Volume 1, Chapter 32: Once, a Sincere Love Was Placed Before Me

The sudden, sharp shout instantly brought Fan Xiu and Xiao Ruoqing back to their senses. Xiao Ruoqing scrambled backward in a panic. However, before Fan Xiu could react, a long sword was already pressed against his throat. At that moment, the blade was a mere 0.01 centimeters from his skin.

"Liu Yue, stop!" Xiao Ruoqing cried out in alarm.

"Let me kill this lecher!" Ying gritted her teeth, her voice thick with hatred. She acknowledged that Fan Xiu possessed a certain level of talent, but to insult the Empress so blatantly made him deserving of death.

Fan Xiu tilted his head, staring at the cold, gleaming edge pressed against his neck. He swallowed hard, cold sweat streaming down his face. *Damn it! Is this Liu Yue a lunatic? Does she have to draw her sword at every turn? Well, fortune favors the bold—I’ll have to gamble on this!*

Fan Xiu stretched his neck forward, lifted his chin, and squeezed his eyes shut. "I truly deserve to die," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I yearned for a beautiful love, much like a moth yearns for the flame, but reality has never granted my wishes. There is no greater pain in this world than that."

He looked toward Xiao Ruoqing, his expression filled with sincerity. "Once, a sincere love was placed before me, and I did not cherish it. I only felt regret after it was lost. If heaven could give me another chance, I would say three words to that girl: I love you."

Xiao Ruoqing stared at him, stunned. *Could this man actually have fallen in love with me?*

Fan Xiu locked his gaze onto hers and continued, "If a deadline had to be added to this love, I would hope it is... ten thousand years!"

Xiao Ruoqing’s body trembled. This outpouring of sincere sentiment stirred her heart deeply.

"Liu Yue, put the sword down," Xiao Ruoqing said, her tone softening.

Ying frowned. "Your Maje—Elder Sister, you don't actually believe this guy, do you? There isn't a single word of truth in his mouth; it’s all lies."

Xiao Ruoqing looked at Ying without speaking. Gritting her teeth, Ying reluctantly sheathed her sword, though she continued to glare at Fan Xiu with fury.

Fan Xiu caught the sight of the emotionally volatile Xiao Ruoqing and the furious Ying, and a heavy weight finally lifted from his heart. *Phew. I finally made it through this hurdle.* And the result was surprisingly good; seeing Xiao Ruoqing’s reaction, she was clearly moved. Starry’s classic pickup lines were truly effective. *And this Liu Yue! Always so fierce—sooner or later, I’ll tame her and whip her with a small lash!*

"I'm sorry, Fan Xiu," Xiao Ruoqing said. "My younger sister is impulsive. Please don't take it to heart."

"Of course not," Fan Xiu immediately shook his head. "She is only concerned for you. Since she is your sister, I naturally wouldn't hold it against her."

"It is very late. You have had a long day; go and rest," Xiao Ruoqing said. Her own heart was in turmoil, and she did not know how to continue the conversation.

"Very well."

After Fan Xiu left, Ying asked angrily, "Elder Sister, you weren't actually fooled by him, were you? You haven't really developed feelings for him, have you?"

Xiao Ruoqing took a deep breath. "I do not care for personal romance. My heart belongs only to the Great Yin Dynasty, and I only wish to save it! And Fan Xiu... perhaps he is the person I have been searching for."

Ying bit her lip but did not argue. She had heard the entire conversation between them. Some of Fan Xiu’s viewpoints and ideas were so brilliant that even she had to admire them.

"Commander Ying," Xiao Ruoqing asked, "Am I very foolish?"

Ying immediately knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, please do not say that. You are the supreme ruler. It is those powerful clans who are wicked; it is not your fault." She had not heard Xiao Ruoqing call her 'Commander Ying' in a long time, nor had the Empress referred to herself as 'Zhen' (the imperial 'We') in a while. She knew that at this moment, they were sovereign and subject; Xiao Ruoqing was speaking to her as an Emperor.

"Heh," Xiao Ruoqing chuckled bitterly. "Rise. I was merely speaking my thoughts. According to Fan Xiu, everything I have done since ascending the throne was wrong. I have been pushing the Great Yin into the abyss step by step! If I had met Fan Xiu earlier, would things have been better?"

"Not necessarily," Ying replied. "While Fan Xiu’s ideas sound good, their implementation and results are unknown. If he were in charge, he might not necessarily do better than you."

Xiao Ruoqing waved her hand. "I am tired. Let us rest."

Lying in bed, Xiao Ruoqing tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Subconsciously, she reached up to touch her lips, the scene of Fan Xiu kissing her flashing through her mind. She should have been furious at being kissed by him a second time, yet she found she could not summon the rage. Especially after his heartfelt confession, her thoughts were in a whirlwind.

*Could I actually have fallen for Fan Xiu?* Impossible. Such a selfish, cowardly, and lecherous man was exactly the type she despised most—she had wanted to carve him to pieces countless times! Yet why was she not so angry? Why did her heart even race? Was it because his analysis of the Great Yin's problems had changed her attitude toward him?

Memories of everything that had happened since her father's passing flooded her mind. Ascending the throne as a woman, the obstacles she faced far exceeded her imagination. Especially the faction led by Prince Liang, her father’s brother. After her father passed, Prince Liang returned from Liang Province, leading court officials to block her coronation. Fortunately, her father had anticipated this and made ample preparations; it was only through the support of the Blood Feather Guard, the Imperial Guards, and the veteran General Xue that she successfully secured the throne.

Later, after the Censorate impeached her maternal relatives, she dismissed them. Because the Ministry of War and the frontier armies were embezzling funds, she stripped the generals of their military power and severely punished the military clique. She had always worked diligently, never daring to slacken, just so she wouldn't disappoint her late father or let others look down on her as a female Emperor.

Yet, in the end, she had nearly died in Xuzhou. She had known anger, sorrow, despair, and pain, but in the end, only a deep sense of powerlessness remained. She often wondered how her father would have handled these matters. Would he have resolved them with ease? But alas, her father was gone. She had no one to consult, no one to confide in. She could only comfort herself in the dead of night, alone, reminding herself that she was the Empress, the lonely one, and she had to handle it all herself!

But Fan Xiu’s appearance was like opening a window in her desolate world. He told her the Great Yin would fall, that she would die; he analyzed the situation of the dynasty and told her what to do. This feeling was one she had only experienced when her father was still alive, back when she only needed to be the little princess showered with love, playing happily every day.

Unknowingly, Xiao Ruoqing drifted off into a dream.

The next day, Fan Xiu did not stay home to make cold noodles. Early in the morning, he rode his small jenny toward the county office. He had been back in Zhiyuan County for several days and had yet to pay a visit to the Magistrate. To participate in the imperial examinations, one needed the Magistrate's recommendation seal—the so-called "favor of patronage." Thus, he was, in a sense, the Magistrate's student.

The jenny usually refused to let him ride her. But as soon as Xiao Ruoqing appeared, the donkey became docile, even nuzzling her. Then, after a single word from Xiao Ruoqing telling the donkey to follow Fan Xiu, the beast let him mount. Xiao Ruoqing had laughed until she swayed at the sight.

As Fan Xiu rode the jenny and arrived at the gate of the county office, he prepared to dismount. A person suddenly stepped out of a sedan chair nearby. It was a young man in white, slender in build, waving a folding fan as he looked around.

Upon seeing this man, Fan Xiu’s heart skipped a beat. It was him! The man in white who had been the last to appear among the group that had kidnapped him the previous night! Although the man had been masked then, Fan Xiu recognized him instantly—there was no doubt. *Why is this guy here?*