Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

"You don't need to know any of this. From now on, the affairs of the living are none of your concern." Wei Rong interrupted him coldly: "If you don't agree to this divorce agreement, I can chop off your fingers and press them on. As for you, you will be locked up in the Hall of Virtuous Governance for the rest of your life. You won't die, but you will never see the light of day again. I want you to reflect on the pain you have created today with your own hands every day you live."

After she finished speaking, she didn't linger and had Ling Xianru push her out.

It was freezing cold inside, while the sunlight outside was blinding.

Wei Rong had not yet covered her eyes; her head was covered by the shade of an umbrella.

Ling Xianru held up an umbrella in one hand and pushed her with the other: "Doctor Qian said that the wound on your face is prone to scarring if exposed to sunlight."

She later asked Qiaoyu to show her in the mirror, and she saw that there were many scratches on her face, which had scabbed over and looked quite frightening.

She couldn't help but touch it with her fingertips, then looked up at the person under the same umbrella: "Aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of? Scars?" Ling Xianru looked at her: "Your eyes and nose are both beautiful, and they're just a few scars. They're not incurable, so why worry about them?"

Qiaoyu, who was silently following along, felt a chill run down her spine.

Although the Prime Minister was right, why did she feel so damned to hear those words?

Wei Rong paused, then sighed helplessly, "You really are—"

"What are your plans next?" Ling Xianru tilted the umbrella towards her, completely covering her in the shade, so that the sunlight could not reach her at all.

When he suddenly asked that question, Wei Rong hadn't really thought it through.

But she could no longer stay in the palace. Xiao Heng had killed her father, and she could not allow her name to remain on the Xiao family genealogy.

They also asked Wei Xing if he wanted to be emperor.

If the Xiao family cannot manage the affairs of this Great Jing dynasty, they can simply replace them with someone else.

Ke Weixing's ideal lies in the southern border region. He still hopes to one day inherit his father's mantle and support the entire southern border army.

"Prince Yong has little courage. If you grant him the throne, my people can assist him in the future, and he will not make mistakes in politics. Your Wei family can also realize your ambitions."

The implication is that Prince Yong could be used as a puppet.

Wei Rong was very democratic: "Ask him what he thinks."

However, she then suddenly looked at Ling Xianru, her eyes shining: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Neither Mo Bai nor Mo Yu ever called him that, partly to avoid revealing their identities, and partly because they had called him their master since childhood.

Therefore, even after he secured the position of Crown Prince of Donglin, very few people addressed him as His Highness the Crown Prince.

Ling Xianru was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered and teased, "You mean, Miss Wei?"

Since she decided not to accept the position of Empress, Wei Rong became the eldest daughter of the Wei family.

She retorted, embarrassed and annoyed, "Don't spout nonsense. I wanted to ask you, after four years of lying low in Dajing, now that the opportunity to seize power is so close, aren't you even a little tempted?"

The distant East is rumored to be mysterious and powerful. Decades ago, it made peace with the surrounding countries and enjoyed tribute from many nations.

No one expected the royal infighting to be so extreme.

Even more unexpectedly, their Crown Prince was willing to serve as a subject in Dajing for many years.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xianru scoffed disdainfully, "If I wanted your throne, Xiao Heng would have been reduced to bones long ago."

This is the truth.

Since he has reached the top level of the central government, power is simply a matter of choice for him.

In recent years, Donglin has been plagued by internal strife, and he only thought of coming out to play and avoid the limelight.

But he also wanted to know what Wei Rong thought, so he asked in return, "Do you want me to be the emperor of the Great Jing?"

"I respect Xiao Yi's decision, and I will certainly respect yours as well. For the people, it is always better for the court to change emperors peacefully than for war. I think Da Jing needs an emperor who can lead it to become better. Blind filial piety is not true filial piety, and blind loyalty is not true loyalty."

It's as if she knew Xiao Heng wasn't a good choice, so she simply replaced the emperor of Da Jing with someone else.

She used to think that changing dynasties and disrupting the court were stigmas, but now she doesn't care what labels are attached to the Wei family.

Whether it's betraying one's former master or blindly trusting foreign ministers, it doesn't matter.

She doesn't care about any of this as long as the outcome is good.

If Lingxian wanted to seize power in the Great Jing Dynasty, her only requirement was to ensure the stability of the Great Jing Dynasty.

The people cannot withstand a country in turmoil.

Her words made Ling Xianru turn her head in surprise.

It's difficult to judge a person after four years.

But the Wei Rong in front of me had truly transformed.

At the age of six, she was bold yet soft-hearted. Knowing that she could protect herself, she couldn't bear to see him, a complete stranger, die. So she rashly stepped in and saved him from his desperate situation.

At the age of seventeen, she worried about her family, knew that the late emperor was not pure, and believed in Xiao Heng's innocent heart, which resulted in her father's death and her own imprisonment.

At the age of twenty, she was betrayed but never harbored any intention to betray her country. She said that blind loyalty was not true loyalty, and that as long as the people could live in peace and happiness, she did not care if power fell into the wrong hands.

She may not have been perfect; at this age, she has lived a life full of stumbles and falls, covered in wounds.

Along the way, we have grown and become more fulfilled, but we have never abandoned our kindness.

When Ling Xianru saw Wei Rong lying by the stream, her life hanging in the balance, she felt only heartache and anger.

But seeing her express these things so lightly, he felt as if someone had placed a cup of perfectly warm water in his heart; he was actually being soft-hearted for someone.

The umbrella handle moved downwards, and the dark-clad figure suddenly moved, crouching down in front of Wei Rong.

Wei Rong was slightly taken aback.

She felt she hadn't said anything, but why did Ling Xianru's expression change—

So moved?

Ling Xianru took her hand with her free hand. Her palm was warm. Wei Rong struggled for a moment but couldn't break free.

She looked around awkwardly, but the area was blocked by the eaves of the umbrella.

"Put it down—"

"I can grant you whatever you desire," Ling Xianru said devoutly. "I am not Xiao Heng, and I do not need to rely on your power to achieve any goals. The strength of Donglin can actually help Dajing. If you want me to protect Dajing for you, that is not impossible. If you want to become an empress, that is also possible."

Wei Rong was startled: "The Empress?"

"Why not?" Ling Xianru coaxed patiently, "It's not just men who are good at strategy. You have a broad mind and a heart for the people, so you can also ascend the throne as emperor."

"I don't want to," Wei Rong didn't need to consider it at all. Being an official in one region was fine, but becoming an empress meant taking on the responsibility for the entire world, which was too heavy a burden. She firmly stated, "I will not be an empress."

"Okay." Ling Xianru readily agreed, taking her hand completely into her palm.

Their body temperatures were touching, and Wei Rong felt very hot, but she couldn't pull away.

In the stillness, she seemed to see her own reflection in Ling Xianru's eyes, and her cheeks inexplicably flushed. She turned her head away again.

Just then, Mo Bai suddenly sprang out from the shadows, shouting, "Master!"

The guards who were originally stationed around the area were thrown into chaos, and Qiaoyu cried out "Your Majesty!" as she rushed towards Wei Rong!

In a flash, Wei Rong felt her view under the umbrella change, and the person who had been holding her hand pounced on her, followed by a muffled groan.