A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 176 Good Cop, Bad Cop (Bonus Chapter for Donations)

Shen Tang cursed the old emperor inwardly for being so cunning, but remained outwardly calm, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Father, but building a mansion would be too much of a burden on the people and a waste of money, so there's no need for that."

She glanced around, her gaze settling on Shen Qingli not far away, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Besides, I'm particular about houses, and I'm only used to living in the old princess's mansion."

These words immediately created a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

The emperor and empress looked stiff, a hint of embarrassment on their faces.

Everyone in the empire knows that back then, no sooner had Shen Tang been exiled and left the princess's residence than the new princess moved in and threw all of her belongings away like trash.

At the time, this incident was widely circulated, and many orcs secretly mocked her.

—A defeated dog driven out by the royal family.

Shen Qingli's face was ugly. This bitch had to bring this up in front of so many media outlets, making it sound like she was a newcomer who had usurped the position.

Shen Tang seemed oblivious to the family's livid faces, smiled lightly, and casually said, "But since my sister has already moved in and has grown attached to the place, let her have that princess's residence."

Shen Qingli's beautiful eyes blazed with fury, her teeth practically grinding to powder. What did she mean by "give way"? How dare this bitch even ask for it? All of this belonged to her all along!

"Don't talk nonsense. There's no place for you in that princess's residence..."

Shen Qingli couldn't help but speak up, but was sternly rebuked by the emperor, "Alright, you should say less. Your sister has already said so, so you should shut up."

The emperor didn't want that shameful incident from years ago to resurface, otherwise they would be the ones who lost face.

Shen Qingli had no choice but to swallow her words, feeling increasingly resentful and angry.

The Empress regained her composure and looked at Shen Tang kindly, "But now that you are a princess, you can't just keep running off to those remote mountain valleys. You have to stay in the capital and not let outsiders gossip."

What's the point of staying in the capital?
Give them the opportunity to act at any time?

Shen Tang sneered inwardly, thinking, "Does she really think she's stupid?"

She looked docile and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Father and Mother. I don't have such lofty ambitions. I'd be happy as long as I have a place to live."

Upon hearing this, the emperor and empress relaxed, a sense of joy rising in their hearts. This adopted daughter truly had no ambition. As long as she was willing to remain a useless person and posed no threat to their biological daughter, they wouldn't mind spending some money to raise such a princess in name only. They could just treat her as another pet in the house.

Shen Qingli also looked disdainful. This good-for-nothing really didn't deserve to stay in the capital. Only a poor, dilapidated mountain village was worthy of her.

Shen Li held the wine glass in his hand and said with a smile, "Yes, Xiao Tang just wants to live a good life with us. She doesn't have any great ambitions. Why don't Father and Mother just give her that poor, unwanted mountain valley? It would be more convenient for us to live there."

The Lord of Green Field City declared his allegiance to Shen Tang, but this was only a decision made by the two of them and was not legally recognized.

This empire was, after all, still the domain of the emperor and empress.

Only with the emperor and empress's personal seal can Green Field City officially become Shen Tang's territory.

Upon hearing this, the emperor and empress's expressions immediately changed. This group of people had come with the intention of demanding fiefdoms!
Sending Shen Tang to live in a mountain valley and giving her the territory directly are two completely different things!
I really underestimated this adopted daughter; she's got a wolf's heart!
What right does an adopted daughter with no blood relation have to ask them for a fiefdom?

But the emperor couldn't say it out loud. After all, Shen Tang was now a legitimate imperial princess. In order to quell public opinion, he had promised the people of the empire that he would treat her as his own daughter. To deny her abilities simply because of blood relations would be a slap in his face.

The Empress forced a smile. "This...the matter of the fiefdom is of great importance and needs further discussion." Shen Li gently swirled his wine glass with his long, jade-like fingers. His fox-like eyes narrowed slightly with a smile, sparkling and captivatingly alluring. "Father and Mother were in such a hurry to call us back, presumably because they heard about those comments online."

The emperor's expression darkened slightly. "Don't take those online comments seriously. I have already designated Qingli as the future heir of the empire, how could I easily change that!"

"But the will of the people is the general trend. If the future successor of a country cannot gain the approval of the people, the political situation is bound to be turbulent. Father probably doesn't want to leave a mess for Qingli."

Having said all that, the emperor had nothing more to say.

Shen Li raised the corners of her eyes, revealing a cunning yet harmless look, and smiled with her red lips, "How about I propose that the two princesses each choose a fiefdom and hold a competition for a year?"

"Whoever rules better and gains the people's approval within this year shall be qualified as the successor, shall they?"

People always prefer compromises. Shen Li's strategy of retreating to advance is more acceptable to them than directly asking the emperor for fiefdoms.

The emperor probably summoned them here to offer them some benefits and bribes in order to control online public opinion.

Shen Li offered them a better solution.

If Shen Qingli can defeat Shen Tang in this competition, she can not only stop the online criticism, but also win the hearts of the people and consolidate her future ruling position.

As for whether Shen Tang will win?

Ha, the emperor and his ilk wouldn't even consider this situation. The scope of this competition is too broad, and there are too many ways to manipulate it. As long as they don't want Shen Tang to win, she has no chance of winning at all.

Shen Li didn't guarantee whether Shen Tang could win, but it didn't matter; their goal was to take control of the fiefdom today.

This fabricated competition was nothing more than bait to lure the emperor into a trap. Winning would benefit them, and losing would not cause them any loss; they would even gain a legitimate fiefdom for nothing.

Shen Tang glanced at Shen Li, whose smile was alluring. This cunning fox is really something!
As expected, after careful consideration, the emperor agreed to the request.

And the entire empire was informed that the two princesses would begin a year-long competition.

Shen Qingli was assigned a city with a population of only about 100,000.

On the surface, it was just an ordinary little city, but Shen Tang learned through the system that the city was a mineral-rich territory with abundant mineral resources underground, and its development momentum would be very strong.

To demonstrate the fairness and generosity of the royal family, the emperor allowed Shen Tang to choose any territory within the empire as his fief.

Shen Tang chose Green Field City as her fiefdom as before.

There are many better options than Greenfield City, but she is not at ease. She has conquered this place bit by bit, and the people are very popular. She doesn't have to worry about the people rebelling halfway.

Shen Qingli had no idea where Green Field City was. She even spent a long time looking for it on the map, only to find that it was just an ordinary border town. The area it belonged to couldn't even be found on the map; it only had a number, which was enough to show how impoverished that remote mountain village was.

It would be strange if this impoverished mountain village could develop!

Shen Qingli put her mind at ease. In this competition, Shen Tang was destined to become her stepping stone, and there was absolutely no possibility of a comeback!
That's all for today's bonus chapter.

We'll be at the table for dinner tomorrow.

I can't stay up any longer, goodnight~

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(End of this chapter)