Chapter 172 Xie Zhao's hobby is very focused

That splash of blood deeply stung Emperor Qingxi's eyes.

His sleepiness vanished instantly. He strode to Princess Tong'an, pulled her up, and looked her over. "Where else is she injured? Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

Princess Tong'an shook her head, her expression stubborn. "Thanks to Yunzhao and Huaizhou, who fought desperately against the assassins, I only suffered one stab wound. But Huaizhou... he is still seriously injured, has a high fever, and is unconscious..."

At the end, she was so moved that she shed tears, "Father, the Pei family has always been loyal and deserves this calamity. If this revenge is not taken, how can I face Marquis Pei again, and how can I be worthy of being your daughter!"

Soon, the imperial physician on duty rushed over with his medicine box. Emperor Qingxi waved his hand and said, "Don't kneel. Quickly treat the princess's wounds."

The imperial physician carefully cut open the blood-stained sleeve. The fabric was stuck to the wound. When he pulled it apart, Princess Tong'an let out a muffled groan, her brows furrowed, her teeth clenched, and her expression one of suppressed resentment.

Emperor Qingxi couldn't bear to look closely and turned his face away, still asking, "What exactly happened? Why were the Pei brothers protecting you when you were assassinated?"

"Didn't Yunzhao and Huaizhou's wives run away because of Prince Gong? So they asked me to go out of the city to visit them and act as their intermediary."

Princess Tong'an's face was pale, and her voice was not as strong as usual. She said intermittently, "They stayed at the Shen family's own dowry estate. They said it was cooler outside the city, which was suitable for pregnant women to escape the summer heat, and they wanted to stay a few more days, so I came back in the Marquis's carriage..."

Emperor Qingxi sensed something was amiss. "Could it be that these assassins' original targets were the women of the Pei family?"

As the powder was sprinkled on the wound, Princess Tong'an gasped, her expression growing even colder. "I don't know, but after they heard me reveal my identity, they not only didn't stop, but became even more ruthless, each move deadly."

The atmosphere inside the hall was oppressive and tense, and Emperor Qingxi's face was extremely grim.

He had just spoken with Princess Tong'an, telling her to prepare for the difficult tests from the royal family.

I never expected these bastards to be so utterly devoid of martial ethics, resorting to such a despicable method as assassination!

Even during the two years when the eldest and third sons were fighting the most, they never used this tactic.

"I can give my throne to whomever I want. Who are they to tell me what to do?!"

Emperor Qingxi slammed his hand on the back of his chair and roared, "Does this mean that if they are not satisfied with the successor I have chosen, they can just send assassins to kill them at will?"

Is this a slap in the face to Princess Tong'an?

The imperial physician's hands trembled slightly as he applied the medicine. What sins had he committed tonight to deserve hearing these deadly secrets?

Princess Tong'an lowered her eyes and remained silent. The wound on her arm, besides the pain, brought her more pleasure.

This is why she insisted on forcing Wei Shao to cut himself, so that the assassination target would be herself.

Those members of the royal family certainly didn't dare to lay a hand on her, but what if she insisted that she had been assassinated?

Anyway, all the assassins at the scene were killed by Pei Jingyi and Pei Jinghuai, leaving no evidence.

No matter how much they refused to admit it, her bloody wounds were there, and her father's anger had been completely ignited, so it couldn't be easily quelled.

Emperor Qingxi paced back and forth in the hall like an enraged lion, then suddenly stopped and stared intently at us.

"Where is the prince consort? You're so badly injured, why hasn't he come yet?"

“My daughter went straight to the palace as soon as she returned to the city, and I haven’t dared to let her husband know yet.” Princess Tong’an said softly, “His health is already poor, and he can’t afford to be further agitated.”

Emperor Qingxi snorted angrily, "You feel sorry for him because he can't handle stimulation, but you don't feel sorry for your old father being woken up in the middle of the night and frightened?"

But when he saw his daughter's red-rimmed eyes and her furrowed brows as she endured the pain, he realized that only he could handle the current complicated situation.

See? When it really comes down to it, his A-Ying still has to go to the palace to ask her father for support.

It's fine if the prince consort is a bit weak; at least we won't have to worry about him seizing power and causing chaos in the future...

A bunch of random thoughts flashed through Emperor Qingxi's mind, and when he spoke again, his voice became even gentler: "Then you should stay in the palace for the next few days and go back after your injuries have healed a bit."

Princess Tong'an obediently agreed, silently apologizing to Wei Shao in her heart.

She promised to go back and coax him as soon as possible, but now someone will be left alone in an empty room again.

After the imperial physician finished writing the prescription, he disappeared from the palace gate as quickly as possible. Emperor Qingxi suddenly said to Chief Huang, "Pass on my decree: the summer heat has been unbearable these days, and I am not comfortable staying in the palace. Tomorrow morning, I will take the Imperial Concubine to the Western Hills Palace to escape the heat. All matters of state and military affairs will be handled by Princess Tong'an."

Is Your Majesty planning to have the princess oversee the country?

Steward Huang's expression hardened, and he quickly bowed in agreement.

Emperor Qingxi gave his daughter a meaningful look.

"Remember, I'm off to rest and recuperate in the summer. Don't bother me unless it's something important. You can make your own decisions."

Princess Tong'an's eyes lit up instantly, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

It's just beheading a few members of the collateral branches of the imperial family, how can that be considered a big deal?

...

Wait a minute, what happened to our fellow villager brother/sister?

Shen Lingyue looked at Xiao Yujing, then at Xie Zhao. They talked back and forth for a long time, their minds and mouths seemingly fighting. They had so much to say but didn't know where to begin, and ended up not being able to utter a single word.

Xie Zhao was surprised that Xiao Yujing had so easily admitted her identity in front of these two unfamiliar women. She grabbed Xiao Yujing's arm and nervously whispered, "Who are they? Are you sure you don't need to silence them?"

"It's alright, they're from my hometown." Xiao Yujing smiled faintly, then teased her, "They've even met your great-great-granddaughter."

Yan Yi composed herself, and all the details that had seemed out of place in her mind before suddenly connected together.

No wonder Emperor Taizu only had Empress Xie as his wife throughout his life. No wonder he defied public opinion to bestow titles and honors upon female marquises and generals, and left behind many "backdoors" in the official records, such as allowing imperial daughters to participate in politics and establishing girls' schools. Only then could he wait for Princess Tong'an, an ambitious descendant, to appear more than a hundred years later.

She muttered to herself, "It turns out we've all been fooled by our habitual thinking."

Who says that conquering new territories and dominating the world is a male prerogative?

Standing before them, Xiao Yujing proved with facts that she could do the same.

"Alright, stop spacing out." Xiao Yujing waved her hand gently in front of the two of them and smiled, "As I said before, it's fate that we met here. Since you two like gossip, why don't you listen to my story too?"

She wandered alone in another world for many years. Even though she had lovers and confidants by her side, they were ultimately different from her.

Only Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi could understand that it was a memory they shared, one that no matter how beautiful the language or words used to describe it, no outsider could possibly grasp even a fraction of.

Their home.

...

If you had to describe Xiao Yujing's life in one sentence, it would be: "Forced into the 'favored concubine system,' I had no choice but to ascend the throne."

Her real name is Xiao Yu. Before she transmigrated, she was an intern at a listed company with a bright future, a graduate of a prestigious university. She suddenly lost consciousness while working overtime until the early hours of the morning. When she woke up, she had become the youngest daughter of a farmer's family in the late period of the previous dynasty, who was about to be sold.

"A sixteen-year-old girl can only be exchanged for twenty catties of brown rice, enough to feed a family of seven for half a month while they tighten their belts."

In chaotic times, human life is as worthless as grass, and all she wanted was to survive.

Xiao Yujing shrugged. "Actually, I should be transmigrating into a male-oriented novel. You can tell from the name of the system that I'm one of the harem members of the overpowered male protagonist."

According to the original plot, she transmigrated into the body of the original owner who starved to death on the way. Then, she was bought by the male lead to become his maid. After being bound to a system, she used her cheat ability to compete with his female confidantes for his affections. Whoever could win the male lead's love would be the ultimate winner.

Shen Lingyue secretly rolled her eyes, then asked curiously, "But you've already ascended the throne, so what about the original male lead?"

"I don't know," Xiao Yujing said innocently. "I left in a hurry and forgot where I buried him."

So many years have passed, his grave must have grown into a forest by now.

Although she was punished with electric shocks by the system after killing the male protagonist, she did not regret it.

"Thanks to Zhaozhao for taking me back to the Xie family, otherwise I probably would have died together with that bastard."

After entering the Xie family and becoming the personal maid of the eldest daughter of the main branch, Xiao Yuhe had no target for her conquest and negotiated with the system, which had no hope of winning her over.

"This small world is based on the main storyline of the male protagonist ending the chaos and unifying the world. If he fails to achieve this goal, the world will collapse and the system will be recycled and destroyed. So I reached an agreement with it. I will take the place of the male protagonist to complete the conquest storyline. It will grant me all permissions to help me rise to power. But the only condition is that I cannot reveal my female identity."

So Xiao Yu transformed himself into Xiao Yujing, the leader of the uprising.

She used the charm spell provided by the system to recruit talented people; she used the "Many Children, Many Blessings" pill to breed a large number of fine horses, oxen, and livestock; she used the "Loyalty Gu" to bribe the enemy's strategist and successfully obtained the defense map; she used the ability to manipulate celestial phenomena to summon wind and rain and stabilize the morale of her troops...

Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi were stunned. The Favored Concubine System could be used like this?!

"Actually, this system is quite useful." Xie Zhao interjected from the side, "I used the contraceptive pill that Ayu helped me exchange for in the store, and sure enough, I haven't gotten pregnant for so many years. It doesn't harm my body and can even beautify my skin."

Shen Lingyue: ...What's with the feeling of being a little tempted?

As if guessing her thoughts, Yan Yi gently tugged at Chen Lingyue and silently uttered Pei Jinghuai's name.

Shen Lingyue realized what was happening and quickly raised her hand to ask, "The historical records state that you had a total of three sons and two daughters..."

Xie Zhao smiled and pointed at Xiao Yujing, saying, "Of course, it's her child with my elder brother Xie Wuyai."

She merely held the title of Empress for nothing; in reality, she was just raising her brother and sister-in-law's children. She herself disliked children and had no desire to marry.

Xie Zhao's hobby is very consistent; she will always love eighteen-year-old young men.

She often takes a liking to handsome young men who come to the palace to perform, and she will find a pretext to place them in the West Garden of the inner palace. When she gets tired of them, she will give them a sum of gold and silver and send them far away.

“Zhao Zhao has sacrificed so much for us. This is her only hobby, so naturally I have to satisfy her.”

Xiao Yujing looked at Xie Zhao with tenderness and indulgence.

Shen Lingyue: ...Your uncle spoils her, doesn't he?!

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Author's Note: Xie Zhao: I don't really understand you pure love fans, huh? [Oh oh oh]

[Peeking while covering face] There will be another update tonight~