After he finished speaking, Su Tiyue timidly asked, "Will Master Xiao really kill me?"
"Do you think I wouldn't dare? Your Majesty, you only dare to do whatever you want because you take advantage of my doting and pampering, because you like me... isn't that why you're acting so recklessly?"
"I didn't. I didn't do anything reckless, nor did I take advantage of your favor. Master, you know me... In the situation last night, I couldn't just stand by and watch my elder brother get hurt. I couldn't do that..."
Xiao Heye looked at her, a flicker of fire burning in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Do you really think that only the Prince of Huainan can save your elder brother? Your Majesty, have you ever thought of me? As long as you're willing to ask, I'm willing to do anything for you, no matter how difficult..."
"Yes, I don't have that many troops under my command, nor do I have the ability to fight against those 300,000 Rouran soldiers. But even if I, Xiao Heye, can't save the Southern Frontier, I still have the ability to save your elder brother, Su Lin... But did you ever trust me?"
"Furthermore, do you really think that war is the only way to save your elder brother and those insignificant people in Southern Xinjiang? The Rouran tribe's situation is probably not optimistic either. If they really wanted to fight, their 300,000-strong army would have already crushed Southern Xinjiang..."
"Does Master Xiao mean that this battle doesn't necessarily have to be fought?" After hearing his words, Su Tiyue slowly realized what he meant.
Xiao Heye suppressed his anger and replied, "Negotiation, marriage alliance, even signing a ceasefire agreement, there are many ways to save the Southern Frontier... If this war really breaks out, even if Beiliang wins, it will be a lose-lose situation. Would the Prince of Huainan be so stupid as to send his men to their deaths, weaken his own forces for no reason, and then do the work for this newly enthroned emperor?"
Zhou Lin is a very shrewd and calculating man. He would never do something that would require him to be the first to sacrifice himself.
In terms of military strategy, Xiao Heye was definitely more knowledgeable, and Zhou Lin's words could only fool the young emperor and Su Tiyue.
Hearing him say that, Su Tiyue was stunned for a moment. She didn't understand the details of the battlefield at all, so it was difficult for her to analyze the cause and effect of things as thoroughly as Xiao Heye.
Now that she understands and sees the true nature of the Prince of Huainan, she has also angered Xiao Heye, and it seems too late to say anything now.
Su Tiyue bent down slightly, moving herself and the chair closer to Xiao Heye.
Her slender, pale fingers gripped his loose sleeve and shook it gently. Her voice was soft and her eyes tender: "Zhangyin, I was wrong."
Whether it was because of the poisoned wine or not, her cheeks were flushed and her body began to feel hot.
She gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her fingers, and said guiltily like a child who had done something wrong, "I really shouldn't have kept this from you. I did have ulterior motives for agreeing to the Prince of Huainan's conditions so easily. To put it simply, I didn't want Master Xiao to know about what happened in the Southern Frontier. Since Han Zhou and I reconciled, and then Master Xiao's adoptive father passed away, and Zhou Ziqi's matter has also come to an end, we've finally had some peaceful days, haven't we? There's no fighting or killing, no scheming or intrigue, just you and me. Isn't that good?"
"Your Majesty doesn't want me to know about the trouble in the Southern Frontier... What are you afraid of? Why..."
“I’m afraid something will happen to Yong’an…” She looked at Xiao Heye with gentle eyes, staring intently into his gaze.
Her words carried a hidden meaning.
He frowned, then immediately understood.
Xiao Heye sneered, his sinister and evil voice echoing in the room: "What, afraid I'll rebel?"
He asked her, "Is Your Majesty afraid that I will take advantage of the troubles in the southern borderlands and destroy Yong'an City?"
To be honest, she was indeed afraid.
Based on Su Tiyue's understanding of Xiao Heye, how many times has he taken advantage of someone's misfortune?
...
Su Tiyue said, "I know that Master Xiao is ruthless in his methods. Whenever you make a move, there will be bloodshed. I was hesitant and worried about the consequences. But my elder brother is in the Southern Frontier, and I don't want anything to happen to him... My family is in Yong'an, and Yong'an cannot be allowed to be in danger either."
Caught in a dilemma, she chose to agree to Zhou Lin's conditions.
Xiao Heye: "But I also said that I would not kill the Su family. Has Your Majesty forgotten?"
Su Tiyue paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I haven't forgotten. But even though I'm a woman, I understand a principle: when a country is about to fall, the land will be desolate... If something happens to Yong'an, Beiliang will be in imminent danger, which will give the already covetous Rouran an even greater opportunity. At that time, with internal and external troubles... if the country is gone, can we, the Su family, really remain unscathed?"
“What a nation on the verge of collapse, what a predicament of internal and external troubles… Your Majesty, I know what external troubles mean, but this internal troubles…” Xiao Heye paused deliberately, then reached out and gripped her wrist tightly, pulling her closer with force. His sharp eyes burned like fire as he said, “The internal troubles should refer to me, this rebellious eunuch, right?”
Su Tiyue's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she did not speak.
Silence means consent. Xiao Heye was not surprised at all by this, as he was known to the world as a traitor and a treacherous eunuch.
...
After a moment of silence.
She said again, "I had oversimplified things. I thought that as long as I agreed to the Prince of Huainan's conditions and you didn't find out, this matter would be over. Then the Southern Frontier would be fine, Yong'an would be alright, and we..."
Su Tiyue's voice was soft and gentle, like a cloud or a cotton ball. She said, "We'll be alright, I want us to be alright..."
"Really?"
"Um……"
Xiao Heye laughed and said, "There is neither trust nor honesty between us, how can this be? Your Majesty has hurt me so much, do you think a few sweet words will make it all go away?"
"Palmprint, I was wrong, please don't be angry...?"
He curved his lips into a smile, released Su Tiyue's wrist, turned his head to look at her and said softly, "If you do something wrong, you should be punished, Your Majesty... This time I won't be soft-hearted. I'm not a good person to begin with, so please don't have any expectations of me this time. I will treat you the way you treat me."
Su Tiyue nodded cautiously and said, "As long as the seal master isn't angry, I'm willing to be punished, whatever it takes..."
"Anything is fine?" He raised an eyebrow, repeated after her, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips.
Su Tiyue nodded again without the slightest hesitation.
Xiao Heye pinched her chin with his fingers and said, as if mocking himself, "That's right, how could Your Highness be afraid of me? I was too good to Your Highness before, which is why Your Highness acted so recklessly and arrogantly..."
"With a mere flick of her finger, Your Majesty, I would wag my tail and beg for your affections like a dog; with the slightest frown from Your Majesty, I would gladly rip my heart out for you..."
"Tsk..." Xiao Heye choked up several times at this point, and then could not continue.
At that moment, heartache and disappointment overwhelmed him.
What else is there besides that?
There is also suffering, unbearable suffering...
And there was anger, uncontrollable rage...
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