Chapter 66 The Emperor's Fury
Xiao Jin held the empress dowager's hand, the false concern on his face instantly frozen, as if covered by a layer of frost. His voice remained steady, yet with an undeniable coldness: "Don't worry, mother. A'yao is my sister, a daughter of a noble family. I will choose a suitable match for her and will not treat her unfairly."
"A good match?" Empress Dowager Zhou suddenly grasped his hand, her cloudy eyes gleaming with anxiety, her true intentions revealed. "I think Yunfeng, the eldest son of Duke Yun, is a perfect match! The young general is so brave and extraordinary! Emperor, if you immediately issue an order to grant the marriage, I... I can finally close my eyes in peace!"
She practically screamed out her last words, trying to kidnap him with her "dying wish."
Yun Zhao felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight up to his head! [Here it comes! How dare she say that!] His nails instantly dug into his palms, and he screamed frantically in his heart: [No! Xiao Jin! You can never agree to this!]
Xiao Jin slowly withdrew his hand, his gesture imbued with a calculated, cold aloofness. He stood up, looking down at the empress dowager on the couch, a cold smile curling his lips. "Empress Dowager," his voice was low, but every word was as devastating as an icicle. "I am the Emperor, and I am also A-Yao's elder brother. But Yunfeng is a great general on the frontier whom I rely on! Shouldn't I inquire about his feelings? The royal family is noble, but we cannot bully others. How can we know if a forced melon will be sweet or bitter?"
He changed the subject, his tone sharp as a knife. "What's more, Yunfeng only returned to the capital to visit his family, and will soon return to the northern border! It's a bitterly cold place, with yellow sand everywhere and ruthless warfare! Queen Mother, can you really bear to let precious A'yao suffer there? I... feel sorry for A'yao, and I can't bear to see her suffer like this!"
Yun Zhao's tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed, and he almost collapsed: "Great! What a plausible and irrefutable reason! Xiao Jin, well done! You've proven once again that you're not a tyrant who can be manipulated by others!"
"Ahem!" Empress Dowager Zhou was so irritated by this airtight excuse that she actually started coughing. Her face turned from feigned paleness to a livid lividity of anger. She slammed the edge of the bed, her voice shrill and piercing: "You are the Emperor! One imperial decree, and thunder and rain are all manifestations of your grace! Why bother asking! Why bother worrying about whether he's willing or not! Is there any marriage in this world that you can't grant?!"
The last trace of pretended warmth in Xiao Jin's eyes vanished, replaced by a bottomless pool of cold and overwhelming disappointment! His voice suddenly rose, brimming with thunderous fury: "Queen Mother! Do you still remember where Duke Yun is right now?! He's leading his army south, fighting bloody battles in Jingxiang to put down the rebellion for me and this country! The soldiers are fighting for their lives on the front lines, while you're forcing me from the rear, using a forced marriage decree to chill the hearts of meritorious officials and disrupt the ambitions of generals?!"
He took a step forward, his aura as imposing as a deep abyss and a mountain, oppressing the entire inner room so that the air was stagnant. "I want to ask you, Queen Mother! At this moment, whose kingdom's safety are you so concerned about?! Who are you planning for by doing this?!"
"You! How dare you question me like that?!" Empress Dowager Zhou, her darkest plot exposed, trembled with rage. The carefully applied white powder on her face fell off, revealing her furiously red skin. She pointed at Xiao Jin and screamed at the top of her lungs, "You ungrateful thing! Don't forget your throne! Everything you have now... A Yao is your biological sister! Is she not even as good as a minister from another family?!"
"boom--!"
The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point, as if the air had frozen into ice! An invisible murderous aura filled the air!
Yun Zhao felt a chill running through his bones and subconsciously took a step back, his back hitting the cold carved door frame heavily.
[The relationship has finally fallen out! How could she ever have considered Xiao Jin as her son? She only has eyes for the King of Qin and herself! For her own selfish desires, she can even trample on the overall interests of the country!]
Xiao Yao was so frightened that she forgot even to cry and curled up in the corner, shivering.
Xiao Jin suddenly stood up straight, his upright posture was like a sword drawn from its sheath, emitting an unprecedented and fierce imperial pressure!
His face was as cold as a thousand-year-old black ice, and every word he said was like a poisoned icicle as he slammed down fiercely, "Was my throne given to me by the Queen Mother?" He sneered, his laughter filled with endless mockery and sadness. "Then how about you, Queen Mother, issue an imperial decree today to depose me?!"
His eyes flashed like lightning as he swept across the empress dowager's face, twisted with astonishment. His voice suddenly became firm and resolute, carrying with it the absolute will to dominate everything: "I am now the master of Daye! I control everything and make all decisions! I respect you as my mother, as a filial duty! But if you still want to dictate and interfere in government affairs as before..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the terrified Xiao Yao before finally resting on the Empress Dowager's face. The threat in his words was icy and piercing, "—That's like a hen crowing at dawn, violating ancestral rules! Has the late emperor's spirit in heaven ever allowed you to interfere in government?! I am the eldest son, and I have the full right to succeed the throne. What's wrong with that?!"
"Enough!" Xiao Jin swung his robe sleeves violently, as if to sever all false ties. His voice was like thunder from the sky, carrying a final determination:
"From now on, Queen Mother, there is no need to feign illness, and there is no need to find excuses to summon me here, torturing people's hearts! You can rest assured in this Cining Palace—live out your days in peace!" He deliberately emphasized the last four words, his gaze like a physical shackle, firmly locking Queen Mother Zhou. "As for the safety and honor of your beloved son, the Prince of Qin, and your precious daughter, the Princess..."
Xiao Jin's lips curled into an extremely cold arc, and every word he spoke was like a verdict:
"——From this moment on, everything depends on me, just a thought!"
"Zhang Fuan!" he shouted sternly.
"The servant is here!"
"Propagate my oral order: From now on, the Empress Dowager must rest and recuperate. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave the Cining Palace! Anyone who disobeys will be considered a traitor!"
The icy decree fell like a cage made of cold iron!
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhang Fuan's voice was trembling, but extremely clear.
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Jin no longer glanced at the pale-faced empress dowager, who lay on the phoenix couch as if struck by lightning. He turned around, strode like a dragon and a tiger, his black dragon robe billowing behind him like a raging wave. With overwhelming power, he strode out of the inner hall and walked away! Leaving behind him was only the dead silence in the room and the empress dowager's withered, trembling finger pointing into the void, unable to utter a single complete syllable: "You...you...evil creature! Evil creature——!"
Yun Zhao and Zhang Fuan were so frightened by this shocking turn of events that they almost crawled and trotted to catch up with the resolute figure.
Zhang Fuan was panting as he chased, his voice filled with tears: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! Take care of your health! Your health is most important..."
Yun Zhao was still terrified. She rushed back to the Imperial Food Bureau, her chest heaving violently. She grabbed Wu Lingyu, who was on duty, and her voice was filled with undeniable urgency, even cracking a little: "Quick! Immediately! Prepare the finest fire-clearing and calming tea! Quickly! Your Majesty... Your Majesty is furious!"
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