34: animal

"Animal?"

Lu Qianyuan, who was eating lunch, clearly didn't understand what Mo Yingqi meant.

"Yes, an animal. Don't look at me like that; it's the evaluation my Master's tutor gave him." Mo Yingqi shrugged. "He is no longer human. All his actions are driven by political maneuvering, centered entirely on his own power."

"If you insist on an explanation, after years of mixing in Officialdom and the imperial court, his way of thinking has changed. It's very similar to an animal's instinct: seemingly complex schemes, but in reality, the goal is as simple as an animal's."

"Animals strive for survival, but he... strives for power."

The steamed bun Lu Qianyuan was biting nearly fell into his bowl. Wiping his mouth, he asked in surprise, "Isn't that obvious? He's a Grand Secretary of two dynasties; what else would he strive for if not power?"

"It's different; it has become an instinct for him." Mo Yingqi put down his teacup. "For example, when a mother beast is with its cub and encounters danger, it chooses to protect the cub. But there is an extremely extreme situation... if the mother beast realizes the cub cannot survive, it will choose to abandon the cub, or even... kill the cub itself."

"This is the mother beast making a judgment based on instinct and environment. And our Grand Chancellor Zhou, all his actions are just like that mother beast—abandoning his own son, abandoning his own nephew, it's all the same."

"For a long time, his thinking and methods have been focused on how to maximize and preserve his power. The Pacification Bureau has always kept records on him; we have been studying Grand Chancellor Zhou since the day I was promoted to Squad Leader."

"Know yourself and know your enemy. You spend all day just doing your job without a thought. If you don't even understand the enemy's intelligence, how can you take revenge?"

Lu Qianyuan’s old face flushed red from the rebuke. He could only claim to be literate; asking him to study books or documents was a bit much. Having lived in the Border Army for so long, constantly roughing it with soldiers, asking him to read case files would be like asking for his life.

"Don't talk about that yet. Your neck..." Lu Qianyuan pointed to Mo Yingqi's neck. "Did you go to the pleasure quarters last night? Or..."

"My neck? What about my neck?" Mo Yingqi was stunned. Why was everyone talking about his neck? "I was at the Princesss Residence last night. Besides, if I, a future Imperial Son-in-Law, went to the pleasure quarters, wouldn't that mean I think my life is too long?"

"Oh, so..." Lu Qianyuan suddenly smiled mysteriously. "Alright, usually those young ladies practically strip naked, and you remain unmoved. So, our Imperial Son-in-Law was waiting for something fierce, huh? Come on, look at your neck yourself. Good heavens, how are you strutting around the streets like that?"

Mo Yingqi quickly found a mirror and finally saw the hickey marks all over his neck, and even scratch marks!

"Wait, why did no one tell me?"

Mo Yingqi hurriedly tried to adjust his collar, but the collar of the flying fish robe was only so high, so he eventually gave up. Lu Qianyuan continued eating his steamed bun like he was watching a show, teasing him, "Come on, we're all men, why care about this! Isn't mutual affection and intense passion normal?"

However, Lu Qianyuan was also surprised. He knew The Two Highnesses cared about Mo Yingqi, but this... Although the customs of the current dynasty were relatively open, wasn't this level of intimacy before marriage a bit excessive?

Mo Yingqi, however, had difficulties he couldn't voice. This kind of thing would be tough even for an ordinary family, let alone the Legitimate Princesses of the royal family? Yet, the more this happened, the more Mo Yingqi felt... both warmth and apprehension in his heart.

The apprehension was due to the vast difference in status, and the warmth... was because they held absolutely nothing back from him.

"There is still a difference between humans and animals."

Luo Yongan, who was writing something in the Princesss Residence, suddenly stopped her pen and uttered this nonsensical sentence. Luo Yongning, who was reading nearby, looked at her Sister in surprise and curiosity: "Sister, what do you mean?"

"Human nature is sometimes very similar to animal nature, but humans can suppress the beastliness within them because of wisdom, rationality, and restraint." Luo Yongan gently put down her pen and picked up a Round Fan, waving it lightly. "What I need to do is make Yingqi... stop hiding his desires in front of us, ensuring that whenever he is moved by passion, whenever he is vulnerable, he will only think of us."

"Sister, haven't we already prepared the 'Love Follows' plan?" Luo Yongning frowned. "Everything is proceeding systematically now, we just have to wait for Yingqi to marry us. Why are you..."

"You don't understand. Yingqi is different from you and me. Although Yingqi was ruthless enough while serving in the Pacification Bureau, he still holds onto so-called morality and rationality." A strangely excited light flickered in Luo Yongan's eyes. "Do you know how to make a person completely devoted, ensuring he can never leave us? It is... to make him become like us, to make him love us the way we love him."

"Yongning, don't call your sister greedy. Just being by our side isn't enough, just growing old together in mutual devotion isn't enough. Love should permeate the bone marrow, blend into the flesh and blood, just as Grandmother said..."

Luo Yongning did not refute, and her face was expressionless, but Aunt Ying Hong, who was serving nearby, saw excitement and... madness in her eyes.

"But this requires time. Right now, what we need most is how to capture Yingqi; he needs us, and he only needs us." Luo Yongan picked up her pen again. "Aunt Ying Hong, I will write a letter shortly, asking Steward Zheng to deliver it on my behalf to the branch in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. The Zhang Family should suffer a bit now."

"And the Su Family!"

Luo Yongning suddenly slammed the book onto the table, her eyes turning bloodshot: "That despicable little bitch still dares to covet my Yingqi! The Informant we sent reported that she now regrets it, saying she shouldn't have broken off the engagement back then, and that she looks down on that useless sickly Zhang Family member. How dare she still scheme for Yingqi!"

"Why are you panicking? Yingqi has never paid her any mind; it's just wishful thinking on her part." In contrast, Luo Yongan was much calmer. "I just didn't expect that after scaring her so much back then, that little bitch still wouldn't give up. Does she really think I wouldn't dare kill her?"

"That Su Family was originally just an insignificant Eunuch family. Their engagement with the Mo Family back then was only because they coveted the Mo Family's wealth." Luo Yongning couldn't help but sneer. "Later, they got to know the Zhang Family through the Mo Family, and then, relying on the Zhang Family's recent promotion, that beast surnamed Zhang saw the little bitch had some looks. His eldest son, jealous that Yingqi always overshadowed him, actually pulled the ridiculous stunt of snatching his own brother's fiancée."

"However, Yingqi never cared about her. That little bitch should have died in the Northern Territory back then. If not for Martial Uncle considering her family's relationship with the Mo Family and stopping us from killing her, would she still be here thinking these thoughts?"

Luo Yongan never even considered this person important. In terms of looks, talent, and status, how could that woman possibly compare to them?

But as long as she dared to covet Mo Yingqi, she deserved to die! The Luo Sisters reserved all their humanity and love for Mo Yingqi, while their cruel and ruthless animality was used for killing others.

"Actually, that's not quite right. A certain kind of animality is only reserved for Yingqi..."

Thinking of last night's frenzy, both sisters blushed. Luo Yongning rolled her eyes, then lowered her voice and said to Luo Yongan: "Sister, I... I still want to..."

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, The Two Highnesses... Never mind. This Servant will go invite the Imperial Son-in-Law over now."

She originally wanted to advise them, as they were, after all, the current dynasty's Legitimate Princesses and should exercise some restraint and shame. But seeing the sisters' crimson eyes, Ying Hong chose to... sacrifice Mo Yingqi.

"Imperial Son-in-Law, it's not this Servant's fault, but as the old saying goes, 'Sacrifice a fellow Daoist to save oneself'... We can only ask you to suffer a little more. As for the bad reputation... we'll bear it!"