The Tyrant’s Drama Queen Empress

CHAPTER 65: The Signal of the Shattering Cup

　　Shen Ling sat in the elevated seat. From her position, she could see everything happening below her clearly, down to the smallest expressions of the officials and noblewomen.

　　For example, there was an official drinking wine. He had been nursing the same tiny cup for a long time, yet somehow it still wasn’t empty. Then there was a lady who, judging by where she was seated, was probably facing an enemy of hers. She kept shooting sharp, unrestrained eye-rolls at the other party without the slightest attempt to hide it.

　　Shen Ling watched with great interest. No wonder teachers always told students not to mess around in class. Turns out, when you’re sitting high up, you really can see everything.

　　After enjoying the little “performances” below her for a while, she finally realized something belatedly.

　　Why was this palace banquet so quiet?

　　Wasn’t this supposed to be a banquet? A banquet should be filled with clinking cups, lively conversations, and relaxed laughter. But what Shen Ling saw was an eerie stillness. Every single person had their mouth shut tighter than a clam, as if the moment they spoke, some god of death would descend wupon them.

　　Wait, wait, wait. God of death?!

　　Shen Ling shifted her gaze to the person sitting beside her, Xie Yuanxun.

　　There he was. The “god of death” himself.

　　Xie Yuanxun noticed her staring and looked back. “What is it?”

　　Shen Ling said, “Don’t you think the hall is really quiet? Nobody is talking at all. Don’t tell me that by the end of the banquet, no one is going to say a single word.”

　　Xie Yuanxun let out a soft chuckle. “You do observe things quite carefully.”

　　Shen Ling waved her hand modestly. “It’s nothing, nothing.”

　　—I mean, I would prefer not to observe so carefully, but they’re being so obvious. It’s not like I’m blind.

　　Shen Ling guessed, “Did you forbid them from speaking?”

　　Xie Yuanxun scoffed lightly. “Wake up. If I really didn’t want them to speak, wouldn’t it be more efficient to just cut their throats? That would solve the problem once and for all.”

　　Shen Ling’s mouth twitched. “......”

　　—Fine, fine, you win. I’ve got nothing to say to that.

　　—But I still feel like this has something to do with you.

　　That much was true. Xie Yuanxun toyed with the wine cup between his fingers as he thought it over.

　　In the past, palace banquets were always noisy. People arguing, laughing, talking over each other, the constant buzz was enough to make his ears ache. After quietly “dealing with” a few of them over time during these banquets, things eventually became this calm. Compared to before, Xie Yuanxun definitely preferred how it was now.

　　Xie Yuanxun asked, “You think it’s too quiet?”

　　Shen Ling replied, “Yeah. It’s way too quiet.”

　　—Instead of sitting here staring each other down, I’d rather go back to Chang Le Palace and sleep. And if I don’t sleep, I could at least read a storybook or play with my little pup. Wouldn’t that be way better?

　　Xie Yuanxun understood immediately. Shen Ling just wanted entertainment.

　　He glanced at Senior Eunuch Feng, who had just quietly entered from outside the hall, he nodded and said in a loaded tone, “Your Majesty, everything has been arranged properly.”

　　This was referring both to the gifts the guests would present later, and to the fact that the people Xue Yunshi had brought in had already been led right into the trap.

　　Xie Yuanxun said, “Then let the fun begin.”

　　Senior Eunuch Feng replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

　　Shen Ling glanced between Xie Yuanxun and Senior Eunuch Feng. Something felt off. The “fun” Xie Yuanxun was talking about didn’t sound like something simple at all.

　　Senior Eunuch Feng began instructing the guests to present their offerings to Xie Yuanxun. Some offered calligraphy and paintings, some presented harvest tributes symbolizing good fortune, others offered white jade stones… there were all kinds of gifts.

　　Watching one person after another step forward with their presents, Shen Jinxiu’s breathing gradually grew tense. Success or failure all depended on today.

　　From Xue Yunshi’s words, Shen Jinxiu knew the coup would begin when the royal family member, Prince Xin, presented that rare white lion beast. The moment the white lion went berserk, Xue Yunshi would smash his cup as the signal. The soldiers outside would immediately receive the order, eliminate the remaining guards, and then storm into this very palace to deliver victory to them.

　　Xue Yunshi glanced at Shen Jinxiu and said casually, “Relax. Everything is already going according to plan.”

　　Shen Jinxiu said softly, “Yes… Marquis is truly unfazed by praise or criticism.”

　　On that point, he was nowhere near as composed as Xue Yunshi. In fact, he looked far more nervous than Xue Yunshi did.

　　Xue Yunshi’s fingers, resting on his knee, moved slightly. The light in his eyes was dark and unreadable. No matter what he tried, his legs still didn’t respond at all.

　　“What’s there to be afraid of?” he said lightly. “If you’ve been through enough, you stop feeling fear and nervousness like this.”

　　For Xue Yunshi, emotions like fear and anxiety had almost disappeared along with the loss of his legs. What remained in his heart was only a desperate, all-in gamble where he would risk everything at once.

　　Shen Jinxiu caught a faint chill in Xue Yunshi’s tone and instinctively looked over. But when he saw the smile on Xue Yunshi’s face, he hesitated, thinking he might have misread it.

　　At that moment, it was already the turn of the royal clan to present their gifts. Prince Xin’s seat was placed toward the front. The title held by Prince Xin’s Manor was not one that passed down forever; it would be downgraded after three generations. By the time it reached Prince Xin, he was already the last holder of the original rank, and the next heir would start from a reduced title.

　　This was why Prince Xin had invested so much money and effort in sending people to search for the auspicious white lion, hoping to present it to Xie Yuanxun.    

　　Xie Yuanxun liked fierce beasts and had even specially built a Beast Garden. The white lion was a rare and precious creature. If he was pleased after receiving it, he might even allow Prince Xin’s title to be passed down for a few more generations.

　　Prince Xin knelt on the ground. Behind him was a huge iron cage tightly covered with black cloth.

　　“Your Majesty,” he said, “this is the auspicious creature this subject has found. I wish Your Majesty eternal life, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years. May Da Liang Dynasty flourish for generations under Your Majesty’s rule and remain prosperous forever.”

　　Shen Ling: “Pfft...”

　　She accidentally choked.

　　Xie Yuanxun frowned and reached out to gently pat her back. “You can even choke while eating. What are the people serving you doing? Why didn’t they cut the fruit into smaller pieces?”

　　Liu Zhu immediately knelt down in panic.

　　Before Liu Zhu could even speak, Shen Ling quickly said to Xie Yuanxun, “It’s not her fault. It’s already cut small enough. If it were any smaller, I’d basically be drinking fruit juice instead of eating fruit pieces.”

　　—In other words, choking on it has absolutely nothing to do with what I was eating.

　　Xie Yuanxun looked at her. “Then why are you still choking on fruit?”    

　　Shen Ling went, “Uh.”

　　How was she supposed to answer that? Tell Xie Yuanxun that before she transmigrated, Prince Xin was a jinx? That right after he wished Da Liang dynasty eternal prosperity, the dynasty… well, it didn’t even last that long. It ended in Xie Yuanxun’s generation.

　　Shen Ling, “……”

　　“I just ate the fruit too fast. If I eat slower, I’ll be fine.”

　　Xie Yuanxun stared at her. “Really?”

　　Shen Ling pushed his arm away, forcing his face to turn back toward the scene below instead of her. “Of course it’s real. If it’s not real, is it fake instead? Why would I even lie to you? Hey, stop talking to me and just focus. Prince Xin has been kneeling for a long time already, you should see what gift he’s going to present.”

　　Xie Yuanxun didn’t pick up anything unusual from her thoughts, so he relaxed a little and nodded.

　　But the next second, his expression turned cold again as he said to Liu Zhu, “Take better care of your mistress. If this happens again, someone this useless shouldn’t stay by her side.”

　　Liu Zhu lowered her head respectfully. “Yes.”

　　Shen Ling picked up her fork again, ready to continue eating the fruit cubes, thinking:

　　—After the banquet ends, I’ll give Liu Zhu a salary raise. After all, she only got scolded because of me.

　　Xie Yuanxun let out a cold snort, but in the end, he didn’t interfere too much with Shen Ling’s ideas. After all, he could tell the palace maids and eunuchs in Chang Le Palace were genuinely loyal to her. It was strange, really. He had never once seen Shen Ling discipline them, so how did they all end up listening to her so obediently?

　　Even after so long, he had never seen her drive away a single servant. It made him think of what Senior Eunuch Feng had once whispered to him—that privately, everyone said Chang Le Palace was the place they most wanted to serve in.

　　Could it be that Shen Ling actually had some kind of talent for managing servants that he had failed to notice?

　　Xie Yuanxun didn’t dwell on it any further. He caught Shen Ling’s hand that was holding the fork and said, “You’ve already eaten enough fruit. Pick something else to eat.”

　　Lest he end up worrying every moment about her choking on fruit again.

　　Shen Ling had no choice but to nod obediently. “I will.”

　　—I’m already being this obedient, so can you stop lecturing me? If you keep going, I feel like the whole palace is going to hear it.

　　—And if they do hear it, I can’t even imagine how socially dead I’ll be. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

　　Seeing that Shen Ling really didn’t dare to mess around anymore, and wasn’t just humoring him with empty words, Xie Yuanxun finally turned his attention to the “auspicious gift” sent by Prince Xin.

　　Prince Xin was very perceptive. While Xie Yuanxun and Shen Ling were talking, he stood quietly below without moving an inch. Only after their conversation ended did he rise and instruct the palace attendants to remove the black cloth covering the large iron cage.

　　“Whoosh—” Everyone was stunned when they saw the white lion inside the cage.   

　　Xie Yuanxun’s expression didn’t change at all.

　　Shen Ling looked at the white lion. “A white lion?”

　　She kept staring at it. So this was the same one mentioned in the book, the one that would attack Xie Yuanxun and end up giving Shen Jinxiu a noble title for protecting the Emperor.

　　Only, Shen Jinxiu no longer had that kind of chance now. After all, he had already gotten involved with Xue Yunshi instead.

　　She measured the distance between the white lion, herself, and Xie Yuanxun. Then she slowly lowered the hand that had been eating on the table and rested it instead on the short blade hanging at her waist. It was about half her forearm in length, but sharp enough to cut iron like mud. The weight of it eased her tense nerves just a little.

　　—Don’t panic, don’t panic.

　　—I’ve got a top-tier self-defense weapon right here.

　　If this white lion really tried to attack Xie Yuanxun like it did in the book, she would definitely drive this blade straight into its throat.    

　　—Damn it, who does it think it is messing with my people? Does it want to die?!

　　—If it comes once, I’ll kill it once. If it comes twice, I’ll kill it twice. I refuse to believe I can’t take it down.

　　—And this blade I’ve got? “Cuts iron like mud” isn’t just some empty brag.

　　Xie Yuanxun tried hard to hold back a laugh. Fine, then. He’d leave Shen Ling alone to her little mission of “protecting the Emperor.”

　　Only now did he finally understand why earlier she had rummaged through his private treasury for so long, searching for a suitable weapon. So that was it. She had been trying to find something to protect him.

　　The corners of Xie Yuanxun’s lips lifted, his mood clearly improving in an open, unguarded way.

　　Shen Ling was completely focused on the white lion pacing back and forth inside the cage below, so she didn’t notice the change in him at all. On the other side, Senior Eunuch Feng had seen everything clearly, both Xie Yuanxun’s expression and Shen Ling’s movements. His smile deepened, growing even more kind and approving.

　　Prince Xin began circling the iron cage, casually walking around as he introduced the white lion to Xie Yuanxun.

　　Seeing the faint curve on Xie Yuanxun’s lips up above, Prince Xin’s eyes lit up. He thought the Emperor must be very pleased with the auspicious white lion he had offered.

　　After finishing his introduction, he turned to head back to his seat. But just as he had taken a few steps with his back turned to the cage, panicked cries suddenly erupted all around him.

　　“Wh-White lion…”

　　“It’s escaped!”

　　“Why is it out of the iron cage? Wasn’t it supposed to be locked up tightly?!”

　　Prince Xin’s pupils shrank. He snapped his head back toward the cage, and sure enough, the door had been opened.

　　He didn’t even have time to feel fear of the white lion. His legs gave out beneath him as he collapsed to the ground.

　　“The white lion is out…” he muttered, his voice hollow. It was over. He was finished.

　　Xie Yuanxun remained completely calm.

　　On the other hand, Shen Ling’s grip on the knife handle was so tight that her palm was already starting to sweat.

　　Down below, everyone reacted differently. Some tried their best to stay composed, some were shouting for protection, and others were so frightened they huddled together in panic.

　　Xue Yunshi gave an excited smile. Everything was going exactly according to plan, just as he had said.

　　Shen Jinxiu was not one of those battle-hardened generals who could crush mountains with sheer strength. He did feel fear toward a tall, fierce white lion, but compared to fear, what filled him more was excitement.

　　The white lion’s eyes were slowly turning red. It paced restlessly across the ground, letting out a loud roar with every step it took.

　　By the time its eyes were fully red, its gaze and appearance had turned frighteningly vicious, almost monstrous.

　　“Roar!” After another thunderous roar, it crouched low before launching itself forward.

　　Its target in a straight line was none other than Xie Yuanxun sitting at the top seat.

　　Xue Yunshi’s heartbeat quickened. The moment he saw the white lion make its move, he also slammed his wine cup down hard onto the ground. The shattering sound was no weaker than the beast’s roar, showing just how much force he had used.        

　　At that moment, the white lion that had been charging forward suddenly stopped. Its head tilted to the left, locking precisely onto Xue Yunshi and Shen Jinxiu.

　　“!!” Xue Yunshi froze.

　　Shen Jinxiu’s eyes widened as he shouted, “No, no, no, no! Why is it coming toward us? Move, get out of the way!!”

　　Seeing the white lion’s massive jaws open wide, its sharp teeth rushing toward them like a wave of death, both Xue Yunshi and Shen Jinxiu felt a strong, overwhelming sense of danger pressing down on them.

　　Shen Jinxiu reacted quickly. He twisted his body, trying to roll away on the ground. He had managed to dodge horse hooves before, so this time his movement was even more practiced, more instinctive.

　　But he still did not manage to escape.    

　　Because someone had shoved him out of the way.

　　Shen Jinxiu snapped his head to the side, eyes blazing with fury, only to see Xue Yunshi still holding out the hand that had pushed him away.

　　“You!!”

　　Xue Yunshi’s face twitched as he forced out, “You can’t run. You can’t run…”

　　He would not let Shen Jinxiu escape. If Shen Jinxiu ran, then he would be the one to die for sure. These legs of his that could no longer move were all because of what Shen Jinxiu owed him.

　　“Snap—”

　　The white lion opened its mouth, aiming for Shen Jinxiu’s head. Shen Jinxiu raised his arm on instinct, blocking it, and the sharp teeth sank straight into his flesh.

　　Cold sweat poured down his face as a look of unbearable pain twisted his expression.

　　“Quick! Protect the Emperor!” he shouted.

　　Yelling for protection at least sounded more likely to get him saved than just crying for help.    

　　When the guards finally managed to subdue and kill the white lion, Shen Jinxiu was already in a miserable state.

　　One of his arms had been torn off completely. Not only that, his face had been clawed beyond recognition, the flesh split open so badly that even bone was visible. One of his eyes had fallen straight to the ground, and his chest had also been heavily shredded by the beast’s claws.

　　Shen Ling: “Damn!!”

　　Shen Ling stared at the scene in complete shock. Whether it was the white lion going berserk and charging, Xue Yunshi pushing Shen Jinxiu out to take the hit, or Shen Jinxiu ending up disfigured and missing an arm, everything was happening too fast for her to even process.

　　—So this is what it means to be a hero without any way to act.

　　—Alas, how tragic!

　　Hearing Shen Ling’s lament, Xie Yuanxun suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of the bloodied hall, slapping the table hard.

　　“Ahahahahaha!” 

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