Yin, are you not concerned about the survival of the nation?"

Fan Xiu, dampened by her sternness, sighed: "I would rather be a dog in times of peace than a traveler in times of chaos. But whether the Great Yin falls or not is not for us to decide, nor is it for the Empress to decide!"

Hearing this, Xiao Ruoqing’s delicate frame trembled. "I would rather be a dog in times of peace than a traveler in times of chaos..." she murmured to herself. She knew Fan Xiu had some talent, having passed the examinations to become a scholar, but this simple sentence captured the preciousness of peace and the cruelty of chaos.

At the doorway, Ying slowly lowered her head. Her entire family had been slaughtered by the Beilin people during their invasion. She was the only one left. She had been less than five years old, hiding in a cellar, watching as the villagers who had once cherished her fell one by one under the blades of the invaders. Back then, in her young heart, she had sworn to take revenge! In a peaceful era, no matter how poor a person was, they at least kept their life. In times of chaos, human life was worth less than a chicken's, and one could be decapitated at any moment.

"Is there truly no hope for the Great Yin?" Xiao Ruoqing asked, her heart aching as two lines of clear tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You... why are you crying?" Seeing Xiao Ruoqing’s sorrowful expression, Fan Xiu felt a pang of heartache and reached out to wipe her tears. Xiao Ruoqing turned her head away, wiping the tears from her face herself.

"Fan Xiu, if..." If she told him she was the Empress, would he help her? She quickly dismissed the thought. Setting aside whether Fan Xiu had the ability, given his style of conduct, he would likely flee from her the moment he discovered her identity.

"What’s wrong?" Fan Xiu asked, puzzled.

Xiao Ruoqing bit her lip, her cheeks flushing red. Then, catching Fan Xiu off guard, she leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.

Outside the door, Ying’s eyes widened in shock. Her jaw nearly hit the floor. The Empress had actually taken the initiative to kiss Fan Xiu? A moment later, a profound sense of admiration filled Ying’s heart. The Empress was doing this for the Great Yin! She had served the Empress long enough to know how proud she was. Yet, to glean Fan Xiu's thoughts, she had sacrificed herself!

What a noble sacrifice!

Fan Xiu was stunned, staring at Xiao Ruoqing, whose face was flushed as if it could drip water, her eyes full of shy modesty. Xiao Ruoqing was naturally stunning. Even in her simple hemp robes, without a trace of makeup, her natural beauty, delicate features, and rosy lips made her irresistible. He wanted to kiss her again.

Xiao Ruoqing, seeing his fixed gaze, felt both angry and ashamed. What had she done? To get him to keep talking, she had actually kissed him? She was the Empress; how could she be so irrational? No! It was for the Great Yin Dynasty! It had nothing to do with Fan Xiu; her heart belonged only to the Great Yin!

"Still staring?" Xiao Ruoqing glared at him with embarrassed eyes. "How long do you intend to look?"

"Cough, cough!" Fan Xiu snapped back to reality, grinning. "It’s just that you’re so charming, Wife! I was dazed! Come, Wife, let me kiss you!" He lunged forward impatiently.

Xiao Ruoqing pulled back, saying, "No! Didn't you say you'd tell me if I kissed you?"

Fan Xiu sighed helplessly. "It seems you really do care about the national situation! For the sake of that kiss, I’ll tell you properly. We were talking about the Empress weakening the outer relatives and the military generals, and then reforming the tax system, the imperial examinations, and land ownership, right?"

"Yes," Xiao Ruoqing nodded. "You also said that by doing this, the Empress wouldn't survive two years. Suppose, just suppose, if the Empress were to travel incognito and happened to arrive in Xuzhou, then..."

"Then she would never return," Fan Xiu interrupted. "If the Empress leaves the capital now, it’s like Kennedy driving in a convertible—there is absolutely no way she returns alive!"

"Hmm? Who is Kennedy? A strange name; does he sound like someone from the Xue Zhao Kingdom?" Xiao Ruoqing asked, frowning. She had heard him say she wouldn't last two years, so she was becoming accustomed to his certainty, but the name intrigued her.

Fan Xiu blinked. Xue Zhao Kingdom? He only knew of the Great Yin and the Northern Beilin Court. He had no memory of any other countries. But it didn't matter.

"Kennedy was also a ruler who intended to reform, then was arranged to inspect in an open-top car and was assassinated!" Fan Xiu replied. "Xuzhou is the Chen family’s territory, and the Chen family represents the landed gentry with deep ties to the court; they would certainly never let the Empress return!"

Xiao Ruoqing said with admiration, "I didn't expect you to know so much about the affairs of the Xue Zhao Kingdom! Now, let us continue our hypothesis: if the Empress were not to die, how should she deal with the Chen family?"

"Why deal with them?" Fan Xiu asked. "If I were the Empress, not only would I not deal with them, I would reward them and heap titles upon them!"