Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play

Chapter 736 - 716: Relying on Face

Dugu Jing’s hostility toward Xie Jue seemed almost innate. Back when Beiman was engulfed in internal strife, countless princes were killed or wounded. They turned on one another, severely weakening Beiman. Particularly after the Beiman King passed away, the First Prince and the Second Prince fought to the death over the throne. Although Xie Jue’s machinations were revealed to be the root cause, the power struggle had reached its boiling point, and no one could convince the other to back down. They had no choice but to continue their battle—it was either kill or be killed. During that time, the princes huddled together for warmth, all fearing they’d end up on the losing side. This marked the first time the Beiman Royal Family experienced such a severe internal conflict.

Under the majestic authority of the Beiman King, the princes shouldn’t have experienced such turmoil. It was all thanks to Xie Jue’s meddling. Although the Sixth Prince eventually ascended the throne—Dugu Jing’s full-blooded brother—Dugu Jing remained furious, hating Xie Jue to the core. This hostility had already shown during their peace talks back then.

During Dugu Jing’s stay in Beining, he’d come to understand Beining’s historical norms, which were indeed different from those of Beiman. In Beiman, patricide and fratricide for the throne seemed commonplace.

Xie Xun looked at Dugu Jing’s enraged expression and raised his brows. "You hate Second Brother so much; turns out it’s jealousy over a woman, not because Second Brother sowed discord in Beiman between you all?"

"Nonsense!" Dugu Jing’s face turned red. Why had he even come to the palace to exchange gossip with Xie Xun? Truly, he felt he was asking for trouble.

Fang Chuning was undoubtedly the most awkward figure in this situation. If his impersonation of Lan Ningzhen were to be exposed, it would certainly be hard to smooth things over.

"You’ve flown into a rage out of embarrassment," Xie Xun remarked nonchalantly, as if enjoying the drama. Anyway, he could watch anyone’s drama without care, and others dared to be angry but not retaliate. This was the privilege of being emperor!

Fang Chuning’s shifting expressions couldn’t hide his feeling of utter awkwardness.

Xie Xun, continuing his provocation, said, "Second Brother now has a wife and daughter. Our Xie family still has a young Commandery Princess. I’m truly looking forward to meeting her. Second Brother, is she ours—the little Commandery Princess?"

"She is." Xie Jue had already discussed this with Fang Chuning, so his stance remained firm. The glory of the Lan family had to be bestowed upon them, their favors repaid, and awarding the Commandery Princess title wasn’t much of an issue.

Xie Xun: "..."

At first, Xie Xun was simply enjoying the show. Now he froze for a moment, staring dazedly at his Second Brother. Then he turned an uncertain glance toward Fang Chuning. "It’s true?"

"When he admits something himself, can it be false?" Dugu Jing jumped in, eager to mock. "Fake affection, deceiving others emotionally, then abandoning his wife and daughter. Someone like you would be torn apart in Beiman!"

Fang Chuning scoffed, "Dugu Jing, other people’s affairs have nothing to do with you."

Xie Xun couldn’t help but defend his Second Brother, saying, "Back then, Second Brother went to Beiman for his duties as representative of the monarch. His marriage wasn’t voluntary; he must have been forced into it. Now we’ve acknowledged the marriage and bestowed titles to remedy things actively. We’ve never denied past deeds. I think... you’re not truly a victim, so there’s no need to act so indignant. If Lan Ningzhen truly requests some form of recompense, we’d consider it appropriately, but that has nothing to do with you anymore."

Dugu Jing sneered, "You summon me to the palace to gossip when it suits you, only to later claim it doesn’t concern me. In the future, don’t call me over for trivialities like this."

Xie Xun secretly thought, Oh no, no more gossip from now on. There were still stories about Second Brother’s time in Beiman that he hadn’t yet heard!

After Dugu Jing left, Xie Xun, Xie Jue, and Fang Chuning relocated to the Imperial Study to discuss arrangements for Beiman figures arriving in the Capital City. The Cabinet and the Ministry of Rites had already drafted a plan; it was now awaiting Xie Xun’s approval. The focus was naturally on settling the Beiman Royal Family and the Lan Family, with the latter assigned to Xie Jue for coordination.

At present, the Lan Family comprised only a dozen individuals. With a simple enough headcount, arranging them was relatively easy. It was far more challenging to determine the placement of the Beiman Royal Family.

During the prior fraternal strife in Beiman, the Royal Family suffered catastrophic casualties; most senior princes were dead, though many descendants remained. These people were now under the court’s jurisdiction. They could either be sustained with stipends—a cost that could be allocated to the military budget or within official salaries. So long as no wars erupted, supporting the Beiman Royal Family wouldn’t be an issue.

Xie Xun, however, believed in teaching people to fish, rather than simply giving them fish. He envisioned assigning the Beiman Royal Family with livelihoods, which left the Cabinet and relevant parties stumped.

Now, even more impulsively, he considered appointing them positions within the court.

Xie Jue and Lin Helin opposed this idea vehemently, while Fang Chuning found it feasible. Xie Xun was delighted, but Xie Jue furrowed his brows, saying, "State your reasoning."

Fang Chuning explained, "With Beiman’s surrender, the royal family’s status has plummeted. It’s inevitable they’ll feel a sense of loss, especially while they’re stuck living under others’ roofs in the Capital City. Given the longstanding enmity between our two peoples, keeping them idle in the city would only foment unrest. The Beiman Royal Family is large—it’s easier for idle hands to create trouble, particularly when they have no security or independence to rely on. If we truly wish to treat them equally, we should assign them positions, employing individuals based on merit. Having work will allow them to establish social circles and networks, gradually integrating with our customs and cultural values. They’ll slowly come to identify with our traditions and find their place in our society. If we isolate them completely, it would be no different from imprisonment. Allowing them to step out of their homes and build a foundation within the court would help pacify their unease. Once they feel a sense of belonging, they won’t stir up trouble. Over the next ten or twenty years, by the time the next generation emerges, or even the generation after, our two peoples will truly be united."

Xie Xun and Fengyu were apparently on the same page with Fang Chuning; their ideas aligned perfectly. Meanwhile, Lin Helin and Xie Jue objected to the proposal, with solid reasoning behind their opposition as well.

They argued that Beiman people were inherently combative and possessed strong cohesion, which would make it problematic if they managed to develop their own factions. That would undoubtedly spell trouble for the Beining Royal Family.

Xie Xun replied, "This could be resolved with a little oversight. We have so many talented individuals in our court; why fear the Beiman Royals? Take Dugu Jing, for example—a great general. To leave him idle in the Capital City would be such a waste. If he were to lead troops against Sannan, I’m certain the King of Sannan would find himself restless and uneasy!"

Xie Jue sneered, "You’d dare let Dugu Jing lead troops?"

"Not a chance!" Xie Xun answered briskly. He wasn’t insane enough to send the just-surrendered Beiman warlord into battle, which would clearly be courting disaster. Still, after some thought, he added, "Even though he’s a fierce tiger, if bound by chains, perhaps we could still use him. It feels like an absolute waste for a war god of his caliber to fade away like this."

This must be one general respecting another.

Despite opposing forces, they could understand and appreciate one another.

Dugu Jing wouldn’t be willing to languish amid the luxury of the Capital City, frustrated and unfulfilled.

"Fine, I’ll discuss this further with Lin Helin," Xie Jue said. Nowadays, he rarely refuted Xie Xun’s decisions across various matters. Xie Xun had increasingly demonstrated the stance of a monarch, and as his subject, Xie Jue felt obliged to help realize his intentions.

The group continued brainstorming suitable positions to allocate to the Beiman Royals once they arrived in the Capital City. The Beiman King himself seemed to be an ideal candidate for handling administrative duties—so long as he was willing—given that governance under his stewardship had remained orderly before.

Once official business was addressed, Xie Xun’s curiosity sparked again. He turned to lighter gossip. "Second Brother, is it true Beiman women adore robust and physically imposing generals like Dugu Jing? They worship martial prowess. When you and Dugu Jing competed for affection, how did you manage to win?"

Because Beiman figures were due to arrive in the capital, Xie Xun and Fengyu had been studying Beiman people and customs over the past few days. Despite having warred against them for years, they found their understanding of Beiman deeply limited. The Tian Mountain acted as a natural barrier, resulting in entirely distinct climates, practices, and cultures. Dugu Jing had previously given them a rundown of Beiman traits: the society seemed universally martial, with men, women, the elderly, and children all valuing physical prowess and strength. Scholarly intellectuals and military generals apparently received vastly different treatment in matters of courtship!

"By relying on my looks," Xie Jue replied simply.

Fang Chuning was having tea and nearly choked on it.

Xie Xun: "..."