The noble families crouching beneath the garden rockery trembled uncontrollably.

There were no more screams, no more fighting, not even anyone speaking. Only the heavy sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard as more and more guards poured in.

The government office had originally been quite spacious, but now, looking around, people were everywhere, surrounding the main hall in layers, with shields, armor, crossbows, and long swords gleaming.

“Sir,” a young noble couldn’t help but plead once more, “please let us leave so we won’t be in the way.”

Hearing this plea, an official glanced over with fierce eyes.

“Sir, this has nothing to do with us,” an elder hurriedly explained. “We know nothing. The Young Master said he would see us, but before we could meet him, these people—”

They truly weren’t accomplices!

“Silence,” the official rebuked. “No one can leave here now.” Then he added with a cold smile, “Don’t worry, we won’t let you get in the way.”

The noble families understood the threat in these words. Their faces turned pale, their hearts chilled. It was too late—once fighting broke out, they would be the first to die.

Had they known that coming to submit to Xiao Xun meant death, they would have been better off hiding at home rather than submitting.

“Listen, those inside!” The official stepped forward, gripping his sword and shouting sternly, “Surrender now, and you may still have a chance to live.”

Inside, there was complete silence, but shadows could be seen at the doors and windows. Earlier, the infiltrators in the courtyard had killed the soldiers, seized their weapons, and climbed into the hall, sealing the doors and windows. They had threatened that if anyone approached, they would cut off a piece of Xiao Xun’s flesh, piece by piece. If they didn’t want their Young Master to suffer the torture of lingchi, they should stay far away.

A soldier hurriedly approached and whispered something to the official.

The official’s expression showed surprise, then turned to a cold smile: “So they’re from the Empress Chu’s family. No wonder they’re so bold—Chu Lan!” He raised his voice, making the doors and windows rattle. “Surrender immediately!”

……

……

Chu Lan sat on the floor. This shout hit him like a thunderbolt, nearly making him jump up, on the verge of tears.

Heavens, why were they calling for him!

He hadn’t done anything!

Even if he wanted to surrender, he couldn’t!

“Father, don’t be afraid,” a female voice came from behind. “They won’t dare to come in. They can’t hurt us.”

Don’t be afraid? Chu Lan slowly turned his head to look at the girl sitting at the table behind him—he barely recognized her. Was this his daughter, Chu Tang?

A-Tang, what was she doing?

And these people—Chu Lan looked at the servants in the hall—he didn’t manage household affairs, his daughter was in charge of those, but even a fool like him knew their family didn’t have such skilled servants.

Even a ten-year-old child could kill?

That child was sitting on a corpse.

The corpse was the official who had led them in. After being struck down, he had pretended to be unconscious, then tried to make a move. As soon as he moved, the child flicked his wrist, sending a flying dagger that cut the man’s throat. No more need to pretend, no more movement ever again.

Then the child retrieved his dagger and sat on the corpse, wiping the blade.

Was this even human?

What was happening? Hadn’t they come to seek refuge with Xiao Xun? A-Tang had explained everything so clearly and thoroughly, even planning what good lives they would all lead.

“Once we go there and admit our mistakes, our future will be bright.”

How had she then completely severed their prospects upon arrival?

Chu Lan didn’t dare move his gaze anymore. If he did, he would see the Zhongshan Prince’s heir, who was on the verge of reaching the capital and becoming Crown Prince, bound tightly to a chair with a rag stuffed in his mouth.

His daughter, Chu Tang, had done this.

He wanted to ask but didn’t dare. What was done was done; what use was asking now? Was he supposed to kill his daughter to make amends to the Young Master?

He had come all this way through hardship just to secure a good future for his children.

How bitter! His good intentions—

What on earth was happening?

……

……

“All right, it’s done,” Chu Tang put down the brush, sighed with relief, and took the paper over. She pulled the rag from Xiao Xun’s mouth and asked, “Young Master, where is your seal?”

Xiao Xun looked at her, neither startled, nor flustered, nor angry. He said calmly: “It’s in the auspicious pouch on my belt.”

Chu Tang reached out and removed the auspicious pouch from Xiao Xun’s belt, emptied a small seal, and didn’t forget to smile at Xiao Xun: “The Young Master’s seal is very beautiful.”

Xiao Xun nodded with a smile, accepting her compliment.

“Miss Chu Tang, I underestimated you,” he said. “I thought you had planned for your parents to seek refuge with me. I didn’t expect you to come to kidnap me. You even deceived your parents and used them. I truly admire you.”

Hearing this, Ning Kun, who was tied up, hatefully banged his head against the floor—he hadn’t received the same treatment as Xiao Xun, who was tied to a chair. He was bound and thrown on the ground. Tie Ying was in an even worse state, not only thoroughly bound but also drugged with some unknown substance and still unconscious—they had been careless because they had seen Chu Lan and his wife as naively sincere and open.

If Chu Lan and his wife had shown any sign of strangeness, he wouldn’t have let them in.

Chu Tang merely said: “My parents are honest people with little courage. I was afraid of frightening them.”

Xiao Xun smiled ambiguously as he watched Chu Tang press the seal onto the paper.

“What did Chu Zhao promise you?” he asked.

By now, Xiao Xun understood everything.

Chu Lan’s family—or rather, Chu Tang, bringing her parents—hadn’t come to seek refuge with him out of desperation but to capture him.

What was this called?

Entering the tiger’s den?

Whose scheme was this? Deng Yi’s? Xie Yanfang’s? The court had first spread word that Chu Lan was colluding with the Zhongshan Prince, then Chu Lan fled here, with Old Master Zhou adding fuel to the fire. Without any of these steps, it would have been difficult to gain his trust, and he wouldn’t have let them come. And of course, there was the key person—

Chu Zhao.

If not for Chu Zhao, Chu Tang would never have been persuaded.

If not for Chu Zhao, even with the plot by the other three, once Chu Tang arrived here, she would definitely have been convinced by him.

Chu Zhao! Xiao Xun clenched his hands tied behind him. Would his plans be ruined by her again?

Chu Tang said: “Ah, what promise? We’re family. If she has a hard time, I won’t have good days either. There’s no choice.”

Because they were family? Was Chu Tang such a person? Xiao Xun didn’t question or refute this but said: “Compared to Chu Zhao, I still wasn’t enough for Miss Chu Tang to believe.”

He looked at Chu Tang.

“The position of Empress wasn’t to deceive Miss Chu Tang. I can obtain such a vast domain, but would I need to rely on the Empress’s family for support? Or rather, someone like Miss Chu Tang, with such a modest family background, is more suitable to be my Empress. With you as Empress, I wouldn’t have to endure the entanglements and threats of other powerful families. This way, we each get what we want—Miss Chu Tang.”

He looked at Chu Tang with a smile, his dimples deep.

“Is it that you don’t believe you can be a good Empress? Compared to her, what do you lack? A good father?”

Chu Lan, sitting on the ground, wept silently.

Chu Tang reproached him: “Young Master, my father is a good father too.”

Xiao Xun said: “Yes, all who love their children are good fathers. It shouldn’t be judged by power.”

He looked at Chu Tang.

“Compared to Chu Zhao, you just lack military power. I said before, I can let your father command the border army. The border army would still be in your hands. If Miss Chu Tang is still not at ease, I can give you half of the tiger tally. With military authority in your hands, wouldn’t Miss Chu Tang certainly make a good Empress?”

The tiger tally—this was real military power. Chu Tang held the paper, her eyes flickering.

“Miss Chu Tang,” Xiao Xun sighed softly. “What I need is an Empress, not about love and affection, but a companion, an assistant, a—”

Before he could finish, Chu Tang suddenly raised her hand and slapped his face.

With a crisp sound, the slap echoed in the room.

Xiao Xun was stunned, his voice abruptly cut off, looking in disbelief at the girl before him.

In all his life, not even his father had ever struck him.

She had slapped his face?

While he was smiling and speaking gently to her, she slapped his face.

His face!

The girl’s strength wasn’t great, and the slap wasn’t particularly painful, but it was his face!

A slap to the face was never about causing pain, but about humiliation.

This was humiliation—

“You!” Xiao Xun’s dimples vanished, his eyes darkening.

Before he could finish, Chu Tang stepped forward and raised her hand, this time not to slap but to stuff the rag back into Xiao Xun’s mouth.

Xiao Xun’s voice was muffled, only his eyes blazing as he glared at her.

Only then did Chu Tang pat her chest and say to Xiao Xun: “Young Master, don’t be angry. I have no choice.”

“Sister A-Tang, why are you dawdling and muttering?” Xiao Tu could no longer hold back from asking.

He had been squatting on the official’s corpse all this time, tossing a small knife in his hand, staring at Chu Tang.

“If you want to hit him, call me. I can make it hurt.”

Chu Tang looked at him and said: “I wasn’t trying to cause pain. I wasn’t even hitting him for hitting’s sake.”

What did that mean? Even more confusing.

Chu Tang sighed deeply: “I slapped him to cut off my path forward.”

The Young Master’s words were too tempting. If she had kept listening, she truly couldn’t have controlled herself from joining him.

She knew these powerful people all too well. They seemed generous but were very petty.

With this slap, even if the Young Master let her become Empress, this slap would be etched in his heart, and he could take her life at any time.

By slapping Xiao Xun, she was killing her hopes, so she would no longer dream of becoming Xiao Xun’s Empress.

She closed her eyes and held out her hand.

“Quickly take this to Chu Zhao. Any later, and I’ll regret it.”