ALSACW – Chapter 140

Perhaps it was a long summer.

For the Empress, it was even longer.

From the moment Lucia died a senseless death, she had sensed a storm was about to engulf the imperial family. The perpetrator was Yun Xuan. She was aware of his capabilities but had consistently misjudged his position.

She knew Yun Xuan wanted power, and she knew his relationship with Lucia was far from harmonious, but she hadn’t cared. She had always believed that people who could endure for the sake of power were the easiest to handle. Their actions were predictable; they would simply make the decisions she wanted them to make under the lure of power.

What she hadn’t realized, however, was that this rule applied to her as well.

And that was how she had been trapped.

The opportunity she thought would advance the imperial family had turned out to be an elaborate trap set by someone else. She had used concession and tolerance to neutralize the threat from Tang Jianxi.

But the current situation was even worse than what Tang Jianxi had threatened—the imperial family had single-handedly orchestrated the division of the Empire.

How ironic.

The Empress let out a low chuckle. Her features, deepened by age, now held a sharp glint of light. This light was not directed at anyone, nor did it seek to illuminate anything.

It was merely the last flicker of a bonfire about to be extinguished by the dawn.

Sparks flared, then died out. Nothing could be more ordinary.

She adjusted her cufflinks and collar. The dignity of the imperial family did not permit her to show any more emotional fluctuation. At this moment, she sent for Yun Xuan.

Half an hour later, a handcuffed Yun Xuan was escorted into the opulent study.

His belly appeared even larger. He was no longer in his long robes but had been changed into a prison uniform. The blue and white uniform was loose-fitting, but its fabric was not comfortable for a pregnant omega.

Especially since he had been frequently attempting suicide lately, which made his complexion look even worse.

Unfortunately, in this technologically advanced era, the only method of suicide he could currently achieve was to die of depression—and even that was unrealistic. Psychology was now highly developed. Dancing and laughing on a knife’s edge was no longer exclusive to saints; with the right medication, one could be as happy as one wished.

The Empress watched him quietly and asked, “What is it you truly want?”

“If it’s revenge, you shouldn’t have let the third princess die so easily.”

Yun Xuan didn’t answer. What he needed to do was already done, and he wanted no further connection to this world.

But the Empress was now very curious. Of course, if one were to disregard Her Majesty’s dignity, she was actually doing her best to delay facing the truly momentous decision.

The decision they were trying to force her to make.

Perhaps it was also the decision the person before her was forcing her to make.

So, the Empress was in no hurry for an answer. She opened a box, took out a cigar, and clipped the cap with a small, jewel-handled knife. Then she struck a match and lit it. Smoke curled upwards, leaving only a faint red glow. The Empress took a few puffs before saying slowly, “The Howard family is finished.”

“They will be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in history, just like you. Whether you wanted to rely on the Howard family for something, or you were simply making a deal with them, it seems you haven’t achieved a good outcome.”

The Empress narrowed her eyes in enjoyment. Cigars were one of her few pleasures. She liked this kind of refined yet overly complex indulgence, much like the life she had always pursued. Yet there were always people who wanted to make everything too complicated, wanting to place too many pieces on the chessboard, to add too many variables, until everything became an irredeemable mess.

But they said they had obtained freedom.

Yun Xuan still said nothing. This level of provocation could no longer pique his interest. He didn’t want to ruin his mood for dying.

As for the Howard family, if they were finished, they were finished. The war would continue one way or another…

“The imperial family will stop the war, because we have no other choice.”

The Empress continued.

Yun Xuan’s eyes widened. He tried to see through the smoke to discern the woman’s true expression, even though he knew it would likely be her usual inscrutable mask.

“What comes next will be an era no one can imagine. I feel as if we are creating another Federation. We seem to be growing more and more like them, even down to the endless disputes over gender equality. Tell me, is it truly so unbearable to be a member of the less dominant gender?”

“Is it worth you, Chu Meng, Andrew, and even the sixth prince and Tang Jianxi fighting for it endlessly? Your lives haven’t been that terrible. The worst-off people in the Empire are those in the outermost ring, barred from civilization. But you all, from beginning to end, have never lacked for any privilege. So why is it that you are like supersonic airships, where even a tiny pebble can make you explode with a deafening roar?”

Yun Xuan had no desire to listen to an alpha’s musings. Such questions were, at best, complaints with no connection to reality. It was merely a suit of exquisite armor a surrendering party dons before raising the white flag—it would never be used on any real battlefield.

Yes, a surrendering party.

He smelled the stench of defeat in the Empress’s tone, and it shouldn’t have happened this early.

“What do you want me to say?” he replied.

The Empress raised her eyes and smiled. “Tell me what cards you have left. After all, as of now, I seem to have been backed into a corner.”

Having achieved her goal, the Empress didn’t launch into another long speech. She had the AI play the latest news for Yun Xuan and prepared a glass of honey water for him.

The last item was a joint statement from the Imperial Military Command. They declared this a disturbance within the imperial family that should be quelled by the imperial family itself, while severely reprimanding the Howard family for their attempt to divide the Empire.

Yun Xuan was surprised. This was not an emotion he experienced frequently in this world, yet in the span of a single week, he had been surprised twice. The first time was when Yun Chuji had actually used her own body’s characteristics to survive, and this time it was the military’s unhesitating decision to abandon the imperial family.

Could a monarch be so easily betrayed?

Yun Xuan had overlooked this possibility, which was why he had placed too much hope in the Howard family.

He had thought the Howard family could at least rally a faction to their side, but it turned out to be nothing but a ragtag bunch. Instead, the omega side had seized the initiative, prying the military out from under the imperial family’s wing.

However, judging by the Empress’s tone, she didn’t seem willing to accept this defeat.

“I’ve infected the members of the Hall family with a genetic virus,” he said calmly, as if wanting to muddy the waters even further. “By now, you have all likely lost the ability to reproduce.”

“Therefore, only betas are immune to this virus. Therefore, your future lies solely with the Howards.”

The Empress’s expression faltered. She stubbed out her cigar. Her face grew much more solemn, and the fog that had always seemed to shroud her features dissipated somewhat with the extinguished cigar. “Are you serious?”

Yun Xuan raised his eyes, his voice still calm. “I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, after seeing the news from the military, the Howard family should be eager to tell you this themselves.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the AI attendant presented a call request from Andrew on line three.

The Empress answered the call and spoke for a few moments.

After listening to some threats, some pleas, and some vague insinuations, the Empress hung up.

She looked at him seriously and said, “What you want is war.”

Yun Xuan drank the honey water, then realized he didn’t have a handkerchief. He frowned, unwilling to wipe his mouth with his sleeve, and so he remained frowning, looking rather displeased—which, in fact, he was.

“Correct.”

“But now, war can also get you what you want. Often, war isn’t a bad thing.”

“As long as you are the victor.”

The Empress sighed, then lit another cigar. She waved her hand, summoning the AI. “Take him back. Oh, and I’m also charging him with the illegal use of a bioweapon.”

The Empress stood up, a genuinely relieved smile on her face. “You’ve solved my problem after all.”

However, she didn’t elaborate further on the topic.

It wasn’t exactly dignified, especially having to pin the imperial family’s bad reputation on a madman.

But that didn’t matter. Fortunately, he was just as mad as she had expected.

Before he was led out the door, Yun Xuan called out, “Aren’t you afraid of your bloodline ending?”

Through the haze of smoke, the Empress’s voice was vague and ethereal. “Did you know? Alphas and betas can have children, as can omegas and betas. It’s painful, but there are already drugs to alleviate that pain.”

“And even if I truly had no children, I could adopt one from a distant branch of a branch family. What’s important is the Hall family, not the bloodline.”

With that, the door closed.

The Empress lowered her head and began to draft her press release. In it, she would lay bare Yun Xuan’s actions, explaining what a deranged omega he was. Under this omega’s insidious plot, the Howard family had committed treason, and the imperial family, after losing the third princess, would continue to suffer from the effects of the genetic toxin.

After that, of course, would come admitting fault and dispatching troops.

She would attribute all the mistakes to a misunderstanding and seize the political initiative.

Of course, more importantly, this war had to be fought beautifully.

An imperial family, like a prodigal son returned.

Yes, a very good story.

As for the child, the Empress raised an eyebrow. She had indeed panicked for a few seconds.

But she quickly figured it out. This kind of genetic toxin wasn’t easy to produce, especially one that specifically targeted AOs. The most convenient method would be to experiment on undifferentiated AOs to create an agent that would cause their glands to atrophy.

He might have put it in the air freshener, or perhaps in the food.

But that wasn’t important.

Because their genes had already been altered.

What was important was that inside Yun Xuan’s belly was a child who had not been poisoned.

The Empress couldn’t help but wonder, had he forgotten about that?

No, he hadn’t.

Yun Xuan looked back at the study door.

He realized the loophole in his threat. He could, of course, tell the Empress right now that he was carrying a stillborn child.

But, but.

What would be the point?

The Empress would not commit treason.

So, he let out a soft sigh.

He could only create people who were capable of treason.