105: I love him so much, how could I possibly hurt him?

"No matter what, if you intend to struggle against him, child, The Empress Dowager only advises you not to be impatient."

The Grand Empress Dowager, like a loving elder, slowly walked over and took Mo Yingqi's hand: "The Empress Dowager once advised The Emperor that since Zhou Chutian is over seventy, it would be better to just wait for him to die of old age or illness, to slowly outlast him. It is not that The Empress Dowager is being soft-hearted, but if we truly want to contend with him now, the only way is for The Emperor to disregard the consequences and use military power to forcibly suppress him."

"But if that were to happen, I fear the officials, and even the entire populace of the Daxing Dynasty, would be thrown into panic. Such an act is truly not a wise move..."

"Outsiders look at The Emperor and think he possesses the world, that a single word from him can make countless people rise to prominence or cause countless heads to roll. But only a foolish ruler can act as he pleases without any scruples. The late Emperor and The Emperor are both wise and holy rulers, and it is precisely because of this that they must act with caution. That Zhou Chutian is also extremely careful, not to mention many other matters... Sigh... better not to speak of it."

The Grand Empress Dowager slowly sat back in her chair and took a sip from her teacup. People of her age inevitably get tired after speaking too much. Mo Yingqi understood this, so he waited for her to catch her breath before he asked: "Actually, Your Humble Servant has never understood. Back at the Pacification Bureau, Your Humble Servant saw many files concerning Grand Chancellor Zhou that had been left to pile up in the archives. Now, Your Humble Servant seems to understand why the late Emperor acted as he did."

"The late Emperor had both reliance and affection for Zhou Chutian." The Grand Empress Dowager smiled with a touch of sorrow. "The Empress Dowager should not have said this, but these two men were actually like two stubborn children, both trying to prove they were right, and then walking further and further away from each other on the paths they had chosen, back to back."

"The late Emperor has passed away, yet Zhou Chutian has fallen into a state of self-justification. The Empress Dowager has always felt that he is just trying to find a way to tell the late Emperor that his own choices were the correct ones. Although The Empress Dowager does not know what exactly he is trying to prove, The Empress Dowager just has that feeling."

Mo Yingqi did not speak, but in his heart, he felt it was both laughable and extremely helpless. No matter what he wanted to prove, he shouldn't have dragged unrelated people into it.

Even if we take a step back and say he is right, so what? The ruler is the boat and the people are the water; the water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. How is it that so many people cannot understand such a simple truth?

Although The Emperor reprimanded the officials for the sake of Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning, he said one thing that was most correct. The common people do not know what the imperial court is really like; in their eyes, those officials wearing black gauze caps and official robes are the imperial court.

If an official does evil, then in the hearts of the people, it is equivalent to the imperial court doing evil. When officials protect one another, the people naturally feel that the imperial court cannot be trusted. Likewise, if the imperial court cannot be trusted, then naturally, The Emperor cannot be trusted either.

A single rat dropping can ruin a whole pot of soup, let alone the fact that Zhou Chutian, this number one powerful minister, can prevent countless people from even having soup to drink. His so-called right or wrong is not important to Mo Yingqi, and it is even less important to the common people.

The common people only care about whether they can eat their fill, whether they will be invaded by barbarians, and whether they can live without worries about food and clothing and enjoy peace.

It has always been about setting up a pot to cook white rice; it has never been about setting up a pot to cook principles. No matter how much you, Zhou Chutian, want to prove that you are right, the essence of the matter is just that simple.

Since ancient times, rebellions—even that of the founding Emperor—only occurred when people could no longer survive and had to rise up. The Daxing Dynasty's success today is due to the contributions of past monarchs and capable ministers of every dynasty. No matter what Zhou Chutian says, it boils down to nothing more than the four words: selfish and self-interested.

"The late Emperor ascended the throne in middle age and had already developed the root of his illness back then. He had been having imperial physicians treat him for many years, and besides, The Emperor was well protected and well educated by him." The Grand Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead. "At that time, Zhou Chutian knew that because the Crown Prince was not appointed for so long, all the princes were restless. But he did not want to interfere, and the late Emperor did not count on him either, choosing instead to support Ning Wuya."

"Regarding the Struggle for succession among the seven sons, Your Humble Servant has always felt that he could not control it." Mo Yingqi suddenly spoke up. "The late Emperor had suffered from having a Crown Prince appointed too early, which is why he protected the current Emperor. This is a problem that could cause disputes no matter how one chooses. Regardless of what the late Emperor did, as long as the princes coveted the throne, such a result was inevitable."

"Emperor Chengzhong and the late Emperor were both extremely talented. After the founding Emperor, these two monarchs had many princes, and there were no shortage of talented and capable ones among them. Er, perhaps it is inappropriate for Your Humble Servant to say this, but... if all the princes have talent, then anyone with talent must have their own pride and their own ambition... Therefore, even though Emperor Chengzhong and the late Emperor used two different methods, they could never change the fact that the princes would trip each other up or even turn against their own kin to fight for the throne."

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded subconsciously upon hearing this: "Yes, even the incompetent harbor malice due to greed, let alone these princes who were carefully raised by the royal family?"

"Grand Empress Dowager, the banquet is ready!"

Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning walked in from outside the hall. Luo Yongan was still a bit reserved, but Luo Yongning immediately hugged Mo Yingqi's arm, smiling as she snuggled into his embrace and acted coquettishly.

"Sister Yongning, stop fooling around, we are in front of the Grand Empress Dowager!"

Mo Yingqi said this while looking at the Grand Empress Dowager with some nervousness. In his heart, an elderly elder, especially The Empress Dowager who was the head of the inner palace, would surely not like such excessive intimacy between the younger generation, even if they were husband and wife.

"It is nothing, nothing. It is inevitable for a young couple who have just married to be inseparable." The Grand Empress Dowager laughed heartily. "It is fine to be like this in front of your grandmother, but do not be rude in front of outsiders, understand? Yongning, take your husband to the banquet. Yongan, you stay behind to help The Empress Dowager change clothes."

"Yes, Grand Empress Dowager."

The two sisters replied in unison. Luo Yongning, being the active one, pulled Mo Yingqi up and walked outside. The Grand Empress Dowager watched their backs disappear with loving eyes, then suddenly turned to look at Yong'an: "Yongan, this child is very good. Grandmother knows how much you and Yongning care about him, but if you want things to last, you must act appropriately."

"Grandmother is right. Naturally, Yongning and I will be careful and attentive to Yingqi." Yong'an nodded gently. "Grandmother need not worry about these things; you only need to take care of your own health and accompany us for another ten or twenty years."

"Silly girl, do you really take your grandmother for an old hag?" The Grand Empress Dowager feigned reproach, but her tone was extremely gentle and kind. "Grandmother is worried about you—sigh, I'm afraid you won't like hearing this. You two sisters are just like that troublesome Wumeng, perhaps even surpassing her. Grandmother is afraid that you might hurt that child, which would be bad for your mother and for him."

"Grandmother, you are really overthinking it."

Luo Yongan turned her head to look at Mo Yingqi walking out of the hall. Just seeing his back seemed to make her feel extremely at ease. But beneath that ease and tenderness was a strongly suppressed possessiveness, and madness.

"Yongning and I love him too much to ever have the heart to hurt him."