I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 525 A Matter of Utter Danger
[Oh dear, the tyrant is fooling the Empress Dowager again. We'll see soon enough. Where am I supposed to conjure up a chicken... uh, no, a phoenix head for her?]

Chu Liuzheng, not wanting to go in and watch the mother and son arguing, squatted in front of the Wanshou Palace, looking worried.

I wonder if sticking two chicken feathers in my hair and scattering some flower petals in the shadows would fool the Empress Dowager.

Hmm... using peacock feathers seems more luxurious.

[No! I'm not going to pretend to be a phoenix maiden. I might fool her once, but what if the Empress Dowager wants to see it a second or third time? This tyrant's plan has endless consequences. If the Empress Dowager finds out she's been deceived, she'll definitely blame me.]

【Ahhh!!! Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problems have always been a major challenge, but mine is a psychic problem, it's downright hellish.】

Chu Liuzheng decisively put the problem out of her mind; whoever raised it should solve it, and she would just continue reading.

It would have been better if I hadn't looked, because once I did, I saw something truly remarkable.

[Holy crap! The tyrant wants to make me his empress! When? Doesn't he need to inform me first and discuss it with me?]

Oh, right, the Phoenix Seal is already in my possession, so I don't think I need to be so surprised.

Wait, where did this book of incriminating evidence come from? When did the tyrant secretly collect so much evidence of the Xie family's crimes?

Wow, the intelligence network of the secret guards is incredibly powerful! They even noticed the smallest details. It rivals the system's gathering capabilities.

[What a clever tactic of using diplomacy before resorting to force! So the tyrant's initial plan was to use the Xie family's crimes to silence the Empress Dowager. No wonder he looked like he was collecting a debt; he really was there to collect a debt!]

Chu Liuzheng scrolled down quickly.

[Tsk tsk, silence, silence, silence is the empress dowager tonight.]

[To save the Xie family, the Empress Dowager not only cannot oppose the tyrant's dismissal of the harem, but must also strongly support it. If this had been proposed from the beginning, the Empress Dowager would probably have been driven to the brink of madness by the tyrant, although things haven't improved much since then.]

[Oh, it's not just the tyrant who's infuriating them, but also those good-for-nothing members of the Xie family who abuse their status and act arrogantly and recklessly.]

It's no wonder that Madam Xie is renowned for her eloquence among the noblewomen of the capital; she can turn black into white, and she praised the Xie family's children and grandchildren to the skies in front of the Empress Dowager.

[You dared to bully the Empress Dowager, spouting nonsense because you weren't well-informed in the palace? Now the tyrant's true colors are laid bare, revealing his true nature. Tsk tsk, next time Madam Xie enters the palace, she'll be in for a rough time.]

Chu Liuzheng scrolled down for a while, but finding nothing interesting, he closed the system and raised his hand, "Chenxing, help me up, my legs are numb."

No one answered, but her hand was grasped by a familiar large hand. Xiao Jingfan bent down and picked her up, as if unaware that she had been watching the gossip, and asked, "Why are you squatting here?"

"Wait for you to come out." Chu Liuzheng wrapped his arms around his neck, and when he kicked his calves slightly, he felt a constant numbness, and his expression twisted involuntarily.

She observed the emperor's expression and asked with concern, "You didn't quarrel with the Empress Dowager, did you?"

"I have already persuaded the Empress Dowager." Xiao Jingfan carried her forward, "Tomorrow I will order the Imperial Observatory to choose an auspicious day."

"What?" Chu Liuzheng blinked, pretending to be stupid.

Xiao Jingfan: "Guess."

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

[If I guessed correctly, it would make me seem like I really want to be empress; if I didn't guess correctly, it would make me seem stupid. So, did I guess correctly or not?]

Xiao Jingfan: "There will be a reward if you guess correctly."

Chu Liuzheng immediately said, "Make her empress."

Xiao Jingfan: "Guess again."

Chu Liuzheng: ? ?
[Not crowned empress? Then what is it? Did I miss something?]

She immediately opened the system and searched through it, only to find that she had indeed missed it.

And they are all two characters.

She cleared her throat, hesitating whether to speak or not, when Xiao Jingfan glanced at her and said, "You won't be here soon enough."

Chu, a former working-class man, couldn't resist the temptation of the deadline and subconsciously blurted out, "Wedding."

Xiao Jingfan's eyes crinkled into a smile: "So clever."

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

[Tsk, what a perverse sense of humor!]

A flush rose to her ears, and she wrapped her arms around the emperor's neck and shook him, abruptly changing the subject: "What will you reward me with?"

Xiao Jingfan: "I remember I still owe you a title." Chu Liuzheng: !!!

*
Why am I so unaccustomed to a tyrant not being stingy? Will my parents be scared? Should I send someone to tell them beforehand?

After taking a bath, Chu Liuzheng sat in front of her dressing table to do her skincare routine, her mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts. She glanced in the mirror and saw a young man in a black nightgown walk over, take the wooden comb from Chen Xing's hand, and gently comb her hair.

Chenxing and Siyue both left and closed the door behind them.

The hall was quiet, the candlelight flickered, and the light and shadow were ambiguous.

Looking at the person in the mirror, Chu Liuzheng suddenly remembered a very important thing that he had forgotten.

[The tyrant dismissed the harem, won the bet, and that means... a consummation of the marriage!!!]

[Holy crap! Holy crap! How could I forget?!]

Her body stiffened suddenly, and Xiao Jingfan, who was combing her hair, naturally noticed. He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, asking gently, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Chu Liuzheng pursed his lips. "I'm just a little thirsty."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfan put down the wooden comb and went to the table to pour water.

Taking advantage of the break, Chu Liuzheng quickly recalled what skincare steps she had taken during her bath. This was her first time in this world, and with someone she loved; naturally, the more perfect the experience, the better.

[Petal bath... We ran out of petals yesterday, so I didn't ask them to prepare any more.]

I washed my hair yesterday.

I used scented soap and floral water, and I did an essential oil massage the day before yesterday, but it was too late today so I didn't.

As for face powder, I thought it was too much trouble in this hot weather, so I didn't ask them to apply it.

The perfume doesn't seem to be working either.

She lowered her head and brought her nose to her arm to smell it. There was a faint fragrance, as if it had been marinated in various incense powders, perfumes, and lotions she used every day.

She casually unbuttoned her collar and peeked inside, and... it was quite voluptuous.

Breathe on your palm again.

The tooth powder is peach flavored, so it'll do.

My nails seem a bit long, should I trim them?

Just as Chu Liuzheng picked up the scissors, Xiao Jingfan returned with a teacup.

The emperor glanced at the scissors in her hand, looking puzzled: "What are you doing with those scissors?"

"Trim the candle wick." Chu Liuzheng calmly pointed to the candlestick beside him. "It's a bit dim."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfan handed her the teacup, took the scissors, removed the lampshade, and cut off a section of the overly long candle wick.

Chu Liuzheng held the cup and drank water, staring at his neatly trimmed and beautifully manicured nails.

The length is actually fine; it doesn't need to be cut.

Hmm... The tyrant likes the scent of jasmine, so I'll just apply some perfume balm to tide me over.

She put down the cup, reached for the perfume box, took out a little, and spread it evenly behind her ears.

As for fragrance, it's better to have a subtle, delicate scent rather than a large one; the more subtle the scent, the more alluring it becomes.

After taking one last look in the mirror, Chu Liuzheng brushed the stray hairs from his forehead and stood up.

Xiao Jingfan put the scissors back in the box and leaned against the headboard to wait for her.

Chu Liuzheng felt inexplicably nervous, especially when those deep black eyes looked over. She almost stumbled over, thinking with great concern:

[The tyrant's skills must be pretty good, right?]

She blew out the extra candle flame by the bedside and climbed into the inner part of the bed.

According to the rules, concubines should sleep on the outer side when they are to spend the night with the emperor, so that they can serve him at any time, such as bringing him tea or water or calling for someone.

However, the emperor went to court too early, and Chu Liuzheng got up late. In order not to wake Chu Liuzheng, the two of them switched sleeping positions, and naturally the person who brought the water also switched positions.

(End of this chapter)