Chapter 181: She Is the Emperor, She Wants It, She Can Have It

Prince Jing was solely focused on lodging complaints and airing his grievances, while his son, Xiao Hong, was forced to worry himself sick over it.

He had to escort his father the entire way, while also carrying memorials from the Regent King and Xiao Lv.

Both men were very worried about the Little Emperor. Their memorials were filled with concern for the Little Emperor’s well-being and questions about the kidnapping. They didn’t know how the Little Emperor had been abducted and were currently still in a state of confusion and worry. The moment they found out, those two would go dark in a heartbeat, and they would be far harder to placate than Prince Jing.

’Xiao Lv might be manageable, but Rong Yin... He wouldn’t actually draw his sword and kill Mu Yunlian, would he?’

’I feel like he’s capable of it.’

Xiao Yang sighed. ’Why is life so difficult? Mu Yunlian has caused me no small amount of trouble, yet I still have to protect him.’

And that bastard wasn’t the least bit guilty. He’d take any opportunity to get close and take advantage of her, and at night, he’d even climb into her bed to tease her, leaving her simmering with frustration.

As for those two personalities, he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend anymore. Even if he wasn’t as brazen during the day, he still took any chance he got to take advantage and get what he wanted.

’Split personality? This is clearly him unleashing his true nature.’

Xiao Hong finally got a good night’s sleep. When he woke up, he was faced with the mess in Luoyan City.

Xiao Yang had just been worrying about who to pick for Luoyan City’s governor, and he had arrived at the perfect time.

Originally, Prince Jing was more suitable, but Prince Jing was needed for a more important task, so the matter fell into Xiao Hong’s hands.

Xiao Lan said, "Your Majesty said that only you can accomplish this task perfectly."

There was another sentence from Her Majesty that Xiao Lan didn’t mention. Xiao Yang’s thought had been: ’I really can’t be bothered to placate anyone else. Just give him something to do. As long as he’s not idle, he won’t let his imagination run wild.’

On the surface, Xiao Lan remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was smiling.

He was very clear about his own status. Although Xiao Lv had brought him to the imperial court and he called Xiao Lv and the others brothers, there were still varying degrees of closeness between brothers.

Xiao Lv and Xiao Hong were clearly closer to Her Majesty; Her Majesty even called them her "brothers," and would go out of her way to placate them.

It was one thing for him to understand this, but whether he harbored any resentment was another matter entirely.

In any case, he was quite happy to see Her Majesty work these two brothers to the bone.

There’s an old saying: it’s not scarcity that causes strife, but inequality. Her Majesty handled this very well. Of the four of them, she hadn’t let a single one stay idle.

Xiao Hong accepted the pile of seals and scrolls with a blank expression and said nothing, but as he turned to leave, he couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes hard.

-----

Xiao Yang had taken Beimeng’s mines and needed to send people to take them over, but Jin Zeyu was guarding Wumu City just ahead.

If the people she sent were too weak, they wouldn’t be able to secure the mines. But if she sent the army, it would divide the forces at Fengxue Pass.

After analyzing the situation, Xiao Yang and Mu Yunlian decided to first send over the exiled people from the surrounding areas, including the recently purged Lu Family. All of them.

They definitely couldn’t start mining for now, but they had to occupy the land first.

"Is everything arranged?"

Xiao Yang heard footsteps and thought it was Mu Yunlian. She spoke as she looked up, but was surprised to see it was Li Wei.

"Any new information?"

Li Wei reported, "The Beimeng King has made no moves, so there’s no new activity for now. The cannons have been set up. The landmines and Fire Thunder have all arrived."

Xiao Yang beckoned to him. "Come here."

Li Wei walked closer. She had him stand beside her to look at the map before them.

Li Wei was astonished. "Is this... Beimeng?"

Maps weren’t common in this era, but they weren’t unheard of, either. Local officials and merchants had them, but they were all simple route maps.

But a national map that encompassed the entire territory was a classified item that only the imperial court could possess.

First, they were difficult to draw, and second, they involved military secrets.

Generally speaking, even a Monarch would only have a map of their own country. If they had maps of other nations, they would only be rough sketches.

But the one in Xiao Yang’s hands was terrifyingly detailed.

Cities, mountain ranges, rivers, hills, and plains were all visible at a glance. The major and minor roads were detailed with the intricacy of a spider’s web.

It wasn’t just a map; it also showed the distribution of various mineral resources, military zones, population centers, and tribal names.

It was so detailed it was as if every inch had been measured by hand.

If someone claimed this was taken from the Beimeng King himself, no one would doubt it.

He even suspected that the map in the Beimeng King’s possession was probably not this detailed, because he had seen Da Wei’s map, which was much cruder in comparison.

It had to be said, the person who drew this map was a genius.

"Did Your Majesty go to the Beimeng Palace?"

Li Wei even had the absurd thought that Xiao Yang had deliberately gone to Beimeng just to steal this map.

Xiao Yang said, "Mu Yunlian gave this to me."

Li Wei was left speechless.

Xiao Yang asked him, "Do you think this war will actually break out?"

Li Wei glanced at the map. Her Majesty’s intentions were incredibly easy to guess.

Beimeng had far too many mines; anyone who saw them would covet them. If all these resources were to belong to Da Wei, given Her Majesty’s current sagacity, Da Wei would be on the verge of its most prosperous era.

Li Wei said, "I understand, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yang’s eyelid twitched. She was starting to hate it when she asked a question and people just said they understood. ’Understand what, exactly? Understand my ass.’

"Come back!"

Xiao Yang stopped Li Wei, who was about to leave, and said irritably, "Tell me, what is it that you understand?"

Li Wei observed Xiao Yang’s expression and chose his words carefully. "A just cause for war."

Xiao Yang asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Li Wei’s gaze was firm and steady. "There must be spies from Beimeng in Luoyan City. We capture them, make a public example of them, and use it to question the Beimeng King and declare war."

Xiao Yang furrowed her brow. That was one way to do it.

Xiao Yang wasn’t afraid of war. The number of people who had already died by her decree was countless. But there was a difference between executing corrupt officials and launching a full-scale war. In truth, she still felt a sliver of hesitation.

But she was now caught in an awkward position. If she started a war, it would look like she was a bully. If she didn’t, Jin Zeyu was just sitting there, waiting.

She needed a catalyst.

Xiao Yang looked at the map, at first just contemplating the current situation. But the longer she looked, the ambition befitting an Emperor began to sprout and expand within her.

’Being an Emperor is different from being the head of an ordinary household. An Emperor can’t operate on the principle of only striking back after being struck. The very essence of Imperial Power is plunder.’

’An Emperor must be strong, ambitious, ruthless, and merciless. Nine parts cruelty and one part kindness—that is the way of the Emperor.’

’The consideration should not be what is right, but what the nation needs, what is necessary for the nation.’

’Flipping through five thousand years of history, if an Emperor cannot usher in a golden age or build a powerful nation, then their reign is meaningless.’

’Even when you’re just playing a game, if you’re not playing to win, then what’s the point?’

’I would rather bear a lifetime of infamy to build a legacy that will bless ten thousand generations.’

She didn’t just want Beimeng’s mineral resources. She wanted all of Beimeng.

She was the Emperor. She wanted it, and she could take it.

There was only one thing she needed to consider now: bearing the infamy of starting a war.

’But history is written by the victors.’

"Li Wei... I want Beimeng."

Xiao Yang lifted her gaze, her bright eyes filled with ambition and desire. "What I want is not just the mines, but for all of Beimeng to belong to Da Wei."

Without a shred of hesitation, Li Wei cupped his hands. "As you command, Your Majesty."