In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 318 A salute to the birth of the king!

2023-11-15

"..."

Looking at the naked Dongfang Xiao in front of him, Xu Shi felt completely calm.

You have to be Buddhist, otherwise your heart will become as cold as a fish-killing knife after seeing this kind of drama too many times.

Or perhaps he had long anticipated this day—with the sowing of "entropy of evil thoughts," Stockholm syndrome and the like are all too common.

Yes, he preferred to use terms like Stockholm because he knew very well that he and the little empress didn't have such deep feelings for each other, and the feelings they did have weren't so pure either.

The bond between the two was originally based on mutual benefit.

For him, he needed an agent who could control and govern the Hualan Empire, and Dongfang Xiao was naturally the most suitable candidate.

However, perhaps because he was surrounded by many beautiful women, he didn't invest too much in the little empress—to put it bluntly, wasn't it all because of that promise in the first place...?

In his view, Dongfang Xiao was no different.

She hoped to break free from control and become a true empress, and for this she was willing to seize her future and submit herself to the body of this great villain.

But after learning the truth, her mindset naturally changed. From their interactions during the days of building the empire together, it was clear that they had developed a more respectful and courteous relationship.

and so……

"You know we're in reality, right?"

Xu Shi said this half-jokingly, while also reminding Dongfang Xiao that if he was doing this just because his friend was leaving, then there was no need to do it.

"Of course I do."

Dongfang Xiao nodded, her tone serious, but she still looked apprehensive—the sudden removal of her clothes made her a little cold, and she couldn't help but shiver.

However, her eyes were unusually clear, which clearly indicated that this was not a thoughtless act made in a moment of panic.

Are you sure you want to do this?

Xu Shi pressed on, "Don't forget, you are the Empress of this country."

"It is precisely because I am the Empress that I must do this."

Dongfang Xiao pursed her lips, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you remember our promise?"

"I will obey no one but you, and that is true of everything I am."

Her eyes flickered, “Including…my marriage.”

She emphasized the word "marriage," clearly indicating her state of mind when she was unsure.

"Even until today, when you came, I still didn't know how I should face you..."

Her tone was tinged with grievance, "In the end, you took advantage of me, but it was also my own choice, and I paid the price for it."

"So I should keep my distance from you. All those bad things from before should be sealed away and I shouldn't even think about them."

"But when you said you were leaving, I suddenly realized that I seemed to... be unable to leave you."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. "It's true that I don't want you to leave. I really depend on you. I want you to stay here and build the empire with me..."

"But I know I don't have the right to do that, so... let me say goodbye to you this way, okay?"

These were her honest thoughts. Ultimately, she was still somewhat unhappy about the unequal master-servant relationship with Xu Shi. As she said, from her perspective, that was "a bad thing."

But she couldn't deny her admiration for Xu Shi.

Yes, it was admiration. She knew very well that when facing Xu Shi, "admiration" was a more appropriate word than "like," a genuine admiration like that of a disciple for his teacher.

The sweeping purges and reforms were something even the locals couldn't accomplish, yet he, an outsider, achieved them with ease. This alone was enough to make her eyes sparkle.

At the same time, having spent so much time with Xu Shi, she has indeed learned a lot—her previous statement about dependence was actually somewhat insincere. Even if Xu Shi really never returns, she is confident that she can carry forward everything he has laid out for her.

However, what she didn't know was that the "increase in entropy of evil thoughts" played a significant role in her having such thoughts.

Without this layer, the emotions would still exist, but they would never be as intense as they are now.

The most obvious example is probably Qin Yiyan. Xu Shi was too lazy to give her any abilities, so he relied on subtle influence through words and actions. It was difficult for her stubborn mind to change in a short period of time.

However, Dongfang Xiao was actually quite stubborn and couldn't think of any other way, so she simply decided to offer herself to him.

On the one hand, she planned to leave a mark on Xu Shi's heart in this way—to be honest, a year ago she was still a clean and innocent little flower, but now she has long since become Xu Shi, and has learned a lot of strange and wonderful knowledge, so it was only natural that she thought of this method.

We've been faking it all along, it's time to really play it for real!

Secondly, as she said before, from now on, she will be in charge of everything herself, whether it's governing the country or... finding a man.

She didn't expect marriage, but with Xu Shizhuyu as an example, she felt she couldn't be interested in anyone else.

"What farewell are you talking about?"

Seeing her serious expression, Xu Shi couldn't help but laugh. "It's not like you're not coming back. You can contact me anytime if anything happens, okay?"

It must be said that just now, he didn't see a pretentious little daughter. Instead, he felt that Dongfang Xiao had really grown up. She was no longer as timid and hesitant as before, and seemed much more dashing.

"You're right, this isn't a farewell."

Dongfang Xiao did not deny his statement, but also pointed out her dilemma, "I even want to visit your city in the future... but in the end, you won't be by my side during this time."

“We are both teacher and student, and master and servant... You must give me something to look forward to.”

Her tone suddenly slowed, "Or... do you want me to just marry any man so that the empire we built together is more secure?"

Xu Shi's expression immediately turned sour.

I didn't realize you could do that, you little brat?

He could easily tell that the little empress was trying to provoke him, so that things would naturally fall into place and eventually become a fait accompli.

But this guy's possessiveness is terrifyingly strong, so how could he not react at all when he heard this?

"Then please allow me to presume upon this."

He no longer hesitated; the little girl had started the fire herself, so she was responsible for putting it out herself.

Seeing Xu Shi's reaction, Dongfang Xiao was delighted. This was the effect she wanted, wasn't it?

However, if she were to arrange a political marriage and find a so-called "husband," she would probably only have Xu Shi in her heart.

Sigh, is this what they call the master's task?

She remembered the lewd stories she had secretly read in the past, and her face involuntarily turned red.

Lost in her thoughts, she was carried by Xu Shi to the bed in the study.

As the tearing pain shot through him, Xu Shi still tried to tease her, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness."

The young empress, experiencing the pleasures of love for the first time, could hardly withstand his torment; her thoughts had long since wandered off to who-knows-where.

All she could do was grip the sheets tightly and mumble incoherently.

"You are... the true king."

……

The next morning, the princes and nobles in the court noticed that Her Majesty the Empress was acting differently.

Although the royal family now holds absolute dominance in the empire, things have changed, and one can still often sense that she is somewhat absent-minded.

Even with those mountain of tasks piling up like snowflakes, she personally took on the main responsibility, which inevitably left her feeling somewhat overwhelmed and made her look even more haggard.

But after that night, it was obvious that she seemed to have resolved some kind of inner conflict. Not only was she full of energy, but she also looked much lighter.

Her every move exuded an air of imperial authority, much like her father.

If you look closely, she seems to have even more charm, having transformed from a slightly naive little girl into a new stage.

All the princes and ministers present knew that Dongfang Xiao was definitely a beautiful flower. They used to say that she was all looks and no substance, but that was only because she was good-looking.

In the early years, many people wanted to try to get married through marriage, but Cheng Gujian turned them all down.

Now it seems even more impossible—many people still know the inside story and are aware that some time ago, the Regent, oh, back then when he was still the Imperial Tutor Xu Shi, often spent a long time in the same room with Her Majesty the Empress.

Yesterday, they even spent the night in the palace; what happened is obvious.

Ah this...

Perhaps no one expected that their own empire would ultimately fall into the hands of an outsider, and even the empress might already be someone else's woman.

However, no one would be foolish enough to expose it.

Firstly, Xu Shi's methods are truly more ruthless than Cheng Gujian's; if he weren't ruthless, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Cheng Gujian... If you really want to comment on this kind of thing, you'll definitely not have a good outcome.

Secondly, Xu Shi's arrival has indeed brought unprecedented development to the empire, and these shrewd people are well aware of the benefits. Cooperating with him and the city-states behind him is definitely not a bad thing.

If we can maintain a good relationship with Xu Shi in this way, that would be good.

The old folks were thinking this way, each with their own ulterior motives, and they didn't feel any shame about betraying the Empress for personal gain. What could they say now that the deed was done?

It's enough to just keep it to yourself.

Dongfang Xiao made no attempt to hide anything, and today's court session revolved entirely around Xu Shi's affairs.

"The Empire and the City of Night Sin are allies, and will remain so forever. Now that the Regent wishes to return home, as a friendly nation, I also hope to present him with a great gift."

Next came the list she had prepared beforehand, which included some gold and silver jewelry, but even more precious liquid "rust mist" ore.

This was of course planned in advance. For Xu Shi, these were the only gains he valued, including the mining rights to some mineral veins, which he had already obtained. Even if he returned to Night City, he would still maintain trade and resource exchanges.

So today is just a notification, not a discussion with these guys.

What is a tactical fadeaway? (One-man show)

He himself was sitting on the spacious dragon throne with Dongfang Xiao, and when he heard the little empress's summons, he simply nodded and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

As he spoke, he put his arm around her shoulder without any hesitation. "I am homesick, but the exchanges between our two nations will not be temporarily halted. Her Majesty the Empress has only recently ascended the throne and needs the assistance of all of you."

This wasn't a slip of the tongue; rather, it was a very blatant declaration of sovereignty. Was Dongfang Xiao an empress before? Only the throne that her buddies helped her conquer was the real throne.

It's also a warning: don't think you can act recklessly just because I'm not around; keep your heads down.

Now that we're master and apprentice, I should still offer the help I need.

The ministers all agreed.