Chapter 100: First Confrontation (Scenario 1)
"Um?"
From the moment he stepped into the room, his body was tense.
Just a few words made Su Yanzhi give up his previous thoughts.
He thought too simply of Xiao Ziche. How could a regent who had been in a high position for a long time be willing to become someone else's knife?
Su Yanzhi was thinking in his mind what Xiao Ziche would say next, but unexpectedly, the man stuffed something cold into his palm.
"It's for you."
Su Yanzhi was slightly stunned.
He lowered his eyes and looked at his palm, only then did he realize that what Xiao Ziche handed him was a very delicate and beautiful jade pendant.
The midday sun shone through the cracks in the window onto the jade pendant, making it shine even more dazzlingly.
"Birthday gift."
Xiao Ziche explained nonchalantly.
As if he thought the words "birthday gift" were too simple, he added with a smile: "Happy birthday."
His voice was lazy, with a hint of gentle smile.
This time, Su Yanzhi was completely stunned.
A day ago, he had quietly celebrated his seventeenth birthday in the cold palace. Since he had not been favored by the emperor since birth, naturally no one paid attention to his birthday.
The birthday banquets of other princes were all grand banquets, with invitations sent out to relatives and friends. Only Su Yanzhi had no one to show interest in his birthday, and he couldn't even have a bowl of steaming longevity noodles.
Su Yanzhi had long been accustomed to this kind of life.
He felt that it didn't matter whether he celebrated his birthday or not, and it didn't matter whether he had longevity noodles to eat or not. After all, after the imperial teacher calculated that he was destined to be "unlucky", Su Yanzhi had prepared himself for the emperor to execute him. Su Yanzhi was already very satisfied to be able to live to his current age.
He was used to not celebrating his birthday and was also used to not receiving birthday gifts.
The jade pendant in the palm of my hand felt cool to the touch.
Su Yanzhi lowered his eyes and looked at his "birthday gift", and the first reaction that flashed through his mind was helplessness.
He didn't expect that Xiao Ziche would actually remember his birthday.
This is clearly someone with whom I have never had any contact.
"how?"
Seeing Su Yanzhi standing there stupidly, Xiao Ziche raised his eyebrows nonchalantly: "You accepted my birthday gift, but you don't want to thank me?"
"……Thanks."
Su Yanzhi came back to his senses and thanked Xiao Ziche.
"It's a bit dull."
Xiao Ziche looked at Su Yanzhi in front of him with a scrutinizing gaze. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "But it doesn't matter. Just be obedient."
Su Yanzhi keenly captured the key word "obedient".
He swallowed nervously, and his tone became tense again: "You...what do you want me to do?"
"Simple."
Xiao Ziche stood in front of Su Yanzhi.
This was the first time Su Yanzhi saw Xiao Ziche's face clearly.
The person in front of him was younger and more handsome than Su Yanzhi had imagined.
Xiao Ziche was wearing a crimson robe, and his every move exuded an air of nobility.
"I want you to ascend the throne and serve me."
Su Yanzhi: “!”
The word of killing nine generations of the clan was said calmly by Xiao Ziche, and his expression was calm from beginning to end, as if what he wanted Su Yanzhi to do was not to "usurp the throne", but to take him to a teahouse to eat and listen to music.
"Are you crazy?!"
Su Yanzhi frowned slightly.
"crazy?"
Xiao Ziche curled the corners of his lips: "I like this description."
Before meeting Xiao Ziche, Su Yanzhi had more or less guessed what he wanted to do. The eldest prince had the support of the queen's family, and the second prince had the support of the national defense general's family. These two had countless supporters in the court and the country, and they were not so easy to control.
Only he, with no one behind him, is the best puppet.
Su Yanzhi had guessed this possibility before entering the room. He also thought that Xiao Ziche wanted to use his identity to control the government legitimately. Su Yanzhi thought that Xiao Ziche would test him indirectly, but he didn't expect that he would directly talk about the matter of "usurpation of the throne".
"Two choices."
Xiao Ziche didn't care what Su Yanzhi was thinking. He yawned lazily and said with a smile, "The first choice is to be my little puppet and I will help you ascend the throne of the emperor."
"The second option..."
Having said that, Xiao Ziche deliberately paused.
Seeing a hint of "fear" in Su Yanzhi's eyes, Xiao Ziche couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips: "Die."
Although Xiao Ziche was looking at him with a smile, Su Yanzhi felt an unprecedented chill.
"I……"
Su Yanzhi's Adam's apple moved slightly.
“Is it hard to choose?”
A hint of confusion flashed across Xiao Ziche's beautiful eyes. He slowly approached Su Yanzhi, his voice still smiling as always: "Then I'll reluctantly help you make a choice."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone grabbed Su Yanzhi's neck fiercely.
Xiao Ziche looked at Su Yanzhi expressionlessly. He kept increasing the strength in his hands. Su Yanzhi, whose throat was pinched by him, gradually lost his breath and his head became dizzy.
"I...I agree..."
He said with all his strength.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ziche immediately let go of Su Yanzhi.
“Cough cough cough…”
Su Yanzhi, who regained his breath, bent over and coughed heavily.
Because of the pain of suffocation, his face turned red and a clear red mark was left on his white neck.
The culprit, Xiao Ziche, seemed oblivious to Su Yanzhi's pain. Looking at his miserable appearance, he even smiled, "Why don't you say thank you to me?"
……Thanks?
Su Yanzhi even wanted to kill Xiao Ziche.
But at the moment he was in a lower position and could not show his hatred, so he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and say "thank you".
"You're welcome."
Xiao Ziche looked at Su Yanzhi with a smile: "From today on, we are close allies."
"Um."
Su Yanzhi suppressed his inner displeasure and agreed.
"Yanzhi, you haven't eaten yet, right?"
Xiao Ziche seemed to have thought of something, and called out "Yanzhi" affectionately, and said with a smile: "I'll go find someone now."
Seeing Xiao Ziche's back disappear from his sight, Su Yanzhi, who had been holding on, fell heavily to the ground, gasping for breath.
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