Book 8: Chapter 46: Fruitful Discussion
“Who are you to judge me without even hearing my words?” demanded Hsiao Jiayi, fury lighting her eyes.
Sen met her furious glare with one as cold as ice.
“Very well, then. Explain.”
“I seek to bring down a tyrant. To free my people.”
Sen nodded and said, “Oh, a worthy goal, no doubt. So, you’ll bring down this tyrant and replace them with who exactly?”
Hsiao Jiayi ground her teeth when she said, “Me.”
“Yes, how hasty of me to think that your goals are self-serving. And these people you’re going to free. You meant cultivators, didn’t you? You mean to free the cultivators. Not the mortals, who I assume are little better than slaves in your kingdom.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“It’s really not. You can dress it up with whatever justifications you want, but it’s not complicated. In summary, you want me to help you replace one tyrant—who I’m perfectly willing to believe is horrible—for another tyrant who will also treat most of the people living under her rule as slaves.”