ALSACW – Chapter 132

The Empress was right. Tang Jianxi was indeed very much like her grandmother. Especially in her unyielding nature.

And one of the characteristics of such a nature is the ability to see through false masks.

The Empress frowned for a moment before quickly smoothing her expression. She said patiently, “I am not the emperor of alphas. I am the emperor of all of you. I believe there has always been a misunderstanding between us. I do not represent the interests of alphas.”

“But haven’t you always been dedicated to advancing the interests of alphas?”

To be honest, this statement was already somewhat disrespectful. Its underlying meaning was sharp and lacked the necessary deference.

The smile vanished from the Empress’s face.

“Miss Tang, rather than the intent of the imperial family, this is more the result of natural development. In the beginning, there were quite a few omega emperors in the imperial family, but that did nothing to help the situation.”

“I think that speaks clearly enough to certain matters, proving that what you just said is nothing more than a baseless accusation. The reality, Miss Tang, is that it’s not difficult to admit you were born into a lesser gender. You can still overcome your shortcomings through your own efforts, just like your grandmother.”

Tang Jianxi’s hands clenched the fabric over her thighs. Her voice was strained. “Your Majesty, is that what you truly think?”

“To be precise, it is the truth, Miss Tang,” the Empress said slowly.

Tang Jianxi reminded her, “But it’s undeniable that this doesn’t help you deal with my threat.”

The Empress began tapping her fingers on the table again. She wanted to smoke a cigarette, or perhaps a cigar, but she couldn’t. It would be impolite to an omega, and besides, there was no need to expose her own agitation.

“Even after all I’ve said, you’re still going to force me to halt the handover?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it means war?”

“Even if it means war.”

The Empress rose from her large chair. Behind her, the brilliant stained-glass window cast an obscure, gloomy shadow across the side of her face under the sunlight’s refraction.

Tang Jianxi swallowed. Of course, she knew she wasn’t in any danger; the monarch did not have the power of life and death. But this was the monarch, after all. The scepter in her hand affected the lives of tens of billions of people. From a more practical perspective, while Tang Jianxi didn’t share Yun Chuji’s sense of duty to die for her sovereign, the reverence she had held in her heart since childhood had never diminished.

The Empress was not a poor monarch. She was diligent, down-to-earth, and free of scandal—qualities especially rare for a sovereign.

But it was precisely because she was this kind of person that when she set her mind to something, she was exceptionally difficult to sway.

“Your Majesty, you are also the monarch of omegas and betas.”

The Empress’s cold, grim expression softened for a moment. Then she raised her eyebrows and let out a light laugh, as if in sudden realization. Her no-longer-young face showed a trace of girlish innocence. “Miss Tang, I should be considered your elder. Taking advantage of this status, I’d like to teach you a fundamental principle of our world.”

“You can’t go into a negotiation planning for a winner-take-all outcome. That will only push the situation into a more unmanageable state.”

Then, she spread her hands, sat back down, and her expression grew much more serious. “Alright, Miss Tang, let’s negotiate in earnest. You don’t want omegas to be completely relegated to a position of weakness, and I don’t want the empire’s balance to be shattered. Whether you agree or not, for the sake of our subsequent negotiations, I must make it clear to you that, in my view, for two genders destined to rely on each other for survival, a lack of specific rules will only lead to endless disputes.”

Tang Jianxi thought for a moment. After the Empress finished speaking, the first thing that came to her mind was the A-Virtue Yun Chuji had created. “I agree with your view. However, forcing the gender in the weaker position in the relationship to constantly concede does not create balance, but rather persistent aggression. It may present the illusion of balance, but ultimately, it will only lead to the loss of dignity for one gender and the moral decay of the other. True balance isn’t about piling resources onto the strong who can already obtain them easily—that is a lazy approach. It’s about allowing the weak to have dignity as well.”

“Your Majesty, dignity is not the same as excessive pride. It will not cause a war.”

“An interesting way of putting it. But in reality, Miss Tang, your idea is based on an unbalanced foundation.”

“Your Majesty, people are the end, not the means. With the Empire’s capabilities, perhaps it can afford to give up some petty profits.”

“…Oh? In that case, Miss Tang, what interests do you believe the Empire should abandon for this new balance?”

“Your Majesty, if you have the time, perhaps you could look into my wife’s theories.”

While Tang Jianxi was trying to persuade the Empress to set aside her old prejudices and strive for a situation acceptable to omegas, Lucia was rushing home in a fury.

She had been careless. She had thought the most dangerous place was the safest place, that her enemy would never imagine she would keep the evidence right in her own home. Besides, with her home’s security and defenses, it wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.

But she had forgotten about Yun Xuan.

He was indeed watching her like a predator.

With this incident, all the various disrespectful signs from Yun Xuan flooded her memory. Just pulling his teeth wasn’t enough for that bastard; she had to cripple him.

But how could he possibly know about Glory? She had never revealed the slightest hint to him.

Ah, right. With that incredible brain of his, it wasn’t surprising that he could have dug something up after three years of living together.

But why would he betray her?

After she calmed down, this question lingered in Lucia’s mind.

Yun Xuan didn’t love her; she had always known that. He had made it quite obvious, after all.

But he would obey her. Yun Xuan had made that obvious too, even more so than the first point.

Lucia herself knew why. It was because he needed her, needed the status of being the imperial husband, needed to wear the tiger’s skin of the Third Princess’s husband to vie for power and profit.

Although this was somewhat embarrassing for an alpha, Lucia could just about tolerate it. Even if seeing Yun Xuan’s arrogant demeanor occasionally ignited her anger, she was ultimately able to endure it.

She couldn’t deny that Yun Xuan was irreplaceable to her.

So she had always believed that the two of them were, at the very least, in the same car.

But now, the incessant beeping from her terminal reminded her that her dear husband seemed to want to blow that car up.

She had completely lost control of her home security system. No surveillance, no way to mobilize the AI guards. She could only hurry out of her office and rush home in a disheveled state.

The drive that usually felt too short now seemed endlessly long. Lucia was practically driving at the speed limit. If it weren’t for that damned AI preventing her from increasing her speed in the city center, she would have already caused who knows how many car accidents.

When Lucia, drenched in sweat, pushed open her front door, she was stunned to find an unexpected guest sitting in the living room.

In an instant, she understood everything.

If it was Yun Chuji, then there was no doubt. This traitor was indeed capable of such a thing.

Originally, for Yun Xuan and the Tang family’s sake, and because she had indeed helped her, she hadn’t wanted to dig too deep, only planning to find a good opportunity to kick her while she was down in the future.

She never expected her to deliver herself to her doorstep. Not only did she show up, but she also committed a robbery in the process.

Lucia laughed in anger. Her surging emotions stirred her pheromones, which rushed forth, breaking through her suppressor patch.

“Where did you put the things?” Her last shred of reason allowed her to ask this question.

Yun Chuji remained kneeling. She also released her own pheromones, not to provoke, but to block. Yun Xuan was also present, and he was pregnant. Overly intense pheromones would be harmful to his body.

“No comment,” she replied.

Lucia approached step by step. “You still have a chance to regret this.”

“No comment,” Yun Chuji repeated.

The next second, the pheromones from Lucia’s body erupted. She stared straight at that eyesore of an alpha, that alpha who didn’t look like an alpha at all.

To be outsmarted by something like this.

Lucia opened her terminal and launched a pre-downloaded program. The program’s function was very simple, and also very illegal.

Its purpose was to remove the AI moral constraints from the AI guards, meaning they could become complete weapons.

Lucia issued them a command: “Kill that alpha.”

Her future was pretty much over anyway. Before it was, she might as well take down one person if she could.

“On second thought, change the order. Add Yun Xuan. Kill him too.”

After saying this, Lucia turned to leave. With the wealth she had accumulated over the years, she should be able to buy a safe haven among the space pirates.

But before she got far, a gunshot rang out, followed by many more.

Lucia turned in surprise, but she didn’t manage to turn her body all the way around. She only turned her head to the side and saw Yun Chuji holding a rifle, a military-issue modular one.

And she herself had taken a bullet.

She was thrown backward.

She wasn’t dead, and there was no second shot.

Because the AIs couldn’t be killed by gunfire; the bullets only froze their movements. Even though Yun Chuji was trying to hit vital spots, she could only slow their approach. Fortunately, Tang Jianxi had sent her with several AI bodyguards. Although they were no match for Lucia’s, the situation was at least not critical to the point of despair.

She came prepared.

This thought flashed through Lucia’s muddled mind.

Then she couldn’t think of anything at all.

She passed out.

Three minutes. I just need three minutes.

Yun Chuji encouraged herself as ammunition poured from the muzzle of her gun.

She shielded Yun Xuan behind her without much precaution. No matter how broken their relationship as siblings had become, Yun Xuan was still a pregnant man.

She had a responsibility to protect him.

However, this pregnant man clearly didn’t realize the gravity of the situation. In the short time from when Lucia entered the door to when she decided to tear all pretenses aside, he had been watching the scene before him with a look of great interest.

The only thing that managed to surprise him was discovering that his younger sister actually possessed decent combat skills.

But that lasted only a dozen seconds or so. After observing enough, he touched his fingertips to Yun Chuji’s exposed skin.

Then, he did something on his terminal.

Dozens of AI guards rushed down from upstairs.

And Yun Chuji collapsed into his arms.