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墨書 Inktalez
In the Imperial Study, there was only the Emperor. When Qing Luan entered, she felt a chill that made her shiver involuntarily—not out of fear, but because of the countless wronged souls that seemed to gather there. Having been reborn, she had a different perspective on life and death, and she believed in the existence of ghosts in this world.
"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!" Qing Luan knelt and performed a formal bow. In someone else's territory, she could not act recklessly, especially not under the unchanging etiquette that had persisted for a thousand years.
The Emperor looked coldly at the person kneeling before him, neither allowing her to rise nor to lift her head. His dark gaze swept over her, as if he wished for her to die on the spot. If it weren't for her reckless return to the capital and all that she had done, perhaps no one would have known about his actions.
Now that people from the Western Kingdom were present, he could not kill Xuanyuan Rui. But Zhu Qingluan? With just a small gesture of his finger, he could make her life a living hell.
Kneeling on the ground, pain shot through her knees, leaving Qing Luan speechless. It had been seven years since she crossed over to this place, and she rarely found herself kneeling. She had not developed the habit of kneeling at others' anger, so today was destined to sacrifice her knees.
Old man, you've been staring at me; can you find something wrong? Though she didn't want to care, that burning gaze fixed on her made it impossible to ignore.
Silence enveloped them; their breaths were distinctly audible, yet no one broke the stillness. The Emperor was weighing his next move, contemplating how to eliminate his resentment. Qing Luan did not wish to speak either; she feared being accused of treason and could only remain silent.
"You have quite a talent," the Emperor finally spoke, his tone icy and laced with murderous intent. "A whole village has perished, yet you still live!"
If she had died, those secrets would have been buried long ago—who would have known?
"Are you unhappy that I am alive?" Qing Luan raised her head to meet the gaze of the weary old man clad in a bright yellow dragon robe. For a moment, she found this scene rather amusing; it was hard to tell who should be blaming whom—yet suddenly, she felt pity for him.
"Are you pitying me?" The Emperor met her gaze and noticed there was no hidden meaning in her black eyes. He asked incredulously.
"..." Was he really that sensitive? She had merely thought about it for a moment.
"I am the Sovereign; everyone must kneel before me. What is there for me to be pitied?" A certain unwilling thought within him was shattered by her sympathetic glance. His tone became somewhat impatient, as if trying to convince others or perhaps himself.
Do you want me to get up or not? At that moment, Qing Luan had no desire to argue with him; winning or losing would bring her no benefit. She frowned inwardly: Are you trying to intimidate me so I won't embarrass you? My knees are really going to give out.
Seeing her bow her head and twist her body, the Emperor pursed his lips in silence for a moment before saying, "Get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" This time, her gratitude was sincere.
Once she stood up, she secretly stomped her feet, hoping to ease the soreness in her knees.
"Zhu Qingluan, Xuanyuan Rui has committed the grave crime of treason and has already been imprisoned by me!" He wanted to see just how much she cared for Xuanyuan Rui, enough to disregard life and death.
Her hands clenched tightly, but her expression remained calm. She looked up at the Emperor and calmly smiled, "Xuanyuan Rui has committed a crime; why does Your Majesty tell me this? Shouldn't such a grave matter be handled by the Ministry of Justice before informing the public?" She feared he might not conduct a proper trial.
"Are you not worried he might die?" Her calmness contrasted sharply with his urgency.
"If the Emperor wishes someone dead, who could possibly survive?" Qing Luan smiled lightly, her gaze deepening.
"Trade your Merchant Alliance for Xuanyuan Rui!" Seeing her continue to feign ignorance, the Emperor could no longer hold back his demands.
Indeed, he was after the Merchant Alliance. Qing Luan thought to herself but kept her face impassive. All along, she had been contemplating that it would be easy for the Emperor to kill her—just a word from him could suffice. A casual accusation and "snap," it could all be over. Yet he hadn’t done so; instead, he sent for her to enter the palace, indicating that he had demands and therefore could not kill her.
She maintained her composure while waiting for the Emperor to make his request. As long as there was a request, there was still a glimmer of hope for both herself and Xuanyuan Rui.
"What? Are you unwilling?" Seeing her remain silent, the Emperor grew angry and questioned sternly.
"There is no question of willingness; I simply wish to ask Your Majesty, after trading the Merchant Alliance for Xuanyuan Rui, what will become of us?" If he could easily turn against his own grandson-in-law, what else was beyond his reach? She had no ties to him; once she handed over the Merchant Alliance, she could guarantee that her fate would be utterly tragic.
"I guarantee your safety!" he said confidently.
Hmph! Once she surrendered the Merchant Alliance and the people from the Western Kingdom left, they could easily pin any crime on them; they could die cleanly and without fuss.
If the Emperor had encountered someone else, he might have reluctantly agreed. However, he was facing Zhu Qingluan, a person who had traversed time and grown up in the midst of palace intrigues. She knew all too well that the Emperor was the most despicable, shameless, and ruthless of individuals.
"I believe the Emperor's assurances, but with so many subordinates at his command, just a flick of a finger could seal my fate... If someone like Prime Minister Huang could be thrown into prison by the Emperor, I dare not hope for mercy!" On the surface, she spoke respectfully, but secretly mocked the Emperor for being treacherous.
Prime Minister Huang had done so much for him, taking on numerous crimes, yet still could not escape death. Ha! This truly was a case of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole lay in wait.
The Emperor had always been that oriole, ready to take anyone's life at a moment's notice.
"You... Hmph! Even if you refuse to cooperate, you cannot escape death!" Initially, he did not want to resort to force; he only needed to coax her into willingly handing over the Merchant Alliance. He could give her a few days of freedom, and when the time was right, he would deal with them without anyone being the wiser. But now it seemed that Zhu Qingluan was not easily fooled; she revealed her true colors and directly threatened him.
Furrowing her brows, Qing Luan showed no signs of retreat. Instead, she coldly replied, "In that case, Your Majesty can certainly give it a try... and see who suffers more!" She preferred this kind of confrontational negotiation; there was nothing to hold back since her life was at stake.
"Do you dare threaten me?" He felt a surge of anger. No one had ever dared to treat him this way. His commands were absolute; whether others were willing or not, they had no choice but to comply. No one dared to resist or confront him directly, which made his gaze even more sinister.
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