A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 455 A Moment's Pain Is Better Than a Lifetime's Pain (Bonus Chapter for Donations)

Ji Jin's voice was weak, but she still had her usual imposing manner. "The greatest threat to the royal family today is not only the Regent, but also the five great nine-tailed fox families, who are also stirring up trouble and are an even greater hidden danger."

“Yuan Ke wants to act as regent to control the young emperor, and we can also use him to maintain the balance.”

Qiu Yang seemed to understand but not quite, only vaguely grasping the meaning, "Your Majesty means..."

Ji Jin explained, "In the current inner court, Prime Minister Yuan Ke has the most followers and the greatest power, but unfortunately he has a fatal flaw: he is not a member of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan."

"The Yiyuan Empire was founded by my Ji family and the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. It has a foundation of thousands of years. The empire follows ancient rules and laws. If Yuan Ke wants to ascend the throne, he will inevitably fail to win the hearts of the people. He also cannot defy the ancient system. The safest way is to become regent."

“Li’er is still young and not strong enough to contend with him. Regent is his best option. I guess when Li’er ascends the throne, he will definitely stage a palace coup and take the opportunity to support the young emperor’s ascension to the throne to win favors from all sides, so that he can legitimately carry out regency.”

Ji Jin coughed twice, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Although his body was weak, he had held a high position for many years and was quite familiar with the intricacies of those people in the court.

He continued, "...In this way, Yuan Ke would have enough reason to control the government for ten years before the young emperor came of age. He could also cultivate the emperor into a qualified and obedient puppet within ten years. If the emperor became disobedient, he would have enough power to secretly eliminate the emperor and support a new emperor to ascend the throne. However, he would not be able to rightfully take the throne."

Ji Jin looked out the window, a deep worry flashing in her eyes. "But the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan is different. If the emperor dies and his youngest son also 'dies unexpectedly,' they are fully entitled to change the dynasty and choose a new heir from within the clan to support as the new emperor."

Ji Jin looked at Qiu Yang's enlightened expression and said solemnly, "After I abdicate, if there is no powerful court official to protect Li'er, the first thing the five great nine-tailed fox families will have to deal with is Li'er."

“Yuan Ke is a double-edged sword, capable of both external and internal threats. I can’t touch the five great Nine-Tailed Fox families right now, so I can only help Li’er choose a way to protect himself. This is the only thing I can do for him now.”

Qiu Yang understood, "His Majesty is truly farsighted!"

Keep the Regent in place for now to suppress the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, let them fight amongst themselves and wear each other down. The young prince becomes the stabilizing force that neither side dares to make a move against, and thus becomes the safest existence!
Ji Jin smiled bitterly, "This is the only way we can do it. Xiao Li is my and Xiao Jiu's only child. I hope he can live a peaceful and happy life, but unfortunately, there's not much I can do to help him... cough cough cough..."

Qiu Yang quickly got up and stepped forward to support him, saying worriedly, "Your Majesty, please lie down and rest. I will go and brew your medicine!"

"No need." Ji Jin waved his hand weakly. "Listen carefully, I have one last thing to ask of you."

"Your Majesty is too kind. You saved my life. I will do my utmost to fulfill any of Your Majesty's orders! I will also serve Your Majesty for the rest of my life!"

Ji Jin gazed at him intently, a hint of sorrow and helplessness flashing in her eyes. She shook her head and said, "Qiu Yang, there's no need to deceive yourself anymore. I know my body very well."

"..." Qiu Yang lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

The air remained silent for a long time.

Ji Jin closed her eyes and said those words aloud.

"My lifespan is nearing its end, and I won't live much longer. In the future, I will officially entrust Li'er to you."

"Peng!"

Qiu Yang suddenly knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

His eyes were red and his voice was hoarse as he said, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to raise you to adulthood and will never allow anyone to threaten your safety or the safety of the empire!"

at the same time.

A crisp "crack" came from outside the door, as if something had broken.

Qiu Yang quickly got up and went over to take a look. He found that the entrance to the hall was empty and there was no one there, but there was a bowl of broken medicine at the entrance. The dark medicine flowed down the steps.

Qiu Yang turned and walked back, saying with a complicated expression, "It should be that the young prince came by."

He overheard their conversation.

Ji Jin said, "Never mind, he'll find out sooner or later, and he'll have to learn to accept it all."

Qiu Yang spoke with a bitter tone, "Your Majesty is still young. He lost his mother when he was only three years old and didn't even have a chance to remember her. Now he has to..." Qiu Yang, an adult male, couldn't continue.

To outsiders, there's something rather strange.

The Empress's identity has always been shrouded in mystery.

No one knows where the Empress came from. Since marrying His Majesty, she has lived in seclusion in the palace and has never gone out. She rarely attends even ordinary meetings and activities, and she doesn't even have any beastmen serving her. The beastmen in the palace rarely see her.

There were no reports about her in the imperial media. Only Qiu Yang, as a close advisor to the emperor, knew the inside story: His Majesty had secretly ordered the removal of the reports, completely destroying anything related to the empress.

Qiu Yang had never understood why before, but after the palace fire five years ago, he seemed to understand something.

His Majesty has been protecting the Empress from being discovered.

But a pity.

After all, the truth will come out.

Those mysterious people eventually caught up with her and wanted to take the Empress away.

What is the background of the Empress?

Qiu Yang also had many questions in his heart, but he knew that these were not questions he should ask. So many years had passed, and the secret should be buried somewhere unknown.

Ji Jin pressed a switch on the bed, opened a hidden compartment, and took out a portrait.

He also kept a portrait of the empress.

She was a stunningly beautiful woman.

Ji Jin's thin, pale fingers gently stroked the eyebrows and eyes of the person in the painting, her eyes flashing with deep longing and remembrance.

In the end, he placed a corner of the painting in the flickering candlelight.

The flames instantly engulfed it.

In just a few breaths, the meticulously drawn painting turned into ashes.

Ji Jin gazed out the window into the distance, a look of relief on her face.
"The loss of a loved one is only a temporary pain, better than a lifetime of pain."

……

Three months later, the emperor died.

The night after the late emperor's coffin was buried in the imperial mausoleum, a palace coup occurred, and the court was thrown into chaos.

Prime Minister Yuan Ke and other ministers worked together to quell the sudden palace coup and help the young emperor ascend the throne smoothly.

Unfortunately, the young emperor was still too young and needed a senior minister to assist him. Considering the great merit of Prime Minister Yuan Ke in protecting the emperor, the ministers recommended him to be the regent.

From this point on, Yuan Ke controlled all matters of state, and the young emperor became a puppet emperor without real power.

What those people didn't know was that, in order to protect his son, the late Emperor Ji Jin had already sent someone to send the real Ji Jiuli out of the palace, leaving behind a substitute as a political puppet.

He even pulled off a clever escape before he died.

Thank you "Jiang Ni'er" for becoming a "fanatic" of the book and for the extra chapter! Goodnight!

P.S.: I probably won't be able to get my sleep schedule back before it's finished, so please don't stay up late waiting for me, just read it after you wake up in the morning~