The Empress sized up Xiao Man. She had heard much about Xiao Man's reputation. When Lan Qin was a spy in the General's mansion, she had sent back many reports about Xiao Man. Xiao Man had played the role of a decadent young master to perfection, but who would have thought it was all a facade? How many people had been fooled by this illusion? If she hadn't appeared so incompetent and foolish, perhaps she would never have been allowed to grow up.
"You betrayed Yu Sheng and dare to be so arrogant? Aren't you afraid I'll hand you over to Yu Sheng?"
"You dare not," Xiao Man said calmly. "I am the only direct descendant of Lan Yue. You have no children in your lifetime, and the courtiers of Lan Yue will not agree, nor will the common people... I suspect the one who caused your inability to have children was someone very close to you."
The Empress's face darkened. Her eyes, dark and deep, fixed on Xiao Man like a venomous snake, flicking its forked tongue, ready to bare its poisonous fangs at any moment.
"It seems that it was a man who caused the Empress to be childless for life."
The Empress withdrew her gaze. "Sometimes, being too smart is not a good thing."
"In Yu Sheng, a man could have many women. If any woman dared to harm a man, the man would absolutely not tolerate it. In Lan Yue, although women hold power, psychologically they still cannot escape men. Even the high and mighty Empress is still troubled by a man."
"Xiao Man!" The Empress slammed the table in anger. The female official by her side, who was bandaging the Empress's arm, trembled with fear. Should she leave quickly to avoid being silenced for hearing something she shouldn't have?
Xiao Man leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed, and smiled at the Empress. "Let me guess, the Empress's coup to seize the throne back then was not for a man?"
The Empress clenched her fists, then loosened them after a moment. "It is merely a man, is it worth my concern? I heard your former lover killed your father. Do you think you have let it go?"
Xiao Man's smile deepened. "Is the Empress perhaps too ill-informed? What former lover could compare to my father's life? Whoever dared to touch my father, I would take their life. That applies to former lovers and everyone else."
The Empress looked at Xiao Man with suspicion. The matter between Xiao Man and Prince Qin of Yu Sheng had been a huge scandal. This woman, for the death of Xiao Zhen, had severely wounded Prince Qin and betrayed Yu Sheng. She was indeed a person of fierce temper, unable to tolerate even a grain of sand in her eye. However, such an overly fierce temper was easily broken.
"Tomorrow, I will issue an imperial decree to all under heaven, bestowing upon you the title of Imperial Princess." The Empress picked up a pastry and offered it to Xiao Man. "From now on, you are the rightful Imperial Princess of Lan Yue."
Xiao Man did not take the pastry offered by the Empress. "I am already the rightful Imperial Princess of Lan Yue. Do you not agree?"
The Empress's expression remained unchanged. She looked at Xiao Man silently. Xiao Man had killed the daughter of Jing Yu Jun, publicly punished Jing Yu Jun, offended the commander of the city defense forces, and seized the Sky Cloud Pavilion from the eldest princess. Every action she took was courting death, yet she was still alive and well. Mo Ran, were you supporting her from behind the scenes?
"Xiao Man, it is not good to be too arrogant. As a member of the imperial family, you must be even more cautious in your words and actions to avoid bringing disaster upon yourself." The Empress threw the pastry back onto the plate. "After all, no one can support you forever."
Xiao Man smiled meaningfully at these words. Support, she, Xiao Man, had never relied on anyone else for support, nor could anyone give her support!
Xiao Man stood up. "Since the Empress is well, I shall take my leave. My Hundred Flowers Pavilion has just opened, and I am very busy. I still need to attend to my business."
"As an Imperial Princess, do not forget your duties." The Empress did not stop her. "From tomorrow onwards, you will help me handle memorials. Don't always let your sisters share the burden. You should also learn to handle state affairs. If an Imperial Princess does not know how to manage state affairs, it will be a laughingstock."
Xiao Man merely smiled upon hearing this and turned to leave. Once she entered the court, those few princesses would surely view her as a thorn in their side, a splinter in their flesh. But it didn't matter; she hadn't come to Lan Yue to truly be an Imperial Princess!
After leaving the palace, Xiao Man went straight to a carriage. Seated in the carriage was a young palace maid in a palace dress, her face particularly unfamiliar.
Xiao Man glanced at her. "Did you get the item?"
The young palace maid wiped her face, immediately tearing off a human skin mask. It was none other than the Third Princess, Lan Qin.
Lan Qin threw the mask aside and rubbed her face. "There wasn't much in the Empress's private library, and it couldn't be moved carelessly. If anything was touched, the Empress would know, so I didn't take anything out."
Xiao Man's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you didn't take it out?"
"I memorized the content. I'll write it out for you later."
Xiao Man's eyes flickered. "I didn't expect your memory to be so good."
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think the Empress sent me to the General's mansion as a spy? It was precisely because of my photographic memory and my ability to blend in." Lan Qin said proudly. "However, you must not ask me to do such a thing again next time. It's too dangerous. If the Empress discovered I had infiltrated her private library, even if I had a hundred lives, they wouldn't be enough for her to take."
"Tell me what you found first."
"Most of the books in the Empress's private library are about the Former Qin dynasty."
Xiao Man's eyes flickered. It seemed the Four Kingdoms were all more or less connected to the Former Qin, yet they all avoided it and even forbade discussion about it. There must be an unknown secret behind this.
"Didn't the Former Qin dynasty perish long ago? Why is the Empress still keeping things from the Former Qin?"
"I don't know about that. I only briefly browsed through it at the time; it all talked about the Former Qin, so I stopped looking. However, I did find what you were looking for: the Feng family."
"Is there something wrong with the Feng family?"
"The Feng family are descendants of the Former Qin."
Xiao Man was somewhat surprised, then understood. It was undoubtedly Feng Mo Ran's credit that she could collect so much information about the Former Qin. These must have been deliberately sent to her to incite infighting among the Four Kingdoms. Was Feng Mo Ran's goal to restore Qin?
"So, the Empress of Lan Yue protected the descendants of the Former Qin?" Xiao Man asked doubtfully.
"Yes."
"Did the Empress make a descendant of the Former Qin her consort to continue the bloodline of the Former Qin, or to protect the Former Qin clan?"
"I don't know." Lan Qin shook her head. After all, the Former Qin was a taboo to her as well. She didn't know much, and moreover, she was not truly of Lan Yue's royal bloodline, but merely an adopted daughter. To put it nicely, she was a princess; to put it bluntly, she was just a pawn.
Xiao Man's thoughts stirred. Who would have annihilated the Feng family? Could it be Lan Ruo Yu? No, that's not right. If it were Lan Ruo Yu, she shouldn't have targeted the Feng family.