The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

”That person won’t hold out for long.”

Chu Ze accepted the medicinal decoction presented by Shang Meinang and placed it aside, sneering as he spoke.

Shang Meinang glanced at the bowl of thick soup and said, ”Master, you should drink the medicine first.”

Chu Ze gave her a slight glance and said, ”Whether I drink it or not makes no real difference.”

”If you don’t drink it, you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Chu Ze thought to himself, that doesn’t really matter, but seeing Shang Meinang about to kneel again and noticing the red streaks in her eyes, he sighed in the end, took up the decoction, and drank it all.

Only then did Shang Meinang break into a wide smile, cheerfully handing over a candied fruit.

Chu Ze picked up a hawthorn piece, holding it in his mouth as he resumed painting the sprawling plum blossom scene on the table.

”Master, do you mean Xia Houzhe will spill everything he knows?” Shang Meinang asked, ”But even if he reveals all his cards, the Emperor won’t spare his life.”

She also didn’t believe Emperor Chu would be so courteous as to spare his miserable life.

”He will talk. His resentment toward the old retainers runs deep. Do you really think the old retainers are loyal to him? No, they answer to Cabinet Minister Ning.” Chu Ze remarked indifferently, ”That man is obstinate. Had he not been so intent on opposing Cabinet Minister Ning, trying to show the old subordinates that he’s the real master to obey instead, how could I have found a flaw to exploit, leading them into complete discord?”

Xia Houzhe is a typical man of little talent, yet too unwilling to be a compliant puppet, which is why the people I placed secretly managed to sow discord with ease.

If he had merely played the puppet and obeyed Cabinet Minister Ning in everything, the story wouldn’t be sung as it is now.

And Cabinet Minister Ning, too, he looked upon Xia Houzhe as if he were the late Crown Prince, raising him accordingly, but alas, though sown with good intentions, his mind fell short, and he grew crooked.

As for Cabinet Minister Ning himself, he’s too single-minded. Had he taken a divergent path earlier, making himself the true master instead of the so-called ’Regent King,’ things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

These two, one is at fault for wearing too big a hat for too small a head, and the other for being overly loyal and naive.

What a pity for this game, played for twenty years.

”His hatred for the old retainers runs deeper than his hate for the Emperor. He thinks the old retainers, being his father’s men, should obey him. But in reality? They’ve become Cabinet Minister Ning’s dogs. Now that Cabinet Minister Ning is dead and he’s imprisoned, is there even one of the old retainers who wants to rescue him?”

Chu Ze drew a lifelike flower bud and continued, ”No. No one wants to pull him out of this deep mire. Even though deep inside he wishes just one person would come, he’s waiting, but no one comes. The old retainers have completely abandoned him. Or rather, the old retainers, over the years, lived peacefully and prosperously, have long lost the ambition to restore the kingdom. Otherwise, how could the Emperor have won so easily?”

Some things require a fervent passion, a raging fire to succeed. Once that fire dies out, it can’t be rekindled.

Shang Meinang remained silent.

Indeed, it was so. Though living under aliases, their families have flourished and lived peacefully. As for who becomes the Emperor, what relevance does it have to them? Ultimately, they’ll never have the chance to take the throne. As for fame and fortune, truth be told, given enough time, there’s bound to be a generation that rises again. In the end, isn’t the most important thing that they are alive?

”Therefore, he won’t let the old retainers have an easy time, even holding on to some precious things to live freely. He thinks if he’s trapped in the mire, everyone should roll in it together. None shall have peace.”

This is selfishness.