"..."
Wu Xiyu stared at Bie Chen like a wild wolf, wary and apprehensive.
The two maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Bie Chen took a step forward.
Wu Xiyu immediately took a step back.
Bie Chen laughed, "You are already the emperor, the supreme ruler of the world. I am just a commoner from the martial world. Where does your fear of me come from?"
Wu Xiyu remained tense and silent.
"Ah, I see!" Bie Chen answered himself, "Sitting on the throne that I obtained in exchange for, you don't feel at ease, right?"
Like a spark falling into a haystack, it ignited everything with a "pop".
Wu Xiyu sneered, "You overestimate yourself."
"Oh? Am I wrong?"
Bie Chen strolled forward a few more steps as if taking a leisurely walk, while Wu Xiyu remained motionless this time, rooted to the spot like a wooden stake.
As the two got closer, they discovered that Wu Xiyu was actually taller than Bie Chen.
Bie Chen whispered in his ear, his voice like the wind from the depths of distant mountains, carrying a hint of the lingering morning mist, "I've given my whole life to this, and you still won't call me brother?"
The sound was like insects crawling on his ears, and Wu Xiyu shoved him away, saying, "Stop talking nonsense in front of me!"
Bie Chen noticed his unease.
"I? What? Just now, when Mingke was here, you referred to yourself as 'I,' but in front of your brother, you refer to yourself as 'I,' the emperor."
Bie Chen clutched his heart with both hands, feigning heartbreak, "Brother, I'm so heartbroken!"
Wu Xi watched Bie Chen's performance with increasing disgust, his eyes like two sharp blades made of ice. "Although I have an elder brother, he is the Holy Son of Zen Mountain, not a madman like you."
"Tsk." Bie Chen stopped acting.
He knew this younger brother; he had never been very likable since childhood, and his personality was also very eccentric. He originally thought that the second princess would be the one to rise to power in the end, but he never expected that he would be the one to win in the end.
"You haven't changed a bit since you were a child. You were the kind of person who dared to kill a pigeon when you were only five years old. You acted so well just now that I almost thought you had undergone a complete transformation. But now it seems that old habits die hard!"
Wu Xiyu scoffed, "When I was a child? You make it sound like you were a big kid back then. Don't act so superior."
"Oh? So you're acknowledging my identity now?"
Wu Xiyu turned and left.
"Heh." Bie Chen sneered as he watched him flee in panic. "Where are you going? Like before, hiding away whenever something happens?"
"Just like a mouse in a corner."
This is Bie Chen's consistent assessment of Wu Xiyu.
He was favored at the time, which contrasted sharply with the unfavored Wu Xiyu. His impression of this younger brother was that of a child standing silently in the corner, whose ruthlessness could only be seen in his eyes when he occasionally revealed them.
It hasn't changed.
“You’ve been scheming since you were little, but now it seems your scheming was indeed correct,” Bie Chen said lazily. “After I’m gone, the Second Princess will basically be the designated successor. What you said about serving the country and joining the immortal sect was actually just laying the groundwork for your future actions!”
Seeing that he showed no sign of stopping and was still walking forward, Bie Chen continued, "Your plan is quite clever, and there are people willing to listen to your cleverness. However, you didn't expect that the Fifth Princess would later win over the Demon Lord. Your competitors suddenly changed from one to two, and you had to find another powerful backer."
"Did the Prince of Wu's residence find you first?"
Wu Xiyu suddenly stopped walking.
"You must be surprised too, after all, the Wu Prince's Mansion has always supported the Second Princess. You knew he was trying to use you, but you played along and used each other. However, there was one thing you didn't expect..."
"The King of Wu is actually willing to send his granddaughter to your side."
Wu Xiyu suddenly moved.
With a flick of his sleeve, a small, hard object struck Bie Chen directly in the face.
Bie Chen blocked it with one hand, and when he opened his palm, it turned out to be a jade thumb ring, a symbol of royal status.
"You're giving this to me?" He looked at it from left to right, then put it back in his palm, opened it again, and powder made from the finest jade fell from his palm.
"It's a pity, you've always been pursuing what I don't want."
What is he regretting?
It's this beautiful jade thumb ring...
Or the throne?
"What, you get agitated when Mingke is mentioned?" Bie Chen asked provocatively.
"It's none of your business."
"None of my business? How can it be none of my business?" He clapped his hands to make sure the powder was gone. "Mingke didn't tell you, did she? She's already agreed to be with me!"
"What!"
Wu Xiyu was stunned, as if struck by lightning, his body stiff and unable to move.
His eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief, his mouth agape, yet he couldn't utter a sound. At that moment, the shock he felt was like a magnitude nine earthquake, completely overturning his previous understanding.
His wide eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets as he stared intently at the person before him, trying to find evidence of a lie on the other's face. However, Bie Chen was too calm and confident, making it impossible for him to deceive himself.
His face was contorted with fear of the sudden event and doubt in his own judgment.
"Hahahaha—" Bie Chen burst into laughter.
"Wu Xiyu, look at yourself now, you're absolutely hilarious!" Bie Chen laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight.
"What, are you shocked?"
"The person who rejected you accepted me, making you both sad and angry, didn't they?"
Wu Xiyu wouldn't listen to anything.
He was still deeply immersed in what Bie Chen had just said.
Mingke... agreed to Biechen's request?
His second brother?
How could that be!
"Ouch, my stomach hurts from laughing!" Bie Chen was still laughing. "The King of Wu was so eager to give you his granddaughter, and you didn't seize the opportunity! I got the perfect chance!"
When Wu Xiyu first agreed to the King of Wu's request, he knew that both sides were using each other. He thought that the King of Wu was just putting one of his useless grandsons next to him to gain his trust.
He really didn't expect her...
"You didn't expect Mingke to be a girl, did you? And you didn't expect her to possess the bloodline of the Dragon Roar, did you? Fortunately, the Wu King's lineage has been ruling for many years and is already restless. If you and Mingke can really succeed together, Wu Xiyu, you won't be far from death!"
When the Prince of Wu's mansion sent away Wu Xilan, who was still the heir apparent, with a huge dowry, it was clear that they believed Li Zengqing's dragon bloodline was far more valuable than the position of heir apparent.
King Wu used a scheme to get Li Mingke out of the Immortal Sect and the Li family. It was a perfect combination of timing, location, and people. Li Mingke even went through life and death with Wu Xiyu. However, Wu Xiyu was really useless and failed to keep him.
Wu Xiyu trembled with anger as he listened.
In fact, he had already fallen in love with Li Mingke during their time together, but this love came too late and he couldn't figure it out, so he missed his chance.
"My dear brother, don't be too sad. Look, your eyes are all red. This isn't entirely your fault. Mingke is also partly to blame. After all, the Dragon's Roar Daughter is notoriously ruthless!"
He continued to add fuel to the fire, "Empress Longyin, the wife of the First Emperor, left just like that, didn't she? What kind of person was the First Emperor? He couldn't even keep her. If you and Mingke really get together, you might not be able to keep her either."
On the surface, these were words of comfort, but the more Wu Xi listened, the angrier she became.
"If I can't keep you, how can you?"
If Li Mingke were truly so heartless, why would he agree to be with Bie Chen?
“Me? I’m not like you. I’m a free person. I don’t even have the surname Wu anymore. Wherever she wants to go, I’ll go with her. I can even take her surname! Can you do that?”
"You should just stay here and guard your imperial seal, sitting high on your throne!"
Bie Chen's words were true; this was Wu Xiyu's advantage, but also his disadvantage.
He was like a punctured balloon, deflated and powerless, yet still struggling to hold on, trying to maintain the last vestiges of his dignity.
"My dear brother, you should remain emperor! After all, I have contributed to this throne! After what happened back then, if Father hadn't been so heartless as to hand me over to Chanshan, the Great Ye might have changed hands. You have a lot to thank me for your peaceful reign now!"
After he finished speaking, he laughed again.
If it were before, Bie Chen would definitely have hated it. Why did his father's favor disappear overnight? Of all his brothers and sisters, why was he the one who was sent away?
But now, he doesn't think so anymore.
He thought this was the best thing ever.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com