139: Dawn Breaks (Part Two)

"So he still went through with it, after all?"

In the inner palace, the Grand Empress Dowager set down her needlework and rubbed her aching eyes. Auntie Baiyu, who was by her side, brought a cup of tea and placed it near her hand. Taking over the needlework, she gently advised, "Grand Empress Dowager, it is late. You will strain your eyes if you continue."

"It's no matter, no matter. Back then, the Late Emperor said that if Zhou Chutian ever passed away, he would personally embroider a funeral banner to see him off to the afterlife." The Grand Empress Dowager took a sip of tea. "Now that the Late Emperor has passed, The Empress Dowager, as his wife, must fulfill his wish for him."

"Does the Grand Empress Dowager believe that tonight..."

"He caused such a massive commotion; isn't it all for this outcome?" The Grand Empress Dowager set down her teacup, a hint of sorrow on her face. "When I spoke with the Imperial Son-in-Law earlier, there were things The Empress Dowager should have told him, but on second thought, I decided against it..."

Hearing this, Baiyu was also filled with emotion. She looked at the Grand Empress Dowager, hesitating before speaking. "Does the Grand Empress Dowager truly not intend to speak plainly with The Emperor? Actually, you should know that the Grand Chancellor..."

"Forget it. As for that man, it is better for him to die." The Grand Empress Dowager shook her head. "He possesses world-shaking talent and believes himself to be peerlessly gifted with brilliant foresight, but his ideas have always run contrary to the Late Emperor's."

"This world belongs to the Luo family, but even more so to the common people. When the Founding Emperor unified the land, everything was in ruins, and he lacked the capacity to focus excessively on the people's livelihood. It's not that later generations didn't harbor resentment toward the Founding Emperor for being too cruel, executing officials, and using ruthless means to rectify the court, but have you ever seen a commoner who hated the Founding Emperor?"

"To put it bluntly, those in power are ultimately just that. The common people don't care whether The Emperor's surname is Luo or Zhang. If The Emperor can let them live well and have enough to eat, then he is a good Emperor."

"Whether it was the Late Emperor or the successive monarchs of the Daxing Dynasty, they expanded trade and learned advanced experiences and technologies from other nations for the sake of the people and the future of this vast land. If The Emperor does what is right, he need not fear rebellion. No one wants to suffer the hardships of chaotic times; if someone truly wants to rebel, the commoners would be the first to disagree."

After saying this, the Grand Empress Dowager suddenly paused. Being elderly, she was bound to feel fatigued after doing needlework for so long. Sensing this, Baiyu immediately stepped forward to massage her head.

"It's no matter, Baiyu." The Grand Empress Dowager declined with a smile. "The Empress Dowager has understood Zhou Chutian's intentions for a long time. What he is doing now is very much like a painter."

"A painter?" Baiyu was somewhat stunned. "Grand Empress Dowager, what do you mean by that?"

"Have you ever seen those imperial painters in the palace, who paint exclusively for the royal family, painting in private?" The Grand Empress Dowager turned to look at her old friend who had accompanied her for decades. "When they are dissatisfied with a painting, they become frustrated and will directly tear up the half-finished or nearly completed work, shredding it and throwing it on the ground."

"This... but Grand Empress Dowager, the state and its altars are not a painting after all..."

"It is the same, just like the old saying—governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. The more significant the national affairs, the simpler their essence becomes. Not to mention these powerful officials at the pinnacle; in their hearts, it is even more so." Speaking to this point, the Grand Empress Dowager actually showed a bitter smile. "Zhou Chutian was single-mindedly focused on having the Late Emperor centralize power, with The Emperor as the core and the Cabinet as support, while also closing off foreign trade. With the prosperity of Daxing, it could certainly be self-sufficient."

"The common people would have no contact with the wider world and would become like frogs at the bottom of a well, able to see only a patch of sky the size of a palm. This would lead them to mistakenly believe that only The Emperor is supreme and only The Emperor can protect them."

Hearing this, Baiyu was already somewhat dissatisfied. Although she was merely a female official, she had followed the Grand Empress Dowager for many years and had gained considerable insight.

This was tantamount to making Daxing regress instead of progress. Nowadays, foreign goods and knowledge flowed into Daxing, and the common people hadn't suffered for it; instead, they had gained more opportunities.

For example, Western medicinal technology was vastly different from Daxing's medical arts. Many doctors were curious and exchanged knowledge with those traveling Western physicians. Later, they even attempted to combine Chinese and Western medicine, tailoring treatments to specific symptoms.

This would have been absolutely impossible in the past, but in Daxing, it could be realized. This included other technologies, such as shipbuilding and smelting, which were slowly refined by learning from others' strengths to compensate for their own weaknesses.

"Not only that, but he also wanted to abolish the Pacification Bureau and stop the surveillance of the officials." The Grand Empress Dowager couldn't help but give a bitter smile. "Although The Empress Dowager is well aware that the methods of the Pacification Bureau are sometimes too cold and cruel, ever since the Founding Emperor established it, corruption and the abuse of power for personal gain in our dynasty have been significantly less than in previous ones. As for things like oppressing the people, land grabbing, and malicious extortion of the people's wealth, those caught are executed on the spot."

"Indeed, it's inevitable that officials would feel resentful. Why is it that in other dynasties, a clean prefect could earn a hundred thousand silver taels in three years, but they cannot? But if this world is compared to a great tree, where The Emperor is the main trunk and the officials are the branches, then the common people are the roots."

"If the branches are gone, they can grow back, but if the roots rot, then the tree will be completely decayed, with no vitality left. With what Zhou Chutian is doing, The Emperor would indeed enjoy supreme power, but this world would likely be lost sooner or later."

"The history books are filled with all sorts of examples. Would a man as clever as Zhou Chutian not know this? He knows, but it is precisely because he knows that he must do it. What is beneficial for the people is not necessarily beneficial for The Emperor or the imperial power. Zhou Chutian is an expert in the art of supporting the dragon and protecting the state, so he knows exactly how to maximize the interests of the imperial power."

Hearing this, Baiyu was already too shocked to express her feelings. Such a person was indeed loyal, but his loyalty served only The Emperor alone.

Officials were the hands and feet of The Emperor. Even though few could truly be incorruptible and self-disciplined, they were the link between The Emperor and the people. Yet this leader of all officials, the Grand Chancellor who held sway over the court, completely discarded the people—or rather, he believed the people were unimportant. As long as the imperial power was stable, the world would naturally be stable.

"However, The Emperor disagreed, and the two of them broke into a dispute over this, which eventually reached an irredeemable state. Baiyu, do you know... many of the hatreds in this world stem from love. Although The Empress Dowager always feels that using 'love' to describe their friendship is quite inappropriate, that is indeed the reality."

Speaking to this point, the Grand Empress Dowager felt she was about to be amused by her own words. "Ha, for The Empress Dowager, the primary wife of the Late Emperor, to say such things... even The Empress Dowager finds it incredibly awkward."

"Haha, it's actually not to be blamed on the Grand Empress Dowager. Back before the Late Emperor ascended the throne, he and the Grand Chancellor would have long talks by candlelight in the study, often from sunset to sunrise." Speaking of this, a smile also appeared on Baiyu's face. "I still remember that the Grand Empress Dowager would tease them back then, saying things like, 'Why don't you two just live together?' or 'Let's divorce early to keep things dignified for everyone.'"

"Hahaha, you old thing, you still remember that!" The Grand Empress Dowager scolded with a laugh. "Don't say it, mentioning these things now makes it feel like it was only yesterday... Sigh, now The Empress Dowager is old and frail, and the Late Emperor has already passed away. Zhou Chutian... has the Imperial Son-in-Law arrived at his residence yet?"

"Yes. The Imperial Son-in-Law killed many soldiers from the City Patrol Command along the way. I fear that even if the dust settles tonight, given how ruthless the Imperial Son-in-Law has been, the Censorate will not let it slide easily." Baiyu's eyes were full of worry. "Grand Empress Dowager, if I may be so bold, why are The Two Highnesses acting like this?"

"Why else? It's just to make their husband like Duke Shen." The Grand Empress Dowager waved her hand. "That woman Nangong is troublesome enough, but these two granddaughters of mine are even more troublesome than Nangong."

"Nangong only wanted to tie down Duke Shen, but these two girls not only want to tie him down, they want him to become like them—someone driven mad and sick by love... Sigh, forget it, I can't control them. Fortunately, these two girls have no ambition for power; otherwise, I fear Yongfu and Yongze would have been sliced up and eaten by them sooner or later."

Baiyu was amused by the Grand Empress Dowager's words, but soon she thought of a very serious problem, and her expression turned grim. Before she could speak, the Grand Empress Dowager smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager knows what you're thinking. You're worried about what would happen if the Imperial Son-in-Law wanted to be Emperor, or if he followed Zhou Chutian's example, right?"

"Rest assured, he won't. The reason The Empress Dowager likes the Imperial Son-in-Law so much is, for one, he is indeed no ordinary person. To be fair, I'm afraid even our Luo family children might not be as talented in both literary and martial arts as the Imperial Son-in-Law. Not to mention his outstanding appearance; in all my years, The Empress Dowager has never seen a man as beautiful as a woman, yet without a hint of effeminacy."

"But when The Empress Dowager spoke with such a person, he showed no such ambition. In fact, if not for his own tragic background, the Imperial Son-in-Law likely wouldn't have entered the civil service. Although this child is as cold and hard as a blade, he knows how to restrain his sharpness and has no interest in the world."

"Moreover, as long as Yong'an and Yongning are around, although the Imperial Son-in-Law's future is still unknown, it's certain that if these two girls don't want it, he won't either."

In the capital, outside the pavilion, the once bustling streets were now silent. One after another, the Imperial Guards threw corpses dressed in various outfits into the middle of the road as if they were trash.

"Reporting to The Two Highnesses, the Imperial Son-in-Law has entered the Zhou Residence." A woman dressed in night-traveler's attire quickly approached the magnificent carriage and bowed deeply. "Most of the assassins in the city have been eliminated. The small remaining portion should be captured before dawn."

"No need for such trouble. Leave no survivors."

The window curtain was pulled aside, and Yongning poked her head out with a giggle. "Oh, by the way, throw the corpses directly into the mass grave. I remember there are many wild dogs there that love to scavenge on such bodies..."

"Stop playing around, Yongning. How can you be like this?" Luo Yongan gave her sister a slightly reproachful tap. "We must leave some survivors. I wanted to tell you just now, but you were so impatient that you even personally killed several of them."

"Oh, I thought the people that Old Scoundrel raised for so many years would be formidable, but I didn't expect them to be so fragile." Yongning curled her lip. "I thought there would be some powerful experts, but not a single one could even take one of my moves."

"Heh, in a few more years, I'm afraid even Martial Uncle and Maternal Grandmother won't be a match for us." Luo Yongan smiled. "I fear that in the future, the only one in this world who can keep us sisters and Yingqi in check will be the Old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain."

Luo Yongan didn't care. Although Zhang Tianci's martial arts were unsurpassed throughout history, he was an old friend of Nangong Wumeng's master and wouldn't want to meddle in others' business. Moreover, this Old Celestial Master could, in a sense, be considered an external aid for the Partridge Sky.

"After planning for so many years, everything is finally ready." Luo Yongan seemed very happy. "However, we still need to be careful of the Old Scoundrel's backup plans..."

"Assassins have already been sent. Father always says not to kill, but if we don't, how long will we have to wait?" Yongning was somewhat dissatisfied. "That Old Scoundrel always thinks he's so clever, but in the end, he's easier to understand than a fool."

"It's not quite like that; it's just that once his goal was exposed, everything else became easy to guess." Luo Yongan pondered for a moment. "Also, do you really think Father doesn't want to kill? Yongning, don't underestimate our father. During the Struggle for succession among the seven sons, the situation was fraught with danger, yet Father never made a single wrong move."

"He said we can't kill them all, but in fact, he knows very well that if these people aren't killed, they will eventually become a menace. But as the ruler of a nation, he follows the way of a monarch; how could he engage in such conduct?"

"So, that is the purpose of Partridge Sky's existence, and the purpose of our existence as well, isn't it?"

As Luo Yongan said this, her eyes suddenly turned cold for a moment. Yongning, who had been looking out the window, suddenly turned to look at her elder sister.

The sisters were connected in spirit, not to mention that Luo Yongan's killing intent was now completely unconcealed.

"It's nothing. I just thought of a certain possibility and wanted to make some preparations in advance."

Luo Yongan didn't voice her true thoughts. Her younger sister wasn't particularly calculating and followed her plans in everything she did. If she told her, this crazy girl would likely act without even asking her.

For instance, just now, she had only said they should be killed, and Yongning had already struck. The martial arts the Luo sisters practiced were extremely peculiar, and their methods were poisonous and ruthless. One could say that every strike would draw blood, and most likely... it would be someone else's blood.

"Anyway, don't wipe them out completely; at least leave some survivors." Luo Yongan said with a smile. "With Zhou Chutian's help, these people have likely already established themselves, getting married and having children."

"These are all menaces who might harbor ill intentions in the future. Although we don't need to worry about Father or our Imperial Brother, we can't just ignore Yingqi, can we? So... since we've already started killing, we must make sure to pull them up by the roots..."

"Find out where they live and investigate their families. Leave no one alive, not even the infants in their cradles..."

(Two days of overtime, I'm exhausted... Sorry everyone, for the delay.)