251: Ji Hongxue, you're so cunning! This is a death trap question!

Ye Linghan was just about to drag Su Chen out of the gates of Qiankun Hall.

The entire hall was so silent that one could hear the sound of hearts being squeezed tight.

No one dared to move.

No one dared to make a sound.

Su Chen, on the other hand, had a face full of despair, being dragged along by Ye Linghan like a kidnapped hostage.

[Going, going, finally free. I'm finally leaving this hellhole.]

[Even though I'm being forcibly kidnapped, it's ten thousand times better than being under house arrest by that scheming Great Xia Empress, Ji Hongxue.]

[I just don't know where this Crazy Woman is taking me... I hope it's somewhere with a bed and food, where I can quietly lie flat and write my diary.]

[My waist, my salted fish life... This damn asura field!]

Su Chen wailed in his heart, but he didn't dare slow his pace even a bit.

He had no doubt that if he dawdled even slightly and made this Crazy Woman unhappy, she would turn around and tear down the palace along with everyone in it.

Just as their feet were about to cross the threshold.

A voice rang out from behind them.

The voice was cold and carried an uncontrollable tremor, yet it possessed a firmness that could not be ignored.

"Stop!"

It was Ji Hongxue.

Everyone's gaze was jerked over as if by an invisible force, their faces filled with disbelief.

The majestic Empress upon the Dragon Throne had stood up at some point.

Her pale face no longer held imperial majesty, and her anger at being humiliated had faded.

All that remained was a determination that staked everything.

Her gaze did not look at the matchlessly domineering Ye Linghan.

Her gaze pierced through the entire hall, through all the prostrate crowds, and was pinned firmly, deathly still, on Su Chen's back.

That look was far too complex.

There was unwillingness, grievance, and the final questioning of an emperor.

Deeper within, there was a trace of humble pleading that even she dared not admit.

Ye Linghan's footsteps stopped.

She turned her head with interest, sizing up this overconfident little Empress, seemingly wanting to see what tricks an ant crushed underfoot could still play.

Su Chen also stopped and turned around with a bewildered look.

[What now?]

[No way, big sister, what time do you think it is? Are you still trying to keep me for a final meal before execution?]

[Didn't you see the faces of those three Old Ancestors next to you? They're turning so green they look like a meadow.]

[If you say one more word of nonsense, I'm afraid they'll kneel down on the spot and beg me to get lost!]

"Su Chen."

Ji Hongxue spoke, her voice no longer carrying the pressure of an emperor; it was just... a woman's voice.

"Are you... also leaving?"

This single sentence turned the entire Qiankun Hall into a vacuum once again.

Everyone's gaze focused simultaneously on Su Chen alone.

This question was too ruthless.

It was a direct strike to the heart.

Ye Linghan taking you away is coercion, it's kidnapping.

But what about you, Su Chen?

Do you want to leave?

This was no longer a war between two women.

This was Ji Hongxue, after losing everything, personally handing the final choice—the most lethal blade—to Su Chen.

She was forcing him to make a choice in front of the whole world, in front of both women.

Would he choose the domineering and powerful Demoness who could give him absolute protection?

Or would he choose her, the Great Xia Empress, who although temporarily defeated, was his rightful Fiancée?

Su Chen felt his scalp explode instantly!

[Holy crap! Ji Hongxue! You woman, you're so damn insidious!]

[You're putting me on the grill, and it's a double-sided roast!]

[Who do I choose? Who can I choose? This is a damn death sentence!]

[If I choose Ye Linghan, you, the Empress, will hold a grudge against me for life, and I can forget about ever making it in Great Xia. My salted fish plan will go straight to bankruptcy!]

[If I choose you, this Crazy Woman Ye Linghan will tear me in half on the spot, and then she'll probably flatten your palace while she's at it!]

[A choice between two deaths! Who designed this crappy plot?!]

Su Chen's brain was repeatedly jumping between crashing and rebooting.

And upon hearing Ji Hongxue's question, the amusement on Ye Linghan's face slowly vanished.

She turned her head, her Phoenix eyes burning with dark red demonic flames as she gazed deeply at Su Chen.

There were no words in that gaze, but it was filled with scrutiny and warning.

It was as if she were saying: You, think carefully before you answer.

Su Chen felt cold sweat instantly soak through his clothes.

He knew that if his answer today didn't satisfy both sides, he might really meet his end here.

What to do?

What to do!

In the nick of time, a spark of inspiration exploded in Su Chen's mind.

What was the ultimate Profound Truth of a top-tier salted fish?

It was to never make a choice!

Instead, let others make the choice for you!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, an extreme exhaustion, as if his Divine Soul had been drained, instantly appeared on Su Chen's face.

He rubbed his eyes hard and then let out an earth-shattering yawn.

"Ah—ha—"

The sound was long and loud, with a heavy nasal tone, full of the irritability of being forcibly woken up.

He first glanced at Ji Hongxue, then at Ye Linghan, his eyes wandering and his pupils losing focus.

"What... are you talking about?"

His voice was slurred, as if he would fall asleep right where he stood in the next second.

"I'm so sleepy..."

"Don't anyone make a noise, I just want to sleep..."

Before he finished speaking.

His body went limp, as if his spine had been removed, and without any warning, he fell straight in one direction!

He didn't fall down where he stood.

He didn't fall backward.

Instead, he precisely fell sideways toward... Ye Linghan!

*Thud.*

A soft sound.

His head rested solidly on Ye Linghan's soft and surprisingly elastic fragrant shoulder.

Then he closed his eyes, his breathing instantly becoming steady and long.

He had "fallen asleep."

In an instant, the world went silent.

Every single person present was completely petrified.

Everyone's eyes bulged, staring fixedly at this utterly absurd scene, feeling as if their own Divine Souls had been shattered by this maneuver.

This... what kind of divine maneuver was this?!

Faced with the lethal questioning of two top female overlords, he... he just leaned into one of their embraces and fell asleep?!

This was using the most shameless, most absurd, yet smartest way to tell everyone:

Your war, you play it yourselves.

I'm tired.

Whichever shoulder is comfortable, I'll lean on that one.

Ye Linghan's body also stiffened for a moment.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at the handsome sleeping face leaning against her fragrant shoulder, so close at hand.

Feeling the heavy weight on her shoulder and the warm breath, those demonic eyes that could destroy all things flickered uncertainly.

Upon the Dragon Throne, Ji Hongxue was even more stunned.

She had thought Su Chen would choose her, she had thought he would choose Ye Linghan, and she had even thought he would say something smooth to try and mediate.

The only thing she hadn't considered was that he would respond to her in this way.

For a moment, she didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh.

This bastard!

This god-forsaken bastard!

He just knew how to use this method to handle her!

In the end, it was Ye Linghan who first came to her senses.

She looked at her Little Husband sleeping "sweetly" in her arms, and a trace of doting and helplessness that even she hadn't noticed flashed deep in her eyes.

She reached out her other hand and very naturally wrapped it around Su Chen's waist, pulling his entire body steadily into her embrace.

Her movements were gentle, as if she were holding a rare treasure found only after searching for eternity.

Then she raised her eyes and took one last look at Ji Hongxue, who was still frozen in place.

The corner of her mouth curled into a victor's contemptuous and cruel smile.

"Did you see?"

"His body is much more honest than his mouth."

"The one he chose is me."

Having said that, she didn't linger, stepping out with Su Chen in her arms in a gesture of claiming sovereignty.

Her figure instantly vanished at the entrance of Qiankun Hall.

Leaving Ji Hongxue alone, standing desolately before the Dragon Throne.

Her jade hands slowly clenched under her Dragon Robes, her nails digging deep into her palms.

In those deep, bottomless Phoenix eyes, the flames of jealousy burned wildly.