She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 19: The men of this world have sat for too long, it’s time they knelt down.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The men of this world have sat for too long, it’s time they knelt down.

Yan Wanqing did not play coy; indeed, the wind in the courtyard chilled her to the bone, which began to ache.

She was not worried about what Empress might do to her after entering the room, since her Hidden Guard Piji was not a vegetarian either.

Inside the room.

Two women sat across from each other, separated by a round table.

In Yan Wanqing’s hand was the red undergarment belonging to the other party. Zhang Lanyi, however, was open about it, leaning casually on the chair, "This Palace will not ask you for it. There must be stakes in everything, and This Palace is very clear of that."

"Empress is truly extraordinary; I admire you greatly." Flattery will get you everywhere, Yan Wanqing said without blinking an eye.

Zhang Lanyi let out a delicate snort, "You do not choose the Prince who is infatuated with you, nor the Crown Prince whom everyone favors, but instead you take a different path by choosing me. What exactly are you thinking?"

"Since Your Highness had seen me in earlier years, you would know that I, Yan Wanqing, have always been different from others. The more impossible others think something is, the more possible it becomes with me. Tonight, I have taken a token from you, and I will also present a great gift to Your Highness."

"Oh?" Zhang Lanyi perked up with interest. "What have you prepared?"

Yan Wanqing simply smiled without saying a word.

Zhang Lanyi huffed coldly, "You people who play at scheming always like to act profound, with dirty minds."

"When you insult me, Your Highness, be careful not to include yourself in the insults," Yan Wanqing retorted sharply, not giving an inch.

Zhang Lanyi covered her mouth and giggled, her cape slipping down her shoulder, revealing smooth skin with a pink mark on it, causing Yan Wanqing’s eyelids to twitch.

The scene was supremely sultry.

"Actually, it’s not so unexpected that you would come to see This Palace," Zhang Lanyi suddenly threw out a sentence. "Last year, when your father and brother went to fight at Governor’s Office Pass, I saw you from afar on the city wall as you sent them off. At that moment, I thought such a scene might occur, that you would come to seek help from This Palace. I just didn’t expect you to be bolder than I imagined."

"Your Highness may speak frankly. Regarding the expedition to Governor’s Office Pass, what exactly do you know?" Yan Wanqing asked.

This scenario had never happened in her previous life; indeed, she did seek alliances, but she approached the wrong person. She sought Xiao Hongshen, which ultimately led to the extermination of her entire family.

Therefore, in this life, she chose a different approach, reassessing the situation anew. If she had to make a choice, why not select someone completely outside of the fray?

Zhang Lanyi was that absolute outsider. In her previous life, she hadn’t lived to see the day of the struggle for supremacy among heroes. She was discovered by the dying Emperor in her affair and was strangled to death with a silken scarf in the harem. It was rumored that before her death, she had been so tortured that her body was left without a single unblemished patch.

This shows just how intolerable the Emperor found the fact that he had been cuckolded.

But now, she was breaking the stalemate by pulling Zhang Lanyi into the game, changing her fate, and through the change of this one piece, she intended to affect the entirety of the chessboard.

This was the "Life Gate" she had thought up on the day of her rebirth after an afternoon of contemplation.

Firstly, Zhang Lanyi came from a background in the Imperial Medical Bureau; now, although she was honored as Empress, she lacked a solid foundation. If the House of the Marquis of the State stood behind her, the currently distinct separation of civil and military officials in the court would turn into a tripod situation.

As for whether Zhang Lanyi would ultimately succeed or would have second thoughts, at this point, all Yan Wanqing could do was to take it one step at a time.

In any case, she was quite pleased at the prospect of one more contender in the power struggle.

The more chaotic it became, the safer the Yan Family would be.

While Yan Wanqing was lost in a multitude of thoughts, the person across from her was sizing her up as well.

Zhang Lanyi, looking at Yan Wanqing dressed in a tight black outfit, thought about the report from the spy who had spoken to her not long ago concerning this young lady’s drowning. She hadn’t taken it to heart at all and hadn’t expected that this young girl was actually coming for her.

She had wondered why, having not gone out all year round, did this female Zhuge Liang suddenly decide to come out when she held a plum appreciation banquet? She hadn’t seen her at the lotus parties, or the crab and chrysanthemum feasts either.

"I heard that you visited Sun Imperial Consort a few days ago," Zhang Lanyi started.

Yan Wanqing raised an eyebrow, "Is Empress trying to change the subject? I’m using the lives of the entire Yan Family as a stepping stone for Your Majesty; is this the kind of cooperation I get in return?"

"Little wolf cub, what’s the rush? I’m not keeping anything from you," Zhang Lanyi rolled her eyes, stretched out a hand to support her cheek and lazily yawned, "But I’m telling you upfront, it’s just speculation."

"Please speak, Empress. Whether it’s true or false, I have my own judgment," Yan Wanqing said with a cold face.

Zhang Lanyi no longer beat around the bush, "One month before the war began, that mad Taoist came back from Governor’s Office Pass. It’s true that Governor’s Office Pass is constantly embroiled in conflicts, but how did those barbarians seem to have an epiphany right after his visit and take down so many cities?" She squinted, recalling the appearance of the mad Taoist in the palace, feeling a tingling in her back teeth, "Looking at his sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, he must’ve been brewing some nasty scheme. That very night, I heard he was urging the Emperor to send your Yan Family to defend Governor’s Office Pass. The next day, an Imperial Edict was issued."

Zhang Lanyi continued speaking, but Yan Wanqing felt a chill in her heart and a buzzing in her head; she could only see the other’s lips moving. After a bout of intense tinnitus, she finally heard the voice again.

It was like this...

It was Song Huaxu who was sabotaging from within.

Her eyes felt a bit sour... but she was too dry to shed tears.

But why? Song Huaxu and her father had always been good friends; he was even a mentor and elder to her!

In her past life, Yan Wanqing had suspected everyone, yet, she had never thought to suspect Song Huaxu.

She had always believed that Song Huaxu performing alchemy for the Emperor to consume, which eventually wore down the Emperor’s health, was also taking vengeance for the Yan Family.

She could barely remember the silhouette of Song Huaxu blocking the soldiers on his donkey the day the Imperial Edict was issued...

"Hey! Little wolf cub?! You’re not going to cry, are you?" Zhang Lanyi, observing Yan Wanqing’s bloodshot eyes, frowned slightly, "Don’t cry in front of me, ah. Women’s whining and posturing are really disgusting."

Yan Wanqing clenched her fists, biting her lower lip with her canine teeth, leaving deep marks as she forced herself to calm down.

"I never got along with that mad Taoist. You can take it or leave it. It’s just what I think; you’ll have to investigate the truth for yourself," Zhang Lanyi leaned in a bit closer, "Now tell me, what did you say to Sun Lianyi when you went to the palace a while back?"

Yan Wanqing tugged at the corner of her mouth, forcing a smile, "I went to remind the Imperial Consort that the Emperor is planning to kill her."

Zhang Lanyi had never expected such an answer. She swallowed hard, her voice a little loud and her bewitching eyes widened, stunned for a long moment.

"You really don’t consider me an outsider, do you? To speak of such matters so casually."

"It’s sincerity, isn’t it?" Yan Wanqing’s gaze hardened as she looked at the woman before her. The hand holding the bellyband gently stroked the other’s neck, the contrast of red and white stark. She let out a low chuckle, devoid of any warmth, "He thinks he can kill anyone, regard lives as worthless, but even the worthless has weight and sharp edges, and there will eventually be a day of retaliation."

"Men have sat on their thrones for too long. Doesn’t Empress wish to see them kneel and submit?"