“Sister, you didn’t used to ask so many questions.” Qiang Ning smiled and countered, “Do you remember? Back when you first picked me up, you didn’t even take the initiative to ask about my origins or my name.”
Lin Dongruan fell silent.
After a moment, she asked again: “A-Ning, are you hiding something from me?”
Qiang Ning feigned an expression of difficult restraint: “Sister, I have my troubles. This matter cannot be explained in just a few words. Let us just say that when the time is ripe in the future, I will tell you everything.”
This was merely a temporary pretext; there would be no “future day.” When the day the truth finally came to light arrived, she wouldn’t bother reasoning with Lin Dongruan so politely. Once her past dirty deeds were exposed, she would simply stop pretending altogether. She imagined Lin Dongruan would certainly throw a fit, but what did that matter? As long as before then—she found a way to possess Lin Dongruan.
In any case, her illness wouldn’t be cured anytime soon, and switching physicians wouldn’t hurt much. Furthermore, she, Qiang Ning, was not some person of genuine, noble character; once she understood the stakes and benefits, her actions became much more unconstrained.
She thought to herself that she could certainly leave Lin Dongruan without a shred of lingering attachment, as long as she was willing.
Just like their argument not long ago—she had actually wanted to leave, but Lin Dongruan’s kiss had been so tender and soul-stirring that she wavered in an instant.
Since things had reached this point, Lin Dongruan naturally did not press further, only offering a compromise: “Very well, I shall believe you for now.”
Qiang Ning’s lips curled slightly.
Who told Lin Dongruan to be such a refined and upright “gentleman”? Any normal person would find it impossible to let these suspicious points pass so lightly, yet she only had to hint at a bit of “difficulty” and “hardship,” and a saint like Lin Dongruan would dutifully stop questioning.
It saved her the mental effort of rounding out her lies.
Qiang Ning followed loosely and relaxedly behind Lin Dongruan, thinking to herself—
The easiest people to bully in this world are the “good” ones. They abide by so-called moral principles, voluntarily donning shackles named “righteousness.” Their hearts seem filled with so many people and matters that they hesitate over everything they do, never attaining freedom in their entire lives.
Human nature is inherently evil, yet they force themselves to become paragons of high virtue.
Why bother?
Qiang Ning was born into the highest nobility; the ways of the powerful and wealthy were second nature to her. She would not pity anyone; she had always been heartless.
Therefore, it was exactly someone as irredeemable as her who could utilize those good people with a clear conscience, stepping over them to reap benefits.
Fairness? Under imperial power, there are ranks and classes; there was never any fairness in this world to begin with.
Ultimately, the reason Qiang Ning could continue maintaining the status quo so easily and comfortably was simply because Lin Dongruan was a good person.
She knew this, and she was happy to exploit it.
Ever since Lin Dongruan set aside her suspicions, she seemed to have completely forgotten it all, never mentioning any of it again.
Qiang Ning constantly remembered that kiss of ambiguous meaning from that day.
Yet, no matter how she tried afterward, Lin Dongruan never showed any intention of comforting her in such a manner again. For a moment, Qiang Ning almost mistakenly thought the other’s kiss back then had merely been a ploy to make her stay.
Lin Dongruan, this person, clearly did not understand romantic love. Although Qiang Ning had been kissed on the cheek, she always felt that this woman’s kiss was no different from petting a dog.
“Sister, you…”
When Qiang Ning saw with her own eyes Lin Dongruan gently lowering her head to touch the rabbit in her arms, she couldn’t help but speak up. This was because the expression Lin Dongruan wore was no different from when she had kissed Qiang Ning. It was only at this moment that she realized with a sense of sorrow that even though Lin Dongruan had frequently spoken of how much she valued her, in the other’s eyes, she was still no different from cats or dogs.
“Hmm? What is it?” Lin Dongruan looked up at her unconsciously. Seeing no follow-up, she smiled and invited her to look: “A-Ning, see how well this rabbit is raised? Should we also take one home to raise?”
Qiang Ning was a bit displeased: “Sister, don’t just pick up every beast and bring it home.”
Using such harsh words for a soft, obedient rabbit was truly difficult to accept. Lin Dongruan frowned and corrected her: “A-Ning, do not speak like that.”
Qiang Ning grumbled inwardly. Lin Dongruan was just a “bleeding heart” by nature; if she could pick up Qiang Ning, she could pick up anyone else. If she could raise Qiang Ning, she could raise anyone else. To Lin Dongruan, she was really just a matter of “first come, first served,” with no unique importance at all.
“Sister, don’t lie to me.” Qiang Ning confirmed with her for what felt like the hundredth time, “Am I truly the most important person in your heart?”
Lin Dongruan only continued to stroke the rabbit and, unusually, did not speak.
The other woman usually answered promptly; now that she hesitated, Qiang Ning immediately grew anxious: “Sister, what do you mean by this?”
Lin Dongruan’s eyes were gentle yet cool, her smile as calm as ever: “A-Ning, you still talk like a child.”
Qiang Ning heard the refusal to answer and her face instantly darkened. She gritted her teeth and said, “I am already an adult.”
“A-Ning, you must know that there are no people or matters in this world that are strictly black and white, and one cannot distinguish a ‘most’ from them.” Lin Dongruan leaned over, releasing the rabbit from under her hand, watching as the white rabbit hopped away. “How can there be a ‘most important’ claim? Even if something is the most important at this moment, there is no guarantee it won’t change.”
Qiang Ning hated listening to moral lectures most of all; they were annoying. Lin Dongruan truly lived up to her past as the Imperial Preceptor; with just two sentences, she reminded Qiang Ning of those old, sour scholars who wagged their heads and spoke of nothing but benevolence and morality, grating on one’s ears.
“A-Ning, if I am no longer around in the future, I hope you can quit your petulance and turn over a new leaf early.”
When Lin Dongruan admonished her, her tone was like that of an elder instructing a student.
This was certainly not what Qiang Ning wanted, so she retorted: “Sister, don’t say such unlucky things. What do you mean by ‘no longer around’? Do you plan on abandoning me again?”
Lin Dongruan let out a soft sigh, seemingly helpless: “You and I will eventually be parted. I am older than you; according to the natural order, I should be the first to return to the dust.”
Oh, so it was a parting by death. That would be a long time from now; Qiang Ning didn’t care about that at all.
As long as it wasn’t a parting while alive, it was fine.
Perhaps it wouldn’t even take that long, Qiang Ning thought. As long as she could get Lin Dongruan, she didn’t care when the other died, because by then, she certainly wouldn’t be by the other’s side anymore.
“It won’t happen.” Qiang Ning instinctively used sweet words. “Sister will live for a hundred years.”
Lin Dongruan smiled and said nothing more.
Just as Qiang Ning had no idea that “thirty-five” was the date of Lin Dongruan’s death, Lin Dongruan would never know the true thoughts hidden behind Qiang Ning’s sweet words.
At the end of the month, Qiang Ning saw the results of the war in an urgent secret letter—the result was that a battle that should have been a guaranteed victory was botched by the Emperor.
Those small, encroaching tribes were originally defeated foes of the court. Who would have thought the Emperor would be such a cowardly, peace-seeking character? Even in a battle that was a sure win, he refused to deploy troops. He insisted on cravenly seeking peace, resulting in the loss of annual tributes and taxes, and even allowing former vassal states to happily take a piece of the court’s pie.
When Qiang Ning saw the secret letter, she was so angry her head spun.
Is this the Emperor Lin Dongruan taught? This useless piece of work?
He wasted the empire that the late Emperor had spent over a decade of painstaking effort to build; in less than half a month, this young Emperor had squandered it away, not even feeling the shame.
“Do the ministers have no opinion? Are the generals all dead? Why is no one speaking up?” Qiang Ning pressed her brow in anger. “How did His Majesty appease the fury of the officials?”
The subordinate said that His Majesty considered the state newly established, the court unstable, and the people’s hearts restless; he feared that provoking war regardless of the commoners would lose him the people’s support.
“Support my foot! If we fought, it wouldn’t hurt us in the slightest.” Qiang Ning never held back when cursing. She said indignantly, “The war hasn’t even begun, and he cravenly takes the initiative to cede land and seek peace from former defeated foes—that is true cowardice. The officials and the millions of subjects must feel stifled with resentment.”
The subordinate trembled: “Perhaps… His Majesty was acting for the sake of stability.”
Qiang Ning: “Who taught him to use ‘stability’ in such a way?”
Was it Lin Dongruan?
Was it Lin Dongruan’s “bleeding heart” nature that produced such a weak new Emperor?
Because she was angry, Qiang Ning decided to probe Lin Dongruan’s attitude indirectly to see if she had been the one to lead the student astray.
“I heard these things from the teahouse. Wusang Town has some capable people after all, to have learned the news so early.” Qiang Ning tested Lin Dongruan tentatively. “Sister, what do you think?”
Lin Dongruan nodded: “Indeed, the actions taken were not very appropriate.”
Qiang Ning was startled. She hadn’t expected the other to also think the Emperor had done poorly. Lin Dongruan didn’t defend the new Emperor? She didn’t find excuses for his weakness?
Qiang Ning tried asking again: “Perhaps… His Majesty has his own considerations?”
“On the throne of the Nine-Five, any personal opinion will affect the millions of people in the world. No matter what his thoughts are, he must listen well to the admonishments of his ministers, rather than blindly evading difficulties.” Lin Dongruan was likely truly angry; she, who rarely showed emotion, actually showed a rare sternness. “He was in the wrong.”
Seeing Lin Dongruan criticize the young Emperor like this, the fire in Qiang Ning’s heart died down significantly.
It seemed the young Emperor was not Lin Dongruan’s “exception”; if he made a mistake, he still deserved a scolding.
Qiang Ning teased with a beaming smile: “It’s a pity the late Emperor’s offspring were few, and the only one who could be Crown Prince was him. Otherwise, the one who is Emperor now…”
Lin Dongruan frowned and pointed to the door: “A-Ning, you go out as well.”
For a moment, Qiang Ning didn’t know if she was being hit by the fallout of the other’s anger, or if it was because of the lawless, rebellious remarks she had just made.
Observing Lin Dongruan’s expression, she didn’t dare ask anything and immediately went outside obediently.
This was the first time she had seen Lin Dongruan show such great temper.
This person has already retired to the mountains and forests; how does she still look like she cannot let go of the court’s affairs?
Qiang Ning didn’t even know what to say about her.
That night, knowing Lin Dongruan was in a bad mood, Qiang Ning had plain porridge cooked at the clinic and brought it home for her to eat.
“Sister, do not let these unrelated matters ruin your health.” Qiang Ning joked while speaking to her, “After all, Sister is not some Left or Right Chancellor; why bother worrying about these things for them?”
Her underlying meaning was obvious, but currently, Qiang Ning was just an “ordinary woman with no power or influence” and “didn’t know” that Lin Dongruan was the former Imperial Preceptor. Speaking these words was still very much in character.
“Even a commoner of humble status bears responsibility for the preservation of the world 1” Lin Dongruan corrected her thinking. “A-Ning, you must not think this way. Not now, and not in the future.”
Qiang Ning replied perfunctorily: “Fine.”
Lin Dongruan raised her eyes, clearly unsatisfied with this perfunctoriness.
Qiang Ning could only sharpen her attitude slightly and say again: “I understand.”
She grumbled in her heart: how can there be such a great saint? She’s already laid down her power, yet she still worries about so many major affairs.