Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 207 - 171 The Self-Smart Empress Xie_2

He said again, "If it weren’t for our eldest sister, you wouldn’t be the Empress, and I wouldn’t be the Duke Zhen."

Empress Xie couldn’t accept that her position as Empress was gained through Xie Wan.

"You’ve always thought that as the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, your status is nobler than our eldest sister’s. You feel wronged to be the Empress as a mere second wife, and even more wronged that your son is suppressed by the Crown Prince." Duke Zhen was clear about what his younger sister was thinking, "You’ve consistently thought I support the Crown Prince instead of your son because I don’t care about you as my little sister."

"Isn’t that the case?"

Duke Zhen did not expect Empress Xie to be so thoughtless, which made him angry.

"Alright, have you ever considered what the consequences would be if I supported your son instead of the Crown Prince?"

"What consequences?" Empress Xie said dismissively, "My son is legitimate."

"How old is your son?" Duke Zhen laughed in anger at Empress Xie’s words, "Let me say this today: without the Crown Prince, your son wouldn’t even be considered. The Emperor would immediately designate Prince Dai as the heir. Do you think your son can compare with Prince Dai? Do you think you are more favored than Noble Princess Consort Rong?"

Duke Zhen’s last words hit a deep-seated pain within Empress Xie, "How can the Yu family compare with our Xie family?"

"You’re right, the Yu family can’t compare with our Xie family, but the Yu family is the Emperor’s maternal clan," Duke Zhen replied. "The Emperor can do without our Xie family, but he can’t do without the Yu family, because the Yu family is related to the Zhao family by blood!"

Empress Xie said nothing.

"Noble Princess Consort Rong and the Emperor grew up together and have been close since childhood. If it weren’t for our Xie family’s marriage alliance in the past, Noble Princess Consort Rong would be the Empress now," Duke Zhen continued, "You’re more aware than I am of how much the Emperor favors Noble Princess Consort Rong. You’ve been married to the Emperor for so many years; have you ever competed for favor and surpassed Noble Princess Consort Rong? If not for the Crown Prince, Noble Princess Consort Rong’s son, Prince Dai, would have been the heir long ago. It wouldn’t be your son’s turn!"

Empress Xie stubbornly said, "The Crown Prince must be a legitimate son, not an illegitimate one."

"Do you really think the Emperor cares about the legitimacy?" Duke Zhen, seeing that Empress Xie still didn’t understand, decided to speak plainly today, "The Crown Prince was designated as the heir not because he is the eldest legitimate son, but because he is the son of our eldest sister!"

"Impossible!" Empress Xie thought Duke Zhen’s words were utterly absurd, "The Crown Prince was made the heir because he is the eldest legitimate son. Since ancient times, the Crown Prince has always been the eldest legitimate son, not an illegitimate one. When the Great Zhou was first established, the Emperor would not break the rule and make Prince Dai, an illegitimate son, the Crown Prince."

"Do you think the Emperor cares about worldly rules?" Duke Zhen couldn’t believe that after so many years of marriage to the Emperor, Empress Xie still did not understand his character at all. For the first time, he felt that his younger sister was as foolish as their younger brother. "Have you ever seen the Prince care about worldly rules over the years? In the past, the Imperial Censor often reminded the Emperor to heed the rules, but have you seen the Emperor ever listen?"

"If I hadn’t helped the Crown Prince, Prince Dai would have become the heir long ago," Duke Zhen said irritably, "Once Prince Dai becomes the heir, do you think you could continue being the Empress?"

"If it weren’t for our eldest sister, Noble Princess Consort Rong would have long been Empress, and you would never have become the Empress’s successor. Don’t think you are wronged for being the Empress’s successor."

Seeing Empress Xie still somewhat unyielding, Duke Zhen had no choice but to deliver another harsh truth, "Compared to Noble Princess Consort Rong, you are nothing."

"Brother!" Empress Xie stood up in anger, her eyes turned red with rage as she glared at Duke Zhen.

"Not just you, even our eldest sister can’t compare to Noble Princess Consort Rong in the Emperor’s heart," Duke Zhen saw everything clearly, "Our eldest sister was respected because of her virtue."

"You... mean I’m inferior to that vile woman Noble Princess Consort Rong and that lowly illegitimate daughter Xie Wan!"

Hearing Empress Xie still speak this way, Duke Zhen’s expression turned a bit grim: "Yes, in the Emperor’s heart, you are not as good as Noble Princess Consort Rong or our eldest sister!"

Empress Xie angrily pointed at Duke Zhen, shouting hysterically, "Get out, leave!"

Duke Zhen stood up, his tone turning cold, "Little sister, I never expected you to be as foolish as Xie Shi!"

"Get out!!!"

Without forgetting his duty as a subject, Duke Zhen bowed to Empress Xie before withdrawing.

After Duke Zhen left, Empress Xie, in a fit of rage, grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it onto the ground. Then, she overturned the table.

Jiang Chuan and the others, standing outside the door, were so frightened by Empress Xie’s anger that they dared not enter.

When Empress Xie burst into anger, her expression was extremely terrifying, completely devoid of her usual poise and decorum.

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