Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 995

Chapter 995 -991: Neither Male Nor Female

No matter what, the Empress of Xiliang could not believe that her only sister, the person she most trusted in this world, would conspire with the Eight Great Families to overthrow her.

She turned her head to gaze at the quilt that Li Tianfu had half pulled away, invoking her childhood nickname in a low voice: “Jiaojiao, your elder sister has something to ask you…”

Li Tianfu’s palm tightened, and she responded lightly: “You can ask whatever you want, elder sister!”

The Empress of Xiliang pulled a smile at the corner of her lips, reached out to reveal the quilt, glanced at the old clothes of Lu Tianzhuo, closed her eyes, and then put the quilt back down as if she had seen nothing. Instead, she looked at Li Tianfu, whose smile was not as natural as before, trying to keep her tone calm: “Jiaojiao, do you want this throne?”

Upon hearing the Empress speak thusly, the smile on Li Tianfu’s face gradually faded: “Elder sister, you already know…”

So it was, the heart of the Empress of Xiliang sank considerably, and the envoy Bai Qingqi from Zhou indeed did not make baseless accusations.

“Since childhood, whatever Jiaojiao wanted, elder sister would do her utmost to satisfy, because you are my only sister. This throne… if you want it, I might even give it to you! But Xiliang now faces internal… instability in the political realm and external threats with wolves surrounding us. If this throne were handed to you, Jiaojiao, can you confidently manage the situation? And what kind of means will you use to control the plight?” the Empress of Xiliang slowly asked.

Li Tianfu chuckled lightly: “These words from elder sister… make it seem as if once I declare how to manage the situation, you’d willingly hand the throne over to me.”

“Indeed, as long as you can manage the situation, as long as you have the extraordinary means to resolve Xiliang’s crisis, as long as you can prevent yourself from becoming a puppet of the Eight Great Families, you would be stronger than elder sister, and I would have no complaint about you taking the throne,” the Empress of Xiliang spoke directly and sincerely from the heart.

Li Tianfu’s smile stiffened: “Elder sister, it’s easy to say; doing is difficult. Even elder sister… Do you possess the extraordinary means to resolve Xiliang’s crisis now? Elder sister is nothing but a hypocrite with pretty words.”

“Do you truly believe that elder sister ever wanted to sit on this throne?” The Empress of Xiliang showed signs of exhaustion, “Grasping power was exhilarating, but the accompanying weight of responsibility was as heavy as a mountain. Remember our father… Before ascending the throne, although fatigued, most times our father could be seen smiling, but afterward…”

Afterward, she could never see a smile on her father’s face again. Whenever together with him, all she heard were his heavy sighs. Even during family gatherings, the fleeting smiles on their father’s face were quickly replaced by frowns and sighs.

Our father worried about the Eight Great Families like vines clinging to and climbing the towering tree that was Xiliang; the vines entangled the trunk firmly with no easy removal!

Our father also worried about the insufficiency of arable land in Xiliang, fretting over expanding territory to strengthen the kingdom and inability to compete against the plentiful fields of the Jin Kingdom.

The Empress of Xiliang closed her eyes and asked again: “Answer me honestly, do you want this throne… because you’re dissatisfied with my new policies or… because you wish to wage war against Zhou and perish together, seeking revenge for this eunuch?”

With that, the Empress of Xiliang swept the quilt aside and knocked Lu Tianzhuo’s old clothes onto the floor, her speech filled with fury.

Seeing Lu Tianzhuo’s clothes fall, the smile on Li Tianfu’s face also sank. She bent down to pick up Lu Tianzhuo’s clothes and held them tightly, glaring at the Empress of Xiliang with rage: “I want revenge for Lu Tianzhuo! If not for you and mother forcing me to marry into the Jin Kingdom, how would Lu Tianzhuo have gone there with me?! How would he have met his demise? I want all of Xiliang to help me avenge Lu Tianzhuo!”

The Empress of Xiliang was aggravated by Li Tianfu’s words, rising to slap her, causing Li Tianfu to fall to the ground with a burning face.

“Li Tianfu! You are a Princess of Xiliang! From childhood, you’ve enjoyed wealth and luxury given by the people! Even if you’re to rebel against me, for the people, for the stability of the court, I and our father would be gratified! At least… you’re undertaking your responsibility!” The red-eyed Empress of Xiliang stared at the clothes in Li Tianfu’s arms, “But you… are doing this for a eunuch? Forsaking the legacy of your ancestors and disregarding the people of Xiliang for a dead eunuch! Do you deserve to be a Princess of Xiliang?”

Li Tianfu tasted blood at the corner of her mouth, laughed lightly, and turned to look at the furious Empress of Xiliang, wiping away the blood with the back of her hand: “What people, what court, what responsibility, what duty, elder sister… those are words mother used to coax us into being her pawns! Make me marry into the Jin Kingdom… saying if I give birth to the future Crown Prince of the Jin Kingdom, Jin would belong to half of our Xiliang!”

Li Tianfu held Lu Tianzhuo’s clothes, eyes fixed on the Empress of Xiliang, raising herself with slender arms, her gaze sharp as a venomous snake, filled with eerie malice, sneering loudly: “And look at you… following mother’s orders dressing as a man, neither male nor female!”