She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 244 If You Have the Guts, Push Me Down

Chapter 244: Chapter 244 If You Have the Guts, Push Me Down

"So what?" Xiao Pingfeng lightly raised his eyebrows, looking at his younger brother without a trace of emotion on his face.

Xiao Hongshen was taken aback at the sight.

"So..." You should be angry, go and question her, Yan Wanqing.

Instead of standing here like you are now, asking me indifferently what next?

"Whatever you say is none of my business. I only believe what she says; as long as it’s her word, I’ll trust it." Xiao Pingfeng’s gaze turned cold, staring straight at him: "Stop trying to sow discord."

"...What ’light of the world’ nonsense, I see you’re just an idiot besotted by a woman. Don’t you know what kind of person Yan Wanqing is? Right now, the entire Capital City is almost in her grasp. Remember, Dawei is ruled by the Xiao family, not the Yan family. Can you justify your actions to our ancestors!"

Xiao Hongshen spoke without a filter in his anger, only realizing what he had said after the words had left his mouth. He stood there, red-eyed with rage, glaring at his elder brother.

He refuse to believe that Xiao Pingfeng would kill him in a fit of rage.

Xiao Pingfeng’s eyes were harsh with the weariness of the world as he raised his hand and grabbed Xiao Hongshen by the throat. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, showing the strength of his grip.

Xiao Hongshen, with his throat constricted, involuntarily rolled his eyes backward. He was already shorter than the Crown Prince, and now, lifted off the ground, his expression was one of extreme pain.

Then he heard.

"No one knows better than I what kind of person she is."

"You should be grateful she doesn’t want to kill you right now, otherwise, I would have thrown you to the wolves to have them tear your flesh and lick it clean!"

Every word was edged with sharp ice, entwined with thorns that tightened mercilessly around Xiao Hongshen’s heart.

Just when he thought he was going to die like this, the chokehold on his neck suddenly loosened.

He fell to the ground in an undignified heap, gasping for air, feeling the sensation of life returning to his body.

Gasping turned into laughter for Xiao Hongshen, and as he laughed, tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes.

"...If you all won’t kill me, don’t expect mercy from me when I find the opportunity." Xiao Hongshen raised his hand to wipe the tears from the corner of his eye and then brought his finger to his lips to taste.

Bitter, as expected.

"Suit yourself," said Xiao Pingfeng from on high, with an indifferent look in his eyes: "You were always such an ungrateful person."

It was precisely this indifference that caused the previously calmed Xiao Hongshen to suddenly leap up from the ground. In his hand, unnoticed until now, was a small dagger, the size of a palm. The pointed tip glinted with a chilling blue light, clearly laced with deadly poison!

"What do you know! How could you, those born as the pride of heaven, understand my hardships and unwillingness?! You and Yan Wanqing, one born a legitimate eldest son and the other a legitimate eldest daughter, loved by your parents, cared for by your siblings. Your births were celebrated with everyone’s blessings and hopes, but what about me!" Xiao Hongshen was like a madman, stabbing wildly and relentlessly at Xiao Pingfeng, at his own brother.

Xiao Pingfeng kept dodging, his brow slightly furrowed, showing his incomprehension.

Xiao Hongshen continued.

"I’m just the son of the emperor and a palace maid, born from a drunken night. To save my life, my mother died upon giving birth... Who in the Imperial Palace has ever treated me like a Prince?! They hit me when they were angry and even when they were pleased. Even the dog that Zhang Lanyi raised ate better than me! Tell me—" Xiao Hongshen glared at the man in front of him, loudly demanding an answer: "With such a life, why should I be grateful to you?!"

Why should he?

Why should he have always been in the darkness, and, just when he managed to stand in the sun, these people loomed over him, scolding him for not embracing the light, for not being grateful?

He would not!

This was a debt the world owed Xiao Hongshen.

"So this is your reason for striking down a loyal and good official?" Xiao Pingfeng snorted coldly: "Utter nonsense."

"I admit the Duke was a thoroughly good man, a soldier loyal only to the emperor in battle, but what of that? He’s still dead, killed in the schemes and plots of the Imperial Family, hahaha..." At this point, Xiao Hongshen’s hand was firmly gripped, both his hand and dagger trembling. With tears in his bloodshot eyes and a broad smile on his lips, he laughed: "All of this, the emperor and the entire court were pushing for it. Everyone was eager for his death, so he died."

"...Do you think that if Yan Wanqing finds out about all this, she will still want you?"

"Will she still want the son of her family’s near-extinction enemy, who forced her family to almost perish?"

"I am but a mere pawn, dear brother. It is our father the Emperor who truly wields the knife and gives the orders!"

As Xiao Pingfeng’s eyes grew darker, the smile at the corner of Xiao Hongshen’s lips became more sinister.

"Actually, there is another thing. On the day when heavy snow fell in the Capital City, there were cavalrymen frozen stiff at the gates of Governor’s Office Pass. Someone took one away..."

His tone was notably gentle.

"Do you want to know who took him?"

Xiao Pingfeng’s expression was stern as he stared straight at him, silent, waiting for him to continue.

Xiao Hongshen licked his dry lips and looked at his wrist, which had turned white from being squeezed: "Elder brother, you’re hurting me."

Xiao Pingfeng pursed his lips and released his grip.

Xiao Hongshen, holding the dagger in his hand, shook his hand and massaged his wrist.

He sighed deeply.

"I can tell you, but only if you let me go."

"Foolish dreams," Xiao Pingfeng instantly rejected the idea without a second thought.

Xiao Hongshen chuckled, his gaze unwavering: "Yan Wanqing keeps me alive only to confront our father the Emperor with me in tow. But I’m just a pawn, a tool for him to eradicate his opponents. Why would our father take me seriously? But this man is different. If he admits that the incident at Governor’s Office Pass was the work of our father, there’s no way our father can escape responsibility!"

"Just tell Yan Wanqing that your loyal brother died on the way. From now on, I’ll find a quiet place to hide and I’ll never appear before you again!"

"Xiao Hongshen, are you treating me like a child?" Xiao Pingfeng, who had maintained a cold expression throughout, suddenly laughed, his eyes brimming with a lawless air: "Why do you think I would find the leisure to stand on the rooftop and chat about family matters with you?"

"You’re tricking me to get information—!" Xiao Hongshen’s face darkened, and he ground his teeth in frustration.

Xiao Pingfeng rubbed his nose: "It’s too late for you to realize that now. I’ve already heard all I need to know. Now you only need to tell me who the person behind you is."

"Delusional!" Xiao Hongshen was so furious: "Even if I were to jump from the rooftop and smash myself to death, I would never tell you!"

"Is that so?" The next second, Xiao Pingfeng grabbed his neck and pressed him against the edge of the roof.

Xiao Hongshen turned ashen with fear: "If you have the guts, then push me over the edge!"

"Falling won’t kill you, and if you’re crippled, I’ll still have to carry you..." Xiao Pingfeng was extremely cunning as he easily snatched the dagger from Xiao Hongshen’s hand, brandishing it close to Xiao Hongshen’s throat: "Looks quite venomous, let’s test it on you."

With that, regardless of Xiao Hongshen’s widened eyes, the dagger drew a line of blood on his neck.

Xiao Hongshen struggled and managed to break free, falling backward as he reached out to touch his neck.

"Blood..." His hand trembled.

Xiao Pingfeng toyed with the dagger, squatting in front of him: "What’s the matter? You’ve only ever seen other people’s blood spilled in the residence of the Seventh Prince, never your own? Today, little brother, I’ll broaden your horizons. You’ll see your own blood."

As soon as the words fell, he struck Xiao Hongshen’s thigh with the dagger.

Instantly, blood seeped through the clothing.

"Xiao Pingfeng, are you insane!?" Xiao Hongshen roared with rage, his gaze both furious and venomous. If looks could kill, Xiao Pingfeng would have died a thousand times over by now.