Ying Xu’s arrogant demeanor was exactly what Eunuch Xiang had seen since she was a child.
If it were four years ago, when the late emperor was still alive, he would naturally find the little girl adorable—a girl pampered like his own daughter shouldn’t need to care about anyone.
But now, he couldn’t help but worry about Ying Xu’s future—how much trouble would this spoiled nature, so resistant to even the slightest change, bring her in the future?
Before coming to Weiyang Palace, Eunuch Xiang had naturally inquired about what had happened that day, and even this former emperor’s chief eunuch, who was used to bloodshed and sordid secrets, felt a chill run down his spine. Slapping the Emperor in the face…
Recalling what he had heard and the extent to which the matter had spread throughout the palace, Eunuch Xiang looked at the beautiful young girl, who seemed like a fairy descended from heaven, and couldn’t help but earnestly say, “Girl, I know you’re wronged. Since you were a little kid, no one in Jinling dared to mistreat the young lady of the Ying family. His Majesty dealt with those ignorant fools long ago. But things are different now. The Sixth Prince is now the Emperor, and his heart is unpredictable. Serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger…”
“Although I am not a completely upright man, I know that all men are fickle, especially the higher their position and power, the more fickle they are towards women. Even if he displeases you in other ways, he hasn’t taken any more concubines. Look, it’s been a month since you two started this affair. Although he’s angry with you and doesn’t come to see you, at least he hasn’t favored other women in a fit of anger…”
Eunuch Xiang stopped there.
Ying Xu, who had been standing to the side, listening to his words with one ear and the other, suddenly moved.
She drew the long sword that had been hanging on the wall, a sword she usually only used for decoration.
Hearing Eunuch Xiang say that the emperor might favor other women, a cold smile crept onto Ying Xu’s lips. “If he dares to take concubines, I dare to assassinate the emperor!”
“Oh dear!” Her words terrified Eunuch Xiang, who had come specifically to comfort her in her old age. He quickly covered the girl’s mouth and snatched the sword from her hand.
He then swept his threatening gaze across all the palace servants within sight before looking back at Ying Xu. “My little ancestor, you can’t say things like that. Be careful, walls have ears.”
Ying Xu pulled Eunuch Xiang’s hand away, even raising her voice, “Let them listen if they want! I didn’t stop them from complaining! Who cares?”
Looking at Ying Xu’s stubborn face, Eunuch Xiang felt a headache coming on.
Ying Xu’s arrogance and temper were spoiled by the late emperor, and originally, she was actually quite well-behaved. A noblewoman from a military family, she was naturally expected to be proud and haughty. With a father of such high rank and an uncle who doted on her like a precious jewel, Ying Xu was born with the capital to be proud.
Her life should have been incredibly smooth, filled with pampering and love. With such a powerful backer, no one in the world could have wronged her.
But perhaps it was the unpredictability of life, and fate was unkind. Four years ago, the two elders who gave her all her pride passed away one after the other. General Ying’s old illness relapsed, and she didn’t survive. Shortly after, the late emperor also passed away. If it weren’t for her elder brother, who could inherit their father’s legacy and support the family, Ying Xu would have almost gone from a pampered princess to a helpless orphan.
However, Ying Xu’s personality had already taken shape by then. The pride she had developed from her past power and favor was indelible. It was only natural that everyone should cater to her, and this was irreversible. Asking her to lower her head and grovel before others would be more realistic than simply killing her.
Yet, it was precisely this proud girl who became the current Empress.
Originally, the Emperor’s tolerance of her personality and the harmonious relationship between her and Ying Xu would have been a beautiful story. But now, less than a year into their marriage, things have already…
Thinking of this, and recalling Ying Xu’s “treasonous” act, Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but pat Ying Xu’s shoulder, coaxing her like a child, saying, “Alright, alright, listen to Eunuch Xiang, just go and sweet-talk him, and this matter will be over…”
Ying Xu replied decisively, “I won’t go! I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Then, as if remembering something, she said, “Besides, what you said isn’t entirely true. There are also powerful and devoted men in this world.”
Saying this, she asked Eunuch Xiang, “In your eyes, is my father considered powerful and influential?”
“Of course he is,”
Ying Xu said, “but my father only had my mother in his entire life.”
“But the General is still a subject after all…”
The subject is ultimately different from the Emperor.
“What does that have to do with me?” the extremely beautiful girl retorted.
Then she added, “It was Xie Liu who promised me a lifetime of monogamy, not me holding a knife to his throat and forcing him to make that vow. I married him because he asked for it himself.”
Ying Xu then bent down slightly, picking up the longsword that Eunuch Xiang had just thrown to the ground, and said spoiledly, “Anyway, I don’t care about anything else, I only care about one thing.”
The beautiful girl, seemingly an immortal, tilted her head back, her expression proud, yet with a touch of the innocence of a young woman unmarried, and said coquettishly, “If he dares to betray me, I will definitely kill him.”
With a “clang,” the longsword was returned to its original sheath by Ying Xu, once again becoming a decoration in the hall.
Her beautiful, clear voice fell as she said the last sentence, “I, Ying Xu, will never share a husband with another. Not even the slightest touch will be tolerated.”
This was the pride the late emperor had instilled in her.
Even though the situation was now very different, the throne had changed, a new emperor had ascended the throne, the emperor who had doted on her like a daughter was no more, and she had become the current empress. She couldn’t accept the possibility that her husband would take another woman.
Pride was an instinct ingrained in her bones.
Hearing Ying Xu’s words, Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
He had already intimidated all the palace servants in Weiyang Palace with his gaze, leaving no one else. So, the old man, who hadn’t held the power of life and death for the past two years and had developed a more amiable demeanor, couldn’t help but say, “If it weren’t for the Sixth Prince who ascended to the position of Crown Prince…”
Hearing this, Ying Xu frowned slightly, not because Eunuch Xiang’s words might lead to his execution if heard by outsiders. Rather— she sneered disdainfully, “Compared to those other unfortunate fellows, Xie Liu is quite capable.”
In Ying Xu’s eyes, the late emperor’s princes were all useless, even clumsy enough to be her followers.
None of them had any future.
Hearing this, Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but raise his gaze, thinking to himself that among the emperor’s many talents, only the young girl before him dared to say he possessed even a modicum of ability.
However, it wasn’t surprising that Ying Xu was saying this. After all, she had rarely given these princes and princesses, whose favor couldn’t compare to hers, a second glance.
But speaking of the late emperor’s princes, there was indeed one whose talent was truly remarkable, and who had once been favored by the late emperor…
Thinking of this, although there was no one else in the hall now, Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but lower his voice and say, “Eleventh Prince…”
“Xie Jingchen?” Hearing a name she recognized, Ying Xu first raised an eyebrow, then snorted coldly, her tone becoming even more disdainful, carrying a hint of inexplicable disgust. “Why bring up that good-for-nothing for no reason?”
But only for a moment, the next instant, a smile appeared on her beautiful face, her eyes crinkling, her voice softening slightly as she said, “I knew you still care about me.”
Otherwise, how could a senior eunuch who had served the late emperor for so many years, so meticulous and cautious, have brought up such a sensitive topic with her?
It has to be said that this slightly lessened the displeasure she felt from the emperor.
She thought that the most reliable people were indeed the elders who had watched her grow up.
Then she couldn’t help but curse the emperor again, “That scoundrel Xie Liu, come and apologize to me!”
“Sigh—”
Watching the fairy-like girl being angered by the emperor and starting to smash things again, Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but let out another long sigh.
He thought to himself that he only hoped the emperor would come and coax Ying Xu soon. Although the young girl’s actions this time were somewhat excessive, considering how she had always been the center of attention and radiant in the past, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
After all, hitting the emperor… this wasn’t the first time she had done it. When Ying Xu was young, spoiled and at his most unruly, he had often punched and kicked the late emperor.
Moreover, the current emperor should know Ying Xu’s temperament all too well. Just as Ying Xu said, she married the emperor because he had asked for it himself. He had indulged her in so many things in the past, so shouldn’t he be more lenient this time?
Eunuch Xiang couldn’t help but think this.
But he always felt that something was subtly abnormal about this matter.
Even a few days after Eunuch Xiang, an old confidant of the late emperor, visited Weiyang Palace, the cold war between the emperor and empress continued.
Judging from the situation, neither the emperor nor Ying Xu wanted to take the initiative to “admit their mistakes” and apologize to the other; they seemed determined to maintain this stalemate.
Just as rumors were circulating in the palace that His Majesty might be holding a selection of concubines to expand his harem, making the palace servants in Weiyang Palace increasingly uneasy, a figure—the only one in the entire realm qualified to wear bright yellow—finally entered Weiyang Palace. Then— crack!
The familiar sound of shattered porcelain hitting the ground rang out. The palace servants, completely accustomed to this, closed their eyes, donned masks of pain, and knew in their hearts that the Empress, this precious lady, was up to her old tricks again.
As soon as the Emperor stepped into Ying Xu’s bedchamber, he saw two vases flying towards him and hurriedly dodged them. His already unpleasant expression turned even more grim. His gaze, authoritative, fell upon Ying Xu, who stood beside the sandalwood stand displaying the vase. His tone was impatient, “Haven’t you caused enough trouble yet?”
Seeing his deathly expression, Ying Xu was even more impatient, coldly saying, “Get out!”
Ying Xu had initially thought the emperor had come to apologize, admitting his madness. She thought that if his attitude was sincere, his words kind, and he promised never to repeat the mistake, the matter could be resolved.
However, upon seeing the emperor’s composed expression, Ying Xu knew things weren’t so simple
—this scoundrel hadn’t come to apologize or beg for forgiveness; instead, he was here to give her a hard time!
Realizing this, Ying Xu naturally had no intention of indulging the emperor. Still harboring resentment towards him, she simply grabbed the vase and threw it at him.
If he wasn’t hurt, he was lucky; if he was, he deserved it!
Hearing Ying Xu tell him to get out, the Emperor’s face darkened further. He clearly didn’t want to stay a moment longer in Weiyang Palace, but seemingly remembering something, he restrained himself from reacting.
The Emperor bypassed the shards of porcelain Ying Xu had created, walked up to her, and looked down at her with a questioning tone: “You contacted Xie Jingchen?”
News from the front lines had arrived; Xie Jingchen, the Prince of Mobei, had committed treason, rebelled, and marched south, intending to… attack the capital and usurp the throne.
However, when Xie Jingchen was first enthroned as Crown Prince and exiled to the desolate northwest by the late Emperor, he, who had been the late Emperor’s most favored prince not long before, hadn’t even tried to seize the position. So why, four years later, when he lacked all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support, would he suddenly raise an army in rebellion?
But if Ying Xu had given her the order, then everything would be different.