"Of course, Brother Xing and Father are both incredibly intelligent; otherwise, how could they have deceived you?" Chang Liying said proudly to Xiao Yao, while Xuanyuan Jinxing remained silent.
"That gratitude was what made us friends. Then, it was like boiling a frog in warm water, gradually letting me understand the you on the surface. It made me realize that you were not like those unreasonable dandies in the Capital, which made me start to like you. From then on, without my family knowing, I would come to see you every time I left the mountain, and you would always take me out to play, cheer me up, and show concern for me. You gave silver taels to beggars, and whenever there was injustice, you would help. Every time there was a natural disaster in Nanyang Country, you would appear worried and helpless, wanting to assist but feeling unable. Still, you did whatever you could to help those in need. My fondness for you grew layer by layer, so this made me see you as someone who fretted for the country and the people, with a kind heart. At the time, although I was curious about your actions, I never took the initiative to ask who you were, which started to make you all anxious. And so, you resorted to your fourth strategy!"
"Yes, we never thought you'd be so cold and indifferent at such a young age, having been friends with you for years. Knowing that Brother Xing was a young master, and with your intelligence, you must have guessed Brother Xing's identity as a prince. Seeing Brother Xing's anxious thoughts and yet you remained indifferent to his identity and did not offer help on your own. We had no choice but to spur you into action!" Chang Liying, thinking of this, was even more furious with Xiao Yao.
This woman had the capability to help Brother Xing but didn't, forcing Brother Xing and Father to exhaust their wits in scheming. In the end, Brother Xing had to carry out the plan himself, despising how Xiao Yao had monopolized so much of Brother Xing's time, which was truly detestable and hateful.
"Oh, so your fourth strategy, the 'beauty trap', was because only love could make a person lose themselves, let a woman help you unconditionally. But you couldn't directly expose that I was a girl. So, you took the opportunity of a drinking session, pretended to be drunk—since the saying goes, 'In wine there is truth'—and said things that confused me, declaring your affection for me. You spoke of your pain and repression because we were both men. This made me feel very guilty towards you: first, because you were my lifesaver, and second, because we had been old friends. Not only had I deceived you about my gender and appearance, but we also couldn't become lovers. So, to dispel your notion, I decided to let you see my true face, to make you stay away from me..."
"Haha… you know, even though Brother Xing had seen you once when you were young and knew you were ugly, it was from a bit of a distance, and he hadn't seen it very clearly. When you decided to let Brother Xing see your real face, you were prepared, but you never expected to be that ugly. That day, Brother Xing, holding back his disgust, confessed to you, then came back and complained to me. Isn't that right, Brother Xing? Haha..." Chang Liying started to mock and ridicule Xiao Yao with a sense of superiority.
"Speaking of which, since you, Xuanyuan Jinxing, confessed your feelings to me, after two years of your gentle and sweet-talking persuasion, even though we weren't officially lovers, I began doing as you wished, starting to strategize for you. I offered up plans for managing floods in the south and dealing with ice disasters. And on my fourteenth birthday, I finally lived up to your painstaking efforts by agreeing to become lovers. I spared no effort to provide various strategies for improving the situation in Nanyang Country. To implement these, I needed the support of my father and the Xiao Family. Thus, the Xiao Family finally stood with you, Xuanyuan Jinxing, before His Majesty. And you, Xuanyuan Jinxing, became the most esteemed and revered prince in the eyes of the Nanyang people, who worshipped you as a deity. And since you, Xuanyuan Jinxing, confessed, you never bothered me again, and I didn't take it to heart. As mere friends on the surface, I began introducing you to my lovers. And you started coming out to play with us. You began meeting openly as friends!" Xiao Yao said, expressionless, the first half to Xuanyuan Jinxing, the second half to Chang Liying.
"Xuanyuan Jinxing, we've known each other for ten years, been lovers for four, have you ever felt even a little bit of love for me?" Xiao Yao looked at Xuanyuan Jinxing, determined to question the doubt in her heart.
Xuanyuan Jinxing did not respond. He simply walked over to Chang Liying, taking her into his arms with both hands.
"Ha, Xiao Yao, Brother Xing never loved you at all, he was only using you from beginning to end. Brother Xing has always loved me, and he said that the moment he first saw me, he decided to make me his Empress!" Chang Liying finished speaking and aggressively hugged Xuanyuan Jinxing's waist, eager to prove that she was Xuanyuan Jinxing's true love.
Xuanyuan Jinxing also extended his left hand to encircle Chang Liying's slender waist, making the answer clear. Without words, yet it was more hurtful, more cruel, and more ruthless than language could ever be. Xiao Yao was reminded of Xuanyuan Jinxing's sweet nothings, "I only like Xiao Yao for herself, her looks don't matter!" Now it seemed, this life's love, she had gambled and lost again.
"So, having obtained the throne you've longed for, earned your true love, now you want to kick away the stepping stones that helped you succeed. The stepping stones have turned into stumbling blocks. From two months ago, when the rumors harmful to me began to spread, and the Xiao Family shifted from loyal ministers to traitors, all of it must have been in preparation for this moment!"
"Your father is already the Prime Minister, the head of the great ministers, your eldest brother is the undefeated general on the battlefield, your second brother is the second richest merchant in Nanyang Country, your third brother is the Captain of the Imperial Guards, and you, Xiao Yao, are a disciple of Elder Tianshan, unsurpassed by others. With all these, do you still consider the Xiao Family to be a house of loyal ministers?" Chang Liying said sharply and piercingly.
"Why is my father the Prime Minister, why is my eldest brother a general, why is my second brother, a noble, the most despised rich merchant, how did my third brother become the Captain of the Imperial Guards, and why did I help you, Xuanyuan Jinxing? Others might not know, but don't you know? Fine, now you have ascended to power, yet my Xiao Family has become regarded by the people of Nanyang as treacherous ministers with disproportionate influence, and my willing marriage has turned into one of seeking repayment for favors bestowed. Xuanyuan Jinxing, where is your heart, your conscience? Has it been eaten by dogs? Are you even human? 'Once the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked; once the birds are gone, the bow is hidden.' To treat the Xiao Family with such ruthless aggression, to commit the crime of rebellion and massacre the entire clan, you could really do such a thing?" Xiao Yao asked in a loud and furiously incisive tone.
Although Xuanyuan Jinxing was now the emperor of a nation, he had not an ounce of tolerance for the Xiao Family. Thinking of how, for the sake of the throne, he had to put up with nauseating contact with Xiao Yao every day, to endure the Xiao Family's pointing fingers and painting faces, he was extremely resentful. Fine, now he was the Emperor, why should he still suffer the Xiao Family's interference, endure nauseating contact with Xiao Yao? So he decided to get rid of the Xiao Family, to rid himself of Xiao Yao, to let out all his pent-up rage.
"Xiao Yao, by what right do you question Brother Xing? If it weren't for the throne, do you think Brother Xing would be willing to agree to the Xiao Family's proposal to marry you, to have contact with you, Xiao Yao? You don't even look at your own appearance; do you want Brother Xing to become the laughingstock of the world?" Chang Liying, seeing Brother Xing being aggressively questioned by Xiao Yao until his face turned red, also spoke up loudly and righteously.