Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day.

My wet nurse said Ye Weilan had stood in the pavilion all night, watching the red candles burn down to nothing. Only when the sky began to pale with dawn did he finally leave.

She spoke cautiously, afraid I might change my mind.

They probably all thought I was only using Xiangnu to provoke Ye Weilan.

But in this life, I’d taken Xiangnu for myself and tasted what it was like. It only made me feel my last life had been a waste-how could I possibly regret it?

I brought Xiangnu into the palace and petitioned for him to be my Imperial Son-in-Law.

My Imperial Younger Brother looked at Xiangnu with undisguised contempt.

“Elder Sister, he’s just a servant. How could he be worthy of being your Imperial Son-in-Law? Using him to needle Ye Weilan is one thing, but how can you make it real?”

Xiangnu’s origins were lowly. His mother was a performer in the palace’s Pear Garden, and she bore him with another performer.

He started training in the Pear Garden at three. By thirteen, he’d mastered singing and instruments, and his looks were even more outstanding.

At sixteen, he was selected by the Emperor to be my male concubine-his first time ever stepping outside the Pear Garden.

By status, he truly wasn’t qualified.

But by sincerity, he was.

Xiangnu knelt on the ground with his head lowered, his whole body steeped in dejection.

My heart pinched a little.

I said softly, “Imperial Younger Brother, everyone in this world stands below you and me. Since that’s the case, what difference does it make who I choose? As for the great clans and noble houses of the realm-who stands high and who stands low is whatever you decide. Status doesn’t matter.”

The moment he heard that, my Imperial Younger Brother’s eyes lit up.

“Elder Sister is right. If you want to raise his status just to slap Ye Weilan in the face, I’ll grant your wish. Men! Grant Xiangnu the title Marquis of Yongjing. Reward him with a thousand gold pieces, and bestow an estate upon him.”

After that, he didn’t spare Xiangnu another glance. He tugged me along, brimming with excitement as he talked about Ye Weilan.

“Elder Sister, how did I do? What did Ye Weilan look like yesterday? Tell me! Don’t worry, Elder Sister-as long as Ye Weilan softens, I’ll issue another marriage decree for you later. But if he still won’t behave… hmph!”

A streak of ferocity flashed in his eyes. He truly meant to kill.

My Younger Brother was fifteen this year. He’d ascended the throne young, and in truth he didn’t have much talent for ruling.

Now, the powerful noble families of Great Jin held sway at court, while the authority in his hands was thin.

Yet he couldn’t see that clearly.

In my last life, he and I died together in a bamboo grove.

He had the Imperial Guard escort me as I fled, but those guards didn’t listen to him.

I was hacked into a pulp, and three meters away, he became another heap of flesh.

This time, we couldn’t let it happen again.

Thankfully, we share the same mother. He’s suspicious by nature and trusts few, but he listens to me.

I held his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. Slowly, solemnly, I said each word: “Imperial Younger Brother, you have to take power for yourself. If you truly hold power, then even ten Ye Weilans can be killed. But if you don’t truly hold power, you can’t kill even one Ye Weilan.”

His face sank.

He knew I was telling the truth.

Great Jin’s aristocratic families were as numerous as the hairs on an ox-killing even a single Ye Weilan would be difficult at every turn.

“Elder Sister, then what should I do?”

“Listen to me.”

I clasped his hand tightly. “This time, you must listen to me.”

The following day, my Imperial Younger Brother issued two decrees:

One granted marriage between Xiangnu and me, making him my Imperial Son-in-Law.

The other conferred upon me the title Regent Queen and permitted me to attend court and take part in state affairs.

At last, I stood on the same court floor as Ye Weilan. The feeling was… strangely subtle.