"Who wants your pills..."
Although Xue Jiayi still resisted, she took the pill naturally, and her expression softened considerably. She sighed and said, "I can put all that aside for now, as far as resting the baby and recuperating the mind are concerned. The most important thing is how will I explain this to the child in my mother's womb?"
"Is this difficult?" Pei Xuan shrugged. "Your father wasn't suffering from a long-term illness, but died suddenly of a stroke. The fetus in your mother's womb is said to be a posthumous child. Who can question it? As for you, you are already the ruler of a country. Just suppress these mere rumors."
"No, an unmarried pregnancy and an unknown father will become weapons for my political enemies to attack me. My throne is not that secure."
Xue Jiayi shook her head. "We must nip this controversy in the bud!"
"It sounds like you already have an idea?" Pei Xuan asked curiously, "What do you want to do?"
After hearing Pei Xuan's words, Xue Jiayi breathed slowly two or three times, adjusted the muscles on her face, and gradually revealed a sweet smile. Her eyes looking at Pei Xuan also became affectionate.
Xue Jiayi then took a step forward, suddenly stretched out her arms and hugged Pei Xuan's waist, leaned her head into Pei Xuan's arms, and whispered in a gentle voice: "In fact, the method has been obvious for a long time, hasn't it? When we first made love, didn't I call you husband? You come to Silla, marry me, and announce to the world that you are my royal husband. Then, won't I be able to give birth to a child legitimately? Not only will the problem of having a child be solved, but I, and the Queen Mother, can both be by your side. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
"Your Majesty, your crown is hitting my chin."
After hearing Xue Jiayi's sweet words, Pei Xuan remained unmoved and gently pushed Xue Jiayi away from him. "If a grand wedding can solve the problem of having children, then why don't you just find a beautiful young man from a noble family in Silla? Why go to such great lengths to find me?"
"What are you talking about?" Xue Jiayi suddenly revealed an aggrieved expression, "You are the biological father of the child, how can I marry someone else casually?"
"You care about these things?" Pei Xuan rolled his eyes and said contemptuously, "You chose me because I think my cheap father is the one who wants to use the power of the Pei family to help you suppress the opposition forces within Silla. Am I right?"
"...Even if that's the case, what's wrong with that?" Xue Jiayi said bitterly, her thoughts exposed. "You're the Pei family's illegitimate child, so there's no chance you'll ever become the next head of the family. Being able to marry me and become the queen's husband is already a perfect opportunity for you. What's there to be dissatisfied about?"
To most people, Xue Jiayi's words were not wrong, but Pei Xuan was not an ordinary person. He said angrily, "My dissatisfaction is that you are trying to manipulate me with sweet words. If you had been so frank earlier, maybe I would have agreed."
"So, you don't agree?" Xue Jiayi's face gradually darkened. "If you don't marry me, there are naturally many others who will."
"Of course I believe that. Who doesn't want to sleep with the queen?" Pei Xuan grabbed Xue Jiayi's right hand, held it in front of his eyes, took out a jade bracelet and put it on. "Don't worry, none of these things will happen. This jade bracelet is enchanted with an illusion that can conceal your pregnancy. As long as you wear this jade bracelet, no one will discover that you are pregnant, and naturally no one will use it to attack you."
"Really?" Xue Jiayi frowned as she looked at the cold jade bracelet on her wrist. "This ordinary jade bracelet really has such magical effects? Are you kidding me again?"
"When did I ever trick you?" Pei Xuan let out a smug smile. "Besides, do you think you're the first noblewoman to have to hide her pregnancy?"
"Have you really harmed so many women of noble birth?" Xue Jiayi's suspicions only grew. "Would Princess Guantao allow you to do such a thing?"
After hearing Xue Jiayi's question, Pei Xuan remembered that this little queen was still unclear about his own methods and even thought that Xiao Yunxiu was his master. This was really against Tiangang.
Pei Xuan snorted coldly, patted Xue Jiayi's shoulder lightly, controlled her body, made her knees soften, and knelt in front of him.
"Do you understand my power now?" Pei Xuan pinched Xue Jiayi's chin and said condescendingly to the immobile and speechless Xue Jiayi, "Whether it's Princess Guantao or you, you must understand that I am the master, not the other way around. Got it? If you understand, blink three times."
Xue Jiayi was so frightened that she had no time to think. She blinked three times in a hurry. Pei Xuan waved his hand to release his control over her. She slowly stood up. For a moment, her face was pale and she couldn't speak. She just gently brushed away the dust on the hem of her court dress that was stained when she knelt on the ground.
"Do you believe in the jade bracelet's function now?" Pei Xuan lifted Xue Jiayi's chin again, forcing the frightened little queen to look him in the face. "You don't doubt it anymore, do you?"
"...No...no more..."
Xue Jiayi took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Your evil magic is truly powerful... So it's no surprise that Princess Guantao is under your control..."
Xue Jiayi had always felt that the relationship between Pei Xuan and Xiao Yunxiu was a little strange, not like the relationship between a master and his male favorite, because Pei Xuan had crossed the line too many times and to too serious an extent.
Now that she knew the truth, she suddenly realized it, but it was too late. Xue Jiayi was already deeply involved in it.
"I'm glad you understand."
Pei Xuan nodded proudly, "You are a smart person. You should know how to behave in the future."
After saying that, Pei Xuan stretched out his hands and hugged Xue Jiayi into his arms.
Just now, Xue Jiayi threw herself into Pei Xuan's arms, but was pushed away. Now she hugged him again.
It seems capricious, but with this tug of war, the initiative has shifted between the two sides.
Pei Xuan lowered his head and slowly took possession of Xue Jiayi's cherry lips.
Xue Jiayi knew that she was not only powerless to resist, but also had to try hard to please him. She put her arms around Pei Xuan's neck and took the initiative to get closer to him.
Pei Xuan held Xue Jiayi's cherry lips and sucked for a while, then stuck out his tongue and penetrated into her lips. Taking the hint, Xue Jiayi immediately loosened her teeth and welcomed Pei Xuan's tongue into her mouth.
While Pei Xuan was entangled with Xue Jiayi's tender little tongue, he used his hands to caress the Queen's body through the thin court dress, kneading her breasts and buttocks through the barrier of silk, and even reached directly between Xue Jiayi's legs and pressed on the Queen's tender hips.
Xue Jiayi, who had no intention of resisting, let Pei Xuan do whatever he wanted until her tongue was numb from being sucked by Pei Xuan and her lower body was aroused by being touched by Pei Xuan and she was leaking sexual fluids. Only then did Pei Xuan let go of Xue Jiayi, who was flushed and panting.
At this time, Xue Jiayi's face was full of lust, her court clothes were untidy, and even her crown was crooked. The majesty of a king that she had accumulated with great difficulty was gone.
Pei Xuan helped Xue Jiayi straighten her clothes with gentle movements, and she regained some of her composure.
"As a fellow VIP, you should also be staying at the Kongzhu Pavilion, right?" Pei Xuan said with a smile, "Remember to come see me tonight. It's been almost a month since I last favored you. You want it too, right?"
"...Yes...yes..."
A faint blush still lingered on Xue Jiayi's beautiful face, and her voice was soft, "I really want... my husband... my master's favor..."
The softened little queen was very cute, but the time and place were not right, so we could only meet in the evening.
An unexpected "chance encounter" deepened Xue Jiayi's obedience, which was also an unexpected gain.
After returning to the venue, many hours passed until the sun was about to set. The performance ceremony of the priests and priestesses came to an end, and the sacred ceremony entered its final stage. The emperor's family and the two distinguished guests, Xiao Yunxiu and Xue Jiayi, entered the temple together to burn incense and offer sacrifices.
So the dignitaries present entered the temple in order of their status. Pei Xuan, as Xiao Yunxiu's close attendant, also joined them. The small main hall was immediately crowded with people.
The emperor at the front walked to the altar under the platform, lit the incense sticks under the guidance of the priest, and inserted them into the incense burner.
At this moment, the two statues high above suddenly fell down, and the rumbling sound of the floor scared everyone so much that they fled in panic.
After the statues fell to the ground with a rumbling sound and then calmed down, everyone rushed forward to check, only to see that the two statues were pressing down on two people.
The priests quickly moved the statues away, and everyone then realized that one of the two men was the emperor and the other was his son.
Their bodies had been crushed to the point of being deformed by the statue, their flesh and blood were blurred, and they had stopped breathing. There was no need to even send them to the hospital for emergency treatment.
There is no doubt that this is Pei Xuan's extremely risky plan, using the Sun and Moon Gods hiding here to push down his own statue and crush the Emperor and his son.
Although the emperor and his son were both cultivators with high cultivation levels, according to common sense, they could have escaped when facing the collapsed statue. However, Pei Xuan used the power of the blood contract to freeze their bodies, and they could not escape. They were even forced to move a little bit so that the statue could be pressed more accurately.
Faced with such a sudden and drastic change, apart from Pei Xuan and Xiao Yunxiu who knew the detailed plan in advance, only Princess Qingzi, who knew part of the plan, was the first to react.
"Father! Brother!" Princess Qingzi threw herself on the Emperor's body and cried over his corpse, "What happened to you...what happened..."
Such national ceremonies are recorded by special official cameramen. At this moment, their cameras are aimed at Princess Kiko, who is kneeling beside the bodies of her father and brother and crying. Her grief-stricken appearance is very moving to those who are not aware of the situation. The sad tears and the blood of her relatives make the image of Princess Kiko rise from the original innocence and holiness to the height of divinity.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This...what should I do..."
At this time, Fujiwara no Nobumasa, the regent of Fuso, also stepped forward and knelt beside the bodies of the emperor and his son. He cried a little, then suddenly shouted, "Where is the shrine's chief priest?"
"... Old... I am here..."
The priest who had just instructed the Emperor to light the incense slowly stood up and said tremblingly, "Kanpaku-sama..."
"The Diabolo Shrine is an imperial shrine, receiving a substantial annual maintenance budget. How could it have fallen into disrepair and collapsed?" Fujiwara Nobumasa sternly demanded. "You must have embezzled public funds! Come! Arrest him and put him in jail!"
The emperor and his son are dead, and the regent is now the supreme ruler of Fuso. After hearing what Fujiwara no Nobumasa said, the guards outside the gate rushed in without hesitation and arrested the unfortunate chief priest.
The other priests and maidens dared not get angry or speak out, and all of them lowered their heads and looked submissive, fearing that they would be the next to suffer.
Immediately afterwards, Fujiwara no Nobumasa ordered the area to be cleared and all the small and medium-sized nobles and officials were driven out, leaving only the core high-level dignitaries to discuss the funeral arrangements for the emperor and his son.
When the Silla Queen Xue Jiayi saw this, although she was not among those being driven out, she understood that she was an outsider, so she left tactfully.
However, Xiao Yunxiu, who was also an outsider, stayed behind to serve as a witness because he was the representative envoy of the suzerain state, the Xiaoliang Empire.
"Everyone, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day."
Fujiwara no Nobumasa cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "We should now support a new ruler and then hold a funeral. Only then can Fuso's political situation be stabilized."
Seeing everyone nod, Fujiwara no Nobumasa continued, "Your Majesty has a nephew who is sixteen years old this year. According to the inheritance convention, he should be the first in line. What do you think?"
"Master Fujiwara, there is something I don't understand."
Before the other high-ranking officials of Fusang could speak, Xiao Yunxiu, following Pei Xuan's plan, stepped forward and said, "Your ancestor still has his biological children alive. Why are you welcoming his nephew as the emperor?"
"...Are you referring to Prince Akikazu Miyauchi?" Fujiwara no Nobumasa was surprised after hearing what Xiao Yunxiu said.
Unless Silla took the initiative to invite arbitration like it did last time, the Xiaoliang Empire would basically not intervene in the succession of the throne of a vassal state, and would only recognize the result afterwards.
They invited Xiao Yunxiu to participate in the meeting just to serve as a witness to save the trouble of making detailed reports later, but they did not expect Xiao Yunxiu to interfere with the progress of the meeting at this time.
However, the Xiaoliang Empire's non-intervention was not an explicit regulation, but a convention out of respect for vassal states.
On the contrary, the Xiaoliang Empire clearly stipulated that all monarchs of vassal states must be formally enthroned by the emperor to be legitimate.
Therefore, now that Xiao Yunxiu had asked, Fujiwara no Nobumasa had no reason to refuse an answer, so he could only tactfully say, "Your Highness, being born in the Celestial Empire, naturally does not know. According to our Fuso inheritance tradition, the male heirs of the same clan must be extinct before a female heir can ascend to the throne. Therefore, our late monarch's nephew would precede Prince Akie Miyauchi in the line of succession."
"Is that so?" Xiao Yunxiu said in the same tactful tone, "Please forgive my lack of knowledge and understanding of Fusang's inheritance laws. I would also like to ask Master Fujiwara to give me a copy so that I can study it carefully when I return home, so as to avoid making a fool of myself like I did today."
The order of succession in the major countries of the East and West Continents today, including the Xiaoliang Empire and Fusang, is based on unwritten conventions, and there is no clear code to follow.
Fujiwara no Nobumasa was aware of this, and so was Xiao Yunxiu. The reason she proposed the inheritance code was just to warn Fujiwara no Nobumasa that the so-called conventions were not unbreakable written laws. Conventions were meant to be broken, and the Xiaoliang Empire, as the suzerain state, had the power to break such conventions.
"Your Highness, you're joking. How could we have such a code in Fuso?" Fujiwara no Nobumasa smiled awkwardly. "What you said earlier makes sense. Considering the principles of heaven and humanity, the throne should indeed be passed to the blood of our late emperor. However, Prince Akiwa Miyauchi is only twelve years old. Although innocent and pure, he is inexperienced in the ways of the world. With such a tragedy happening in Fuso right now, a strong leadership is needed to rally the people. I'm afraid that the weak Prince Akiwa Miyauchi cannot bear such a burden and may even collapse under the pressure. Then, we, the guilty subjects, will truly be sorry for our late emperor..."
"You worry too much, Mr. Fujiwara."
Xiao Yunxiu waved his hand and called the official photographers of Fuso over, ordering them to show the content they had just filmed to Fujiwara no Nobumasa and other high-ranking officials. With the help of camera technology, Princess Kiko in the picture looked like a saint, full of sacred aura.
"As you can all see, if a scene like this can't rally the people, what else can?" Xiao Yunxiu coughed softly and continued, "As for strong leadership, there's even less to worry about. Prince Akira Miyauchi is only twelve years old, not yet of legal age. After ascending the throne, Fujiwara-sama will naturally serve as regent. Who in all of Fuso can doubt Fujiwara-sama's leadership?"
After hearing what Xiao Yunxiu said, a gleam of excitement suddenly flashed in Fujiwara Nobumasa's eyes.
Previously, due to the misconception of adhering to traditional conventions, Fujiwara no Nobumasa temporarily forgot about the regent matter.
Now, after being reminded by Xiao Yunxiu, Fujiwara Nobumasa suddenly realized that in the face of actual power gains, traditions and conventions are naturally worthless. He immediately felt that what Xiao Yunxiu said made sense and even felt a little grateful.
"Your Highness is right. It is I who am shortsighted."
Fujiwara no Nobumasa quickly changed his tune. "Everyone, to appease our late emperor's spirit, we should make our late emperor's biological daughter the new emperor! What do you think?"
Xiao Yunxiu, representing the Xiaoliang Empire, and Fujiwara no Nobumasa, the regent, both spoke. Naturally, the other high-ranking officials present did not dare to raise any objections. After all, both candidates were outsiders to the core of power and had very shallow relationships with them. It made no difference to them who became emperor.
Since there are no interests involved, why should they risk angering Xiao Yunxiu and Fujiwara Nobumasa by forcibly stepping forward to defend a convention that has no practical benefits?
For these high-ranking officials and dignitaries, what they should inherit has already been inherited. Even if this affects the change in the order of inheritance, it will not change their status.
Seeing everyone in the inner circle nod, Fujiwara no Nobumasa turned around and helped Princess Kiyoko, who was still sobbing beside the corpse, to her feet. He said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the ministers have already discussed it. Please take over the throne."