"you……"

Perhaps Dongfang Xiao's insults were too blunt, for even a seasoned old fox like Cheng Gujian was momentarily speechless.

To be fair, although the little empress is a mascot, she is still a beautiful vase born into royalty. Her shrewish behavior is really inconsistent with her character.

"...How could Your Majesty utter such vulgar words?"

After a long pause, he finally uttered this sentence, which even carried a hint of disappointment: "It really damages the image of the imperial family."

"Fuck your mother!"

Dongfang Xiao wasn't buying it at all, and continued to curse as if she wasn't satisfied, "You're about to cut my neck with a knife, what's the point of me being respectable? Respectable to your ancestors?"

"That wicked Xu Shi's teaching is quite effective," she thought unconsciously as she continued to scold him.

Yes.

She probably has never been exposed to a single swear word since she was a child, so Xu Shi deserves a lot of credit for her being able to do such a thing.

It's a little embarrassing to admit, but during the time I was treating Xie Qingyan's illness, Xu Shi often dragged her into the arena. After finishing his business, during his "sage time," he would give her a few words of guidance.

He's got the title of Imperial Tutor after all, so he has to live up to his status.

As a psychology instructor, Xu Shi once pointed out incisively that Dongfang Xiao was living too fake a life.

She acts innocent and naive in front of others every day, forcing a smile. Is she really that naive and innocent?

Whether she's stupid or not is hard to say; the last two words have absolutely nothing to do with her.

Of course, it's not entirely her fault. Being in that position, she inevitably has to live behind a mask, not to mention that she's a puppet empress. It's a miracle she doesn't have a severe case of being a succubus.

She knew her situation, but didn't know how to resolve it, so she asked Xu Shi what to do.

Her current approach is Xu Shi's answer.

Actually, the little queen was quite resistant to this kind of thing before. How could she change such a habit after so many years? She had long since accepted that she was keeping all her grievances to herself.

But as she said, now that she's about to lose her life, if she doesn't vent now, she might never have the chance again.

Perhaps because it was the first time in his life that he had rebelled and swore, especially to the traitors who had always oppressed him, Dongfang Xiao felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

"You old scoundrel, you've been controlling everything I do since I was a child!"

"You forbid me from doing whatever I want! You keep saying it's for my own good... Do you need to tell me whether I'm good or not?!"

"To tell you the truth, I've long wanted to tear you to pieces and then throw you into the wilderness to feed the wild dogs!"

"You fucking bastard..."

Listening to Dongfang Xiao's rapid-fire accusations, Cheng Gujian's eyes flickered, and he even showed a brief moment of doubt.

Was she forcing the emperor to abdicate, or did she bring people to ransack the house?

Fortunately, the Duke of Gujian had exceptional mental fortitude and quickly adjusted his state of mind.

"So this is how Your Majesty has always seen me?"

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

Meeting his hawk-like gaze, the little empress trembled subconsciously. Clearly, years of oppression under his rule had instilled a deep-seated fear in her.

But then she thought about it and decided it didn't matter. She said, "I'm going to die anyway. Whether I stick my neck out or not, I'll still get stabbed. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Otherwise what? Should I treat you, a traitorous minister, with utmost respect?!"

So, unusually, she straightened her back and retorted without hesitation, "Aren't you disgusting to be so hypocritical at a time like this?"

Although one could still detect a hint of bravado, at this moment she exuded an aura of imperial power, far more so than before.

"...Then Your Majesty, please accept your fate."

Cheng Gujian frowned, drew the spear from behind him, and walked slowly toward her with a gloomy face.

The tip of the gun scraped against the ground, making a piercing sound.

"You don't need to lift a finger, I'll do it myself!"

Dongfang Xiao's throat tightened, but he still shakily raised his sword and pressed it against his neck, looking as if he were ready to die.

To be honest, she was terrified of death. Who faces death without fear?

But she didn't want to live in Cheng Gujian's shadow for the rest of her life; at least she didn't want him to decide her death!

Of course, to be honest, I feel a bit embarrassed here. I made a lot of grand pronouncements and used a lot of foul language earlier, so I can't just cry and beg him to spare my life now.

If that were the case, she would be nailed to the pillar of shame whether she lived or died, and she didn't want to be so undignified.

The little queen closed her eyes, her trembling hands exerting a slight force.

In the final moments of her life, she still felt mostly resentful.

Even though everything was on the right track, she still didn't have the chance to fully display her talents and realize her ambitions.

What's most infuriating is that Xu Shi, that bastard, got to play for so long for nothing!

Huh? Why did I think of him?

He's the one who abandoned me! He promised to help me wipe out Cheng Gujian, but now that Cheng Gujian has rebelled, I haven't seen a trace of Xu Shi.

She didn't care whether Xu Shi was busy or not; she only felt wronged. If she couldn't keep her promise to me, she shouldn't have said it in the first place!

It was my own stupidity that I foolishly believed it.

Waaaaah.

However.

Just then.

She suddenly felt as if she were being clamped, and no matter how hard she tried, the longsword in her hand could not penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

Um?

Just as they were wondering what was going on, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

"You are... Xia Wuyou?"

Dongfang Xiao blinked, her mind a jumble, and it took her a while to remember her name.

"It's me. You must have seen me before, right?"

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