Chapter 236: "This Servant-Wishes-to-Serve-in-Bed.

Xie Liuzheng arrived after the dust had settled, looking somewhat disheveled.

The thick scent of blood still hung in the air throughout the Imperial Palace, as Palace Attendants carried basins, scrubbing the bloodstains from between the paving stones.

"Your Majesty."

She came before Xiao Yang and held up a lump in her hands. It was the system fish, but now it looked a little... dead.

"It’s a liar."

Xie Liuzheng accused it, "It said it didn’t know the plot, but it could actually see it all along! It said Xiao Mo would become the Emperor in the future, restore order, and let history play out according to the original story. It said I would still be a supporting character and told me to keep doing those strategy tasks."

Today, for some reason, the system suddenly started glowing and tried to run off. She sensed something was wrong and held on to it for dear life. She wasn’t sure how long it had been, but when she felt it stop resisting and turned to look, she realized it seemed to be dying.

’Good riddance to this backstabbing traitor.’

In contrast to Xie Liuzheng’s righteous indignation, Xiao Yang merely gave the fish a faint glance.

"Since it’s not dead yet, we might as well make it into fish soup."

"POP!"

The dead fish revived on the spot. It met Xiao Yang’s gaze and timidly hid behind a stack of memorials.

Xiao Yang said, "I don’t keep traitors. The fact that I can touch you means I can dispose of you. I’ll give you one day to come up with compensation sufficient to appease my anger. Otherwise, I don’t mind washing my hands and personally making a bowl of fish head stew."

The system trembled. Staring at the violet-gold aura of destiny soaring from Xiao Yang, it had no choice but to cower.

Before, Xiao Yang was just a fake male lead. Now, she was the true master of the world, her violet aura of destiny soaring to the heavens. A figure like her was exceedingly rare, one of less than ten in thousands, even tens of thousands, of years, no matter which world’s history you looked at.

Those so-called Children of Destiny and Children of Fortune, no matter how dazzling their light, were nothing more than pawns on her chessboard.

Look at Xiao Xuan and his two sons, Mu Yunlian, Rong Yin, and the others, and even those new scholars—each of them shone with the glow of fortune. Any one of them, taken alone, could be considered a Child of Fortune.

But all this fortune was born from its connection to the Emperor’s own overwhelming destiny. They were the Children of Fortune, but the Emperor was the Master of Fortune.

The system vanished. Xiao Yang had given it one day, but it disappeared for three. No one knew where it went, but it returned with three floating, yet solid, orbs.

Without Xiao Yang needing to reach for them, the three orbs of light floated into her body.

Then, the system glanced at Xie Liuzheng, and its body trembled and began to change.

Its pufferfish body stretched out, becoming a golden koi. Then it grew longer and longer, becoming snake-like, before sprouting four limbs.

Finally, it became a golden, draconic phantom that circled Xiao Yang for a moment before vanishing completely.

Xie Liuzheng’s jaw dropped in shock. ’How can the system turn into a dragon?’ Moreover, she could feel that the connection between her and the system was gone.

Xiao Yang, in contrast, looked much calmer.

Perhaps because of some pact she had made with the system, in that instant, Xiao Yang came to understand a few things about it.

It had called itself a "system," but that was just an identity it had adopted based on the novel plots in Xie Liuzheng’s mind.

Its true identity was the Dragon Vein of the Xiao Family.

After the death of the late Emperor Xiao Zhuo, the Xiao Family’s Dragon Vein had grown dim, showing signs of the dynasty’s impending fall.

Although Xiao Lin had seized Imperial Power by killing the Puppet Emperor Xiao Jin, a woman disguised as a man, he would not have been able to hold onto it in the end.

The Dragon Vein, knowing the future and wanting to save the world, found the variable that was Xie Liuzheng. It wanted her to be with Rong Yin, make Rong Yin the Emperor, and have his child. It could then protect that child as they grew, giving this world, on the brink of collapse, a new possibility.

Later, when Xiao Yang secured the throne, she was a variable in its calculations—a variable that could extend the world’s vitality. But it had overlooked her gender, which led to a miscalculation.

Xiao Mo was another potential emperor nourished by the Xiao Family’s fortune, and the Dragon Vein thought that might be the direction it needed to go.

But in the end, no one could compete with this madwoman, Xiao Yang.

All the world’s fortune gathered upon her. Even though she was a woman, even though she could not bear children, strength was what commanded respect. She was the true Emperor.

The Dragon Vein fully acknowledged her. In that instant, nourished by Xiao Yang’s imperial destiny, its tiny power swelled, and it transformed into a dragon, merging completely with the national destiny that belonged to Emperor Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang raised a hand and gently closed Xie Liuzheng’s jaw. "You don’t have a system anymore. From now on, your life is your own."

Xie Liuzheng opened her mouth, then suddenly smiled and hugged Xiao Yang. "That’s wonderful. My life is already very good now. I have Your Majesty, and... Xiao Lv."

Leaving Zichen Palace, Xie Liuzheng saw Xiao Lv and suddenly told him, "Didn’t you have someone divine that the fifth day of the ninth month is an auspicious day? I’ll be waiting for you."

Xiao Lv was stunned for a moment, then understanding dawned. A smile seemed to spill from his very eyes. "I will absolutely be there."

After the assassination attempt in the palace, there was a major reshuffling. People were re-selected, all background checks were redone, and anyone who didn’t qualify was replaced.

Meanwhile, Rong Yin and Mu Yunlian moved into the side halls of Zichen Palace, one on the left and one on the right, to stand guard. Xiao Ziling was appointed Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, serving as the Emperor’s personal protector. Li Wei purged all dissenters from the army.

Xiao Yang offered no explanation for Xiao Mo’s death, not even mentioning it in the newspapers. But that didn’t mean the Emperor was letting the matter drop.

King Yama’s little notebook sat on the imperial desk, visible with just a glance.

For the next ten days, the entire imperial court was shrouded in tension. A single glance from the Emperor was enough to make a person’s very soul tremble.

Xiao Yang had never before had to so constantly and tautly maintain her imperial dignity.

But she understood that this time, she had to intimidate them into submission.

Only when she returned to Zichen Palace could she finally breathe a small sigh of relief.

’The price of growth is truly heavy. It’s exhausting.’

Water was prepared for her bath. After she emerged, feeling refreshed, she saw Xu Xingchen sitting there waiting for her. At a glance, something seemed a little off about him, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

"What brings you here?"

Xu Xingchen opened his arms, which had been wrapped around something, revealing a small wine jar.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xiao Yang. "Your Majesty, let’s have a drink."

Xiao Yang paused as she walked over. "You haven’t been drinking already, have you?"

As she drew closer, she did indeed catch the fragrance of wine.

Xu Xingchen held up his fingers to indicate a small amount. "I only had a tiny bit. The rest is all for Your Majesty."

As he raised his hand to gesture, the robe on his other shoulder slipped down, revealing a pale, smooth shoulder and a clearly defined collarbone.

’He’s only wearing one layer, with nothing underneath. The way it’s threatening to fall off... his motives look anything but pure.’

Xiao Yang raised an eyebrow.

"And what made you think of coming to find me for a drink tonight?"

She reached out to pull the slipped robe back up, but it immediately slid down again. The material was the smoothest mulberry silk; it was difficult to make it stay put.

While Xiao Yang was struggling with the collar, Xu Xingchen, feigning a slight drunkenness, leaned into her embrace. "To serve you in bed."

"Hmm?" With three parts drunken shyness and seven parts determination, Xu Xingchen enunciated each word clearly, "I want to serve you in bed."