108: Yaksha and the Powerful Minister (Part Two)

"If I could, I actually really would like to."

Mo Yingqi smiled, his gaze meeting that Taoist's from afar without a hint of avoidance. It was true he couldn't beat him, but when it came to fear, he, Mo Yingqi, had truly never known it.

That was just his nature, not to mention his master, Xie Qingfeng, had taught him in his own inhumane way since he was a child: "Don't be a coward, my good disciple. You practice martial arts so that you won't fear anyone in the future, so never be a coward. If your life is gone, then it's gone; just charge in recklessly. Look at your master—haven't I lived for so many years?"

Thus, Mo Yingqi, already bold by nature, had encountered a master who was just as reckless. Even if he knew clearly that he was no match for that Taoist, so what? Losing wasn't scary, and dying wasn't scary; what was scary was being afraid first.

"The Marquis is joking. Even if you wanted to cross swords with my aide, I wouldn't agree, and The Emperor and The Two Highnesses would certainly not agree either." Zhou Chutian closed the folding fan in his hand. "I had intended to personally send an invitation for a chat once the Marquis returned to the capital. I didn't expect the Marquis to take the initiative and invite me here instead."

"I wouldn't dare trouble the Grand Chancellor. Officially, you are the current Grand Secretary, and privately, you are my elder; it is only right that I come to pay you a visit." Mo Yingqi slowly loosened his left hand, which had been gripping his saber, and withdrew his gaze. "Actually, if you really want me to say something, I don't know what I should say, but I still really wanted to see you."

"Oh, then the Marquis and I are of the same mind." Zhou Chutian's eyes couldn't help but narrow. "So, is the Marquis seeing me just to see what the old bastard who sent people to intercept and kill you and your mother back then looks like, and what kind of person he is?"

"Hah, I thought the Grand Chancellor would use more sophisticated methods of provocation."

From the time Mo Yingqi went to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, to his arrival in the capital to join the Pacification Bureau, his temperament had been tempered significantly over the years. He used such tactics to intentionally provoke others every single day, especially during interrogations at the Pacification Bureau.

Therefore, he didn't care about Zhou Chutian's provocation at all. He had endured for all these years; he wouldn't let all his efforts go to waste at this moment.

"The Marquis is overthinking; I have no heart or intention to provoke or anger you." Zhou Chutian toyed with his folding fan as he explained. "Regarding the matters of that year, your father was acting on emotion and lacked foresight; otherwise, there would have been no need for me to step in and handle it for him."

"Hmm, that's true. At the very least, he was slightly better than you when it came to being inhumane." Mo Yingqi picked up the teapot and refilled Zhou Chutian's cup. "Is the Grand Chancellor not afraid that I might poison this?"

"Why does the Marquis ask when you already know? If The Emperor wanted me dead, He wouldn't have kept me until now, and I wouldn't have the fortune to share tea with you." Zhou Chutian was quite magnanimous, even picking up his cup and draining it in one gulp. "The Marquis is now of one mind with The Emperor, and even more so, the apple of The Two Highnesses' eye. How could you not know that killing me at this time would be an extremely unwise move?"

"There is no question of wisdom or folly. Personally, I really do want to kill you." Mo Yingqi set down the teapot and glanced at the Taoist in the distance. "If the Grand Chancellor truly believed he would not die, there would have been no need to bring him along."

"I have long since disregarded matters of life and death. If the Marquis wishes to kill, feel free to do so now." Zhou Chutian's tone suddenly turned colder. "Unfortunately, I cannot die at this moment, and the Marquis is certainly not the one who will kill me. The one who could kill me... has long since died."

"You really do care about the late Emperor, though... it's a sickening kind of care." Mo Yingqi suddenly sneered. "However, I still really want to be the one to kill you. It has nothing to do with me personally, and I won't spout meaningless platitudes about doing it for the sake of the people. I simply feel... that you deserve to die."

The two suddenly fell silent, and for a moment, the air seemed to solidify. The Taoist's originally half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open. Although he made no move, his fists clenched tight, and his gaze toward the pavilion carried a hint of vigilance.

Almost simultaneously, the Flying Fish Guards stationed outside the pavilion seemed to sense something and drew their xiuchun sabers in unison. But Mo Yingqi waved his hand without turning his head, and the Flying Fish Guards sheathed their sabers once more.

"But now is not the time. Back when I dealt with Zhang Jiawen, I realized a truth: rather than killing someone with a single stroke, it is better to let them collapse bit by bit, until they die in despair." The cold, frigid killing intent on Mo Yingqi suddenly vanished, and a smile appeared on his handsome face. "So, Grand Chancellor, I very much look forward to the day you meet the same fate as him..."

"Though, perhaps you are different, because you are not him. I suspect that if such a day truly comes, you would rather hang yourself from the rafters with your old bones than give me the chance to humiliate you, wouldn't you?"

Hearing Mo Yingqi's words, Zhou Chutian suddenly burst into laughter. A man who was usually inscrutable, never revealing his joy or anger, now laughed with a voice full of confidence and a hint of arrogance.

"The Marquis is right; I certainly would not give you that chance." Zhou Chutian stopped laughing and took another sip of tea. "But how does the Marquis know that he will be the one to send this Zhou to hell?"

"A hunch."

"Oh, then I wish the Marquis success in all his endeavors."

"I wouldn't dare. I also wish the Grand Chancellor a long life."

The two picked up their teacups, clinking them together as if making a toast, and then drained them in one gulp. Zhou Chutian looked at Mo Yingqi with a hint of approval in his eyes, yet it was tinged with an indescribable arrogance: "I thought you would lecture me with grand principles about serving the people, the world, or relieving The Emperor's worries, but you didn't mention a single word, clearly understanding that such things are meaningless."

"Indeed, they are meaningless. I have been an official for many years, having assisted the late Emperor in ascending the throne from his private residence. Now, my power dominates the court. Even though The Emperor is pressing me step by step, I remain the Grand Chancellor of this Daxing Dynasty, second only to one."

"Marquis, let me offer you a word of advice: when this game of chess ends is not for you to decide, and certainly not for The Emperor. It will only stop when I say so! Use your own tongue to tell The Emperor that I have rested long enough, and it is time for me to finish this game of chess with Him!"

Mo Yingqi simply watched him quietly without speaking. It was only after he finished that Mo Yingqi suddenly asked a question completely unrelated to what had just been said: "Back then, when the various princes were eyeing the throne, which eventually evolved into the Struggle for succession among the seven sons... I fear that was your handiwork, Grand Chancellor Zhou, wasn't it?"

"Oh? Did the Grand Empress Dowager tell you?" Zhou Chutian was momentarily stunned, but he didn't seem to care. "No, that woman wouldn't be able to think of these things. Partridge Sky? That doesn't seem right either..."

"Stop guessing. No one told me, and besides, it has been so many years." Mo Yingqi cut him off directly. "I figured it out myself. These days, from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region to my return to the capital, I haven't been idle. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you here."

"Grand Chancellor, you simply believed that only if the late Emperor followed your methods and walked your path could he be safe and govern the court well."

"You planned everything for the late Emperor. You even guessed early on that he intended to name The Emperor as his successor. So, you deliberately orchestrated all of this to put The Emperor through trials, while simultaneously ensuring that He would completely root out the hidden dangers posed by His own brothers."

"Why did you do all of this? Let me guess: perhaps it was because you felt the late Emperor was beyond your control and would not listen to your strategies, so you had to stir up this mess, only to let everyone see how you could turn the tide and reverse the situation."

"To be honest, it's quite... disgusting."