122: I love you so much that I want you to become us.

"Your Majesty, since you know he has troops in his hands..."

"I understand what you mean. Since I already knew, why didn't I make preparations sooner?"

The Emperor seemed to have guessed what Empress Shen was going to say next and interrupted her softly: "It's not that I wasn't prepared; it's just that the late Emperor only had a partial understanding of it. Zhou Chutian does things cautiously. Not to mention that while the late Emperor's word was law and he had everyone's support when he was on the throne, the roots of the disaster had already been planted back then."

"In the early days of his reign, the late Emperor had to stabilize the court while keeping an eye on my uncles. The court officials were not easy to dismiss either. I fear that from that time on, that old thief had already been planning and secretly preparing this private army..."

The Emperor did not continue. In fact, it was not hard to guess; the army Zhou Chutian held in his hands was likely prepared in secret back then to prevent a palace coup.

"Your Majesty, I have never understood, how did he end up at this point today?" Empress Shen looked up at The Emperor. "I fear it is not just me; many people probably cannot understand how the top capable official who once helped the late Emperor turn the tide and pacify internal and external threats, has ended up like this now..."

"Perhaps it is 'the deeper the love, the deeper the hate'?" The Emperor sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and sorrow. "Don't find it disgusting; he may not have truly become twisted to the point where his feelings for the late Emperor changed, but... how should I put it? Perhaps when it comes to loyalty to the late Emperor, if he claims second place, no one can claim to be first."

"But when things reach an extreme, they reverse. Any emotion, even loyalty, will become extreme once it reaches a certain point... Ah, although I shouldn't say such things to you, Empress, if you think about my mother-in-law, Yong'an, and Yongning, isn't this principle very easy to understand?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Shen smiled and said: "If Your Majesty says it like that, wouldn't I be even more likely to overthink it?"

"Ha, although this example might be inappropriate, it is indeed the reality." The Emperor stood up and walked to the bookshelf with his hands behind his back. "Zhou Chutian was too loyal to the late Emperor, so loyal that he believed the late Emperor could not survive without him, and that not listening to him was wrong..."

"Tsk, Your Majesty, why does that sound a bit awkward?" Empress Shen frowned slightly. "Since Zhou Chutian was loyal to the late Emperor, how could he have such thoughts?"

"Because Zhou Chutian was not someone who only knew blind loyalty. He was too smart. Smart people are arrogant to the core, and he was even more arrogant, believing that he could do everything for the late Emperor." The Emperor slowly turned around, looking at Empress Shen with deep eyes. "He always considered himself to be Zhuge Kongming, and the late Emperor to be Lord Xuande who visited the thatched cottage three times. Yet, while Mr. Kongming had the talents of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, he never had any intention of disloyalty."

"Zhou Chutian just couldn't understand this point. He always placed himself and the late Emperor on the same level. But how is that possible? No matter how much the late Emperor appreciated him, the two of them were ruler and subject first, and close friends second. Any monarch can listen to a subject's advice and act according to a subject's plans, but they will absolutely, absolutely never allow a subject to interfere in everything, even if the subject has rendered great service, and even if the subject is their best friend."

"This is where their deepest conflict lay. Zhou Chutian resented the late Emperor in his heart, and he even understood this principle, but he was too loyal—loyal to the point of paranoia. The late Emperor was grateful for his advice and unwavering support back in the prince's residence, but he also felt extremely troubled by this loyalty."

"Unfortunately, in the early days of the late Emperor's reign, there were really not many people to use in the court besides him. Your Shen Family was indeed a loyal family worthy of trust, but at that time, military power was scattered, and the border relied on the Shen Family to be pacified. The late Emperor had no other choice. Plus, at that time, he and that old fellow had not yet fallen out, so he had no choice but to rely too heavily on him for advice."

Empress Shen nodded upon hearing this. The Daxing Dynasty was still strong, but ever since the late Emperor was still the Crown Prince, beneath the calm surface of the water, there had already been undercurrents surging.

The restlessness of the princes, the choosing of sides among high officials, and the watching from the sidelines. After Zhou Chutian reached the pinnacle of officialdom, although these problems were handled by him, unexpectedly, they gave birth to even more issues.

Zhou Chutian widely accepted Disciples. It cannot be denied that he truly had ability. Even though he is still criticized for nepotism to this day, it must be said that the officials Zhou Chutian selected and promoted had impeccable capabilities.

It's just that the people Zhou Chutian selected only looked at talent, not character. Some of the officials he selected had excellent abilities, but more or less, to a greater or lesser extent, there were problems or flaws in their character.

Some people, although they truly did a lot of things in their official positions and were highly praised by the court, could truly line their own pockets while handling affairs, or abuse their power for personal gain.

If you call them corrupt officials, they happen to have actual achievements. If you call them good officials, the common people have helplessness written all over their faces when they mention them.

"The current situation is also a hidden danger planted back then. Actually, although I complain about the late Emperor every day, I also know how much helplessness and bitterness there was in the early days of his reign." Whenever The Emperor thought of this, he was actually filled with sympathy for his own father. "Back then, the late Emperor walked on eggshells. He looked like the infinitely glorious Crown Prince, but only he knew how much bitterness was hidden within. 'The imperial family is the most heartless.' I vaguely remember how many times the late Emperor said this to me..."

"Your Majesty, even in a small shop among the common people, if there are many sons, they will still fight." Empress Shen stood up and gently took The Emperor's hand, soothing him tenderly. "I also know how painful it felt when brothers who were once on good terms with you, and even associated closely with you, eventually drew swords against you..."

"Sigh, yes. At least I had a time of brotherly affection, even if it was perhaps fake, and perhaps from that time on, my so-called brothers already harbored ulterior motives... But at least I had truly been on good terms with them." The Emperor's eyes turned slightly red as he said this. "But the late Emperor, he truly never had such a time. He was made Crown Prince in his childhood; his brothers were either openly opposing him or superficially submissive while secretly provoking and scheming."

"It's no wonder he trusted and relied on Zhou Chutian so much. His own brothers were like tigers and wolves, all eyeing his life and his position as Crown Prince. Looking around, there was not a single person he could trust, not a single person he could confide in. Although the Grand Empress Dowager was unwavering and they were as loving and harmonious as you and I, in the end, the Grand Empress Dowager was just a woman and really could not participate in the affairs of the court."

"But who could have imagined that while Zhou Chutian didn't intend to harm him, it was worse than harming him..."

Having said this, The Emperor could not say another word. He thought of Mo Yingqi, and he thought of Mo Yingqi, who had been targeted by his own, even more terrifying and insane daughters.

When things reach an extreme, they reverse; when things reach an extreme, they reverse. Sometimes bad things are not necessarily bad, and likewise, good things are not necessarily good.

"Your Majesty, have you thought of..."

With the couple sharing one heart, Empress Shen naturally guessed The Emperor's thoughts very quickly. Frankly speaking, setting everything else aside, Empress Shen truly liked Mo Yingqi, and even found him more pleasing to the eye than her own sons.

But precisely because of this, Empress Shen felt a complex mix of emotions. Regarding Mo Yingqi, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning did not allow anyone to interfere, not even her and The Emperor.

"Sigh, I fear that even after handling these matters, we won't be able to have any peace." The Emperor rubbed his throbbing temples. "What have Luo Yongan and Yongning been doing lately?"

"What else could they be doing? Either they are staying with their husband in the Estate in the suburbs messing around, or helping their husband mess around." Empress Shen rolled her eyes at him. "It's not for me to criticize you, but since you already know how important their husband is, why do you still let him do things?"

"You don't really think I want to, do you?" The Emperor looked aggrieved. "I'm not afraid that you, as their mother, won't like hearing this, but if I absolutely had to choose between their husband and Yongfu and Yongze right now, I would definitely choose their husband."

"Uh, you don't need to worry about that; I have the same thought."

"So, how could I possibly let their husband do these things?" The Emperor couldn't help but slap his thigh when he said this. "It's those two precious daughters of yours who insisted that their husband has the heart for it and wants to contribute to dealing with Zhou Chutian, asking me to fulfill their wish. Tell me, Empress, could I not fulfill it?"

"Tsk, that's true... but what is the point of this?"

"If you ask me, I'm just as confused!"

The Emperor also couldn't figure out what his two daughters were plotting. Although Empress Shen was somewhat worried and could more or less guess that it was related to "Love Follows," if she really had to explain the ins and outs, she was also full of doubts.

"The husband killed Zhao Jiguang? Oh, that's good. Go to the Pacification Bureau and pass on my words: tell the husband to come back to the Estate with us."

Hearing Ying Hong's report, Luo Yongan's expression remained normal. She did not show any surprise; in fact, she seemed to have expected it.

However, when Xie Qingfeng heard this, he was a bit confused. He turned to look at the sisters, his eyes filled with bewilderment and inquiry: "What have you two done to my Disciple?"

"Nothing at all? Uncle-Master, Yingqi is currently at the Pacification Bureau; isn't it quite normal for him to kill a person or two?"

Luo Yongning answered with a smile while rubbing her eyes, looking at Luo Yongan with a sleepy expression: "Sister, I didn't sleep well today. Why don't we arrange for Uncle-Master to meet Yingqi tomorrow?"

"Heh, fine, you two are really something." Xie Qingfeng was so angry he laughed. "You are openly trying to send me away, right? Fine, fine, fine. I won't stay here and be annoying. And forget about tomorrow; if my rebellious Disciple wants to see me, he will naturally come to find me!"

"Uncle-Master, you are joking. Yongning and I..."

Without waiting for Luo Yongan to finish, Xie Qingfeng leaped up, and within a few bounds, he was gone. Luo Yongan was not annoyed; she just gently tapped her sister: "You too, even if you wanted to drive Uncle-Master away, you didn't have to be so obviously deliberate, did you? I fear we may still need to rely on him in the future."

"Oh, Uncle-Master's martial arts are too high. Even if you and I went together, we wouldn't be his match." Luo Yongning said, feeling a bit aggrieved. "With him here, I always worry that something will go wrong. Although Uncle-Master fears Maternal Grandmother, he only has one Disciple, Yingqi. If he really finds out about our plan, I'm afraid he might..."

"Hmm, you are right..." Luo Yongan nodded. "This is a bit troublesome. We can't just find a way to kill Uncle-Master, can we?"

"Sister, are you serious?"

"Oh, I was just joking."

The two sisters spoke lightly, but Ying Hong and the other maids felt a chill down their spines. Although they loved Mo Yingqi and loved him by extension, they naturally would not really take action against Xie Qingfeng.

But all of this had one prerequisite: Xie Qingfeng must not try to sabotage the sisters' plan, and certainly must not think about taking Mo Yingqi away!

If all this really happened, even if he was their Uncle-Master, even if he was the only junior brother of Nangong Wumeng, and even more so, the grandfather-like master of Mo Yingqi, they would likely really kill him without mercy.

"Rest assured, Uncle-Master is not so stubborn. Besides, he has always known our intentions, and I assume he won't hinder us." Luo Yongan's tone softened slightly. "The most urgent task is to deal with that Old Scoundrel... Aunt, how is Su Yan doing over there?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, everything is going smoothly, and she has already been fed the medicinal herbs." Ying Hong lowered her voice to ensure only the sisters could hear. "I wonder when you want her to take action?"

"Wait another two days. That medicine is strong. Although it is harmless to her, it is still medicine after all." Luo Yongan waved her hand. "If we can avoid using the Uncle-Master piece, we shouldn't. After all, it is not yet the last resort. Moreover, Maternal Grandmother still cherishes their fellow-Disciple relationship; otherwise, she wouldn't have let me and Yongning wait for an opportunity to prevent him and that Taoist priest from truly fighting to the death."

Pausing for a moment, Luo Yongan's tone suddenly turned cold for a second: "Although, just in case, Uncle-Master..."

Luo Yongan did not continue, but Ying Hong could roughly guess the rest of her words. Nine times out of ten, she hoped that Xie Qingfeng would truly perish together with that Taoist priest, so that from then on, no one would be able to threaten the sisters with force, and no one would take Mo Yingqi away.

"Aunt, don't think that my sister and I are overly ruthless. It's just that for people like us, other than Yingqi, all other emotions... have long since ceased to be important." Luo Yongning said to Ying Hong with a smile. "My sister and I are not normal; we have always known this. Even if one were to truly say how serious our abnormality is, I'm afraid only my sister and I can understand each other."

"But now it is different, or rather, from now on, everything will be different. We have Yingqi now. He will become just like us, with only my sister and me in his eyes. Only he can understand us, and only he will know us."

"There is no one in this world who loves him more than my sister and I. Precisely because we love him, we must make Yingqi become just like us. Maternal Grandmother is right; only we are correct..."

"So, right now, my sister and I are merely putting Yingqi on the right path..."