Although it's unlikely that such a thing will actually happen, I'm still annoyed.

That's why he chose to reveal everything when the other party was on the verge of failure; it was a way to kill them by destroying their spirit.

"Xu Shi...Xu Shi!"

Cheng Gujian let out a unwilling roar. Compared to death, this kind of treatment was a greater blow to him, since he was already powerless to change anything.

"Why is Li shouting so loudly?"

Xu Shi looked down at him and said, "If you want to take advantage of others, you have to be prepared to fail, don't you?"

"Die with regrets, Brother Cheng."

He chuckled and gestured to Dongfang Xiao, "Now you may begin, Your Majesty, or would you like me to do it for you?"

"I……"

Knowing everything, Dongfang Xiao naturally couldn't bring herself to kill Cheng Gujian anymore—she dared not say she could completely let go of the shadow of the oppression he had cast over the years, but it was clearly unlikely that she would personally kill someone so loyal to her.

To be fair, if it weren't for his loyalty to the royal family, he would have had countless opportunities to oust himself and take his place.

But he didn't do that, and that alone says a lot.

"...Could you please spare his life?"

The little empress gritted her teeth and looked at Xu Shi tentatively, asking him a question.

"No, you can't. Do you have a choice?"

Xu Shi wasn't buying it and looked at her teasingly.

To be honest, she didn't really have any. After all, Xu Shi had already planted the seed in her heart. Although she wasn't completely obedient yet, under Xu Shi's influence, her desire to kill Cheng Gujian was growing stronger.

As for Cheng Gujian himself, upon seeing this scene, he instantly understood that Xu Shi's control over Dongfang Xiao seemed to be even deeper than he had imagined.

"...Your Majesty, let's begin."

His face grew paler and paler; this was probably the epitome of the despair that comes with a broken heart. "If my death can prevent the breakdown of your cooperation, then it wouldn't be such a bad thing."

Although it wasn't the outcome he had envisioned, it was still the best possible result for him.

Xu remained silent, quietly appreciating everything.

"...Alright, you little bastard."

Just then, Wen Shengkui slowly spoke up, "I'll decide to spare his life, what do you say?"

(End of this chapter)