91: His crime didn't warrant this? That's what he thought.

"You're back?"

When Mo Yingqi returned to the Temporary Palace, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning were waiting in the sleeping quarters.

Luo Yongan set down the book in her hand and then instructed Ying Hong, who was to the side: "Auntie, take the others and withdraw."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After all, Ying Hong and the others had just returned from killing someone. Although Partridge Sky had specialized cleaners to dispose of corpses, Luo Yongan had mentioned that because Mo Yingqi had spent years hunting in the northern forests, his sense of smell was extremely keen.

If he were to catch the scent of blood or anything else... it would likely ruin the "grand plan" of these two.

Furthermore, Mo Yingqi's personal affairs were handled personally by these two. Besides, who knew if, while taking care of him... they might end up taking care of him right into their bed?

Therefore, it was better to avoid being here if possible. They didn't want outsiders around, and their subordinates didn't want to be here like walking on eggshells either. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to be happy?

"How did your talk with Granduncle go?" Luo Yongning asked, handing a teacup to Mo Yingqi.

"The water is already heated. Once Yingqi changes, go wash up and get some rest early, okay? You haven't slept well on the boat these past few days, have you?"

Hearing her say this, Mo Yingqi couldn't help but roll his eyes at her.

Taking a boat was actually fine, but the problem was, whose boat ride was like staying at the Princesss Residence?

What happened to the promised leisurely boat ride on the river, enjoying the river scenery? Forget the scenery; he was lucky if he even got a few good looks at what the river surface looked like!

"Oh, Yingqi, don't always dwell on these minor issues!" Luo Yongning clearly knew why Mo Yingqi was glaring at her, so she took his hand and acted coquettishly.

"Hehe, I heard that Granduncle specially prepared fresh shrimp and crab to treat you. After you have some tea, I've prepared plain porridge and side dishes for your late-night snack. Since you've eaten so much, let's keep it simple for tonight."

"Yongning, you're deflecting again." Luo Yongan walked over and gently tapped her sister's head with the scroll in her hand. "Yingqi, what did Granduncle say to you?"

"Oh, he just asked if we needed anything, and then there was the case of Provincial Governor Zhang; I'm responsible for assisting on the side." Mo Yingqi answered while taking the teacup and taking a small sip.

"I asked Granduncle, and he said to let us rest for two days. Zhang Jiawen is being watched by him right now, so he likely won't be able to escape the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, so there's no need to rush."

"Hmm, that's good. We just arrived and started handling official business; it has indeed been a bit exhausting." Luo Yongan nodded.

"Granduncle has arranged for people to watch every checkpoint throughout the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. Besides, Zhang Jiawen knows he can't escape; he hasn't even thought about leaving."

"I'm not worried about him; I'm just worried that he might send Zhang Yingcheng away." Mo Yingqi knew clearly in his heart that given the current situation, Zhang Jiawen truly had nowhere to escape.

"He is obsessed with his eldest son. Now that it's impossible for him and me to reconcile—the only reason I don't dig up his ancestral grave is because I find it too much trouble—he can only desperately protect that eldest son of his, who doesn't know when he might die of illness."

Hearing this, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning couldn't help but reveal faint smiles. Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the night sky, and sparse raindrops began to fall, eventually turning into a torrential downpour.

"It's raining..." Luo Yongning walked to the window and looked outside. "Hey, Yingqi, go change and wash up quickly. I'll have someone bring your late-night snack right away."

"Alright, I'll go now."

Mo Yingqi didn't think too much about it; he took off his outer coat while walking toward the designated bathroom.

Luo Yongan slowly walked out of the room, stood under the corridor, and gently extended her right hand, letting the rainwater fall onto it.

"The heavens are really cooperating, bringing such a good rain at this time." Luo Yongan smiled as she watched the raindrops falling on her hand. "Yongning, what do you think the scene at Provincial Governor Zhang's residence is like right now?"

"I imagine it must be quite lively, right?" Luo Yongning sneered, but then looked a bit worried. "Sister, if you take action against Zhang Yingcheng now, aren't you afraid that when Granduncle and Yingqi deal with him, he..."

"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare." Luo Yongan looked indifferent. "Right now, he's probably clutching that coffin and going to make a scene at Granduncle's place. I already mentioned this to Granduncle today; there's no need to worry about these matters."

"Sister, you can really stay calm?" Luo Yongning was a bit curious. "With Zhang Jiawen's son dead, and Yingqi not acknowledging him—even wanting to prosecute him—he's now a cornered beast fighting back. I'm afraid he might spout nonsense and affect our plans..."

"Yongning, I never do things without being certain. Do you really think Zhang Jiawen cares that much about his sickly eldest son?" Luo Yongan couldn't help but sneer.

"He treats him well only because he is the Old Scoundrel's only grandson. Of his two sons, one is estranged from him, and the other is congenitally weak with only a few years to live. You tell me... do you really think he wouldn't leave a way out for himself?"

"Oh, that's interesting." Luo Yongning's eyes lit up. "So, he has illegitimate children?"

"Naturally. He did it very covertly; he's not a fool." As she spoke, Luo Yongan slowly withdrew her right hand. She didn't wipe it, letting her rain-drenched hand hang naturally beneath her sleeve.

"He doesn't take concubines. Over these years, he only married his wife, and that was for the sake of that Old Scoundrel. He knows better than anyone that to make a living under his good father-in-law, ability alone is not enough."

"But he is very smart and clear-headed. How could the Old Scoundrel possibly dote on a grandson like Zhang Yingcheng who won't live for many years? It's just an excuse to see if Zhang Jiawen is truly obedient. There are likely eyes and ears of that Old Scoundrel within the Zhang residence, so he naturally has to put on a full act."

"However, he looks down on Yingqi, feeling that his mother being a merchant's daughter is of no help to his official career—that is indisputable. So, whatever happens to him, it's his own choice. For a clear-headed, rational, and calculating person, all these actions are clearly planned before being executed."

Luo Yongning nodded; it was indeed so. If Mo Yingqi hadn't met them, even if he had still joined Xie Qingfeng's tutelage, even if he had still entered the Pacification Bureau, he probably wouldn't know how many years it would take to avenge his mother.

If the one who ascended the throne wasn't their father, or if their father hadn't thought about moving against Zhou Chutian, then Mo Yingqi would likely have had no hope of revenge in this lifetime. No matter how high his martial arts skills were, he was just one person. The fact that he returned to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region to wait for an opportunity but never found one is the best proof of that.

"That illegitimate child of his was born to a clean Dancer whom he secretly sought out—one who had escaped the Bureau of Music and Dance and had never sold her body, only her skills. That Dancer had left the Bureau of Music and Dance and returned to her hometown in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region with the severance pay provided by the Bureau, intending to do some small business, but by coincidence, she bumped into Zhang Jiawen."

Luo Yongan said, while looking at her sister: "That child must be... three years old by now, right? Yongning, guess why I know so much?"

"Hahaha, Sister, did you arrange it?"

"Naturally. That child is indeed his, but... that Dancer had an agenda from the very beginning when she approached him and bore his child." Luo Yongan was not surprised that her sister guessed this.

"I had this move planned from the beginning, just waiting for this day to use it. People... you have to extinguish all their hope, let them see step by step how they walk into a dead end, and then... shatter all their expectations!"

"A crime not deserving of this? That's what he thinks. But he dared to touch Yingqi, dared to touch our man, so I must make him... regret living in this world, regret ever being born into this world!"