Can You Really Do It
The moment Emperor Leonard heard Bella Bell regret marrying him, a flash of malice crossed his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, took a deep breath, and ordered, "Guards, protect Her Majesty the Empress. If things get physical, make sure the Empress is not harmed."
"Are you really going to use force!? Do you have any conscience left? Have you forgotten how you got your throne?" Bella Bell was furious, almost rushing out to confront Emperor Leonard, but was pulled back by Su Li.
Su Li shook her head at Bella Bell, firmly holding her arm to stop her from acting rashly. She looked up at Emperor Leonard and said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten all our past friendship? The Prince and I have never done anything to harm you. Why must you do this?"
Emperor Leonard looked at Su Li, his eyes filled with regret. "A Li, I'm sorry. It's not that I want this, but I have no choice. The Prince of Qin's Manor is at its peak. In ten years, the Twin Academies’ graduates will dominate most of the civil service. And Prince Alexander Hayes controls most of the military. You two, one civil and one military, are a perfect match in court—unbeatable. By then, I’ll be nothing but a puppet emperor! The Prince of Qin's Manor hasn’t done anything against me yet, but its crime lies in the future!"
"Absurd! Utter nonsense!" Su Li glared angrily at Emperor Leonard. "What do you mean, 'crime lies in the future'? That’s complete rubbish! If the Prince truly wanted the throne, would you, Leonard Li, be sitting on the dragon throne now? This is all your own paranoia!"
"Call it my paranoia if you want, but the fact remains: you two are a threat that must be eliminated." Emperor Leonard sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.
Su Li sneered at Emperor Leonard. "So, the one who ordered Liu Yi to expose my true identity as a woman, and had Old Hu lead fake students to petition at the palace gates to strip me of the Twin Academies' deanship—that was you, wasn’t it!?"
Emperor Leonard looked at Su Li, surprise flickering in his eyes. "A Li, how—how did you know it was me?"
Su Li gazed at Emperor Leonard with contempt. "You thought you covered your tracks perfectly, framing Gu Liangzhe for everything if things went wrong. But you overlooked two details. First, before the Teacher Appreciation Banquet, you had Old Hu prepare the fake students to petition. Second, you had Liu Yi commit suicide and purposely left correspondence between Liu Yi and Gu Liangzhe at Liu Yi’s home to frame Gu Liangzhe. But you don’t know Gu Liangzhe—he’d never leave such obvious evidence. Your framing was too blatant, too clumsy. The Prince and I knew then you were behind it all, trying to steal my position as Dean of the Twin Academies."
After hearing Su Li’s words, Emperor Leonard’s eyes flashed with panic, but he quickly regained composure. "Yes, even if it was me—what can you do? Today, I hold the knife; you are the fish. By tonight, there will be no more Prince of Qin's Manor, no more Dean Su of the Twin Academies. All military power in this realm will be mine!"
Su Li’s clear, dark eyes fixed on Emperor Leonard, full of pain. "Leonard Li, are you truly going to kill me and the Prince? Has your quest for the throne made you this cold and ruthless? Do you remember our time in Haizi Village, when you lived at my house and we were so happy? Can you really bring yourself to kill me and the Prince now?"
"I... I..." Emperor Leonard’s face twisted with conflict and reluctance. He stepped back, clearly shaken.