8mi Chapter 110 Disdain
Chapter 110 Disdain
These words were spoken in a grand and righteous manner, as if everything was for the greater good of the nation and for the victory of the Northern Expedition. But their core meaning was all too clear—he wanted to reclaim power over the Imperial Treasury!
Upon hearing this, the languid smile on Li Yunrui's face gradually vanished, replaced by a cold sneer. She slowly raised her head, her phoenix eyes meeting Emperor Qing's directly, showing no sign of backing down.
"Your Majesty is joking." Li Yunrui's voice carried a unique charm, yet it also revealed an undeniable firmness. "Since my mother (or the late emperor) entrusted the management of the Imperial Treasury to my sister, she has worked diligently for decades, keeping clear accounts and operating smoothly without the slightest mistake. How can there be any talk of 'handing it over'?"
She stepped forward, her aura subtly challenging Emperor Qing's authority: "With war imminent and His Highness Prince Qin fighting valiantly on the front lines, the Imperial Treasury, as his most crucial source of funds and provisions, must be stable to ensure a secure supply of provisions and military provisions. Your Majesty's insistence on forcibly reclaiming the Imperial Treasury and altering the old system would only create chaos and demoralize the soldiers at the front. I believe this is extremely inappropriate, and I cannot comply!"
"Insolence!" Emperor Qing was furious and slammed his fist on the dragon table, making a deafening noise! He never expected that, just after Ye Tian left, Li Yunrui, a woman he had always regarded as someone he could easily manipulate, would dare to talk back to him to his face!
"Li Yunrui!" Emperor Qing abruptly stood up, pointing down at her with a fierce rage and a hint of embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed. "Do you really think I don't know your filthy and despicable thoughts?! You and that bastard Ye Tian, ostensibly adoptive mother and son, are actually engaging in illicit affairs behind my back, defiling the palace and disregarding all moral principles! It's utterly ridiculous! How dare you discuss the affairs of the state before me? You have completely disgraced the Qing imperial family! Today, I will strip you of your title as Princess and banish you to the Cold Palace to see how arrogant and domineering you will be then!"
He ruthlessly tore apart the forbidden window between Li Yunrui and Ye Tian in public, revealing the viciousness of his words and the wickedness of his intentions! He wanted to completely destroy Li Yunrui's dignity, leaving her powerless to resist!
However, to Emperor Qing's surprise, after hearing his accusations, Li Yunrui did not feel ashamed as he had expected. Instead, he burst into a near-manic laugh!
"Hahahaha, hahahaha!" Li Yunrui laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. His laughter was filled with disdain, mockery, and a kind of morbid pride and satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, you've finally spoken! Yes! You're absolutely right!" Li Yunrui abruptly stopped laughing, her beautiful phoenix eyes burning with a almost martyr-like madness. She stared intently at Emperor Qing and said, word by word:
"Tian'er is mine! He's the one I raised! He's the brightest light in my life! He's everything to me, Li Yunrui! He's a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you, a ruthless, power-hungry emperor who only knows how to scheme in the shadows!"
Her voice was sharp and high-pitched, filled with contempt for Emperor Qing and boundless protection for Ye Tian.
"You're not allowed to talk about him like that!" Li Yunrui took a step forward abruptly. The majesty of a princess and the madness of a woman born of love made her aura no less powerful than that of the enraged Emperor Qing!
"Your Majesty, you want to take back the Imperial Treasury? Fine!" A strange yet resolute smile appeared on her face. "Unless you kill Tian'er first! Otherwise, as long as Tian'er lives in this world, this Imperial Treasury will be guarded by me, Li Yunrui! If you dare to touch even a single penny of the Imperial Treasury, you are making an enemy of Tian'er! If you dare to say another bad word about Tian'er, I, Li Yunrui, will be the first to object! He is my pride! He is my only man! No one can hurt him! No one can take him away from me! Including you, Emperor Qing! You despicable and shameless traitor!"
She practically screamed the last few words, her eyes filled with bloodshot veins and a crazed light!
Emperor Qing was completely stunned by Li Yunrui's declaration, which sounded like that of a madwoman!
He never imagined that a woman could be so crazy for a man (who was also her adopted son)! Disregarding human ethics and willing to do anything!
He stared at his sister, who seemed driven mad yet breathtakingly beautiful, and for a moment, he was speechless. He could sense that every word Li Yunrui spoke was heartfelt and utterly sincere. She would truly do anything for Ye Tian!
A suffocating silence fell over the imperial study. Only Li Yunrui's heavy breathing and Emperor Qing's hands, trembling slightly with anger, silently testified to the intensity and absurdity of this forbidden confrontation.
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Emperor Qing trembled violently at Li Yunrui's words, "You despicable and shameless traitor who stole the country." His fists clenched so tightly under his dragon robe that they cracked, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent, as if he wanted to tear the woman in front of him to shreds!
"Li Yunrui! You, you madwoman! You slut!" Emperor Qing's voice was hoarse and distorted with extreme rage. He pointed at Li Yunrui, each word seemingly spat out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling intent. "How dare you speak to me like that?! Do you think that beast Ye Tian really cares about you? Do you really think he would completely turn against me for the sake of a shameless foster mother like you? Don't dream! In his eyes, you are nothing but a pawn in his hands, a plaything he can use! Today, I will make you wish you were dead, and show you what the wrath of an emperor is!"
His terrifying aura, befitting a peak Grandmaster, erupted once more without reservation. The air in the entire imperial study seemed to freeze; the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk trembled slightly without any wind. He seemed truly ready to disregard everything and kill his sister on the spot for daring to challenge his bottom line!
Li Yunrui, however, remained fearless. Meeting Emperor Qing's almost murderous gaze, she revealed a sickly yet bewitching smile, her laughter sharp and chilling:
"Your Majesty, please calm down? Why should I calm down? Is it only permissible for you, Emperor Qing, to commit such beastly acts, but I am not allowed to speak out?" She stepped forward, her aura as both that of a princess and that of a woman driven mad by love making her no less imposing than Emperor Qing's!
Do you think everyone in the world is a fool, unable to see through your hypocritical nature?
At this moment.
Li Yunrui's eyes were filled with contempt and disdain. "Back then, how did you treat your own brothers and kin for that supreme throne? Weren't they all stepping stones for you? Weren't they all victims of your schemes and plots?"
Emperor Qing's expression changed: "You, you're talking nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Li Yunrui's smile grew even more sarcastic. "Then let me ask Your Majesty, how did you use the late Empress Dowager and those women in the harem who were so devoted to you to eliminate your rivals and consolidate your power? They gave you everything, and what did they ultimately gain? Nothing more than being discarded like a rabbit after the hunt, a bow after the birds are gone! Your heart, Emperor Qing, is colder and harder than the stones in this deep palace!"
Pu Nan Shusheng's masterpiece, "Joy of Life: Born Mother Ye Qingmei, Raised by Li Yunrui," is available to read now!