Xiao Yao did not move.
"Come, make Xiao Yao kneel down!" Eunuch Li shouted to the guards, wanting to force her to kneel. However, Xiao Yao still did not move.
"Eunuch Li, let it be. After all, Xiao Yao and I are sisters—there's no need for such false courtesies!" Chang Liying said tenderly in front of everyone, feigning kindness.
"Your Majesty, it might have been fine to overlook formalities when you were sisters, but now you are the Empress, the mother of the nation, the most revered. If every sister does not need to kneel when seeing you, what use are the rituals of the court? If His Majesty were to find out, he would have me executed!" Eunuch Li argued.
"That's enough, Eunuch Li. It's just the few of us here—if you don't speak of it, how would His Majesty know?" Chang Liying spoke with seeming leniency and understanding. In reality, this statement was meant to confirm Xiao Yao's arrogance and lack of respect for others. Indeed, Xiao Yao did not regard these petty figures highly at all.
"But, Your Majesty... Xiao Yao, kneel!" Eunuch Li shouted angrily once more.
Xiao Yao then moved, lifting her head to see Chang Liying dressed in the Great Red Phoenix Robe of a newlywed Empress, adorned with a priceless South Sea Pearl Necklace, her hair styled in a Lingyun Bun and crowned with a Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin, the symbol of the Empress. Her delicate eyebrows framed her glowing face, her lips red and enticing, exuding a seductive charm that showcased the grace of worldly experience.
"Do you deserve my kneeling?" Xiao Yao looked up disdainfully at Chang Liying.
"You—you are insolent!" Eunuch Li was taken aback by Xiao Yao's brazenness but quickly pointed at Xiao Yao and vehemently ordered her to stop.
Chang Liying's heart seethed with rage. She had come here to witness Xiao Yao's abject humiliation, expecting her to grovel before her like a worthless dog, not to stand proudly above her like an emperor.
It was this very attitude of superiority she hated the most. She had endured it previously for the sake of Brother Xing's imperial throne but now as the Empress, who could command life and death, why should Xiao Yao, a prisoner, still look down upon her with such haughtiness?
Now, Chang Liying felt even more furious and venomous—hatred was visible in her eyes, though her expression remained calm and feigned helplessness.
"Sister..." Chang Liying called out, seemingly cautious and aggrieved.
"Don't call me sister. My mother only gave birth to one daughter—I do not have such noble siblings!" Xiao Yao spoke mockingly to the contrived Chang Liying.
"No, sister, you are my sister. We once swore a pact of sisterhood. I know you are angry with me, but it was only yesterday that I heard of the Xiao Family's troubles. As soon as I caught the wind of it, I went to His Majesty to plead for mercy. But His Majesty said that the Xiao Family has committed the crime of conspiracy, a grave offense with irrefutable evidence. Though he is His Majesty, he must still abide by the law, or else he cannot govern the land. Yet..." Chang Liying spoke as if she were on the verge of tears, full of apparent sorrow.
"I told you, don't call me sister. I cannot bear the honorifics of the motherly Empress. The matters of the Xiao Family don't need your feigned pity!" Xiao Yao interrupted, emphasizing again.
Had Xiao Yao not learned of the Xiao Family's plight and its connection to Chang Liying from the prison head, she might have been deceived by Chang Liying's performance, which seemed filled with deep sentiment and concern.
Chang Liying felt even more aggrieved as she looked into Xiao Yao's eyes—deep and tranquil as a secluded pond yet still as calm as a clear spring. She panicked a bit. It was these eyes that seemed to see through people, and she had to tread carefully with every word, terrified that Xiao Yao would discover their secret. Now, looking into these eyes, she just wanted to gouge them out, but it wasn't the right time. After today's execution of the entire Xuanyuan family, she planned to feed these eyes to the dogs.
"Sister, let me tell you, His Majesty has already agreed to spare your life!" Chang Liying whispered loudly enough for everyone in the cell to hear.
Xiao Yao simply ignored her. Chang Liying was so angry she felt like stomping her foot, but she held back. She looked around, her eyes darting about.
"Eunuch Li, you may leave us. I have some private words to share with my sister!" Chang Liying said softly, yet with an air of authority.
"Your Highness, this won't do. If something were to happen, we could not bear the responsibility!" Eunuch Li said worriedly.
"Leave!" Chang Liying ordered sternly.
"Chirp. Let's go!" Eunuch Li and a group of guards and jailers walked away.
"Haha... Xiao Yao, do you know how long I've waited for this day?" Chang Liying laughed loudly, proud of herself. "You could never have imagined, right? Fifteen years, a full fifteen years, haha..."
As soon as Eunuch Li's front foot left the threshold of the cell, Chang Liying began to laugh like a madwoman.
"You began plotting fifteen years ago..." Xiao Yao also said in shock.
Because she had only known Xuanyuan Jinxing for ten years, that meant Xuanyuan Jinxing had known her even before that. Fifteen years ago, she was only three, hardly seeming sensible, yet at that time, Xuanyuan Jinxing, who was only eight, why would he believe she could help him ascend to the throne?
"You must be very curious, Xiao Yao, why Brother Xing was so certain you could help him secure the throne... Haha..." Chang Liying laughed maniacally, her voice loud, but Xiao Yao suppressed her shock, asking nothing, waiting for Chang Liying to blurt it out amidst her pride.
"Fifteen years ago, the Empress held a flower-viewing feast..." Chang Liying drifted into her memories.
As Chang Liying mentioned the flower-viewing feast from fifteen years ago, Xiao Yao remembered. Fifteen years ago, when she was three, she had only been studying with the Tianji Elder on Tianshan for one year. She was homesick, missing her parents and brother, so after much pleading, her master agreed to let Xiao Yao go home for a visit, but it was a very short period, just a few days.
And during those few days, it coincided with the Empress's flower-viewing feast. Since her transmigration, Xiao Yao had never been to the Imperial Palace, always curious about the ancient palace, so she accompanied her parents there. However, in the palace's banquet, she never saw Prince Xuanyuan Jinxing.
"At that time, Brother Xing, a prince no less, was treated no better than a servant, even worse than one. If any of the princes or princesses were in a foul mood, they would take it out on him, beating or scolding him. I happened to attend the flower-viewing feast as well, and while wandering the palace with a maid and a palace maid, I saw Brother Xing in a corner, his body covered in wounds. When I wanted to take Brother Xing back to apply some medicine, as we passed by a corner of the wall, we heard someone speaking. We intended to avoid them, but at the very moment Brother Xing and I turned away, we heard the voice of a little girl. Guess what I heard her saying? I heard a girl about my age composing poetry—and not just any poetry, but verse of such beautiful imagery that even the great literary masters of today could not craft!" Chang Liying said, her gaze turning to look hatefully at Xiao Yao.