His face was covered by a mask, so even if he was distracted, people around him could hardly notice it. When his attention was regained, the group had already arrived in front of the little emperor.
The relationship between the royal siblings had become so distant that it could no longer be concealed. Whenever they spoke for a few minutes, the atmosphere would become tense.
The little emperor was in a rebellious stage, and his words were blunt and outspoken. He did this time and again, and even though Qiao Man tried her best to be patient, she had reached her limit.
She coldly ordered everyone in the hall to retreat, and finally, apart from her and the little emperor, only one eunuch was left in the hall.
When she spoke again, her tone softened a bit, "Royal brother, I don't know what you think of me, your sister, but you and I are the only two of us in this world who share the same bloodline. You must believe that I will not watch the throne of Southern Xia fall into the hands of others, and I will not let you go along with the tiger alone.
I can swear to heaven that everything I did was for you, for Nanxia. You shouldn't be afraid of me. I'm just a woman after all. You should be afraid of someone else."
The young emperor's initially tense attitude showed signs of softening, but by the end, his eyes widened with rage. "Wei Nishang, what do you mean? Are you suspecting your father of ulterior motives?!"
The last question, accompanied by the crisp sound of porcelain falling to the ground, was particularly unsettling.
Qiao Man glanced at the eunuch who was comforting the young emperor before she spoke, "How do you know I'm talking about your father-in-law?"
The little emperor was choked by her, pursed his lips stubbornly and said no more.
"You are still young. It was Prime Minister Qin who secured the stability and peace of the Southern Xia Kingdom. But Prime Minister Qin once said that he would only hand over government affairs to you after you came of age. By then, the people of the country will probably only know the Qin family, not us. How will you explain this to your father, the Emperor, and your mother, the Empress Dowager? Do you want to be the ruler of a ruined nation?"
Qiao Man pressed on step by step, leaving the little emperor with no chance of escape.
"How outrageous! My father-in-law wouldn't do that!" The little emperor stood up and argued, his face flushed. "My father-in-law is like a teacher and a father to me. He would never do such a treasonous thing!"
Although he said this, the little emperor was not confident in his heart. He grew up in the deep palace, but he was not completely deaf to those voices. When he heard such words for the first time, he subconsciously wanted to escape and not think too much about it. However, in the past two years, such voices had become so frequent that he could no longer escape.
This was especially true today. He felt like a snail curled up in its shell, being dragged out into the scorching sun by his own sister, leaving him to endure the scorching sun.
"Stupid!" Qiao Man said coldly, "Do you think that with my frequent interactions with him, I'm completely unaware of his tactics and ambitions? Since you're so stubborn, and I don't want to waste any more words, do you dare to make a bet with me?"
The little emperor's face turned red with anger. His lips were pale due to illness, and the red bloodshot eyes were spreading outwards. He was obviously the ruler of a country, but he seemed to be forced to the end because of this conversation.
He stared at the person claiming to be his sister for a long while before squeezing out three words from between his teeth: "What's the bet?"
Seeing that the goal was about to be achieved, a hint of joy flashed across Qiao Man's eyes, "Let's bet on whether your good father-in-law will rebel."
As they were about to leave, Qiao Man's gaze fell on the eunuch behind the little emperor, "Royal brother, how many years has Eunuch Wei been serving you?"
The eunuch called Eunuch Wei stiffened, and his back, which was already crooked, bent even further.
Even though the young emperor had become suspicious of his father-in-law because of what the man in front of him said, he was still wary and cautious of this imperial sister. This was the first time he showed the aura of an emperor in front of this imperial sister. Worried that he was too immature, he lowered his voice and said, "Eunuch Wei has watched me grow up. If you want to touch him, I will kill you first."
In the past, he was troubled by being trapped in the luxurious palace behind high walls and deprived of his freedom. Now, he hated himself even more for being so weak that he couldn't even protect the people he cared about.
Eunuch Wei bent his body and lowered his head. Upon hearing this, he knelt down without saying a word.
Seeing this kind of adopted brother for the first time, Qiao Man stared at him for a long while. Before leaving, she didn't forget to tease him, "Eunuch Wei is an old man in the palace. Prime Minister Qin must have spent a lot of time with Eunuch Wei. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. Don't mind it, my brother."
Only after the woman's figure disappeared at the door did the little emperor relax his tense body and take a few steps back, until he was supported by a pair of hands and fell into the chair.
"Wei An, are you the prime minister's man?" the little emperor asked with trembling lips, his eyes had turned red without him noticing.
"Wei An is your Majesty's man, and I will never change until I die."
The little emperor's voice choked with sobs: "Okay, I believe you."
Suppressing his tears, he looked toward the nearby window, which shone with brilliant golden light. As if speaking to someone behind him, or perhaps to himself, his voice was so soft it was barely audible, "I don't want this throne, but I have to keep it. They're all so ambitious, yet they have to put on such disgusting faces. It's truly disgusting."
"Your Majesty shouldn't have agreed to the Princess' request."
Without the others, the little emperor showed the fragility and childishness that only appeared at this age. He covered his face and said sullenly, "I know, Wei An, I have been willful, but... I have waited for too long. That kind of waiting is like a sword hanging before execution. I don't know when it will chop off my neck.
He wiped his face and said, "It's going to get messy sooner or later, so let it be. I can't stop it, and I can't wait any longer."
"Your Majesty, I will protect you."
Wei An still stood slightly hunched behind the little emperor, as silent as a rock that would never move an inch.
After leaving, the excitement in Qiao Man's eyes still did not disappear. Instead, she felt unprecedented excitement in her heart because of what was about to happen. In order to return to the palace, she did enjoy herself under Prime Minister Qin.
Different from the feudal women of this era, she has no concept of "chastity" and never hides her desires. Her creed on relationships between men and women is that if they are compatible, they will stay together, and if they are not, they will separate.
Qiao Man is very clear about her advantages: her beauty and several tools that transcend this era.
She was also aware of her own disadvantages: this was a dynasty where no woman had ever successfully ascended to power, and she could not easily surpass it; and she was just a technician working under Zhao Baize, and it was impossible for her to boast that she could manage a country.
To sum up, she can only take it step by step.
It is undeniable that she and Qin Xiao spent some wonderful time together, and then naturally became estranged.
Things are different now. Qin Xiao is blocking her way, and she has stronger support around her. It is time for him to die. The first step is to alienate the relationship between the little emperor and Qin Xiao. At the moment, it seems that the progress is very smooth.
After Fu Yin and Qiao Man met again, Qiao Man asked Fu Yin what the little emperor said after she left.
Fu Yin had been paying attention and knew everything about the conversation between the young emperor and Eunuch Wei, but he didn't tell Qiao Man the truth. He just lowered his voice and said, "He questioned Eunuch Wei and got angry."
Qiao Man curled her lips in disdain and uttered two words, "Trash."
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