After a series of demands and reassurances, he sneered, "What's there to explain? I am the ruler of this land. Who do I need to consult to do what I wish?"
He exuded an air of absolute authority, "If something is meaningful and they refuse to correct it, they will be executed on the spot."
"If the Crown Prince disagrees with our marriage, so be it. I'll directly demote him to commoner, and then appoint a more obedient prince. The harem is even simpler!"
"If they agree to leave the palace, I will give them a sum of money as compensation. If they refuse, I wouldn't mind confining them to the cold palace and feeding them only one meal a day. These are not important matters!"
He walked over, stopped beside Zhao Jiaqi, and whispered in her ear, "What's important is that I want you to marry me willingly!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the triumphant glint in his eyes, but she also saw another light, a calculating gaze. She couldn't be mistaken.
After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly said, "You want to marry me, you must have another agenda. It's not purely because you like me, right?"
Baili Kai'en was stunned. He hadn't expected his performance of infatuation to be seen through by her. This cleverness far surpassed that of the women in his harem.
He didn't deny it, and his admission was so swift it caught Zhao Jiaqi off guard. "That's right, I do have other intentions!"
"We're at our age, isn't it ridiculous to talk about love? But I truly admire you, I desire you, and I'm jealous of Fan Zehao. If he weren't in the way, we would be very happy together!"
Zhao Jiaqi frowned, "Where do you get such confidence?"
"I am the Emperor. All under heaven belongs to me. That is my confidence!" he declared with conviction, not realizing how ridiculous it sounded.
Zhao Jiaqi sighed inwardly. They were nearing the end of their conversation. "So, besides marriage, what else do you want from me? Tell me, and I'll consider how much of a dowry is appropriate."
This sudden shift caught Baili Kai'en completely off guard. He seemed unsure if he had heard correctly. "You want a dowry from me?"
"Otherwise? Don't you spend money when you marry a wife!" Zhao Jiaqi retorted.
This time, Baili Kai'en heard her clearly. He immediately replied, "Yes, yes, yes! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. I'd move the national treasury if necessary, without a second thought!"
Zhao Jiaqi didn't argue further. Instead, she asked, "Then you must first tell me why you absolutely need me. If your purpose in capturing me isn't solely marriage, then what is the other objective?"
Baili Kai'en said, "Of course, it's to develop our Xuanyuan Kingdom together. To make our nation prosperous and strong enough to annex the other smaller kingdoms. Then, we will become the rulers of the world!"
Her ambitions were grand, and it was difficult to awaken from such a dream. It was sheer folly.
"This is a huge undertaking. The entire national treasury wouldn't be enough for my dowry. How about this: I'll be the empress. Only then will my words carry weight. Can you agree?"
This was meant as a jest, something no one would agree to, except perhaps her own husband.
But to her surprise, Baili Kai'en agreed, with the condition that he would rule from behind the curtain. This nearly shocked Zhao Jiaqi to death.
It was as if five bolts of lightning had struck her.
Zhao Jiaqi opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her eyes, full of disbelief, stared at him. "Are you truly out of your mind? If I'm empress, why would I need you to rule from behind the curtain? Does my imperial decree not count in court?"
Baili Kai'en shrugged and gave her the most honest answer, "I'm still afraid that once you become empress, you'll kill me first. I need at least some ability to protect myself, right?"
His words were not untrue. If she became empress, he would likely be the first to be executed.
"Let's talk business. I don't want to be empress. I just want the gold and silver from your national treasury as my dowry. When I see the dowry, we'll get married, and then I'll build up Xuanyuan Kingdom!"
Baili Kai'en found it hard to believe she would agree so readily. He asked again, "Do you truly mean it?"
Zhao Jiaqi glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you regretting it?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. It's just that you agreed too quickly. I suspect a trick."
"How about I lock you up here for days, with no sunlight, and see how you feel?" Zhao Jiaqi retorted angrily.
Her words did distract Baili Kai'en. He had spent nearly a month in this place, and anyone's spirit would have been tested.
For her to have endured this long was already remarkable!
Although Baili Kai'en wanted to trust her, he had to be cautious. "The dowry can be delivered at any time, but before that, you must consume the Forgetfulness Potion to leave!"
A potion?
She had heard of such things in her previous life, stories about a worm inside the body.
But she had never actually seen one.
"What is the Forgetfulness Potion?" Zhao Jiaqi asked.
Baili Kai'en smiled triumphantly and took out a box from his sleeve. Inside lay a large, plump, bright red worm, much like a bean grub, but with a different color. This chubby creature writhed its alluring body in the box, sending a shiver down Zhao Jiaqi's spine.
It was disgusting. She pointed at the creature and said, "You can't possibly expect me to eat that!"
She couldn't guarantee she could swallow it without biting it, and it would likely be destroyed by stomach acid anyway!
If necessary, she could drink a bottle of vinegar to kill it with acidity. Although she knew stomach acid and vinegar were different, she couldn't help but think that.
Baili Kai'en shook his head with a smile. "Of course not. This is the mother potion. I will plant a child potion in your body. If you disobey, I will make this mother potion suffer, and the child potion in your body will also become uncomfortable. It will torment you until you beg for mercy!"
Without lifting a finger, he could make Zhao Jiaqi as obedient as a child before him.
"Forgetfulness Potion, as the name suggests, once ingested, you will forget your past with Fan Zehao. Within half a month, you will completely forget your previous emotions and believe I am your husband. Then, we will be a loving couple!"
"A perfect union, husband and wife in harmony!"
Zhao Jiaqi's world was shattered. She couldn't find words to describe her feelings. This method was more monstrous than any perversion; calling him a madman would be an insult to madmen.
This potion was no trifle. The main concern was that she had no experience with it. If she truly ingested this Forgetfulness Potion and couldn't remove it, forgetting her past and her children, she could not bear that.