If the original novel, Pillow of Mountains and Rivers, was a sweeping epic of political intrigue, then the version Song Liang received as the cannon fodder Li Huai was its fan fiction—and an R18 adult version at that. An abridged political plot was scattered among copious bedroom scenes. As a result, although he had vaguely suspected that Xie Yun bore a grudge against the imperial family, he had never known it ran so deep, or that it implicated the very identity of the little emperor he was impersonating.
Growing impatient, he prodded 3085. 【I have a question.】
Song Liang: 【Don’t any of your little worlds have a straightforward main villain?】
3085: 【Huh?】
【Why does every major villain need a tragic background? Xiao Yi in the previous world had one, and now Xie Yun does too.】 Song Liang genuinely could not understand it. 【Are there no villains who are simply evil, simply enjoy causing trouble, and simply want to be on top for their own sake?】
After a brief silence, 3085 asked, 【Are you describing yourself?】
“…”
Song Liang clicked his tongue. “I told you I was suited to being the main villain.”
3085: 【…】
It truly had not expected its host to remain so fixated on becoming the main villain even in his second world.
Lady Qin knew nothing of the exchange between man and system. She continued describing Xie Yun’s ambitions and hatred while mocking Song Liang’s foolishness. Finally losing patience, he interrupted, “Enough. Stop trying to stir my emotions and tell me what you want.”
Lady Qin choked on her words. She had not expected her lengthy speech to leave him entirely unmoved.
No, that was impossible. She had almost forgotten how skilled this brat was at pretending. He had played the fool under her very nose for five whole years. Surely his composure now was another act.
“I wish for us to put aside our differences and eliminate Xie Yun together.”
“I refuse.”
Lady Qin stared. His answer was so decisive that she wondered whether he had heard everything she had just said. Her voice rose involuntarily. “Did you hear nothing I told you?”
“Xie Yun may appear to be helping you, but he is merely waiting for the day you and I destroy one another. Once I am gone, he will kill you without hesitation and raise his banners in rebellion!”
“He wants the throne. He wants the imperial house of Chen wiped out!”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Fan Yuan, Yin Zhui, or those other old ministers. Every one of them knows exactly what happened to the Xie family!”
“I believe you.” Song Liang nodded slightly. “But if, as you say, Xie Yun can kill me without hesitation and rise in rebellion, why hasn’t he acted? Don’t tell me he’s afraid of you.”
“That is because…” Lady Qin paused before continuing gravely, “Because I hold something over him. He dares not act rashly.”
“What do you have on him?”
“Agree to an alliance with me, and I shall tell you when the time is right.”
Lady Qin looked at him meaningfully. “Your Majesty, I am merely a woman. I am not a member of the imperial family, and I have no children. I cannot threaten your throne, which is precisely why I chose to support your accession.”
“I may have been somewhat strict with you, but it was ultimately for your own good. Our fortunes are bound together: we prosper together and suffer together. Does that not make me more trustworthy than the treacherously ambitious Xie Yun?”
“…”
Song Liang rather admired this Grand Empress Dowager. Had the real little emperor stood here today, or even the original Li Huai, either would have been moved by her words, perhaps even believed them without reservation. Unfortunately, the person standing here was none other than Song Liang.
3085 asked, 【I think her reasoning makes sense. Are you really not tempted?】
“Not particularly.”
【Why?】 3085 could not help asking. 【You’re not really going soft on Xie Yun just because of his face, are you? He really will kill you.】
“Then let him try.” Song Liang’s brows lifted, a barely perceptible excitement entering his voice. “We’ll see who kills whom.”
3085 was speechless.
Sometimes it truly could not understand humans. Or perhaps its host had never been a normal human to begin with. This was already their second scenario, yet it still had no idea what was going through his mind.
Song Liang had made no effort to lower his voice, so Lady Qin, seated above him, heard every word. She stared at the young man in disbelief, scarcely able to trust her own ears.
Before she could speak, Song Liang continued, “The same goes for you.”
Those were the very words he had spoken in the great hall that day. Not long afterward, he had gravely injured Liu Xi and sent him to her Shoukang Palace. From then on, one incident after another had spiraled beyond her control.
This was a provocation—and a declaration of war.
Watching the young emperor’s figure recede into the distance, Lady Qin slowly curled her fingers into a fist. With unusual composure, she instructed the attendant beside her, “Tell the Marquis of Wuying to make his preparations. Proceed as planned.”
“Yes.”
In the days that followed, the rumors outside did not fade. Instead, they grew ever more intense. From the reigning emperor’s cruelty and slaughter of the descendants of meritorious officials, the accusations spread to his public humiliation and injuring of the great Xie scholar, Xie Cheng, years ago. All of it was offered as proof that the emperor was cruel by nature and unfit to rule.
The matter soon sparked heated discussion among the common people. Previously, a timid, dull-witted puppet emperor had hardly warranted their condemnation. After all, the three rival factions at court were plain for everyone to see. At most, the people mocked his incompetence. At least he was not like the tyrant of the former Chu dynasty, who imposed ruinous taxes and killed for pleasure.
But now things were different. This little emperor would not spare even the descendants of meritorious officials. He had even harmed Xie Cheng, the renowned scholar known throughout the realm as the teacher of the Second Sage. Such a man was disloyal, unfilial, inhumane, and unjust! Sooner or later, someone so vicious and brutal would bring calamity upon the realm. How could he be allowed to rule?
These claims soon spread beyond Yanjing, sweeping like weeds through the surrounding towns. Almost everyone was discussing the reigning emperor’s cruelty, heartlessness, and outrageous depravity.
By the time the rumors reached Song Liang, they had gone through countless revisions. His harem now numbered far beyond three thousand, including respectable married women and the wives and daughters of court officials. His daily pastimes had changed from sword practice and walks to shooting people in the head with a bow. He supposedly even painted on the skins of beauties.
Zhou An and the others were furious. Song Liang alone eagerly asked whether any of the gossip concerned a romance between him and Xie Yun.
There was none.
Not a single rumor.
Clearly, whoever was spreading these stories knew better than to provoke Xie Yun and had confined their inventions to Song Liang alone.
Not long afterward, Song Liang received a stack of memorials during morning court, petitioning for leniency toward the clansmen of the Jiang and Yang families, as well as the families of the other Jinwu Rear Guards who had participated in the rebellion.
Reading the righteous language filling those memorials, Song Liang asked the system lazily, 【If I leave this negative public opinion alone for now, will anyone rebel?】
3085: 【Not just from that. But if something unusual happens—a drought, flood, epidemic, or another natural disaster—there’s a strong chance that resistance groups will emerge in local towns and eventually develop into a rebellion.】
Song Liang quickly reviewed the so-called natural and man-made disasters that had occurred during the original owner’s reign. Once he confirmed none would happen in the immediate future, he tossed the memorials aside without hesitation. Then he told the ministers below that, with the autumn hunt approaching, it would be an excellent opportunity to test the Xiaoyi Guard, newly formed by merging the Twelve Guards.
“Let the lives of every member of the Jiang and Yang clans be the prize. Whoever takes first place may decide whether those two clans live or die.”
Under the horrified gazes of the assembled ministers, he slowly revealed the unrestrained, imperious smile of a tyrant.
“I should like to see just how many of you sincerely wish to save these so-called descendants of meritorious officials.”
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