129: A storm is brewing...

"What is this!"

Mo Yingqi sat up abruptly from the bed. It was already broad daylight, but on the vast bed, Mo Yingqi was all alone.

He subconsciously felt around beside him; there was still a trace of lingering warmth, along with that special floral scent from Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning.

"Was it a dream, or..."

Mo Yingqi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart in turmoil. The dream had been far too real—so real that the suffocating feeling still lingered in his heart even now.

"What's wrong, Yingqi? Why not sleep a little longer?"

The door was slowly pushed open, and Luo Yongning walked in from outside. A maid followed behind, carrying breakfast, placing it on the table without looking aside, and then retreated respectfully.

Luo Yongan hurried to Mo Yingqi's side and gently felt his forehead. It was strange, though; even after the fright from his dream, Mo Yingqi felt neither fear nor repulsion towards her.

"Yingqi, why is your forehead covered in cold sweat?" Luo Yongning asked curiously. "Are you feeling unwell? Sister is busy with some matters. My sister and I went to sleep very late last night, and unfortunately, some matters came up in the palace today that require her help to handle."

On this point, Luo Yongning and Luo Yongan were not lying to Mo Yingqi. Since the Empress managed the inner palace herself, it was inevitable that some matters would be overlooked.

Because Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning were exceptionally talented, when The Emperor first ascended the throne, the sisters would occasionally help their mother manage affairs of the inner palace.

When Empress Shen visited yesterday, Luo Yongan had mentioned that she could send someone to deliver messages about certain matters. Since they were just idling at the Estate anyway, and the pregnancy was now stable, it would just be a way to pass the time.

"Oh, that's right, I remember now." In his daze, Mo Yingqi recalled that this had indeed been mentioned yesterday. "Sister Yongan too; she is clearly pregnant, why is she still so busy?"

It was as if the dream was merely an illusion to Mo Yingqi, and he himself didn't seem to care about it at all anymore. For the current Mo Yingqi, nothing was more important than the health of Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning.

"It's nothing, just some minor matters in the inner palace—nothing more than accounts, the allocation of supplies for various palaces, or procurements." Luo Yongning didn't mind, just sat close to Mo Yingqi by his side. "It's actually you, Yingqi; it must be a grievance to have you cooped up in this Estate all day keeping my sister and me company."

"That's nothing; you know I've never been one to enjoy traveling around," Mo Yingqi shook his head. "Since I was young, if it hadn't been for my master's arrangements, I wouldn't have been running all over the mountains and fields."

"That's true. If it weren't for the extreme cold in the Northern Territory, my sister and I would really want to return to live in the Northern Territory with Yingqi." Luo Yongning wrapped her arms around Mo Yingqi's neck, gazing at him affectionately. "My sister and I have already mentioned it to Father and Mother; after things settle down, we will leave the capital to travel properly. When we return to the capital, we won't go back to the Princesss Residence, but will just settle down in this Estate. What do you think, Yingqi?"

"Hmm, whatever you like is fine; I'm okay with anything." Mo Yingqi gently hugged Luo Yongning's shoulders. "It's just… can this matter really end so quickly?"

"Silly, of course it can!" Luo Yongning looked full of confidence. "Alright, Yingqi, don't think about these things anymore. When the time is right, someone will naturally let you know. You just need to rest well for now. Come on, I made breakfast for you; I'll eat with you, and then let's go find my sister and take a walk around the Estate, how about that?"

Mo Yingqi still cared about that strange dream in his heart, but for some reason, he seemed unwilling to disobey Luo Yongning's words, or rather, he didn't want to disobey them.

He had originally wanted to ask, but after thinking about it, Mo Yingqi didn't care anymore. The fear from the dream had completely faded by now.

However, in the city now, it looked peaceful, but even the peddlers and foot soldiers could read a trace of killing intent in this tranquility.

At Grand Chancellor Zhou's residence, where the gates had originally been tightly closed and visitors refused, the doors were now wide open, as if he had no scruples at all, allowing officials from all over the capital to visit.

"Tsk, what on earth is this person thinking?"

A Flying Fish Guard standing on a small building outside the Zhou Residence turned back to ask Lu Qianyuan, who was eating noodles: "Centurion, are we just going to watch like this and not take action?"

"Not to mention there is a top-tier expert in his residence, even those guards aren't exactly good people," Lu Qianyuan said, his mouth full as he lowered his head to eat noodles. "Furthermore, Commander Qianhu hasn't given the order yet; he only told us to keep watching here. Don't cause trouble, just keep watching."

"This subordinate understands, but..." The Flying Fish Guard hesitated. "There are quite a few officials coming and going, and we aren't questioning or searching them. I'm afraid this Grand Chancellor has some scheme, and we..."

"Same thing as before: don't cause trouble, just stick to your duties," Lu Qianyuan put down his empty noodle bowl. "We do as we are told from above. Don't worry about extra matters; not to mention you, even I shouldn't be concerned about these things."

Upon hearing this, the Flying Fish Guard really didn't say anything more. But to say nothing of him, Lu Qianyuan himself was also feeling uneasy. The Zhou Residence had long been secretly surrounded by their men from the Pacification Bureau. Nearby the courtyard where Grand Chancellor Zhou lived, there were some ordinary households; for a few that were in convenient locations, they had secretly given them some money to leave their homes and stay with relatives, while Flying Fish Guards disguised themselves to facilitate surveillance.

Bows, arrows, gunpowder, and the like had long been prepared, but Fang Wenbo's intention was not to move yet. Lu Qianyuan didn't know how high the Daoist's martial arts were; he just thought that if the entire Pacification Bureau came out in full force like this, even if that Daoist's martial arts were peerless, he would likely have no way to escape.

"We also need to send people to keep an eye on the City Patrol Command. Commander Qianhu has ordered that we can strike in as early as three days, or four days at the latest." Lu Qianyuan carried his Miao saber, stood up, and walked over to look at the gate of the Zhou Residence. "Our Pacification Bureau's job is exactly this kind of tailing and killing, but..."

Lu Qianyuan looked at the sky; although it was clear, there were gusts of breeze that made one's back feel cold.

Turning back to look at the Zhou Residence, there were still carriages arriving at the gate. After the officials got off and handed over their calling cards, they were allowed to enter the residence.

Although Lu Qianyuan hadn't read many books, he had once heard this saying: "Before a storm comes, the surface of the sea is always calm."

When the mountain rain is about to arrive, the wind will blow into the building.

"I only hope that the common people of this capital won't get caught in this whirlpool," Lu Qianyuan couldn't help but shake his head. "Keep a close watch. When the signal comes from over there, we must be ready to act at any time."

"People might die, but you all know the nature of our official business. I suspect... you brothers are not the type to fear death."

"I only wish for the imperial court to be stable, and the people to be stable!"