Hearing Xie Yanfang’s counter-question, Chu Zhao sighed somewhat helplessly.

Deng Yi—

She had turned against Deng Yi because of the loss of Shipo City, or perhaps even earlier, because Deng Yi wanted to appoint Liang Qiang.

Everything about Liang Qiang was arranged by Xie Yanfang, so naturally Deng Yi was also part of Xie Yanfang’s calculations.

So that fire wasn’t set by Xiao Xun or Deng Yi.

At that time when she had ordered Deng Yi confined, it was indeed the most opportune moment—Deng Yi’s life could be harvested by Xie Yanfang.

Originally Deng Yi should have died that way, but he was rescued by Xiao Xun who had been hiding in the shadows. One didn’t know if this was good or bad fortune for Deng Yi.

Or perhaps this was fate’s doing? Chu Zhao pressed her forehead, feeling somewhat amused.

Xie Yanfang sat down, poured a cup of tea from the pot on the table, and pushed it to Chu Zhao.

“I know that Deng Yi appears to be someone who opposed Your Majesty, but actually you two walked together to reach this point.” he said. “In the end, Your Majesty had no choice but to personally kill Deng Yi, which must have been very painful.”

Chu Zhao took the teacup and held it in her hands, saying: “Actually it was fine. I didn’t really like him much anyway.”

Xie Yanfang said: “Your Majesty is right to think this way. You and Deng Yi could never coexist in the court, so for Your Majesty’s sake, Deng Yi had to disappear.”

Chu Zhao said: “I can understand that eliminating Deng Yi was for my sake, but when you moved against Zhong Changrong, surely you can’t say that was also for me?”

This question seemed somewhat difficult to answer. Xie Yanfang straightened himself on the felt cushion and said: “It was.”

Chu Zhao laughed despite herself and drank the tea in her hand in one gulp.

“I, Chu Zhao, fought desperately in Yunzhong Commandery, personally leading troops against Xi Liang, tearing through all those claims of serving country and people selflessly. What was my private motive?” she said. “Someone as intelligent as Third Young Master can’t not know.”

She set the teacup on the table, looking at Xie Yanfang and enunciating each word.

“I did it to control military power.”

“Uncle Zhong is the person I trust most. If you kill him, you’re killing me.”

The mountain wind howled through the forest, carrying the noisy sounds of hunting from down the slope, but it passed in an instant. The hillside seemed isolated by an invisible barrier.

This barrier was formed by the visible Imperial Guards around them, as well as the invisible ones.

Xie Yanfang glanced at the maidservant behind Chu Zhao who had raised her eyes to look over, killing intent flashing in her gaze.

He picked up the teapot again to pour tea for Chu Zhao.

“Although it sounds absurd, I still must say that I truly did this for the Empress.” he said, lowering his eyes to look at the clear tea. “The military power controlled through Zhong Changrong is only what Chu Zhao can control, not the Empress. If the Empress wants to truly control military power, she cannot hand authority to relatives.”

He raised his eyes to look at Chu Zhao.

“Especially relatives known to everyone.”

“The Empress should know this, which is why you drove your uncle’s family to Qiaoshan Academy, far from the capital, giving them no official titles.”

That was because they would bring disaster upon her, could be used by others, could be manipulated—she had witnessed it personally in that previous life, so of course she had to avoid it, but—

“Won’t Zhong Changrong bring you disaster? Won’t he be used by others? Won’t he be manipulated?” Xie Yanfang’s voice drifted over faintly. “Zhong Changrong is different from the Chu Lan family, but even if he has no intention of harming you, he can’t withstand the scrutiny and calculations of thousands.”

Chu Zhao fell silent. Actually, she had witnessed that in the previous life too.

To swallow up the border army military power left by her father, Xiao Xun had privately allowed Zhong Changrong to be slandered. Zhong Changrong’s reputation was ruined, he was isolated and squeezed out, devoured step by step. And all these slanders were also directed at her—evil Empress, power-hungry, using military authority to control the Son of Heaven.

Even though she had done nothing.

“I know Your Majesty doesn’t care about these things. I imagine when you persuaded the late Emperor, you used this very point—you and your relatives would not hesitate to tarnish yourselves, would not hesitate to be seen as power-hungry, would even prefer bearing infamy and evil names, willing to have the reputation of using military power to control the Son of Heaven, all to let A’Yu, a young child, sit firmly on the throne.”

Hearing this, Chu Zhao saw before her eyes that night when she had stood before the Emperor making her proposal and promise.

“Yes.” She smiled. “That’s exactly what I told the late Emperor.”

“At that time, Miss A’Zhao wasn’t trying to become Empress, only trying to survive.” Xie Yanfang said softly. “To let many people survive.”

Chu Zhao picked up the teacup he had pushed over and took a light sip.

“Now that’s no longer necessary.” Xie Yanfang said. “Now that the Empress holds military power, a puppet is the best choice. The advantages of a puppet—I don’t need to explain them, Miss A’Zhao surely knows.”

A puppet like Liang Qiang, especially one who had previously had conflicts with the Empress—not only could demonstrate the Empress’s magnanimity, but could also deflect and divide the slanders from court officials, gather a group of officials and generals with divided loyalties toward the Empress, and could be discarded at any time without hesitation. Chu Zhao nodded, her expression somewhat melancholy: “I know. I know everything.”

She sighed lightly with a touch of self-mockery.

“I know how formidable Third Young Master is. I’ve known clearly from the very beginning—without you, I couldn’t sit firmly in this Empress position. I couldn’t have my word carry absolute weight in court. I couldn’t control the Dragon’s Might Army and act without restraint. And I certainly couldn’t have achieved such brilliant military victories and been invincible—”

She had quelled Xiao Xun’s rebellion in less than two years. Less than two years! This wasn’t her being formidable; Xiao Xun hadn’t been defeated by her hands.

In this life, on the surface Xiao Xun was facing her, but in reality he was still facing Xie Yanfang.

That day when she had Liang Qiang drink wine, Liang Qiang’s expression had clearly been strange, but in the end he still hadn’t revealed who that person was.

Standing before him, she was the Empress, the Emperor was still young, and she could be said to be the most powerful person in the realm. Yet facing her, Liang Qiang chose not to speak. Why?

Why indeed—because that person was the most formidable one.

Compared to that person, she as Empress was nothing.

The Wei clan of Hanjun was the same. Even after being told the truth would be investigated, they disdainfully told her to think it over.

Why didn’t the Wei clan take her seriously? Because the person in their eyes was the most formidable one.

Chu Zhao sighed heavily and covered her face with her hand.

“But even knowing this, what can I do? I can’t leave you, because without you, I never could have made it to this point.”

“So I made myself stop thinking about what you’re doing. I just needed to see the results.”

“Actually, I’m not a good person either, much less someone impartial and selfless.”

Seeing the young woman leaning against the armrest looking pained, Xie Yanfang felt somewhat helpless and said: “You’re overthinking. I’ve said before, repeatedly and from very early on—all of this is what you earned yourself. Simply put, you came first, then me. It was Miss A’Zhao who stood before me and let me see—”

He looked at Chu Zhao.

“I willingly offered my assistance.”

Chu Zhao spread her fingers, looking at him through the gaps: “I can see the purity in Third Young Master’s eyes. I believe everything you say is true.” she said. “That’s why I’m confused.”

……

……

Confused—this wasn’t the first time Chu Zhao had said this to him. Xie Yanfang recalled how earlier when fishing in the imperial garden, she had looked at him and said these words.

So she wasn’t confused about the Hanjun Wei clan matter.

“All these years I’ve been watching. I’ve seen that you truly revere Xiao Yu as Emperor, sincere and open, neither servile nor arrogant, without even a trace of condescension.”

“But you also dealt with Xi Liang, even manipulated their troops to attack Da Xia’s cities, seize Da Xia’s territory, causing the deaths of Da Xia’s soldiers and people.”

“I’ve also seen your assistance to me. No matter how I look, I can see your genuine sincerity. I can’t find even half a trace of falsehood.”

“But you also sowed discord between me and those around me, planted your people to seize military power from those I trust, even their lives.”

Chu Zhao looked at the young master before her and shook her head.

“I’m very confused, Third Young Master. What exactly are you doing? What exactly do you want to do?”

Xie Yanfang looked at her and said: “From beginning to end I’ve only had one wish, to do just one thing—make A’Yu a renowned Emperor. But, Miss A’Zhao, the Emperor is not the same as Da Xia.”

The Emperor is not the same as Da Xia? Chu Zhao was taken aback.

“The Emperor is the realm, or as that saying goes, alone and solitary.” Xie Yanfang said. “What the Emperor needs is for the realm, everything, the world, all things—to be used by him.”

Chu Zhao looked thoughtful: “So you’re protecting A’Yu as Emperor, not the people of Da Xia, so—”

“So there’s no need to be constrained by whether it’s our side or the opposing side.” Xie Yanfang said. “As long as they can be used by me, why not use them? Whether Xi Liang people or Da Xia people, as long as they’re useful, all should be used.”

Chu Zhao looked at him with a complex expression: “Third Young Master, this idea of yours—”

She seemed unable to express it in words.

“Although this idea sounds terrible when spoken aloud, that’s the reality.” Xie Yanfang said softly. “I mean no offense, but if not for the Xi Liang people, if not for Da Xia subjects suffering casualties, your father couldn’t have been used by the late Emperor, and perhaps his whole life he would have been just an ordinary, unremarkable soldier.”

Chu Zhao’s expression changed slightly, but before she could speak, Xie Yanfang continued.

“I know General Chu’s creed was ‘I’d rather the world have no sick people, even if medicine goes unused on the shelf.'”

He looked at Chu Zhao.

“But we don’t discuss ideals—we discuss reality.”

Chu Zhao remained silent.

Xie Yanfang looked down the hillside. The deer hunting here had finished, and wild goose calls came from not far away. They had released the geese—the Emperor should go hunt geese now.

“The good and evil of the world, principles—I understand them all. But A’Yu was born at such a time, and I encountered A’Yu in such circumstances.” he said. “It’s fate, destiny.”

Destiny. Chu Zhao sighed lightly: “Then my meeting Third Young Master is also fate.”

In that previous life, meeting Xie Yanfang was the fate of Xiao Xun and Deng Yi. Her fate was meeting Xiao Xun. In this life, she had changed Xiao Xun’s fate, so she could only face Xie Yanfang herself.

Hearing these words, Xie Yanfang smiled slightly.

“I know that although I’ve said repeatedly that I did these things for you, the pain these matters bring is borne by Miss A’Zhao.” He paused here and shook his head. “Moreover, I can’t say it’s for you. These are my affairs. Even if I explain the reasoning clearly to Miss A’Zhao and analyze the pros and cons, Miss A’Zhao would never do such things.”

Chu Zhao looked at him and laughed despite herself: “Third Young Master knows everything, understands everything.”

“I’ve said all there is to say, haven’t I?” Xie Yanfang said with a smile, continuing her thought.

Chu Zhao said nothing.

Xie Yanfang said: “Saying all this, I’m not defending myself, nor do I need to defend myself.”

He looked at Chu Zhao.

“I only hope to resolve one confusion for Miss A’Zhao—you and A’Yu are the Emperor and Empress I must protect. This is beyond question.”

Chu Zhao stared at him intently, as if trying to see through to his flesh and blood, heart and spirit, and said: “I believe you.”

After speaking, she drained the tea Xie Yanfang had just given her, then poured more tea—two cups.

“Minister Xie, please drink.” she said.

Xie Yanfang reached out to take the teacup, looking at the clear tea, and said: “But the Empress still wants to give me a cup of poisoned tea.”