"Since Murong Shengrui discovered your identity, he will definitely choose you as the person for a political marriage. "Nangong Yu was anxious in his heart, but his face showed no signs of it. "Even if you get married now, this person will not give up."
"The Wen family's future has been ruined for nothing, and it was all in vain," Xiao Man said with some guilt. She shouldn't have agreed to Wen Mohan's proposal. What was she thinking when she impulsively agreed?
"The immediate priority is to find a way to deal with Murong Shengrui."
"Where are the envoys from Lan Yue?" Xiao Man asked abruptly.
"It will take at least ten days to reach the Imperial Capital," Nangong Yu frowned. "The envoys from Lan Yue are here for the Princess of Lan Yue, and they are not easy to deal with."
Xiao Man nodded in agreement: "It seems we need to stall for time, until the envoys from Lan Yue arrive at the Imperial Capital."
Nangong Yu suddenly realized: "You want to use Lan Yue to deal with Yusheng?"
"If Lan Yue and Yusheng form an alliance, even Murong Shengrui will have to think twice. If he rashly goes to war with Yusheng, and Lan Yue and Yusheng join forces to attack Yunqi, Yunqi will not be able to withstand it."
"Aren't you afraid that Yunqi will ally with Bei Rong?"
"If Murong Shengrui allies with Bei Rong, it would be beneficial to us!" Xiao Man's lips curved into a smile. "Bei Rong only cares about profit. If they ally with Yunqi and find that the chances of winning are slim, Bei Rong might backstab them. At that time, we won't have to worry about taking down Yunqi?"
"Is the destruction of Yunqi really what you want to see?" Nangong Yu asked hesitantly. After all, she had once worked tirelessly for Yunqi's reign. Now, she spoke of Yunqi's destruction with a look of excitement.
"The world, after being united for a long time, will divide. After dividing for a long time, it will unite. This is the general trend!" Xiao Man said slowly. "Isn't your wish to unify the world?"
Nangong Yu lowered his eyes. "Xiao Man, when you cannot have both fish and bear's paw, what will you do?"
"Give up the fish and take the bear's paw!" Xiao Man said without hesitation. When she had to choose between two things she wanted, she would definitely choose the one that was most important to her.
Nangong Yu felt inexplicably relieved. "No matter what happens next, you have to believe me, okay?"
Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yu quietly. The Crown Prince was now imprisoned, and there were three remaining princes. On the surface, it was calm, but in reality, there was fierce competition, with all of them vying for the supreme dragon throne.
"A'yu, you must remember your original intention and not be blinded by the present glory," Xiao Man reminded Nangong Yu. The position of Crown Prince was not worth fighting for. The ultimate goal was the imperial throne, and they must not be misled by the enemy's smoke screen.
"Glory is nothing to me. My ambition has never been glory."
Xiao Man smiled: "In that case, I will congratulate Your Highness here and wish you an early realization of your aspirations."
Nangong Yu reached out and tucked Xiao Man's scattered long hair behind her ear. "You don't need to worry too much about matters here in Yunqi. Given the Xiao family's status in Yusheng, His Majesty will definitely not agree to let you go for a political marriage. Don't forget, Xiao Luo is now guarding Yunzhong City. If there's any change, the consequences will be unbearable." Su Dan Novel Network
"I understand."
"Also, I want both fish and bear's paw."
Xiao Man chuckled: "A'yu, it's not good to be too greedy. If you are too greedy, be careful that everything will be lost."
"What I want, I will get it by any means necessary. What belongs to me, no one can take away," Nangong Yu said to Xiao Man seriously. "You belong to me. I originally planned to let you go, but you refused to let yourself go and instead walked into my hands, so you cannot blame me for not letting go."
Xiao Man narrowed her eyes: "Are you warning me?"
"I don't know what your intentions are in agreeing to Wen Mohan's proposal, I am just telling you my decision," Nangong Yu said gently. "No matter who the opponent is, I will not admit defeat."
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged, she just looked at Nangong Yu and smiled. Sometimes, what one thought was one thing, but when it came to action, it was another. Since experiencing the tragedy of death and clan extermination, she no longer had excessively high expectations for others, as everyone had their own choices, and no matter what decision they made, they should not be condemned by others.
However, making a choice meant paying the price for that choice, and this was an eternal truth!
"His Majesty demands to marry Xiao Man as empress?" Qu Yang was shocked. "Absolutely not!"
"Lord Qu, this is His Majesty's command. The empress of Yunqi must be Xiao Man!"
"Minister Qi, you don't know how terrifying Xiao Man is!" The moment Qu Yang thought of Xiao Man, he felt a shiver. Xiao Man gave him a sense of extreme danger, like a spider queen lurking behind her web, directing her hunters to weave one giant net after another, while she waited behind to let the prey fall into the web, and then rush out to bite off the prey's neck!
"The eldest daughter of the Huguo General's Mansion, for her meritorious service in saving His Majesty, was bestowed the title of princess by the Emperor of Yusheng, and is also doted on by the Huguo General." Minister Qi patiently explained, "Marrying her as empress has more advantages than disadvantages. After investigation, Huguo General Xiao Zhen regards this daughter as a precious pearl, cherishing her as if she were to melt in his mouth, and fearing she might fall if held. If His Majesty marries her, it would be equivalent to grasping the lifeline of the Huguo General's Mansion."
"Naïve!" Qu Yang raised his voice. "Xiao Zhen regards this daughter as his lifeblood, would he allow her to go for a political marriage? Moreover, Xiao Man's health is not good, and she falls ill every few days. The journey from Yusheng to Yunqi is more than a thousand li. If anything were to happen to her during the journey, would Xiao Luo, who is guarding Yunzhong City, stand idly by? I'm afraid he would turn around and attack Yusheng!"
"Xiao Man's health is not good?"
"Her health is extremely poor. A royal physician once predicted that she would not live for more than three years!"
"This..." Everyone hesitated. If Xiao Man were in good health, she would be an excellent candidate for a political marriage. It was just that Xiao Man's health was not good. "What should we do? His Majesty has issued an order, and he wants Xiao Man."
"I will find a way to meet His Majesty and gauge his intentions."
In a secluded side courtyard, a随行 doctor was treating Murong Shengrui's fractured ribs. Murong Shengrui's face was pale, and large beads of sweat covered his forehead. He endured the pain without a sound.
"Eunuch Wei, who injured His Majesty like this?" Xiahou Ying asked.
Wei Wuji wiped the sweat from Murong Shengrui's forehead and said, "Xiao Man."
Xiahou Ying's expression contorted for a moment, but he quickly regained control. However, he appeared somewhat panicked, even secretly glancing at Murong Shengrui from the corner of his eye. Did His Highness recognize her?
Murong Shengrui's gaze swept over Xiahou Ying. With such a guilty conscience, it was indeed as expected; Xiahou Ying had known for a long time.
After the doctor finished treating Murong Shengrui's injuries, Wei Wuji fed him another pill and prepared to help him lie down. Murong Shengrui waved his hand, indicating that he did not need assistance.