Chapter 404 No Future (3)

But only he himself knows what kind of black heart is hidden under his cynical and rebellious appearance.

Xie Jingxing was still a young man, possessing the handsomeness and valor of a young man, but today, in his dark red court robes, he looked more mature. Fu Ming once lamented while reading a section of the history of the Xie family of Ming Qi: "A young talent, a figure to be remembered for ages, died young, a tragedy for Ming Qi!" This shows how highly Xie Jingxing was regarded.

By the time Shen Miao truly noticed Xie Jingxing, she had already become the Empress. She had only seen him from afar at palace banquets, vaguely thinking he was a very handsome young man, though Fu Xiuyi's attitude towards him was not very warm. Now...now Xie Jingxing was still a young man. Who could have imagined that this handsome and charming young man would soon die on the battlefield?

A hint of pity appeared in Shen Miao's eyes. Living a new life, she was not a kind-hearted person, but she had been praised by both Fu Ming and Wan Yu, so she still had a little appreciation for him.

Her moody expression, sometimes wary and sometimes sympathetic, made Xie Jingxing feel a little puzzled. He suddenly remembered the first time he saw Shen Miao at the entrance of Guangwen Hall. Shen Miao had also looked at him with such pity. Xie Jingxing asked thoughtfully, "Do you pity me?"

This person is even better at reading people’s expressions than she is! Shen Miao thought to herself, but a smile appeared on her face: “How can I have the right to pity others?”

Xie Jingxing said "hmm" calmly, as if he thought what she said made sense. But he suddenly reached out and opened the carriage curtain.

This place is in a remote place, and there won't be many people coming here. Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, you can just see the high palace wall.

Shen Miao’s gaze couldn’t help but be profound.

She had lived in this deep palace for so many years, reborn, but still could not escape this fate. However, she did not regret it. What was the purpose of living? The dead could not be resurrected, so living was naturally for revenge.

Shen Miao looked carefully and attentively, as if she wanted to engrave every piece of the palace wall in her eyes. Seeing this, Xie Jingxing raised his lips and said, "Do you want to live in?"

Shen Miao was slightly startled.

"If you want to move in, I can help you." Xie Jingxing said, his tone a little strange, but his smile seemed to hide something deeper: "When the time comes, how are you going to thank me?"

“If the young marquis could burn down this palace, perhaps I would be grateful to you.” Shen Miao replied.

Xie Jingxing raised his eyebrows in surprise: "I thought you wanted to be...a noble."

"I want to be a noble," Shen Miao turned her head and looked at him with a sarcastic smile: "But, not the kind of noble you are talking about. I want a noble who is more noble than a noble."

"You want to be queen?"

Empress? Shen Miao’s eyes were slightly dazed. She too had once worn court robes, with phoenix hairpins adorning her hair. At the coronation ceremony of the empress, she was in great splendor, with all the ministers kneeling in worship and the people cheering. She was the model mother of the country.

Back then, she thought she had everything she wanted.

But now it seems that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Queen? It's just an empty title.

"Being a queen is easy," Xie Jingxing said calmly, "but being an emperor is difficult."

Ming Qi was in turmoil, with each of the nine princes possessing their own strengths. Even the Crown Prince's position was precarious; who knew which one would hold the imperial seal in the future? When wealthy families married their daughters to the princes, they were taking a gamble, a bet on their future.

Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, and greed is human nature. A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers; success is the price of victory, and failure is the price of defeat. If a woman chooses the wrong man, she will naturally follow him.

Xie Jingxing said nonchalantly: "Who did you choose?"