Chapter 342: The Emperor Sells the Country

Chapter 342: The Emperor Sells Out the Nation

As he spoke, Xiao Yao's heart lurched.

"Is Qiao Song a member of the Xie family?"

If Empress Dowager Xie’s voice had any fluctuation, it was imperceptible. "If Your Majesty thinks he is, then he is; if not, then not."

"At this late hour, does it even matter if he is?"

"Xiao Yao, when did you start asking such foolish and pointless questions?"

Xiao Yao was momentarily stunned before letting out a sudden laugh. "Indeed, it doesn’t matter so much."

"He’s destined to be a dead man anyway."

Empress Dowager Xie ignored him, gently pulling out the wine stopper and slowly pouring the liquid onto the ground.

It was the jar she had buried with the former Emperor.

For Cheng'er.

Cheng'er had died suddenly, just over twenty—the prime of his youth.

"Sister-in-law, I envy Xiao Cheng," Xiao Yao said, not stopping her actions but kneeling on the cushion instead, his voice distant.

"I envy that he was born the crown prince."

"Three jars of wine beneath the osmanthus tree secured his position in the Eastern Palace."

"I envy that he could act recklessly yet still have Shu Yuan purify himself and enter the palace, bearing all the condemnation."

"I envy that he had you and the Xie family shielding him, making governance with the ease of a tiger gaining wings or a fish finding water."

"I had nothing."

"Nothing at all."

Empress Dowager Xie said quietly, "You have a lifetime of sins."

"Xiao Yao, had Emperor Wencheng not mercifully taken you in and raised you under my care, you would have been nothing more than a negligible prince without real power—whether you’d even survive to adulthood would have been uncertain."

"This greedy, ungrateful face of yours is truly repulsive."

Pale smoke coiled upward from the altar.

The mellow, clear aroma of wine dispersed in the air, intensifying the fragrance mingling with the sandalwood scent in the smoke.

"All I wanted was to be emperor—what’s wrong with that?"

"All I wanted was to lie in rest with my elder brother—what’s wrong with that?"

"What’s wrong with taking what you wouldn't grant me?"

"Sister-in-law, in three days at most, the northern frontier will descend into chaos."

The certainty in Xiao Yao’s voice stirred foreboding through Empress Dowager Xie.

Her voice turned sharp. "What have you done?" she snapped.

Xiao Yao smiled faintly and said offhandedly, "It was merely an insignificant deal with the Northern Hu [Hu]."

"Three cities in exchange for ensuring no enemies at my doorstep, so that from now on, I may sleep soundly."

Empress Dowager Xie widened her eyes in disbelief. "You are the Emperor of Daqian!"

"I do not expect you to uphold the ancestral decree that 'the Emperor guards the nation's gates, the ruler dies for the state,' but you should never collude with the Northern Hu and compromise the Northern Frontier's defenses."

"Losing Shengyan Pass means the Northern Frontier has no defensible terrain left."

"When the Northern Hu cavalry charges south, sabers drawn, Daqian will be in peril, and its people will suffer."

"Inviting wolves into your own house—sheer madness!"

"Imperial Sister-in-law, the Northern Frontier Army's proclamation calls me a 'so-called false emperor.'" Xiao Yao's smile grew increasingly eerie. "'False.'"

"Then why shouldn't I play the villain?"

"Without the Northern Hu, the Northern Frontier still wouldn't be mine—it belongs to the Xie family."

"After much deliberation, I'd rather hand the Northern Frontier to the Northern Hu."

"Ahead, Yongning Marquis commands over a hundred thousand elite troops lying in wait; behind, the Northern Hu's vast army advances in full force. The Northern Frontier Army is trapped, with no choice but to surrender or face the blade."

"I will rebuild the Northern Frontier's defenses at Luoyue Mountain, constructing a thousand-li wall to keep the Northern Hu at bay."

"As the Emperor of Daqian, how could I abandon its people?"

"It's just a *small* sacrifice, that's all."

Empress Dowager Xie could only think Xiao Yao had gone utterly mad.

Xiao Yao grabbed the wine jar and took a deep draught. "This is the wedding wine you and my late brother buried for Xiao Cheng—now I drink it!"

A dark, calculating gleam flashed in Empress Dowager Xie's eyes.

*CRASH*—the wine jar shattered on the ground.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingchao, who had been slipping unseen through the space supermarket: ...

As expected, her initial guess was correct.

The current emperor harbored forbidden longing for Emperor Wencheng.

Don't ask how she guessed so accurately.

Instinct.

After casually reading dozens of salacious novels, one develops a sharp eye for these things.

Coveting his father-figure... Killing his nephew... Betraying his people...

Then colluding with the Northern Hu, who bore a blood feud with Daqian's people.

How could such a person be worthy of the throne?

Lu Mingchao calculated her chances of making her move and assassinating the emperor.

Life’s about taking chances.

The next moment, a series of cold and vicious gazes shot toward her hiding place.

Lu Mingchao thought again, life is all about giving up.

In just a breath, the emperor's hidden guards could turn her into Swiss cheese.

Nothing’s too hard if you just quit.

Professional matters should be left to professionals, which saves a lot of hassle and screw-ups.

She’d slipped into the palace just to see Empress Dowager Xie.

If the emperor intended to kill Empress Dowager Xie, she would knock her unconscious, yank her into the pocket dimension supermarket, and then move her out of the palace.

Never did she expect the emperor to be a madman.

No, not exactly mad—just hell-bent on keeping Empress Dowager Xie around till the end to witness his victory lap.

"To be wealthy and not return home is like parading in embroidered robes at night—who would know of it?"

Nine times out of ten, he had it too.

Since the palace didn’t need her, she would head north.

The fruits, vegetables, and grains in the pocket dimension supermarket would be of greatest value in the northern lands.

A hidden guard materialized out of thin air and whispered something into the emperor’s ear.

The emperor scanned his surroundings warily and, under the protection of his guards, booked it out of *The* Empress Dowager’s Changning Palace.

"The Empress Dowager’s Changning Palace is truly a lion’s den."

Lu Mingchao knew the moment she revealed her presence, the hidden guards had detected her.

She swore it was just a split-second.

She hadn’t even shown herself—just a whiff of human presence.

Empress Dowager Xie had no idea what bug had gotten into Xiao Yao this time, so she simply ignored him, scheming how to leak the news of his backdoor deal with the Northern Hu (barbarians).

Caught between two fronts, the Northern Frontier Army was toast.

Her father, Yan'er, and Hang Er were all in the north.

Seeing Empress Dowager Xie remain silent, Xiao Yao frowned. "Are the hidden guards in your hands my late brother’s or Xiao Cheng’s?"

Empress Dowager Xie: ???

"They’re your damn father’s." Her patience snapped, the words just popped out.

The Xiao imperial bloodline had always been clean—how could it produce a trainwreck like Xiao Yao!

Xiao Yao’s face went stormy. "Lock down Changning Palace. No one enters or leaves. Flush out the rat hiding in here and bring it to me!"

*Lu Mingchao: Rat? Me?*

Empress Dowager Xie paid no heed to Xiao Yao's erratic behavior and shut the door of the small prayer room firmly.

"Did you see who it was?" Xiao Yao glanced at the stoic yet utterly loyal leader of the shadow guards.

"Your Majesty, I've failed in my duty."

"But it was definitely a young woman who was pregnant."

"I detected her scent."

Lu Mingchao was stunned—how could they possibly know that?

Had the alleyway watchdog turned into a spirit?

Or was the Howling Celestial Hound descending to the mortal realm?

Lu Mingchao became both more wary of and impressed by this shadow guard unit.

Xiao Yao squinted slightly in thought. "A young woman who was pregnant?"

The name Lu Mingchao flashed through his mind.

But he immediately rejected the idea. "Impossible."

No one could survive the thousand-zhang cliff of Mount Dalü (a zhang being about 10 feet).

Unless...they weren't human at all!

*Reunion in the North*