Chapter 119 Trying to be a virtuous woman while being a bitch

Xiao Qidi was taken aback for a moment, then thought about it seriously, "I have never heard of this."

"Hahahaha!" Situ Wei sneered, "Didn't Your Majesty say you had divine assistance? Could it be that the so-called divine being Your Majesty knows nothing?"

Xiao Qidi was speechless. He thought that the thing that made Situ Wei so confident in public must be quite powerful, but he knew nothing about it and was afraid he would have no chance of dealing with it. He subconsciously glanced at the entrance of the main hall, his eyes looking for help.

Ning Jinli pouted and muttered under her breath, "I'm not a god..."

Seeing that she remained unmoved, Xiao Qidi sighed inwardly. It seemed that even Jinli was helpless in this unexpected situation.

Well then, let's just see how things go.

"What is Qingyou Terrace?" Xiao Qidi asked calmly.

Situ Wei, full of vigor, shouted, "Where is Wang Ji?"

The hundreds of officials present looked around, but no one spoke up.

Situ Wei frowned, raised his voice, and shouted again, "Wang Ji! Come here!"

Still, no one responded.

This left Xiao Qidi completely baffled.

Situ Wei's face fell. He turned around and looked at the crowd, asking, "Wang Ji didn't come?! Ning Shan! Did Ning Shan come?"

“Alright, it’s your dad’s turn to step in,” Ning Shan winked at his daughter, “Let’s go over together.”

"Your humble servant is here!" Ning Shan replied.

The officials all turned around upon hearing the sound and made way for him.

Ning Shan strode forward, with Ning Jinli following beside him.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the father and daughter approached Situ Wei.

A hint of surprise flashed across Xiao Qidi's eyes. He wondered why Ning Jinli had also come out at this moment, but he did not say anything.

"Where is Wang Ji?" Situ Wei asked Ning Shan, then glanced at Ning Jinli. "Who is this?"

Ning Shan replied, "This humble subject does not know where Lord Wang has gone. As for this person... he is this humble subject's subordinate."

Situ Wei immediately noticed that Ning Shan, his subordinate, was too handsome, even in the most unassuming official robes and hats.

But he doesn't have time to think about it right now.

“Ning Shan, come here, tell the Emperor what Qingyou Terrace is for.” Situ Wei looked at Xiao Qidi with a cold smile.

Xiao Diqi was filled with doubt.

This person shares the same surname as Jinli, and upon closer inspection of their appearance, Jinli bears a striking resemblance to him.

Most importantly, Jinli would never appear with him for no reason.

Could it be...

“Qingyoutai is an organization that specializes in intelligence gathering,” Ning Shan explained calmly. “In recent years, our spies have uncovered many secrets of officials that are unknown to others. Any one of them would be enough to ruin a person’s reputation.”

At this point, the ministers behind Situ Wei broke out in a cold sweat.

They already knew that the Prime Minister had very powerful spies watching their every move and had uncovered their secrets.

But now that it's been confirmed, fear still wells up inside me.

“I see,” Xiao Qidi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Situ Wei, you are truly skilled. Even in front of me, you still have a way to keep so many ministers firmly on your side.”

Situ Wei said smugly, "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to retire and return to my hometown, but Da Xuan can't do without me, and Your Majesty can't do without me either."

"How about you sit on this throne?" Xiao Qidi said quietly.

"Hahahaha!" Situ Wei laughed loudly. "I only want to be a prime minister who can help Your Majesty govern the world. I have no interest in the throne. I appreciate Your Majesty's good intentions."

"Is it that you're not interested, or that you don't have the guts to bear the infamy of usurping the throne and be remembered for eternity?" Ning Jinli suddenly spoke up sarcastically. "Since you care so much about your reputation, aren't you afraid that when history records what happened today, future generations will curse you? Oh, not just curse you, but laugh at you."

Situ Wei's face darkened. "What are you laughing at me for?"

"What a joke! You want to gain supreme power but also want to protect your reputation, so you came up with this ridiculous trick of using important officials in the court to command the emperor," Ning Jinli said without any restraint, and then added harshly, "You really want to be a vile woman while pretending to be virtuous."

Situ Wei's old face trembled. He could tell that the words were full of sarcasm, but what exactly did the last sentence, "Trying to be a bitch but still wanting to be virtuous," mean?

What does "碧池" mean?

"Pfft—" Ning Shan couldn't help but laugh.

Situ Wei was annoyed. He knew he had been scolded, but he couldn't understand the meaning of the key words. This made him feel awkward, like he had swallowed a fly. So he asked with a stern face, "What is 'bichi'?"

"Let me tell you," Ning Jinli whispered in his ear.

Situ Wei's face quickly flushed red and then turned pale. Suddenly, he shouted angrily, "You...you, you have such audacity! How dare you humiliate me like this! Guards! Drag this man out and behead him!"

"Let's see who dares!"

Xiao Qidi and Ning Shan spoke at the same time. One of them stood up abruptly from the throne, while the other stepped forward to protect Ning Jinli behind him.

Situ Wei was stunned, and the others were also taken aback.

Then they all looked at Ning Jinli with incredulous and bewildered expressions.

Who is this incredibly handsome young man? It's one thing for his superiors to go against the Prime Minister to protect him, but even the Emperor reacts this way?

Even when faced with Situ Wei's threats, His Majesty remained as calm as Mount Tai!

Situ Wei was unsure of the situation. He could ignore Xiao Qidi's reprimand for now, but how could he tolerate Ning Shan, as the deputy commander of Qingyou Terrace, daring to yell at him like that?!

"Ning Shan!" Situ Wei shouted, pointing at Ning Shan's nose, "Are you trying to rebel?!"

"I'm rebelling?" Ning Shan said with a smile. "Who just revealed the Qingyou Terrace in public? Who used the private secrets of a group of officials as a threat? Who is trying to seize the throne?"

Situ Wei's expression changed drastically. He simply couldn't believe that the deputy commander of Qingyou Terrace dared to defy him repeatedly.

"You...do you know what you're saying!" Situ Wei's eyes could kill, he roared angrily, "Do you know who you are and whose person you work for!"

Ning Shan calmly replied, "If you think I'm one of your people, you're sorely mistaken. Situ Wei, let me tell you now, Qingyou Terrace is now entirely under my control, and has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Wh-what?" Situ Wei froze.

Ning Shan continued, "Only Wang Ji and I know where Qingyoutai keeps its intelligence data, but unfortunately, although Wang Ji is completely obedient to you, you can no longer find him."

Situ Wei's pupils contracted sharply, and his stunned and dumbfounded expression looked as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

Ning Shang faced Xiao Qidi, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Great Xuan King, Ning Shan, the actual commander of Qingyou Terrace, hereby declares that all the intelligence and evidence collected by Qingyou Terrace over the years will be handled according to Your Majesty's arrangements."

"Ning Shan! You..." Situ Wei's throat tightened instantly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xiao Qidi was overjoyed and immediately looked at the ministers beside Situ Wei, saying loudly, "Gentlemen, you are all intelligent people. I don't think I need to say anything more, do I?"

The ministers had already realized what was happening, quickly stepped back, and then knelt down in unison before Xiao Qidi.

Such an obvious move clearly indicates that she wants to distance herself from Situ Wei and no longer follow him.

"You...you..." Situ Wei clutched the clothes in his chest tightly, vomiting a large amount of blood again.

Xiao Qidi sat down again and said coldly, "Based on Situ Wei's previous crimes, he should have been dismissed from his post as prime minister. However, he secretly monitored the privacy of ministers, openly threatened the emperor, and disrupted the Great Xuan court! Therefore, his crimes should be compounded, and he should be exiled with his property confiscated! Do any of you ministers have any objections?"

"Your Majesty is wise, we have no objections!" A unified voice rang out in the hall.

"Guards!" Xiao Qidi ordered, "Immediately remove Situ Wei's official hat and robes and throw him into prison. After his property is confiscated, exile him to Shu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Situ Wei collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.

In that instant, it was as if all his energy and spirit had vanished, and he looked as if he had aged more than ten years.

Soon, the palace guards dragged him out of the hall.

Throughout, his eyes remained empty and vacant, like a living dead man, without the slightest struggle.

As Xiao Qidi watched his aged figure disappear outside the main hall, he breathed a sigh of relief, a complex expression fleeting in his eyes.

After a brief moment of distraction, Xiao Qidi spoke up: "Lord Ning, I need your help."

Ning Shan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Xiao Qidi looked around at the group of anxious ministers below, "Destroy all the private information, intelligence, and evidence that Situ Wei had Qingyoutai collect and accumulate before."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The order was given in public, and the ministers who originally belonged to the prime minister's faction were stunned. None of them expected that Xiao Qidi would do this.

Xiao Qidi then said to them, “My lords, Situ Wei has been blackmailing you with all sorts of nonsense for so long, but I only found out today. I feel very bad that you have been wronged.”

The ministers were utterly astonished, hardly believing their ears.

The fact that the emperor wanted Qingyoutai to destroy all their private information had greatly surprised them.

What was even more unexpected was that the emperor not only did not blame them for supporting Situ Wei, but also considered their difficulties and took pity on them.

They were so moved that tears streamed down their faces, and they wept uncontrollably.

Ning Shan whispered to Ning Jinli, "Your boyfriend is quite good at winning people over. Could he have used the same tricks on you to get you in the first place?"

“Dad,” Ning Jinli wrinkled her nose, “He’s sincere towards me, don’t talk nonsense.”

Ning Shan grinned, "Hey, you're being protective of your own again."

Afterwards, Xiao Qidi dismissed all the ministers, including the eunuchs, palace maids, and guards in the main hall, leaving only Ning Shan and Ning Jinli.

As soon as the others left, Xiao Qidi rushed down the steps and bowed to Ning Shan, saying, "You must be Jinli's father? Hello, Uncle Ning, Qidi greets you, Uncle Ning."

A hint of surprise appeared in Ning Shan's eyes. "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite."

Xiao Qidi said earnestly, "Uncle Ning, it was in front of a group of officials from the Great Xuan Dynasty just now, so it was inconvenient for me to greet you. Please forgive me. Also, you don't need to call me 'Your Majesty' like they do."

"This... is it really okay?" Ning Shan looked at Ning Jinli with a doubtful gaze.

In Ning Shan's view, Xiao Qidi was, after all, a person living in this era, not to mention the emperor of a country. Could he really lower himself to such a position?

“Of course, no problem!” Ning Jinli immediately raised her arm and hooked it around Xiao Qidi’s neck. “Dad, let me tell you, he’s not someone who can’t accept new ideas and new things. Otherwise, I wouldn’t like him. I usually call him my little brother.”

Ning Shan quickly observed Xiao Qidi's reaction.

Xiao Qidi was grinning like a fool. Apart from being dressed in royal robes like an ancient person, he looked exactly like a modern young man in the throes of new love.

"Cough!" Ning Shan coughed deliberately.

Xiao Qidi then realized what was happening and awkwardly removed Ning Jinli's arm from his neck.

Ning Shan grinned, "Alright, alright, I won't be a third wheel for you two. I'll go first, no need to see me off."

"Uncle, please take care." Xiao Qidi said politely.

Ning Shan turned and took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned back. "Qi Di, you just asked me to destroy those intelligence reports in front of everyone. Was that just for show?"

Xiao Qidi asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Uncle?"

Ning Shan smiled faintly, "I've already cooperated with you so much, so you don't need to pretend with me anymore! Didn't you see how afraid those ministers who used to be on Situ Wei's side were of their private information being leaked? With your intelligence, you must know that keeping the information safe is a way to protect yourself from them. So..."

Xiao Qidi frowned and shook his head. "Uncle, I'm not just putting on an act. I really want to destroy those intelligence reports."

"Huh?" Ning Shan exclaimed incredulously, "You're serious, kid?"

Xiao Qidi nodded solemnly, "Yes."

Ning Shan pondered for a moment before saying, "Qidi, don't blame me for being nosy, but in the eyes of those old fogies, you're still just a greenhorn who's just regained power. Even if they outwardly submit and even have your heart won over, they might not be completely obedient when it comes to actually getting things done. They'll think you're too young, lacking experience, qualifications, and skills, and will inevitably resist your commands. Are you sure you don't want to hold their weaknesses against them, just in case?"

Xiao Qidi said with utmost seriousness, "I understand Uncle's good intentions, but I have thought it over carefully. If I want to become a wise ruler in the future, I cannot rely on such means to force them. Only by gaining their full trust will they do their best to manage the country with me. I do not want the pillars of the Great Xuan to become people who are wary of each other and plot against each other. Otherwise, how can the people of the world live a good life?"

Ning Shan was stunned for several seconds, then his eyes filled with a look of relief and appreciation. He gave a thumbs up and said, "Well done! My daughter was right about you! I hope you never forget what you said."

"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle. Please rest assured."

"Alright, alright! I'm leaving now. You two can keep being lovey-dovey. When you have time later, you two can all get together with me and Xiaoli's mom!"

After saying that, Ning Shan, beaming with pride, hummed a little tune and strode away.

The two watched Ning Shan walk out of the main hall.

Xiao Qidi's eyes were filled with an irrepressible tenderness and smile. "Jinli, I'm so glad to see you again. I've really missed you—"

Before she could even utter the word "you," Ning Jinli stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and sealed his mouth with her bright red lips...