Yuan Xingzhou's expression froze, momentarily speechless, unable to refute her.
"You just asked me what you lied to me about, what you lied to me about. Don't you have any self-awareness?"
She pushed his hand away and vented all her pent-up complaints, anger, and frustration in one go, without caring how he would react or what would happen after she finished speaking.
"I……"
"What do you mean, 'you'? I really didn't know you'd been doing so many things behind my back!"
"No……"
"No, what do you mean no? I said I asked Gong Jinniu to find out information, but he never came back. So it was you who instigated and encouraged him behind the scenes! And you knew that I only knew Wang Zebang and Wei Yao in Shengjing, yet you transferred him away. It's like you wanted to shut me out completely, leaving me clueless and helpless, right?"
This was the first time Yuan Xingzhou had ever seen her so angry. He opened his mouth twice, but she shut him up both times, so he stopped talking. But he didn't know that he was wrong to remain silent.
"Why are you silent now? You've really gone to great lengths to stop me from entering the palace to find you? To thwart your plans? I tested our military skills with you in the six kingdoms, going through life and death, enduring countless hardships. How did I survive that? I've never worked so hard or risked my life like that in my entire life! I thought that even if we weren't completely confidants, we were still friends who had gone through thick and thin together, entrusting each other with our lives. But how have you treated me?"
"After I went back, I thought about it again and again, and I finally understood that you never intended to win the Six Kingdoms Military Trial from the very beginning. You just wanted to buy time and secretly carry out your plan. You made everyone's attention focus on the Six Kingdoms Military Trial, while you secretly set up a trap to eliminate the King and Queen of Ye at the same time. Then you quickly seized control of the entire court and became the undisputed ruler of Ye."
"I don't care if you use me, since we share the same goal. But if you want to control me, restrict my freedom, and make me obey your every command, I probably can't do that!"
After saying so much in one breath, Zheng Quchi's voice was a little hoarse. Her breathing was uneven and she was panting, but her eyes were wide open as she looked at Yuan Xingzhou, as if to say, "So what if I die? I'm not going to back down. I'm not afraid of you anymore!"
After each of them revealed their true feelings, and after their argument and anger, they fell into a long silence.
Arguing is instinctive, but how to make up after an argument is an art.
"Have you said enough?"
Yuan Xingzhou calmed down at this moment. Could he be considered a shameless person? When Zheng Quchi both respected and feared him, he would go crazy, but when she scolded and berated him, he would return to normal.
"You're quite outspoken with me; for every one thing I say, you reply with ten."
Hearing his calm and natural tone, as if the pervert from before wasn't him at all, Zheng Quchi turned his face away warily, still angry. He maintained a tough exterior, but his heart was already pounding.
Oh no, she's getting irritable again. She's lost control of herself again. Will she end up like those people in history books who conspired with tigers, only to be discarded like birds after the birds have flown away, their good bows put away, their cunning rabbits killed, and their hunting dogs cooked?
The atmosphere between the two was somewhat delicate. When angry, they could say anything, but once they regained their composure, they began to have concerns and worries.
Yuan Xingzhou didn't take her "insubordination" to heart, but in order not to anger her further, he didn't continue the previous topic: "Are you adapting well to the official position I arranged for you?"
Zheng Quchi didn't put on airs and replied, "I'm going to be an official, really no problem?"
He did not answer directly: "Do you know why I want to be the supreme ruler of the Ye Kingdom?"
Most people would pretend to be stupid and ask "Why?", but Zheng Quchi, after contacting his superiors and subordinates, immediately understood: "You definitely want to have absolute decision-making power. You want to ensure that no one dares to oppose your words. Even if you appoint a woman as an official, although they may not be happy about it, they will not dare to object."
Just as Yuan Xingzhou was about to speak, she finished him off. He could only pause for a moment before continuing, "Because I have a weakness, but I am neither willing to cover it up nor to eliminate it, then I need absolute power to protect it."
Everyone has weaknesses, but how many people in the world would go to such lengths to overcome a weakness?
Zheng Quchi thought to himself, this "weakness" seems to please Yuan Xingzhou quite a bit, knowing it's harmful, yet he doesn't eliminate it.
The argument between the two was somewhat meaningful; at least some barriers and unfamiliarity were broken down, and they dared to speak freely.
"Now that we've opened up, I'll tell you the truth. I originally planned to return to Fu County after resolving the dispute between my late husband and the Yuwen family over the inheritance. But you've assigned me an official position, so I'll take it for now and work on repairing the palace for you. Staying a little longer won't hurt."
Yuan Xingzhou then smiled kindly and said, "Then I'll tell you the truth: you can't go anywhere."
"Yuan Xingzhou, don't be too—"
Before she could finish speaking, Yuan Xingzhou asked, "Do you remember who you killed during the Six Kingdoms Military Trial?"
"...in the Hongsheng Kingdom's sinking party." The memory of death struck her suddenly.
"You've caused such a huge disaster. Who knows, the Kingdom of Ye might soon face a major war. Can you just walk away at that time?" he asked.
Zheng Quchi's arrogance immediately deflated: "...No, I can't."
"So you need to stay and deal with what's coming next with me."
At this moment, Zheng Quchi, unusually, felt guilty. She lowered her head and said, "But I not only killed Shen Tangzhong, I also seized three hundred three-bow crossbows from the Southern Chen Kingdom, and released snakes to bite the soldiers of the Julu Kingdom and Mo Ye. I guess I've even offended the Northern Yuan Kingdom..."
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