Teasing the Princess Is a Capital Crime? Then I'll Take the Empress Too - Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: New Mission—Eliminate Xu Yangfeng! The Empress’s Reward

“Wu Yi, do you admit your guilt?”

“Huh?”

What did I do wrong now?

He knew it. If the Empress summoned him, it was definitely nothing good.

Seeing Wu Yi stunned, Long Qiyue narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, her voice brimming with anger. “Do you know what consequences could have come from asking Xu Yangshuo in court if the Xu family planned to rebel? What if Xu Yangshuo had admitted to it? How would you have ended it? How would I have handled it? Do you think I should destroy the Xu family immediately, or should I have killed you on the spot for slandering the Prime Minister?”

Wu Yi remained calm and composed as he cupped his hands in explanation. “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry. Your subject is not that foolish. I asked only to give the Xu family a warning, not to make him actually confess.”

After a brief pause, he braced himself and added, “Moreover, the Xu family’s ambitions—wasn’t it Your Majesty’s intention to make the court see them?”

“Insolence!” Long Qiyue snapped coldly.

Wu Yi lowered his head without saying another word, though he cursed silently in his heart, “Oh please, like I don’t know what you’re doing?”

He dared to be so bold because he’d been closely monitoring Long Qiyue’s favorability rating. If it dropped, he’d immediately shut up. But his gamble paid off. Her favorability didn’t decrease—it actually rose, from 2 to 3.

After a moment of silence, Long Qiyue continued, “I don’t want to hear your excuses. A mistake must be punished. If Xu Yangshuo had confessed today, the consequences would’ve been disastrous. However…”

Wu Yi thought bitterly, “There it is. Knew it was coming.”

Sure enough, Long Qiyue’s tone shifted into something calmer. “But if you can do one thing for me, I can spare you from punishment.”

Wu Yi’s mind raced as he probed, “Your Majesty wants me to eliminate the eldest son of Prince Pingxi, heir of the Prince Pingxi Manor, Xu Yangfeng?”

Wu Yi wasn’t the only young master in the Longhua Empire. Any prince or non-royal lord appointed by the royal family had an heir. Altogether, there were three heirs. But Wu Yi was the grandson of the Duke of Dingguo and heir to the title of Duke Zhenbei. His status was even higher than that of most princes’ heirs, nearly equivalent to a royal prince.

That was why he dared to act so brazenly in court—he could rebuke the Prime Minister, insult ministers, and stare at the Empress without fear. Because his status was that high!

The moment Wu Yi guessed her intention, Long Qiyue’s gaze flickered with a trace of astonishment. “Why are you so sure?”

Wu Yi chuckled, “It wasn’t hard to guess. I killed Xu Yangshuo today—now I’m locked in a life-or-death feud with the Xu family. Even if I didn’t plan to move against them, they’ll stop at nothing to kill me for revenge. Your Majesty wanting me to eliminate Xu Yangfeng is simply using my Wu family to attract the Xu family’s hatred, disrupt their formation, and create openings so you can seize evidence and weaken their power step by step.”

After hearing Wu Yi’s analysis, Long Qiyue’s shock deepened. “Then why are you so sure I want you to target Xu Yangfeng specifically, and not someone else from the Xu family?”

Favorability: 4.

Seeing her favorability increase again, Wu Yi smiled more easily. “Simple. Xu Yangfeng is the heir to Prince Pingxi. Killing him brings the most value. The rest are just small fry not worth bothering with. As for Prince Pingxi and Prime Minister Xu, those are people for my father and grandfather to deal with. The big ones fight the big ones, the small ones handle the small ones. Fair and just!”

Sure enough, Long Qiyue’s favorability rose again—to 5.

Wu Yi’s instincts were never wrong. Compared to the ambitious and treacherous Xu family, Long Qiyue clearly preferred the loyal and upright Wu family. Moreover, if she wanted to topple Xu Xian and seize full control over the military and political forces, only the Duke of Dingguo’s house had the strength to stand against the Xu family.

Long Qiyue looked deeply at Wu Yi and eventually nodded in agreement. “You’re very clever.”

Wu Yi remained humble and subtly flattered her. “Your Majesty overpraises me. Being near brilliance makes one wiser. Even a fool would grow smarter standing before you.”

Long Qiyue met his gaze and said seriously, “You’re aware that in one month, the Ninth Princess is getting married. And three days from now, a friendly martial arts competition between Longhua and the Great Yan Empire—known as the Flame Dragon Martial Meet—will be held. All noble youths from both nations will attend.”

Wu Yi nodded directly. “I understand.”

He knew she wanted him to kill Xu Yangfeng publicly during the competition, drawing all the Xu family’s hatred to himself.

His quick and decisive answer earned more admiration in Long Qiyue’s eyes. She felt that Wu Yi could read her thoughts. There was a mutual understanding, almost like their souls were resonating.

“But this time, you must act alone. It must not escalate to involve military or state affairs. Of course, I’ll provide some support.”

She wasn’t yet confident enough to confront the Xu family head-on. So Wu Yi would act as bait. Not because she was impatient, but because it had to be done. If they didn’t act now, the Xu family’s influence would grow even more uncontrollable.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. I guarantee success.”

Seeing Wu Yi agree, Long Qiyue stood up. Whether intentional or not, as she turned sideways, the hem of her skirt lifted slightly.

Wu Yi took a quick glance before lowering his head.

White. Perfect legs.

“This woman’s baiting me again? But this reward—I really do love.”

Sensing his fleeting glance, Long Qiyue’s lips curved ever so faintly.

Just as Wu Yi was silently savoring the moment, a fragrant breeze wafted toward him. The scent was cold yet intoxicating.

“I’m using you like this. Aren’t you angry, Young Master?”

Wu Yi looked up at Long Qiyue, now only a meter away, and smiled with a perfect response. “Being able to relieve Your Majesty’s worries is my greatest honor.”

Of course he wasn’t angry. The Xu family was his enemy too. Though he was being used as a tool, there was no downside. With the Empress backing him, he could do whatever he wanted without concern.

Long Qiyue stared at him seriously. “That black wooden hammer you used in court—may I see it?”

She was very curious about Wu Yi’s mysterious hammer.

Wu Yi thought for a moment, then nodded. The Hammer of Boundless Merit couldn’t be hidden for long anyway, and he wasn’t afraid of people knowing. Most importantly, no one could steal it. Even if someone took it, they wouldn’t be able to use it. At a mere thought, it would return to his soul space from anywhere in the world.

Seeing Wu Yi hand over the hammer, Long Qiyue’s eyes lit up as she studied it carefully. “It looks ordinary… Who would’ve thought it had such mystical powers? Wu Yi, where did you obtain this hammer?”

Wu Yi replied calmly, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I cannot explain.”

Then, grinning boldly, he added, “Your Majesty, want to try it? Getting hammered feels amazing.”

Long Qiyue, “…?”

She almost laughed from anger. This guy really dared—he even wanted to hammer the Empress?

Wu Yi really did want to!

Lately, he’d wanted to hammer everyone he saw—especially the Empress. Not hammering her made him itch all over.

After a short pause, curiosity got the better of Long Qiyue. “If someone gets struck by this hammer, is the weakening of their cultivation permanent or temporary?”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. It’s temporary, and it causes no real harm.”

Long Qiyue nodded and reluctantly handed the hammer back.

“Alright then, I’d like to try—”

Clang~

“Ah~ Hiss~”

Before she could finish her sentence, Wu Yi had already struck her with the hammer. Her scalp tingled, and it felt like her brain was about to sprout new thoughts. Her body stiffened as if electrocuted, and she let out an uncontrollable soft moan.

The feeling…

It was heavenly!

But she had strong endurance and didn’t lose composure.

Seeing Wu Yi’s eyes gleam with excitement, clearly eager to hammer again, Long Qiyue quickly stopped him. “No more! I’ve experienced enough.”

Then, with a graceful turn of her jade-like hand, she produced a snow-white spirit fruit between her fingers. The fruit was about the size of a winter jujube, round and smooth, radiating intense spiritual energy.

“This is a 7th-grade spiritual material—Snow Spirit Ginseng Fruit. It’s your reward for eliminating Xu Yangshuo and Lin Zhengtang today. If you can take out Xu Yangfeng during the martial competition, as long as it’s not excessive, you can ask for any reward you want.”

Wu Yi was a bit stunned.

A 7th-grade Snow Spirit Ginseng Fruit—this was a priceless treasure! It could cleanse the body, strengthen bones, and nourish the soul. It was also a core ingredient in high-grade pill refining. Rumor had it that this fruit only grew on a single Snow Spirit Divine Tree atop the Snow God Mountain in the Ice Condensation Nation. It bloomed once every thousand years and bore fruit once every thousand years—only seven per cycle.

Just this one fruit was worth at least 10 million—and even then, you couldn’t find one on the market.

“I’d go through fire and water for you, Your Majesty!”

With excitement written all over his face, Wu Yi reached out to receive the Snow Spirit Ginseng Fruit. Whether intentional or not, their fingers brushed—soft and cold to the touch.

Long Qiyue’s eyes flashed with a trace of displeasure as she said coolly, “Wait outside the hall for now. I’ll have Commander Li escort you back to the manor.”

Wu Yi glanced at Li Yin and was overjoyed. He quickly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. I take my leave!”

You want Li Yin to escort me?

Your Majesty, are you sure?

With this escort… your Dragon Shadow Guard commander might just end up mine…

Hehehe…