The Queen's Coarse Tongue

“Liana?” Du Chen’s towering rage abruptly deflated. He furrowed his brow. “The matter of the Divine Emperor’s Tomb can wait. First, let us greet Liana. We cannot leave her to linger outside!”

Xue Ji nodded, her gaze resolute. “Very well! The Queen graces us with her presence, and we must not be uncouth. However, the Divine Emperor’s Tomb must *never* be easily desecrated!”

“Damn it, are you ever going to *stop*?” Du Chen’s temper surged anew, but the thought of Liana helped him rein it in. By the time he reached the palisade gate, he had once again donned an aura of refined benevolence.

With the Queen’s arrival, Bairu and Mas, who had accompanied the army, were also compelled to emerge and offer their respects. However, the casual reunion Du Chen had envisioned—a simple beckoning into the tent for a drink with his ‘brother’—failed to materialize. In its place was a grand, national-level welcoming ceremony.

The protracted and intricate Noble Etiquette requires no further elaboration. The sole noteworthy aspect of the entire affair was the inaugural meeting between Liana and Xue Ji. During the reception, Xue Ji, unskilled at masking her true feelings, remained preoccupied with their recent dispute, her expression consequently less than amiable—though this displeasure was aimed squarely at Du Chen, not Liana! Liana, for her part, was naturally less than cordial towards her romantic rival. As a result, though the two women were introduced after the ceremony, their acquaintance was purely superficial, barely extending beyond recognition, let alone blossoming into friendship…

Following the welcome, Du Chen guided Liana into a heated tent. The instant they crossed the threshold, Liana’s queenly bearing dissipated entirely. Her crown and cloak were carelessly cast aside as she curled into a chair like a contented kitten, munching on sour plums, one after another. With a mischievous grin, she piped, “Alright, spill it! What trouble has my dear brother gotten himself into that requires my esteemed presence!?”

Du Chen sighed. “The complications are numerous. Allow me a moment to decide where to begin!”

Liana cocked her head, casting an amused glance at the sighing Du Chen, the alluring curve of her large eyes captivating. “If you’re at a loss for where to begin, then let’s start with your *romantic entanglements*! Heh, don't even ask how I know! The discordant expressions between you and Xue Ji just now, coupled with Beibei’s peculiar little face… why, even a blind man could see something amiss!”

Du Chen offered a wry smile. There was little to conceal, so he decided to lay bare the entire day's quarrel for Liana. Concluding with a huff, he declared, “I simply don’t comprehend it! Dud’s strategy is entirely rational; it could drastically reduce casualties among our soldiers. Yet, Xue Ji, all for the sake of a mere cenotaph…”

Liana listened in silence, her luminous eyes fixed gently upon Du Chen, yet within her heart, a hundred thoughts were already spiraling, weaving a complex tapestry of introspection…

Although Francis had chosen Xue Ji, a rift had clearly formed between them. What path should she take? Should she endeavor to mend their fractured bond, or… should she tear them asunder?

Liana remained silent for a lengthy pause, then abruptly lifted her gaze. “Why did you and Xue Ji quarrel?”

Du Chen’s brow furrowed. “Did I not just inform you? It was concerning the Divine Emperor’s Tomb!”

Liana gently shook her head. “No, in my estimation, the genesis of your dispute is quite straightforward: merely a clash between the divergent philosophies of the ‘true noble’ and the ‘true commoner’!”

“A true noble and a true commoner? Is there a substantive distinction?”

Liana smiled. “Allow me to pose a question. If you and Xue Ji were to simultaneously encounter a beggar, what would be your respective inclinations?”

Du Chen replied without a flicker of hesitation, “I would extend my sympathy to that mendicant and offer him a few copper coins. Xue Ji… would likely also feel pity for the beggar!”

“Precisely. One offers sympathy, the other, pity. One is an empathy born of equality, the other, a condescending commiseration from a lofty perch. That, my dear, is the fundamental divergence between a true commoner and a true noble!”

Liana lowered her gaze, absently manipulating a sour plum, her voice barely a whisper. “You, Francis, have always considered yourself a street rogue. In your estimation, that ethereal Divine Emperor is utterly valueless! Yet, the lowest echelon of slave-soldiers—those who share your humble origins and similar cultural roots—are precisely who command your utmost consideration. Thus, you would unhesitatingly choose to obliterate the Divine Emperor’s Tomb to minimize casualties among your troops!”

Du Chen’s eyes gleamed with sudden insight; Liana’s meaning had become crystal clear!

Liana pressed on, “However, Xue Ji is a Divine Princess, a noble among nobles! I concede she possesses great kindness and compassion, but this in no way alters her deeply entrenched aristocratic worldview. To a noble, slave-soldiers are merely statistics, a disposable contingent of tools. But the Divine Emperor? He is the very emblem of noble authority! So, tell me, when Xue Ji confronts a situation such as today’s, will she prioritize a collection of numbers, a batch of tools, or will her deference fall upon the hallowed symbol of nobility!?”

Her commentary on the nobility was chillingly pragmatic, yet it was the unvarnished truth of their kind: aloof, perpetually elevated, always *superior* nobles!

Liana’s words were imbued with both coherent structure and undeniable logic. Yet, as she swallowed a sour plum after her pronouncement, she found its tartness almost unbearable, as if it had been steeping in aged vinegar for decades…

Du Chen’s countenance abruptly darkened. “Liana, you are absolutely correct! In today’s dispute between Xue Ji and I, there is no definitive right or wrong. In the eyes of the common folk, my stance was justified. Yet, from an aristocratic perspective, even if Dud *didn’t* demolish the Divine Emperor’s Tomb, he would still possess the means to breach Thornwood Valley. So, why not allow a contingent of mere tools to meet their demise, rather than desecrating the Divine Emperor’s Tomb…? Heh, Xue Ji and I, we simply walk different paths!”

From their first encounter within the Labyrinth of Life, to their blossoming romance in the City of Penance, and now to this day’s fierce contention, Du Chen looked back upon their affair and was suddenly struck by the profound truth of an adage from his past life: *“We come together out of ignorance, and drift apart through understanding…”*

“Hey!”

Liana’s sudden exclamation jolted Du Chen from his reverie. “Your words… they make it sound as if *I’m* actively sowing discord in your marital bliss, don’t they?”

Du Chen waved a dismissive hand. “It has nothing to do with you. The truth stands; even if you hadn’t voiced it, I would have arrived at this realization myself, sooner or later!”

Liana gritted her teeth, valiantly holding back the shimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes, and chuckled, “Don’t always prattle on about separating and reconciling! My dear brother, I have a piece of advice for you, one that will ensure you and Xue Ji grow old together! Consider it irrefutable proof that I am absolutely *not* attempting to sow discord in your marriage!”

“What might that be?”

“Xue Ji, now, she’s beautiful and pure of heart, but her sole imperfection is being a touch too… aristocratic! Yet, perspectives can shift, can they not? Reflect on Cassian’s predicament—surely, with your formidable intellect, you can guide Xue Ji’s mindset to align more closely with that of the common folk?”

Du Chen stared at Liana in utter bewilderment for a fleeting moment, then, unable to restrain himself, delivered a sharp rap to her head. “You impudent scoundrel, why in the heavens didn’t you speak up sooner!?”

“Ouch! You’ve knocked all the sense out of me!”

*Sigh!*

She had, despite everything, chosen to facilitate their union. Perhaps she wasn’t selfish enough, or perhaps she simply couldn’t bear the thought of witnessing Francis’s heartbroken visage should they part ways?

Even with Liana’s formidable intellect, she found herself baffled by the answer to this particular conundrum.

…

After exchanging a few jests, Liana’s expression abruptly grew serious. “Let us attend to matters of import. What vexations have you truly encountered?”

Du Chen’s lighthearted mood instantly evaporated. “The troubles, my dear, are anything but insignificant…” At present, external pressures from the Pontiff loom large, with the Thornwood Valley situation hanging precariously in the balance! Internally, Bairu sows discord and incites his trusted generals to mortal combat! And as for discerning the good from the wicked among the Thornwood Valley populace, let alone maximizing Acts of Benevolence—he remains utterly clueless! Du Chen then unburdened himself, spilling forth every single one of these myriad woes onto Liana! He sighed once more, collapsing feebly into his chair, a wry, defeated smile gracing his lips. “Do you possess any stratagem?”

Liana once again fell into a prolonged silence, then, lowering her head, uttered a single, understated sentence—one that resonated profoundly within Du Chen’s very soul!

“To be an Eminence Project, is it not exhausting?”

Du Chen’s eyebrow arched. “You comprehend such a sentiment?”

“To bear the weight of so much—a single misstep could doom hundreds of thousands of souls! To eat with unease, to sleep without solace, to meticulously plan every single move, day in and day out, until one’s mind is in turmoil! Yet, in the presence of others, one must still feign a smile, affect composure, leading them to believe that all is perfectly within your grasp…”

With every word Liana uttered, Du Chen unconsciously nodded his assent. Concluding, Liana let out a faint sigh. “Reflect upon my days as Porter, and then consider my current trials as Queen… Your struggles, I comprehend fully!”

A profound silence descended upon them, neither venturing another word.

Imperceptibly, Liana consumed the last sour plum from her pocket, clapped her hands together, and quipped, “Well, I’m sated! I’m heading home!” With that declaration, Liana spun on her heel and departed!

Du Chen stared, momentarily dumbfounded. *What?!* She intended to depart before offering a solution? So, she journeyed all this way merely to admire the snowy vistas and partake in sour plums!? “Hey, what game are you truly playing at?”

“Nothing of consequence. I merely feel my continued presence here holds no further meaning.”

Liana turned back, her demeanor now grave. “Francis, you urgently summoned me here for aid, expecting me to conjure solutions to your dilemmas! But consider this with careful thought… In terms of sheer intellect, am I truly more astute than you? In matters of stratagem, can you not devise the very solutions I might conceive? As for capability, is it a certainty that I possess the means to resolve every quandary you encounter?”

These three consecutive questions left Du Chen utterly bewildered for a long moment, momentarily dazed!

Liana abruptly sprang to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at Du Chen as she railed, “Look at yourself now! In the span of mere moments, how many times have you sighed!? How many bitter smiles have you forced!? Is *this* truly my brother Francis!? I refuse to listen to your lamentations about the magnitude of your troubles, or the arduousness of your circumstances—I came here to aid the spirited brother who once duped the Pontiff into a bewildered frenzy! I did *not* come to witness today’s Grand Duke of Durkus sighing and grumbling. I bid you adieu!”

With that, Liana vanished beyond the tent entrance. “One final message for you, Francis—you do not lack *my* solutions; you lack the very audacity you possessed back then, the courage that allowed you to deceive the Pontiff and con the Dragon God! An Eminence Project is a person, and so is a common ruffian. Since all are human, and all possess their own fears and reservations, what in the blazes are you fretting about!?”

The Queen, speaking such crass words, indeed possessed a unique, captivating charm!