As Unassuming as Chrysanthemums: Xiao Ruyi

Tuoba Xiangtai shouted wildly and recklessly.

His posture was like an out-of-control wolf on the prairie, his entire body exuding a tyrannical aura.

Xiao Mingzhao was also startled.

However, as the Empress, the ruler of the people, she maintained her composure. Frowning, she asked, "Tuoba Xiangtai, what on earth are you doing?"

"Lied to you about what?"

"What did I deceive you about?"

But before Xiao Mingzhao could finish her words, Tuoba Xiangtai suddenly lunged at her. With endless anger brewing in his bloodshot eyes, he grabbed Xiao Mingzhao by the throat.

He used all his strength in this grip. With just this forceful squeeze, Xiao Mingzhao felt it hard to breathe, and her radiant, jade-like face instantly turned pale.

"Ugh, ugh..."

"You..."

"You..."

Tuoba Xiangtai continued his crazed interrogation, "Why did you lie to me?"

"Didn't you say there was nothing going on with those body doubles!"

"Didn't you say that the one you love is me!"

"In the future it's me, right now it's me, and in the past it was also me!"

"But why?"

"Why are you so intimate with those doubles?"

"Just from what I know, there's Zhan Shubai, Ren Tianye, Zhou Peng, Jia Yunjie, Wang Yang..."

"You... exactly how many doubles have you been involved with?"

Only then did Xiao Mingzhao clearly understand the reason behind Tuoba Xiangtai's sudden fury, but she only felt a chilling coldness in her heart and deep inner pain.

Those body doubles were merely a way to console herself when Tuoba Xiangtai was absent. She hadn't even given them a single shred of affection, because in her heart, it was always Tuoba Xiangtai.

Even during these past few days, being trapped here by Tuoba Xiangtai with golden chains bound to her ankles, she was angry, yes. But whenever the dead of night came and she saw Tuoba Xiangtai sleeping soundly on a desk not far from her, her heart couldn't help but soften.

She always felt that Tuoba Xiangtai only missed her so deeply that he resorted to such irrational actions.

Given time, Tuoba Xiangtai would surely return to normal and continue their past romance with her.

But now...

Tuoba Xiangtai's brutal actions and the increasingly suffocating feeling shattered all her illusions.

This Tuoba Xiangtai was like a madman!

An absolute madman!

A madman who didn't trust her at all!

He simply couldn't accept her having even the slightest connection with other men.

Even a passing glance was forbidden.

What was worse, even baseless rumors and completely non-existent situations would cause Tuoba Xiangtai to lose control!

Her consciousness began to fade, and just as she was about to pass out, Tuoba Xiangtai released her, though the anger on his face remained undiminished!

"Luan'er, remember this!"

"You are mine, even your breaths can only belong to me!"

"Everything about you is mine!"

"Your smiles, your tears, your sorrow, your joy..."

"They all belong to me!"

"You cannot give them to anyone but me!"

"I mean anyone!!!"

"Including those body doubles!"

"Doubles are ultimately just doubles. Now that I am back, they should get lost!"

Gasping for air, Xiao Mingzhao quickly recovered a bit. Looking at the extremely deranged barbarian before her, anger surged in her heart, sparking a burst of courage.

"I didn't!"

"I, the Empress, did not!"

"I am completely innocent with those body doubles!"

"Besides, even if I did, so what?"

"I am the monarch of a nation, the ruler of the people. I am entitled to have three palaces and six courtyards. Even if I truly had a few men, so what?"

These words were tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.

Xiao Mingzhao was also so furious that she lost her reason, which was why she shouted like this at such a time.

And the result...

Was Tuoba Xiangtai becoming even more hysterical!

Slap!

A heavy slap landed on Xiao Mingzhao's face.

Tuoba Xiangtai looked like a wild beast ready to devour someone: "Luan'er, I said it, everything about you is mine!"

"Mine!"

"Including your anger, your hatred!"

"It's all mine!"

Tuoba Xiangtai showed no mercy with this slap. Or rather, while the slap seemingly struck Xiao Mingzhao's face, it actually pierced viciously into his own heart.

Piercing it until it bled profusely!

And this slap completely shattered Xiao Mingzhao's pride as an Empress, further shattering all of her courage.

Xiao Mingzhao's body could not help but tremble.

A thought surged wildly in her mind.

"He will kill me!"

This thought was like poison.

From the moment it seeped into her body, it spread madly, flowing through her internal organs, destroying all of Xiao Mingzhao's resistance.

Tears involuntarily streamed down from the corners of her eyes.

She didn't dare to resist anymore, not even daring to retort.

She could only bite her vermilion lips and nod, though her eyes brimmed with intense despair.

"That's a good girl." Tuoba Xiangtai's tyranny finally subsided a bit. "Luan'er, you must always be this obedient."

"Come, let me see, did I hurt you?"

"Let me blow on it for you!"

Xiao Mingzhao immediately turned sideways to dodge, but this time Tuoba Xiangtai did not get angry again. Instead, his face showed some apology: "Luan'er, don't blame me!"

"I just love you too much."

"I care about you too much."

"That's why I acted this way!"

"I... I'll cook for you, okay?"

"I'll personally apply medicine for you, alright?"

"You will definitely forgive me, right?"

Pausing, Tuoba Xiangtai added, "However, Luan'er, before that, I need you to write an imperial decree!"

He made Xiao Mingzhao sit behind the desk, unrolled the imperial edict, and said, "Luan'er, issue a decree ordering the court officials of Great Yu to execute all these body doubles of yours!"

"No, we can't let them off that easily!"

"We must exterminate their three generations of kin!"

"It should be nine generations!"

"Actually, make it ten generations!"

"Exterminate all ten generations of their families."

It was only then that Xiao Mingzhao saw the edict and read the words supposedly spoken by her body doubles. She immediately realized that some courtier was playing dirty tricks behind the scenes.

Because she had never kept any body doubles, let alone raised them. How could there possibly be so many doubles pleading with her with such sweet words?!

A treacherous plot!

Some wicked subjects were trying to harm her!

She hurriedly said, "Xiangtai, these body doubles are fake..."

"You're still defending them?" Tuoba Xiangtai's emotions, which had just calmed down a bit, suddenly surged up without warning like massive waves on the ocean.

His eyes turned bloodshot once again.

His face became ferocious!

Having just suffered a slap, Xiao Mingzhao knew things were about to go wrong the moment she saw him. She didn't dare say another word and could only concede, "Okay, okay, okay, I will write it, I will write it, I'll write it right now!"

Dictated by Tuoba Xiangtai, Xiao Mingzhao wrote everything down one by one. She then took out the imperial seal she carried with her and stamped the large seal at the end of the document.

Only then did Tuoba Xiangtai breathe a slight sigh of relief.

He immediately arranged it properly and walked out the door holding the document.

After leaving the inner courtyard, he found his personal guards and ordered them to send it post-haste to the Great Yu imperial court, emphasizing that it must be delivered at the fastest possible speed.

So that all those body doubles would be sent straight to hell.

...

"This fast?"

Ren Tianye was also surprised upon receiving the document. When he opened it and took a look, he smiled.

"To be in such a rush to get rid of those so-called body doubles, it seems this Tuoba Xiangtai is quite severely ill in the head!"

"But then again, if his condition was normal and within a controllable range, it would be impossible for him to pair up with Xiao Mingzhao."

"Otherwise, as the netizens say, if they didn't share the same illness, how could they enter the same household?"

In his mind, Ren Tianye had already sketched a simple outline of Tuoba Xiangtai, and was roughly clear on his image.

His already resolute mind became even more determined.

With Tuoba Xiangtai by Xiao Mingzhao's side, why worry that great things cannot be achieved?

And right now, with Xiao Mingzhao's handwritten letter, stamped with the great seal, ordering the execution of the body doubles, it was perfectly suited for his use.

The body doubles had no names anyway; whoever he said they were, they were!

He wouldn't even have to bear the infamous reputation of killing the virtuous and capable.

After thinking for a moment, he summoned his deputy general, Wang Ming.

"After this general became the Grand Commandant and oversaw the affairs of the Masters of Writing, the opposition in the court must be fierce. Have you investigated it?"

Deputy General Wang Ming suddenly broke out in a heavy sweat.

"General, your subordinate has tried his best to investigate. However, we are unfamiliar with the people and the place in the capital. The soldiers under Lu Qing mostly feign compliance while secretly opposing us, and those courtiers act extremely covertly. Your subordinate..."

"Your subordinate has not made much progress!"

"The only one I can be certain of is just one person!"

Ren Tianye asked, "Who is that person?"

Wang Ming replied, "The Commandant of the Elite Cavalry, Wen Cheng!"

"This person has wild ambitions!"

"When you were handling official affairs, General, he came to pay his respects. Your subordinate observed him and found that the look in his eyes when he looked at you was full of hatred."

"To be precise, it was murderous intent!"

"This person must be harboring intentions to assassinate you, General."

"However, because your subordinate didn't have solid evidence, I merely sent people to keep an eye on him to prevent him from causing trouble, and haven't actually made a move!"

Ren Tianye nodded. After undergoing some experience, Wang Ming could be considered quick-witted. If he observed that someone had malicious intentions toward him, it was likely true.

Furthermore, even if there was some mistake.

It wouldn't be a big problem.

Better to kill by mistake than to let them go!

This was his current principle of action.

He immediately ordered, "Take some men right away and arrest this Commandant of the Elite Cavalry, Wen Cheng. Just say that Her Majesty wants him dead!"

"Yes!" Wang Ming immediately agreed and led his men out.

"Also, remember to closely monitor those courtiers in the capital. If there are any suspicions, do not delay. Arrest them first, interrogate them later, and deal with the rest after!"

"For all those people, you can say it is the Empress Xiao Mingzhao who wants to kill them!"

"As for the reason... it is because they were once Her Majesty's body doubles!"

"Yes!" Wang Ming agreed again and turned to carry out the task.

Wang Ming's actions were quite swift and decisive.

But the reaction in the royal court was even faster.

After all, the capital was their stronghold. As an outsider, Ren Tianye could use military coercion to ostensibly control the entire capital, but it was impossible for him to suppress the surging undercurrents in the dark.

The Commandant of the Elite Cavalry, Wen Cheng, had already received the information before Wang Ming arrived.

It instantly made him feel a great sense of regret.

"That thief Ren, his reaction is so fast!"

"I originally intended to hide a sharp blade and go to court, take him by surprise, and kill him with my knife, eliminating a menace for the Great Yu and restoring the nation's honor."

"I didn't expect him to find out in advance!"

"Now, it is I who have ended up at the mercy of others!"

Wen Cheng was also a real man.

When push came to shove, he never thought of running away.

He probably also knew that given the power Ren Tianye currently wielded over the entire capital, there was basically no hope for him to escape.

He simply stayed at home, waiting for Ren Tianye's men to arrive, ready to fight to the death and martyr himself for his country.

"Brother Wen Cheng, you must not!"

The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Chen Liang, appeared at the right time: "Brother Wen Cheng, if you die like this, you will certainly leave your name in history, but it will only benefit that scoundrel Ren Tianye!"

"It is of no benefit to the country!"

"Instead, it will implicate your family and relatives."

"Why must you take such a drastic action?"

Wen Cheng had quite a favorable impression of Chen Liang. Back then, it was Chen Liang who angrily cursed Gu Qingyue, saying that Gu Qingyue was ruining the country. He also knew that right now, Chen Liang was running around, contacting court officials to resist Ren Tianye.

He said gently, "Brother Chen Liang's words make sense."

"I, Wen Cheng, have a useful body. If I am killed just like this by that scoundrel Ren Tianye, how could I not feel regretful?"

"It is just that..."

Wen Cheng gave a bitter laugh and said, "Right now, that scoundrel Ren Tianye has an army of three hundred thousand in his hands. General Lu Qing not only does absolutely nothing, but even helps the tyrant do evil!"

"We are weak and isolated, how can we fight against that scoundrel Ren Tianye?"

"Given the current situation, how can we escape?"

"If not death, then what?"

Chen Liang fell silent for a moment, knowing that Wen Cheng was right, but he still wanted to take a gamble. He said, "Brother Wen Cheng, I have a plan. It might be dangerous, but it might also help you escape this immediate disaster."

"I wonder if Brother Wen Cheng is willing to listen to my advice?"

"Oh? Please speak, Brother Chen Liang."

Chen Liang said, "The thief Ren has great power, and we cannot resist him. But as the dignified Great Yu, an eight-hundred-year dynasty, how could it not have deep foundations?"

"You and I are powerless, but that does not mean everyone else is powerless to fight back."

Wen Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "Who is Brother Chen Liang referring to?"

Chen Liang enunciated every word clearly, "Eldest Princess Ruyi!"

Wen Cheng's body jolted, and a name immediately surfaced in his mind.

Xiao Ruyi!

The late Emperor's biological sister, who was titled Eldest Princess by the late Emperor and granted the Ruyi Estate right within the capital. She was one of the late Emperor's few living blood relatives, and thus possessed immense prestige.

Furthermore...

It was said that before the late Emperor passed away, he worried that Her Majesty Xiao Mingzhao would not be able to control the court's situation, so he deliberately left behind a posthumous edict and a military tally, essentially entrusting all the affairs of the Great Yu court to her.

If an Eldest Princess of such high status, great power, and illustrious reputation was willing to step forward to protect him, how would a mere Ren Tianye dare to forcefully kill him in the face of public opinion?

Moreover, if Eldest Princess Xiao Ruyi just gave the call, she could grasp great power, and who knows how many people in the world would be willing to follow her!

If Eldest Princess Xiao Ruyi was willing to step forward... how could Ren Tianye be allowed to be so arrogant and unbridled?

He immediately said with joy, "Brother Chen Liang, thank you for the reminder."

"I will go to the Eldest Princess right now to seek asylum!"

"Wait a moment!" Chen Liang stopped him and said, "Brother Wen Cheng, before you go, you must also be prepared for the possibility of being rejected. Anyway, have hope, but don't get your hopes too high!"

"Why?" Wen Cheng asked in return.

Chen Liang sighed and said, "Could it be that you've forgotten? Our Eldest Princess has always had a certain reputation!"

"Reputation?" Wen Cheng quickly realized. "You mean..."

"The Eldest Princess who is as indifferent as a chrysanthemum?!"

"Exactly!" Chen Liang said, "The Eldest Princess has a peaceful temperament and is not willing to get involved in disputes. This is the consensus of everyone. Now, I don't know if that has changed?"

Wen Cheng, however, paid it no mind and said, "Brother Chen Liang, you are overthinking."

"The Eldest Princess indeed has a peaceful temperament, but it depends on the matter. Right now, this concerns the state and the eight-hundred-year reign of Great Yu. She is the Eldest Princess, of royal bloodline. How could she simply watch helplessly as the Great Yu court falls into the hands of a treacherous official?"

......