The old fox! The Fifth Princess cursed inwardly. Among them, the Second Princess was the most unfathomable. No one could guess her thoughts or intentions, yet whenever a decision was needed, she always offered sound advice. This was why the Eldest Princess looked to her as if she were their backbone.
"It is indeed delicious. Eldest Sister, Fourth Sister, please try some. This is a specialty that Second Sister brought back from Liangzhou," the Fifth Princess said with a smile. "You can't find it in Bianjing."
The Eldest Princess had no appetite. She had come today to enlist the Second Princess's help in rescuing the Empress and overthrowing Xiao Man. Initially, she had planned to use Xiao Man to eliminate others and then get rid of Xiao Man herself. However, the opposite had happened. The others remained unharmed, while Xiao Man had captured the Empress! This underhanded tactic had caught her completely off guard.
The Second Princess's gaze fell upon the Fourth Princess. The Fourth Princess was acting too calmly, so calmly it was almost unbelievable, unlike her usual self. It was as if she had been replaced. At this moment, shouldn't she be the one to resist the most fiercely?
"Fourth Sister, do you have anything to say?"
"Rumor has it that Feng Moran is a remnant of the former Qin. Do you know about this, Second Sister?" the Fourth Princess asked the Second Princess, her voice echoing.
"I heard something on the way back to the capital. I didn't expect the Feng family to be remnants of the former Qin," the Second Princess said indifferently, as if it were not a matter of surprise.
The Fourth Princess's eyes flickered. "If Feng Moran is a remnant of the former Qin, then could the imperial bloodline also be remnants of the former Qin?"
Everyone turned to look at the Fourth Princess in unison. These were not words to be spoken lightly. The charge of being a remnant of the former Qin could provoke an attack from all four neighboring states.
"What do you mean?"
"Men of the Feng family have served as imperial consorts of Lan Yue for generations."
The atmosphere instantly turned frigid. If men of the Feng family had served as imperial consorts of Lan Yue for generations, then the direct imperial bloodline of Lan Yue might very well carry the blood of the former Qin. This meant that, in a sense, the direct imperial bloodline of Lan Yue could be considered remnants of the former Qin.
"Do you wish for Lan Yue to be annihilated?" After a long pause, the Second Princess slowly uttered, "If so, feel free to spread this word far and wide. Within days, Lan Yue will be attacked by the other three states in conjunction, and soon, this world will know no more Lan Yue."
Silence spread, so profound that one could almost hear their breathing. The Eldest Princess desired the empire, not the destruction of Lan Yue. Without Lan Yue, she would be nothing!
The Fourth Princess remained silent, understanding that Xiao Man was a ruthless person. If they continued to push, given Xiao Man's temperament, she might very well destroy all of Lan Yue. Imputing the crime of being a remnant of the former Qin to Feng Moran was merely her first step; Xiao Man's ambitions went far beyond that.
"Xiao Man's father is General Xiao Zhen of Yusheng. She has no connection to the Feng family."
"You forgot, Empress Yuexian is a direct descendant princess."
"But no one can guarantee that the Empress's biological father is not from the Feng family. Moreover, when it comes to remnants of the former Qin, it's better to kill a hundred wrongly than to let one escape!" the Second Princess's voice was neither rushed nor slow. "After you rescue the Empress, do you wish for her to rekindle her romance with Feng Moran, thus drawing the three states to attack Lan Yue? Or do you wish to overthrow Xiao Man, take her place, and face the wrath of Yusheng and Yunqi, with Beirong inevitably seeking to snatch a portion of the spoils?"
"Why would we be annihilated by the three states if we took her place?"
"Do you not know the relationship between the new emperor of Yusheng, Nangong Yu, and Xiao Man?" The Second Princess set down her teacup. "Currently, we have three paths before us: One, rescue the Empress. Given the Empress's attitude towards Feng Moran, it will inevitably lead to an attack by the three states. Two, overthrow Xiao Man and take her place, but this would mean facing the fury of Yusheng and Yunqi, and Beirong will undoubtedly seek to carve out a piece for itself. Three, assist Xiao Man, stabilize Lan Yue, and proceed cautiously."
"Do we even have a choice?" the Eldest Princess asked resentfully. Whether it was rescuing the Empress or taking her place, it was a dead end. Their only way out was to support Xiao Man, but she was unwilling!
"There is no choice," the Second Princess said calmly. "It is precisely because there is no choice that I rushed back."
"Second Sister, you rushed back just to stop us?" The Eldest Princess's tone was already laced with anger. She had schemed for so many years, only to have to hand everything over. How could she accept this?
"I am worried that you will lose your lives for nothing," the Second Princess looked at the Fifth Princess. "What do you think, Fifth Sister?"
"Very well. I have no objections to Xiao Man becoming emperor."
"Fourth Sister?"
"I am no match for her. If she wanted to kill me, I would be dead by now," the Fourth Princess said softly. However, she also harbored resentment. But she understood that Xiao Man was not entirely to blame. If she hadn't been so overly ambitious, she wouldn't have fallen into Feng Moran's trap.
"Eldest Sister, it is up to you now." The Second Princess refilled the Eldest Princess's teacup. "Do you wish to continue being a noble princess, or do you wish to become a princess of a fallen kingdom?"
The Eldest Princess's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. The Second Princess held her hand, steadying the cup. "Be careful, the tea is a bit hot."
"Second Sister, are you going to support Xiao Man?" The Eldest Princess calmed down and looked at the Second Princess.
The Second Princess released her hand. "Eldest Sister, it's not that I want to support her. It's that the situation forces us to bow our heads. After all, who wants to be a slave of a conquered nation? Especially the women of Lan Yue. You've heard how lowly women's status is outside, haven't you?"
The Eldest Princess fell silent. She couldn't answer, nor could she. Of course, she knew how difficult the living conditions were for women outside Lan Yue. A noble princess versus a slave of a conquered nation; she naturally chose to remain a noble princess.
"Second Sister, have you considered that if Xiao Man can be so ruthless to her own master, will she let us go?"
The Second Princess smiled. "Eldest Sister, have you thoroughly investigated Xiao Man's affairs?"
"Yes."
"What kind of person is she?"
"Very cunning. Even I cannot see through her schemes."
"What is her character like?"
"Vindictive."
"Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, what do you think?"
"Although she is vindictive, she is not heartless," the Fourth Princess thought carefully. "However, at this moment, anyone who crosses her path is unlikely to survive. She has deep feelings for that Young Master Wen. Now that Young Master Wen has been harmed, her heart is likely filled with rage. Whoever steps forward will be unlucky."
"Eldest Sister, do you understand now?"
The Eldest Princess put down her teacup and rose to leave. Although she understood this was the only option, she could not swallow her pride. Why couldn't she be the Empress? Was it simply because she didn't have men like Nangong Yu or Murong Shengrui behind her?