She pursed her lips and said in a low voice,
"Nearly two months have passed. After the autopsy, there's been no progress in the Crown Prince's death case, and the murderer remains at large. Concubine Xian of the Wei family is on the verge of another emotional breakdown, and you're almost losing the support of the entire Wei family.
Huo Wei, you've made so many efforts, whole - heartedly promoting your own faction.
I've also been secretly helping you. But all of this pales in comparison to the century - old Wei family, which holds the military power of the nation."
Huo Wei narrowed his black eyes. His smile was sarcastic and cold:
"Deep down in your heart, have you become so ruthless for the sake of your goals?
Even when Murong Min used Prime Minister Ning to scheme against you, you endured it. And now you're planning a marriage alliance to gain the support of the Wei family.
Dugu Luanyue, what's your heart made of? Or do you only see your goals and plans?"
These days in the court, he'd heard that the Emperor and the Empress were deeply in love. Murong Min even comforted himself in the court, saying that he wanted to have a legitimate son with the Empress, and only a legitimate son could be the Crown Prince.
Huo Wei was infuriated when he heard this. Every day when he stood in the court, on the surface, he was attending the court session, but in his heart, he'd already killed Murong Min countless times with his long sword.
Dugu Luanyue held his face and said seriously,
"Huo Wei, we don't have much time left. My father is really ill, and I need to go back soon.
In the past, I could take it slow and patiently help you pave your way to power step by step. But now I don't have that luxury.
My heart isn't just full of schemes. It's because I want you to be safe after I leave and not be oppressed in the court. Only then can I be at ease."
Huo Wei grabbed her shoulders with both hands and tightened his grip slightly. "So the result of your scheme is to make me marry another woman?"
Dugu Luanyue's bright red and affectionate eyes still stared at him calmly. She patiently explained word by word,
"A marriage alliance is the fastest and simplest way for the powerful and noble to alternate power and merge resources.
If you marry Wei Zhiruo, the beloved daughter of Grand Tutor Wei, since the Wei family has few descendants, with Wei Zhiruo around, why worry that the Wei family won't listen to you in the future?
In the future, you can do whatever you want in the Northern Yan. You'll be the one who calls the shots."
Huo Wei suddenly felt disgusted with the rules among the powerful and noble. A blizzard seemed to rise between his eyebrows, and a cold and violent aura surged up:
"So you used the same method to marry Murong Min, sleeping in the bed of a man you don't love and even find disgusting, right?
Now you also want me to marry Wei Zhiruo and sleep with another woman, right?"
Dugu Luanyue immediately said, "That's not what I mean. After the marriage alliance is achieved, no one will force you to sleep with her."
Huo Wei sneered and reached out to grip her chin. "If I don't please her, will she work for me and the Wei family?
Don't you know how to please a woman? If I have a few children with her next year, won't you mind at all, huh?"
Dugu Luanyue turned her face away, and her voice gradually turned cold. "We're not ordinary people. Love doesn't belong to people like us."
Huo Wei forcefully grabbed her chin and turned it back. His fierce animal - like eyes were on fire. "I'm asking you. Don't you mind anything I do with her?"
Dugu Luanyue felt a splitting pain in her lower jaw. Tears welled up in her eyes:
"Huo Wei, if I had any other way, I'd never let you suffer.
But both you and I have our own missions and goals in the court of the Northern Yan.
To achieve our goals, we have to resort to any means and be calculating. We have no choice.
If you don't get the support of the Wei family, it's only a matter of time before Murong Min eliminates you.
Murong Min has never trusted you. Since you came back from the great war in the Western Liao, I've protected your position as the commander of the imperial guards many times. Otherwise, you'd have no position in the court.
Now that the Crown Prince is dead, you have no powerful backer. And I won't stay in the Northern Yan forever."
Anger was written all over Huo Wei's resolute face:
"I'll never marry a woman I don't love!
I can't be as calculating as you. You say you love one person, but marry another. And you'll have another marriage in the Southern Chu in the future.
Dugu Luanyue, I'm not as amorous and heartless as you!"
The corners of Dugu Luanyue's eyes turned red. "But the only person I've truly loved is you."
Huo Wei's smile was sarcastic, and his voice became completely gloomy:
"If you really loved me, you'd never say such words and push me into the arms of another woman, making me marry her, consummate the marriage, and have children with her.
You're the Empress. How can you love someone? You're no different from Murong Min. You only love your own kingdom."
After saying this, Huo Wei was about to leave, but Dugu Luanyue hugged his waist from behind:
"If I had any choice, I'd never let you have this marriage alliance. Huo Wei, this is the only way now.
I don't dare to keep using the hallucinogenic drug on Murong Min. It's easy for the imperial physicians to discover it.
Once Murong Min regains his senses, he definitely won't let me handle the imperial decrees on his behalf anymore, and he won't treat me as an ordinary person. All that talk about the deep love between the Emperor and the Empress is fake!"
Huo Wei lowered his eyes and looked at the hands around his waist. He coldly pried the fair hands off and threw them away:
"I'm just a tool for you to complete your plan in the Northern Yan. After A Jue died, now it's my turn to have a marriage alliance to fulfill your plan, right?
After it's done, you'll go back to the Southern Chu with Sheng Yunqi hand in hand, and the Emperor and the Empress of the Southern Chu will live in deep love ever after, right?"
After saying this, he turned around and was about to continue, but he noticed a bruise around Dugu Luanyue's neck. It was obvious that she'd been strangled. His black eyes darkened, but he didn't know how to ask at this moment.
Dugu Luanyue also withdrew her hands. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Huo Wei, are you blaming me? Blaming me for my plan that led to Murong Jue's death?"
Huo Wei's eyes also turned red. He squinted his black eyes slightly. Thinking of Murong Jue, his heart ached. "I hate. I hate myself!"
After Huo Wei left, Aunt Meijiang came in with ointment to apply on her wounds. Her voice was a bit aggrieved:
"The Emperor likes to torture women the most these days. Your Majesty has wounds on your body when you come back these days.
Who doesn't feel sad in their hearts? Your Majesty has been working hard every day to handle the imperial decrees on behalf of the Emperor for the sake of the Prince of Yuzhang. You've exhausted yourself to bring all the benefits to him.
Now that the Prince is having a marriage alliance and is completely tied to the Wei family, he's actually getting angry.
If the Emperor regains his senses completely and starts to handle state affairs in the future, and if he discovers that Your Majesty has been secretly supporting the Prince of Yuzhang, Your Majesty will be in danger then."
Dugu Luanyue looked at her bruised wrists and casually touched them:
"Huo Wei is a pure - hearted and true - natured person. He's a god of war on the battlefield, but he's not suitable for the intrigues and twists and turns in the court struggle.
We've confessed our feelings to each other. Now I'm asking him to have a marriage alliance and marry another woman. Naturally, he's resistant in his heart.
Moreover, after Murong Jue's death, he's been in a depressed mood for a long time. I don't know if he's blaming me."
Aunt Meijiang cursed Murong Min secretly while applying the ointment. "There's no reason to blame. Your Majesty has sent all your subordinates and even written back to the Southern Chu to send people to find the poison in foreign lands. You've done your best to find the murderer.
Everyone is deeply saddened by the Crown Prince's death. It's the evil deed of the murderer behind the scenes. What does it have to do with Your Majesty?
Besides, if it weren't for Your Majesty, it would be very difficult for the descendants of the Wei family and Concubine Xian to become the Crown Prince. After all, the Second Prince is deeply loved by Empress Dowager Hua."
Dugu Luanyue was silent. She didn't know what to say. She just felt that Huo Wei was blaming her.
Aunt Meijiang added, "A concubine died last night. She died after serving the Emperor.
I heard that the Emperor made her swallow a large amount of golden pills for pleasure. The concubine couldn't bear so many golden pills, and her qi and blood reversed, so she died."
Dugu Luanyue frowned. "It's getting more and more absurd."
Recently, when Murong Min mistook her for Lu Wanyin, he'd express his deep love, but he'd also strangle her and push her down. She really didn't understand what kind of person Murong Min was.
A few days later, Dugu Luanyue secretly summoned Shen Guilan, the military advisor of the Prince of Yuzhang. Shen Guilan secretly entered the palace to discuss the follow - up plan.
Shen Guilan thought that the Empress had considered everything carefully and said that he had a way to make Huo Wei marry Wei Zhiruo.