Chapter 1318

Hu Xiaotian looked at Qiqi with dissatisfaction and said, "Get up!"

Shi Xuedong wore a mournful expression; with the princess silent, he dared not rise.

Qiqi came and sat opposite Hu Xiaotian, glanced at the dishes on the table, and said, "Get up, bring me a new set of utensils."

Only then did Shi Xuedong rise, feeling relieved, and hurriedly went to fetch the utensils.

Hu Xiaotian looked at Qiqi with a false smile and said, "You won't give me face?"

Qiqi said, "Your wings have hardened; you no longer take this princess to heart."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "How dare I? You are a delicate and precious princess."

"So you do know that after all!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "But you are also my wife-to-be; outside, it's important for a woman to give a man some face, don't you agree?"

Qiqi thought and said, "That does make some sense; by that reckoning, what I just did was a bit excessive."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although Shi Xuedong is a eunuch, he is my sworn elder brother; to look down on him is to look down on me, and to punish him is to punish me."

Qiqi nodded and said, "When beating a dog, one must look to its owner; hearing you say that, I realize I was even more wrong."

At that moment, Shi Xuedong brought over a brand-new set of utensils, placed them respectfully before Qiqi, removed his own, and was about to leave when he heard Qiqi say, "Shi elder brother, just now I was joking with you; please don't hold it against me."

Shi Xuedong was so frightened he fell to his knees with a thud; the Yongyang Princess's tone was clearly off.

Qiqi laughed, "Shi elder brother, please rise; earlier Brother Tian blamed me for being rude to you, and if you keep doing this he'll surely get angry with me again, possibly even hit me."

Shi Xuedong inwardly sighed, you young couple quarreling and dragging me in the middle; he trembled as he stood up, forced a smile, and said, "Your Highness, I'll not intrude on your conversation with the prince consort."

Qiqi said, "Don't go; you're not an outsider—come sit and drink together."

Shi Xuedong gave a wry smile, "I must attend to the imperial cooks and prepare more dishes for the Princess; I have business and must go." Staying would be like sitting on pins and needles; he certainly didn't want to suffer that.

Hu Xiaotian also knew he was uncomfortable, and laughed, "Elder brother, go attend to your duties; I'll chat with Your Highness."

Only then did Shi Xuedong leave, feeling relieved.

Hu Xiaotian had intended to fetch the wine jug, but Qiqi snatched it first, poured him a cup and herself one, saying, "You've come from afar; I haven't had a chance to welcome you properly. Let this cup be a toast to you."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "No, it's I who should toast you!" He clinked cups with Qiqi and drank his down first.

Qiqi took a small sip and furrowed her brow.

Seeing her expression, Hu Xiaotian guessed she didn't like the wine's taste and asked, "How is it? Not to your liking?"

Qiqi said, "I don't drink alcohol; today I'm making an exception for you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If you don't want to drink, then don't; have tea. I'll drink wine."

Qiqi still drank the cup, softly saying, "One must have a cup anyway." After the wine went down, her pretty face flushed with two patches of red, making her look even more lovely and charming. Her beautiful eyes turned to Hu Xiaotian and she asked, "What exactly was your purpose in speaking ill of the Third Prince before His Majesty today?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "For you!" His scorching gaze fixed on Qiqi's pretty face. To control this little miss, he must first win her heart. He asked himself that conquering Qiqi emotionally should not be difficult, for he was a seasoned veteran in love, while Qiqi was an inexperienced girl.

Qiqi said, "I don't believe you! Your real intention is to drive a wedge between me and the Third Prince, right?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "Sibling affection? Your royal brother is merely a pawn in the Emperor's hand; with your wisdom you cannot fail to see through his intentions."

Qiqi said, "Vacate the prince's mansion. Renouncing my title is wholly my willing choice, unrelated to the Third Prince or the Emperor. You never asked my opinion, yet you petition the Emperor to withdraw the order—do you harbor even a shred of respect for me in your heart?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I am doing this to protect your interests."

Qiqi shook her head and said, "I am doing this for the sake of Dakang; the Third Prince is the most suitable candidate for heir."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "What virtue or ability does he have? Initially, to vie for the throne against your elder brother, they spared no means, yet even your elder brother couldn't defeat them; what qualification does he have to inherit the throne? If he became Dakang's emperor, the state would surely be near collapse."

Qiqi said, "You have great audacity to speak so recklessly."

Hu Xiaotian took another sip of wine and said, "Here it's just you and me; I may as well speak plainly—no rule says only Long Tingzhen can be emperor; you are just as capable, and in intellect, wisdom, and reputation you far surpass him."

Qiqi inwardly felt wary, wondering why Hu Xiaotian would say such a thing—could he have detected her and Hong Beimo's plan? Impossible, their secret had no third party knowing. He was stirring her to vie for the throne, but his true motive was still his own gain; he feared that if Long Tingzhen ascended, his interests would suffer. Qiqi said, "I harbor no such ambition."

Hu Xiaotian smirked inwardly, "You're fooling ghosts," and said lowly, "The Emperor is old and muddled; you and I have devoted ourselves to Dakang with heart and blood, yet he not only fails to be grateful but envies talent and ability; this time he summoned me back to Kangdu merely to weaken my military power—have you heard his words? He intends to keep me long in Kangdu."

Qiqi sighed, "Your rise has been too swift; it's no wonder the Emperor has grown wary of you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If I lose control of the Yongjiang Navy, our safety will be threatened; the Emperor will then move against us, and if Long Tingzhen becomes heir, he will surely strike at us, eliminating you, his rival, completely."

Qiqi knew Hu Xiaotian's words were all true, yet she doubted his motives, suspecting he married her merely to control the court through her; given his present strength, he would not be content to remain a man behind her. She whispered, "What do you intend to do?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I will spare no effort to help you become heir; only by grasping power in our own hands can we control our fate."

Qiqi gazed at Hu Xiaotian for a while before saying, "I never thought of becoming heir; now I only wish to know how to become your wife."

Hu Xiaotian reached out, his large hand covering Qiqi's soft, jade-like hand, and said softly, "Even if you don't want to, in others' eyes we are both ambitious, wishing to destroy each other; to survive, we must strike first."

Long Tingzhen roared furiously, "Why? Why did he go back on his word? Why did he give the prince's mansion to them?" He raged like a mad tiger, his fists pounding the sandbag like rain; the sandbag finally couldn't withstand his violent assault, and he punched a hole through it, causing a spray of golden grains to gush forth like a fountain.

Hong Beimo gazed at the furious Long Tingzhen, a faint cold smile curling his lips; Long Tingzhen's control was deteriorating, and while the body‑refining elixir boosted his strength, it also gradually eroded his reason. Hong Beimo sighed, "I never expected the Emperor to actually withdraw his order, not only returning the mansion to the Yongyang Princess but also restoring her title."

Long Tingzhen snarled through clenched teeth, "It's all that scoundrel Hu Xiaotian's fault; he's been meddling, for Qiqi had already resigned, yet she even proposed that I serve as heir."

Hong Beimo sighed, "Do you really believe the Yongyang Princess's words?"

Long Tingzhen said, "I heard it with my own ears; she renounced her title before the Emperor and urged him to make me heir—how could that be wrong?"

Hong Beimo said, "The Yongyang Princess possesses extraordinary wisdom; for the past two years the Emperor has entrusted all court affairs to her, and she has considerable skill, making officials defer to her and follow her plans. Before finding you, the Emperor had once considered making her heir."

Long Tingzhen scoffed, "Impossible; since Dakang's founding, there has never been a precedent of a woman ascending the throne."

"Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it never will; five hundred years ago, Chu Guo had a female emperor. The Yongyang Princess is well regarded at court, and her fiancé Hu Xiaotian now commands the Yongjiang Navy, with fierce generals under him, making him one of Da Yong's most powerful figures. On the sixteenth of next month she is to marry Hu Xiaotian; if they join forces, this heir matter might indeed change."

Long Tingzhen shouted, "Whoever dares to contend with me for the throne, I'll kill them!"

Hong Beimo said, "At first I also thought the Emperor summoned Hu Xiaotian to weaken his power, perhaps even to place him under house arrest in the capital; but after his return, the Emperor not only refrained from punishment, but increased his favor—evidently the Emperor arranged this marriage to pave the way for the Yongyang Princess."

Long Tingzhen snarled viciously, "I will kill that despicable pair!"

Hong Beimo said, "I've heard the Emperor plans to give them a great gift on the wedding day; I only hope it isn't a public proclamation naming the Yongyang Princess as heir."

Long Tingzhen fumed, "I'm going to kill them right now."

Hong Beimo blocked his path and said lowly, "The one who can decide this is the Emperor!"

Long Tingzhen said, "Mr. Hong, you promised to help me become heir, yet now why have we come to this pass?"

Hong Beimo silently cursed this fool's utter stupidity; it seems correct not to have placed his bet on him—this Long Tingzhen is incapable of great responsibility. He said lowly, "Killing solves nothing, and if you now eliminate them, your claim will lack legitimacy; once you ascend the throne, the power of life and death over all Dakang will be wholly in your hands, and then whatever you do will go unchallenged."

Long Tingzhen wore a bitter face and begged, "Master, teach me."

Hong Beimo said, "Some things you can only do yourself."

Long Tingzhen gritted his teeth and said, "If he treats me without benevolence, then don't blame me for treating him without righteousness." (To be continued~^~)