Chapter 180: I Am the Emperor, I Don’t Need to Make a Choice

GULP.

Xiao Yang swallowed the tea in her mouth with some difficulty.

Prince Jing looked utterly wronged, and Xiao Hong was simmering with resentment. That was just the two of them. If they went back to the palace, wouldn’t people like Xiao Lv and Rong Yin tear Mu Yunlian to shreds?

’I dropped the act too soon.’

"Your Majesty!!"

Having washed up, Prince Jing returned with renewed vigor. Xiao Yang immediately had someone bring tea and served it to him personally.

"I was being willful. I’m sorry you were wronged, Uncle."

Prince Jing held the teacup as tears plopped into it one by one.

Xiao Yang patted his back to comfort him, then sat and listened as he recounted all the grievances and mistreatment he had endured recently.

Whoever he blamed, Xiao Yang cursed. Everyone was in the wrong; only he was the wronged one.

After a great deal of effort, she finally managed to placate Prince Jing.

Once Prince Jing had vented his frustrations, he finally remembered to ask Xiao Yang, "Your Majesty, who exactly kidnapped you? How did you end up in Beimeng?"

Xiao Yang glanced at Mu Yunlian, who was waiting by the door, and lowered her eyes. "I know I was wrong."

Prince Jing stared at Xiao Yang, looking her over and over.

He had just been wailing his eyes out, his mouth running nonstop, but now he was stunned into silence, unable to utter a single word.

He might be a bit of a pushover, but he wasn’t stupid.

If the Little Emperor were to go to Beimeng, she would certainly have made thorough preparations. There was no way she would have gone alone.

Besides, the Little Emperor’s disappearance had been too sudden, and someone had deliberately erased her tracks afterward. This was clearly a kidnapping!

Most importantly, the Little Emperor had done plenty of shameless things, but she never admitted fault!

She was always the type to look at you defiantly, with a punchable expression that screamed, ’I did it. What are you going to do about it?’ Arrogant, domineering, and always pushing her luck—that was her in a nutshell.

But now she was admitting her mistake on her own initiative, and acting so obedient.

The only explanation was that her kidnapper was very important to her, and she wanted to protect him.

Her admission of guilt wasn’t because she thought she was wrong, but because she wanted him to drop the matter.

Prince Jing was furious. The revered Emperor had been kidnapped, leaving behind such a huge mess, and now she wanted to protect the kidnapper? It was utterly unreasonable.

Prince Jing felt wronged. In her heart, he, her own uncle, was less important than a kidnapper.

Prince Jing was in despair. He had so much anger, so many grievances, but seeing the Little Emperor’s obedient face, it all vanished, leaving only a dazed, empty feeling in his heart.

"Your Majesty..."

Just as Prince Jing was about to say something, Mu Yunlian suddenly spoke up. "Your Majesty, weren’t you going to take Prince Jing to see the warehouse?"

Xiao Yang didn’t know anything about a warehouse, but since Mu Yunlian had said so, she stood up. "Right. Uncle, let me take you to the warehouse to see something fun."

’Mu Yunlian had better have something fun prepared in that warehouse, or I won’t be able to protect him.’

Mu Yunlian smiled at Xiao Yang, then bowed. "Prince, this way, please."

Prince Jing glanced at the man in red by the door. It was Meng Xuechen, the Minister of Revenue. He looked somewhat familiar, yet different. This was the man who, after the Emperor’s disappearance, had supposedly been thrown from a startled horse and broken his leg. Before Prince Jing’s arrival, the man should have still been recovering, yet here he was by the Emperor’s side, and the two seemed to be on good terms.

With just one look, Prince Jing knew who the Emperor wanted to protect.

Prince Jing used to greatly admire this junior. He had strongly recommended him, brought him into the Ministry of Revenue, and helped him become the Minister of Revenue at such a young age.

But now, the thought that this rascal had not only abducted the Emperor and was a kidnapper, but was also likely to be his future nephew-in-law...

His younger brother only had this one daughter! As her uncle, he absolutely had to guard her closely and not let some shady, crooked-minded, flamboyant man get close to her!

"Your Majesty is of marrying age. I think Rong Yin is a good choice. That boy Li Wei would also do. If not them, that boy from the Xu Family seems quite well-behaved. When are you going to take an Imperial Consort?"

Mu Yunlian’s hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves, but he had to endure it.

Li Wei, who had just walked over, gently rested his gaze on the Emperor, as if afraid to startle her.

Xiao Yang knew Prince Jing was trying to provoke Mu Yunlian. She didn’t rush to defend him, instead declaring domineeringly, "I am the Emperor. I don’t need to choose."

’They’re all mine.’

It was clearly a joke, but Prince Jing was satisfied. "Exactly! Your Majesty is the Emperor. You should have three consorts and four attendants, free to choose as you please."

At this moment, Prince Jing was terrifyingly open-minded.

Not forgetting to twist the knife, he added, "Mr. Meng wouldn’t have an opinion on Your Majesty’s private affairs, would he?"

Mu Yunlian faced him calmly. "Prince, I am Mu Yunlian. If all goes as planned, I will be one of Your Majesty’s three consorts and four attendants, so naturally, I have no objections."

’Secure the position first, deal with the others later.’

Hearing that he had even changed his name, Prince Jing looked him up and down, becoming even more critical.

"You? You’re not as handsome and dignified as Rong Yin, not as loyal and reliable as Li Wei, and not as well-behaved and cute as that boy from the Xu Family. You’re just a flamboyant fop. What makes you worthy of Her Majesty?"

Prince Jing’s words at that moment were as if they had been dipped in crane’s-crest poison.

Mu Yunlian was on the verge of snapping.

Suddenly, Xiao Yang grabbed his hand.

In public, in front of an elder, she unhesitatingly took his hand. In that instant, any resentment Mu Yunlian felt vanished without a trace.

Prince Jing: "..."

He was instantly silenced.

’A grown daughter can’t be kept at home, after all.’

Catching sight of Li Wei out of the corner of his eye, Prince Jing rolled his eyes.

’Useless, all of them. What’s the point of gluing your eyes to the Emperor? Go on, snatch the Emperor away from him!’

Mu Yunlian led Prince Jing to a room. He unlocked three separate locks before opening the tightly sealed storeroom.

Inside the storeroom was only one item: a cannon.

Xiao Yang was surprised, but to her, this thing was practically an antique.

’Mu Yunlian already managed to produce guns. Making a cannon is just a simple matter for him.’

Prince Jing was immediately captivated. "What is this?"

Mu Yunlian said nothing, merely looking at Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang went up to inspect it. "This is a cannon. Before, the explosives we had needed someone to throw them. This is similar to a crossbow, but it fires a cannonball. It can strike from several hundred meters away and explodes on impact."

Prince Jing had been studying firearms recently. The moment he saw this, his eyes were glued to it.

It wasn’t just him; Li Wei, standing at the door, was also deeply fascinated.

Xiao Yang leaned in and whispered, "The previous firearms and guns... he gave them all to me."

Prince Jing: "..." He had to admit, he might have been a little too loud earlier.

He circled the large cannon a few times, eager to try it out, but he knew it wasn’t the right time.

After looking at it again and again, as they were leaving, he scanned Mu Yunlian up and down once more. "You... are not entirely without merit..."

He’d just been feeling so wronged; he couldn’t bring himself to praise the man. This was the best he could do.

Mu Yunlian, already soothed by Xiao Yang, didn’t mind Prince Jing’s petty disdain.

He then opened the warehouse next door. The moment the doors swung open, the sight was blinding.

It was a warehouse filled to the brim with gold.

There was no faking that blinding gleam.

Prince Jing glanced to the side, his voice rising unconsciously. "That one over there had three locks, but this one just has a single wooden door?"

’All this gold, and they’re this casual about it?’

Xiao Yang said, "He used to do business in Beimeng. It’s nothing, just a few gold mines, a few copper mines, and a hundred or so shops."

Prince Jing was shocked. ’Gold mines, copper mines, a hundred or so shops, and that’s *all*?’

’Don’t talk about it like you’re talking about cabbages by the roadside.’

Xiao Yang casually picked up a gold bar and handed it to him. "A little something for tea, Uncle."

Prince Jing: "..."

He was an elder with principles. The Emperor couldn’t possibly think she could bribe him with gold.

Although the feel of the gold in his hands was too good to let go of, and although its heavy weight almost bent him over, he had principles.

"Your Majesty is still young... Marriage is a matter of state and must be considered carefully..."

’Even if this boy has money, Her Majesty is still the Emperor. She possesses the entire world.’

’This marriage won’t be that easy!’