Chapter 119

The emaciated-looking empress with a pale face was smiling as she stared at me. So, she still has the leisure to smile, I see.

After their marriage, the unfortunate woman spent most of her time in the bedroom playing melancholic tunes and writing letters to acquaintances from her homeland. She was a woman who, had it not been for me, would have likely been guzzling more than 10 grams of opium daily by now.

“Still can’t believe it, I suppose?”

A threat to flood her homeland with narcotics if she might one day become my mother-in-law.

Even I thought it was crossing the line; using the diligent, hardworking citizens of the Eastern realm as hostages to scare her with such threats.

As the empress hesitated, the emperor clicked his tongue and chided her lightly.

“Empress, this is your chance. What’s there to think about…”

“Things are not that simple when it comes to diplomatic relations, are they?”

“What concern is there for diplomacy now? Stop trying to interfere. …Besides, it doesn’t matter whether we send them an answering envoy or not. What’s important now is that these children rarely do as I say. …!”

“Even so, My Lord.”

“I’ve decided to send them anyway.”

The emperor’s gaze pierced the empress as he dismissed her. Fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, he seemed ready to throw me into a merchant ship’s cargo hold and send me back to the Empire immediately.

It was clear that the empress couldn’t counteract him with just her gentle persuasion.

At this point, did she start to feel a sense of crisis?

The empress turned her gaze towards me.

“Surely you don’t really plan to go through with it?” Her face was asking that question, and she, dressed in grand regal robes typical of a Chinese period drama, applied silent pressure on me.

But I wasn’t about to respond.

‘Either way, backing down now will accomplish nothing.’

For a threat involving someone stronger and more perceptive than yourself to work, there’s one rule: show that you can easily do something crazy. It’s not just idle talk — you must show readiness to dive headfirst into chaos. That’s what scares them enough to make them yield.

To prove my resolve, I spoke.

“Your Majesty.”

“Alan Medoff. I don’t want to hear your opinion.”

“Yes, I understand. But please hear me out for a moment — it might assist Your Majesty in making a decision. Honestly, I do not wish to go to the Empire. How many would willingly endure such a perilous and long journey?”

“But?”

“But, should it be a royal decree, I shall follow it willingly. Would I dare refuse if it proves my loyalty?”

My bold declarations were making the imperial princesses struggle to maintain their composure. Victoria was clearly trying to hold back a lot of things she wanted to say, while Siena — I’m not quite sure what she’s thinking. Her lips said she found it amusing, but her eyes betrayed her uncertainty.

The empress seemed to realize this was no joke.

Finally,

“Your Majesty, please grant just one day.”

“I’ve already said no. My decision is final.”

“Just one day, please give yourself a day’s grace before making this decision. You can do this, surely. If you regard me as such an unworthy person who deserves no respect, then please hear me out this once.”

“Tch, what nonsense is this to say in front of the children.”

“Your Majesty…!”

The empress’ desperate plea.

Could it be that the emperor also could not ignore the empress in front of his children? His resolve wavered.

“Alright. But only one day.”

The emperor accepted her earnest request.

Still, from the looks of things, his intention to send me to the Empire remained unchanged.

“Victoria, Siena. You two, stay in the main palace for the day.”

“Papa…?”

“It’s not a suggestion; it’s an order. And Alan Medoff, return to your residence immediately. Come back early tomorrow morning and enter the palace again… Given that you’ll soon take on important responsibilities, I’ll assign you an escort.”

Thus, the emperor’s decree came down to me. Even with surveillance.

It was probably a precaution to prevent me from manipulating the princesses as usual. Unlike his usual self, he was unusually steadfast. I had no intention of defying him. The more the emperor insisted, the more the empress was cornered.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I shall comply.”

“Hurry up and leave.”

And with that, I was practically dismissed.

Yet, just as I was leaving the palace grounds with the soldiers, someone hurriedly called after me.

“Stop!”

Of course, it was the empress.

***

In the midst of the hallway, Empress Lianhua confronted me.

Clutching her cyan robe, she was staring at me, probably unsure of how to begin her speech after halting me.

Eventually, dismissing the nearby guards temporarily, she opened her mouth.

“Alan Medoff.”

“Yes?”

“In terms of pharmacological knowledge, I admit I can’t compare to you. However, I also realize that your threats are baseless. I warn you not to provoke unnecessary hostility. That’s why I’m asking you this.”

“Threats? How could I…?”

“Enough.”

“…”

I caught a flash of anger in her large, double-lid-free eyes before it faded.

Her hand, which was gripping her collar, had loosened, and it looked like she was calculating something more than simply being flustered.

Then, her expression brightened a little.

“No matter how I think about it, your threat is absurd.”

“I have no intention of threatening Your Majesty.”

“…Opium, the stuff you seem to toy with freely, is a plant that requires enormous labor. I’ve heard that it takes sixty hardworking and healthy laborers to extract 200 catties of opium. And to produce that terrifying heroin, you need opium, don’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

“The Empire is not like the Great Forest.”

Indeed, this woman is sharp.

It’s impossible to bring down the Empire just using heroin, given the lack of raw materials.

I could only manage to topple the elves with a mere 50 kilograms of heroin due to their relatively small population. And even then, I had to focus on dispersing the drug among the elite 5 Great Clans and finish them with a coup.

Securing enough raw materials to bring down the Empire would be no small feat. Even if Victoria became the Heiress Apparent and made it a national project, it would take years.

And it would be even harder to gather the necessary resources while working as a diplomat in the Empire.

The empress wasn’t wrong to call my threat baseless.

But there was one thing she didn’t know.

The existence of other narcotics besides heroin.

“…Your Majesty. To be clear, I have no intention of flooding Your Majesty’s homeland with drugs. But hypothetically, I could. And without relying on opium, I can still manufacture narcotics.”

“What…?”

“There’s Ma Huang, for example. As far as I know, it’s cultivated methodically in your homeland for medicinal purposes. Using it, I can produce phenylacetone. It may have different effects, but it’s quite potent, similar to heroin.”

A moment of silence followed.

The empress didn’t foolishly ask what phenylacetone was. Instead,

“If I inform the Empire’s court and block it entirely… surely, that would be the end of it. Ma Huang is directly controlled by the Imperial Pharmacy. Even if you want it, you can’t just buy it freely.”

“…Is that so? In that case, there’s a method to cultivate cocaine back in the Great Forest. Before I leave, I could trade with the elven regent and set up a farm, leaving management and supervision to Princess Victoria.”

“…”

“Could you stop that as well?”

I didn’t mention the fact that with enough time, one could synthesize narcotics without even needing a poppy plant. I could see her expression darken further. And so, I declared,

“Though reluctant to say, if I set my mind to it, I can manufacture narcotics somehow. I’ve already taught Princess Siena the method. Even if I die now, she will carry on the mission, quite enthusiastically, I might add.”

“Huh.”

The empress let out a faint sigh, her eyes trembling slightly, probably not from any wind but from the stress of her growing anger. Yet, she’s an experienced woman, so she refrained from asking why I was doing this.

She most likely has an idea.

Why I have gone this far. Why I am threatening her.

“I did hold you back. It was a necessary measure.”

“I understand. You must have thought it was essential to do something for the safety of the Imperial Court. Given that you were raised in an environment that tolerates no violations of authority or the dominance of powerful ministers.”

“Yes. To that end, I even banished my own child…”

She cut her words short. It seemed she realized that explaining her good intentions to me now would be futile. Despite everything, she remained unusually composed for someone whose homeland was being held hostage. Now, there was only one choice left for her.

“What do you want…?”

“I do have a favor to ask.”

“If I agree to it, can you promise not to invade my homeland using such despicable means?”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t offer her any promises.

Not before achieving my objectives, anyway.

Anticipating the empress’s sigh, she finally nodded.

What do I wish for, then? There was no need to be too specific.

My request was simple.

“You suggested it once before. To ensure the stability of the Empire, take both Princess Victoria and Princess Siena as consorts.”

“Did I ever…?”

“I clearly remember you saying that. I will happily comply for the sake of the Empire.”

As I confidently fabricated these lies,

The empress could only look at me in bewilderment.

Yet, she quickly turned and walked away without dragging things out.

It seemed her priority was to protect her homeland from me. For her and her own safety, I can only hope she’ll do her best. If she fails, she’ll have to face alone the wrath of the princesses I’ve sent east—and in the meantime, the Empire would slowly succumb to drugs.

The time frame is one day.

And the empress’ steps became increasingly faster.

***

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