121: Who said... he had no soldiers?

"Why stop me?"

Leaving the Zhou Residence, Xie Qingfeng looked at the grinning Luo Yongning behind him with some displeasure: "It was just the Quanzhen sword techniques. Over these years, I have studied the weapons and styles of all Schools in the world. No matter how good that Old Daoist Priest is, he is still just using Quanzhen School martial arts. If we had really fought it out, he..."

"Uncle-Master, do not try to deceive me." Luo Yongning's smile faded slightly. "If I had really let you continue fighting him, I fear... both sides would undoubtedly have been left battered and bruised."

"Hah, I really have no way to talk back..." Xie Qingfeng did not continue to be stubborn. "That Old Daoist Priest has some tricks up his sleeve. I fear that if we really continued to fight, either we would both end up battered and bruised, or our internal energy would be exhausted... In short, I couldn't kill him, and he couldn't kill me. We would have just ended up wearing each other out until we died."

"That is why it is best to stop while we are ahead, Uncle-Master." Luo Yongning looked back at the Zhou Residence. "If you do not have to risk your life, then don't. At the very least... you must consider Yingqi, must you not?"

"Tsk, fine. After all, I am your elder. Does it mean I have to rely on my Disciple's status in the end?"

"Ah, what else? Uncle-Master."

"...Never mind. My Senior Sister's granddaughter—if you weren't like this, I wouldn't be used to it!"

Xie Qingfeng was not surprised at all by Luo Yongning saying such things. Nangong Wumeng's granddaughter, how could she be a good person? The fact that she even knew to save him was already quite good.

"It is just, Uncle-Master, you have crossed hands with him, what is your evaluation of this man?" Luo Yongning looked at Xie Qingfeng curiously. "It seems you hold him in great contempt and disgust?"

"Hah, you girl, your cultivation is still shallow." Xie Qingfeng sneered upon hearing this. "The internal energy in this scoundrel is extremely sinister. I encountered this when I was wandering the martial arts world in my early years. This type of technique specifically seeks out women who have not yet married, aged fourteen or fifteen to seventeen or eighteen, and uses one's own internal energy to forcibly absorb the yin energy from those women."

"Although it does not require taking a girl's virginity, the excessive loss of yin energy can leave a woman weak at best, or cost her her life at worst."

"This method has never been used by many, and only those shameless, lecherous flower-thieves who 'pluck the yin to replenish the yang' would use such methods. Tsk, I fear this Old Daoist Priest has long since become weak as a dog, and probably cannot even use those... cough, cough, cough, Uncle-Master spoke too quickly, you girl should pretend you didn't hear that!"

Xie Qingfeng cursed himself inwardly. He had spoken too quickly. He was blabbering in front of the current Legitimate Princess, his Disciple's wife, and his senior sister's daughter, and there was a group of young girls following them too.

Actually, one could not blame him. He had lived in the North for too long. Although he was not completely cut off from the world, the North was sparsely populated, and the small town they lived in was mostly filled with rustic middle-aged women with forthright and bold personalities.

Back then, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning did not need his care; they were managed by people sent by Nangong Wumeng. Besides... there was also his Disciple who had been taken away to be a playmate; he only needed to focus on drinking all day.

"Never mind, Uncle-Master's brain has always moved faster than his mouth." Luo Yongning was also clear about what kind of person Xie Qingfeng was; when his emotions flared, he disregarded everything and paid no attention to the occasion. "No wonder this Grand Chancellor has been looking for women of suitable age everywhere these years..."

A glimmer of scarlet, murderous light flashed in Luo Yongning's eyes. Although these two sisters were extremely cruel, and aside from Mo Yingqi, it would not be an exaggeration to say they regarded human life as grass.

Yet, even so, as long as people did not provoke these two sisters, they would never commit massacres or kill innocents. Let alone such sinister and base methods; it was completely damaging to their own karmic merit.

"Hah, but we are in no position to say such things either..." Luo Yongning extended her beautiful left hand and examined it carefully. "Forget it, no one is more noble than anyone else... It is just that neither of us are good people, but that does not stop me from loathing such a beast."

"No, then why did you stop me?" Xie Qingfeng was even more confused. "What exactly are you grandmother and granddaughter thinking? Your Maternal Grandmother asked me to come and kill, and you sisters came over to stop me. Tsk, wouldn't it have been better to just kill him directly? That whatever-Zhou person, you could have just rushed into his house and slaughtered him!"

"No rush, there is still some time." Luo Yongning slowly withdrew her left hand. "Although he must die, death is not the most terrifying thing for a person like him... As for that Daoist, Uncle-Master, you do not need to care. Although Maternal Grandmother often treats you like a beast of burden, you are, after all, her own beast of burden, so she still has to cherish you."

"...If you weren't married to my Disciple, and I couldn't beat your Maternal Grandmother, I would have cut you down with a saber!"

Xie Qingfeng was very clear that these two sisters were hard-hearted, and their tongues had inherited his senior sister's viciousness and lack of restraint. Yongfu and Yongze were the biggest victims; his two nephews could be described as having peerless martial arts, yet they couldn't beat them, couldn't out-argue them, and as for scolding? They didn't have the guts!

"Oh, Uncle-Master, let us not dwell on such small matters, shall we?"

"You scold me, then you say it's a small matter, and you tell me not to dwell on it? Does your whole family really not treat this old man as a human being?"

Xie Qingfeng did not want to say much more. In any case, after so many years, he had long since gotten used to it. He rolled his eyes, then asked: "Speaking of which, you two sisters ran over here, what about my precious Disciple?"

According to Xie Qingfeng's understanding of his senior sister, the probability of these two sisters letting Mo Yingqi be alone and running to the Zhou Residence was simply too low.

But soon, thinking of something, Xie Qingfeng frowned, then looked at Luo Yongning, his eyes full of inquiry.

"That is right, anyway with 'Love Follows' present, after so many days, I fear my precious Disciple has been coaxed into a fool by you two, hasn't he?" Xie Qingfeng sighed. "Forget it, I will not say more to you. I will not leave the capital for the time being. When you have time, let my Disciple meet me. I was thinking of being carefree and returning to the North, but I did not expect I would still have to stay in the capital for some time."

"No need to be so troublesome, Uncle-Master. If you wish to see him, my sister and I can arrange it later." Luo Yongning chuckled. "Yingqi has not seen you for a long time either. Of course, he has not been nagging about you either. It is not that Yingqi is unfilial, but that there are truly too many things to deal with."

"Forget it, that little wolf cub, he just sleeps until the sun is high every day, being served food and drink by you two sisters. Even if he grew lazy, he wouldn't miss me."

Xie Qingfeng complained, but there was still some bitterness in his tone. Although Xie Qingfeng had lived alone in that icy, snowy place since his separation from his beloved, this was, after all, his only successor, and he regarded him like his own grandson.

However, these two master and Disciple, their mouths were both stubborn as hell. Expecting either of them to say something about fatherly kindness and filial piety was simply a fantasy.

"Rest assured, Uncle-Master..."

The gate of the Zhou Residence opened once again. Luo Yongan led Ying Hong and the others out unhurriedly. After Luo Yongan stood still beside her sister, she said leisurely: "Yingqi should still be at the Pacification Bureau right now. Have you forgotten? The master fights the master, and the Disciple naturally has to fight the Disciple."

"Right, where is the Pacification Bureau?" A flash of anxiety crossed Xie Qingfeng's eyes, but his tone remained indifferent. "I have to go over and take a look. If my good Disciple loses the fight, I can take a look at his miserable state, and then I can spread it far and wide in the North during the holidays!"

"Achoo! Achoo!"

Mo Yingqi sneezed a few times for no reason. After sheathing his blade, he couldn't help but rub his nose, and said with a trace of doubt: "Why do I always feel like someone is cursing me behind my back? Probably someone quite old, an undying old thing who doesn't have any seriousness and loves to drink."

"Centurion, the people have been taken down."

The door was pushed open, and several Flying Fish Guard members walked in. The leader cupped his hands at Mo Yingqi: "Is there anything else you need us to do, please give your orders, Centurion."

"No need, call the coroner over to collect the bodies." Mo Yingqi rubbed his neck. "Oh right, regarding the Clerk, go find Minister Tang at the Imperial Academy; he has already handled it for me."

"Yes, we obey!"

After Mo Yingqi left, those few Flying Fish Guard members couldn't help but look sideways at the ground. The once glorious Pacification Commissioner, Zhao Jiguang, was now decapitated, his entire right arm neatly severed, and his right hand still tightly clutching his sword.

The head that rolled on the ground had a face full of shock and surprise, eyes wide open. And the blood scattered on the ground had long since dried, and the entire room was filled with a pungent smell of blood.

"They say fists fear the young and strong; it seems that is not a lie."

Fang Wenbo poured tea into a cup while remarking to Lu Qianyuan opposite him: "Sometimes I am very glad that little Mo is on our side. Having such a person as a friend, although a bit nerve-wracking, you feel very secure. But if he stood on your opposing side, then you really wouldn't be able to sleep at all."

"My Lord, now that Zhao Jiguang has been killed by little Mo, why is The Emperor still delaying the order to raid the Zhou Residence?" Lu Qianyuan took the teacup but did not drink immediately, instead placing it gently on the table. "In the entire capital, whether it is us, the Imperial Guards, or the City Patrol Command, that Grand Chancellor Zhou can no longer reach them, and in the end, even Zhao Jiguang..."

"Old Lu, you have said too much." Fang Wenbo raised his head and glanced at him. "The Emperor has his own thoughts, which is not something you or I should ask."

"But continuing to drag it out like this is not a solution, right?" Lu Qianyuan still couldn't understand. "Now other officials are still watching, and they are certain that The Emperor will not easily use troops. Now Minister Shen in the Two Jiangs not only has to handle the aftermath but also has to be responsible for the supervision of other provinces. If The Emperor still does not act, and this drags on, I fear disaster will arise from within. Those officials and ministers who have defected to the Grand Chancellor will only think that The Emperor is raising his hand high but letting it down gently."

"Old Lu, you don't really think that the Grand Secretary of two dynasties has no ability to resist, do you?" Fang Wenbo picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite. "At least two places in what you just said are wrong. Although little Mo has personally handled Zhao Jiguang and the Southern Division here, it does not mean that things are completely settled."

"As for the City Patrol Command, it is even more riddled with holes; I don't know how many spies are inside. If that Grand Chancellor Zhou were truly incapable of resistance, he would not be sitting so calmly on the fishing platform."

"I will say it directly, Old Lu. The Emperor is waiting, waiting for the most suitable and appropriate moment. To cut weeds, one must remove the roots. Not to mention that the Grand Chancellor looks stable right now; in fact, he is probably more panicked than anyone."

Lu Qianyuan did not refute him verbally, but in his heart, he did not believe it at all. It was true that one must remove the roots, and what Fang Wenbo said was not wrong.

But he had retreated to this point, only acting in the dark, and now it had caused the court's official business to be unable to run normally. Still waiting, waiting for when?

"Waiting for the day he cannot help but make a move and play all his trump cards."

The Emperor sat on the dragon throne with some exhaustion, rubbing his forehead while speaking to Empress Shen: "This old guy has deep roots, and I am a newly ascended emperor. If I want to eliminate future troubles, it depends on who can hold on."

"Your Majesty, but this is never a long-term solution." Empress Shen said with worry. "You have been very tired these days. I know Your Majesty is doing this to minimize damage, but this is never a way out, is it?"

"It is fine. The old guy likes to play, so I will play along with him." Although The Emperor was full of fatigue, his eyes were still sharp. "The son-in-law will not easily stop. Although I am sorry for Yongan and Yongning, only by letting the son-in-law, this blade, stab down hard can I force the old guy to his final step."

"The final... step?"

"Yes, the final step." As if afraid Empress Shen did not understand, The Emperor repeated it again. "This was decided by me and Grand Secretary Ning together, and it was what the late emperor instructed me when he called me to his bedside before he passed away..."

"I want to force him to rebel, or rather, let him have the act of rebelling; that is enough."

Empress Shen's pupils shook slightly. How could this plan be implemented? Not to mention that the troops were now in The Emperor's hands and were mobilized and controlled by the Shen Family.

Even if one took ten thousand steps back, if Zhou Chutian really had troops in hand, based on her understanding of him over so many years, this person would never truly rebel.

Zhou Chutian had never been interested in the world, and even less interested in this dragon throne. Otherwise, when the late emperor was on the throne and the Shen Family's military power was not yet concentrated, he should have rebelled and had the ability to do so. In the current situation, if he really had troops, or could secretly control the City Patrol Command or even the Imperial Guards, there was still the Flying Fish Guard. And the military camps outside the capital were all led by generals of the Shen Family; as long as there was a change in the capital, they could quickly arrive to serve the king and protect The Emperor.

"Empress, do not be surprised. He indeed will not rebel, but even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, let alone Grand Chancellor Zhou." The Emperor smiled slightly. "Furthermore, who says he has no troops to use? And who says that if he has no military power in his hands, he can only let me slaughter him?"

"Whether he rebels or not is not important. Whether he really wants to sit on this dragon throne is also not important. What is important is that I not only want to completely eradicate him and his cohorts, but I also want to dig out and smash everything he has hidden."

"How can one allow others to snore beside one's bed? As a monarch, if one has no long-term worries, one will surely have immediate ones..."