"Enough!" Xiao Zhanping roared again, "I am the Emperor of Daxuan Kingdom! Naturally, my primary concern should be the welfare of the state. How could I indulge in romantic sentimentality? If the Empress truly cares about me, she would understand my helplessness and responsibilities instead of ridiculing my heartlessness as she does now. Your Majesty, you have truly disappointed me!"
"Has Your Majesty not also disappointed your concubine?" Yu Qingyuan seemed to have given up on defending herself.
Xiao Zhanping was no longer the man who had held her in the depths of his heart, who said he would only love her.
His eyes were only filled with power.
She had understood this long ago and had long since given up hope.
So when Xiao Zhanping left once again, the entrance to the grand hall was surrounded by a group of guards.
Xiao Zhanping’s complexion drastically changed.
He had anticipated that Yu Qingyuan would not be able to accept their falling out today, but he had not expected Yu Qingyuan to dare such boldness.
The fury Xiao Zhanping had been restraining contorted his face.
Neither Xiao Jinxing nor Bai Mowan had expected Yu Qingyuan to be so fearless. The Empress knew best that treating the Emperor so unfairly was a capital offense, a crime that would annihilate her entire family. By herself, she would doom her whole clan.
She knew this and yet she recklessly went ahead with her plan.
Is it with a mindset.
Of mutual destruction?!
Ye Qichi, of course, knew the Empress would go to such extremes.
At the time, the book did not dwell much on the Crown Prince’s death; after his demise, it only mentioned that the Empress, with the support of her familial forces, attempted to storm the palace but failed.
But now, with many changes to the plot, it could not be glossed over as the book had said. To experience it firsthand meant facing cold, hard steel!
Ye Qichi naturally felt some tension at this moment.
Now, being in the thick of things, one misstep could mean death, which made her dare not lose focus.
"Empress, have you gone mad?!" Xiao Zhanping looked at the person in front of him, his face turning ugly.
"Driven mad by the Emperor himself. If Your Majesty had not been so partial to Xiao Jinsen, your concubine would not need to go to such lengths!"
"It is Gao Jingyi who killed the Crown Prince!"
"With a preconceived purpose, one can conjure up myriad accusations!"
"You!" Xiao Zhanping’s face turned red with rage at Yu Qingyuan’s retort.
"Your concubine no longer desires evidence from Your Majesty. To the Emperor, any desired proof can be found; whoever the Emperor claims did it, did it!"
"Yu Qingyuan, you are audaciously reckless."
"What of it if your concubine is audaciously reckless?!" Yu Qingyuan stepped in front of Xiao Zhanping, "From the moment you harbored thoughts of deposing the Crown Prince, your concubine has already been audaciously reckless!"
"Your Majesty, your concubine has long been prepared. Should you dare to decree the Crown Prince’s dethronement, your concubine will, in such a manner, ensure the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne!" Yu Qingyuan no longer disguised her intentions, revealing her true intentions.
"Do you think you can accomplish that?"
"The kingdom was won with the aid of your concubine’s family. How could your concubine not succeed?! As long as your concubine wishes, anyone can be made the Emperor..."
"You are committing a monstrous crime!"
"Did not Your Majesty ascend to the throne in the same manner, wresting the realm of Daxuan from your elder brother by force?" Yu Qingyuan openly revealed all of Xiao Zhanping’s deeds.
Indeed, everyone in Daxuan Kingdom knew deep down, but voicing it out loud and confronting Xiao Zhanping with it are entirely different matters!
At this moment, he was so angry that he wished he could tear Yu Qingyuan into pieces.
"Has the Emperor lost his temper from embarrassment?" Yu Qingyuan looked at Xiao Zhanping, her tone filled with sarcasm.
"You are truly insane." Xiao Zhanping ground his teeth, speaking deliberately, "Do you realize that the Crown Prince is already dead? Even if you kill me, who will you have succeed the throne?!"
"Your concubine has already thought about that. I will adopt my nephew as my own child, to replace the Crown Prince, to replace the Emperor, and to sit upon the throne. From then on, the kingdom of Xiao will change its name to Yu, and your concubine will become the most glorious figure in the Yu family!"
"You dare!" Xiao Zhanping was now not only furious but also panicked.
He never imagined that Yu Qingyuan would even harbor such thoughts.
To change the name of Daxuan.
"Your Majesty, if it were not for your devious thoughts against the Crown Prince, your concubine would not have prearranged everything so meticulously. If Your Majesty had wholeheartedly supported the Crown Prince’s ascension, the realm of Daxuan would never change its name. You would be the sinner through the ages!"