The tea room was somewhat dim.
Through the latticed window, one could see outside.
Heavy clouds shrouded the sky like an enormous wad of gray cotton.
Rain streamed down in unbroken threads, pattering endlessly against the tea room's roof.
Once Chen Xuanji finished speaking, nothing remained in the quiet tea room but the sound of rain.
Mo Qingxiang looked straight at him for a moment, then lifted his teacup again, inhaled its fragrance, and took a gentle sip.
"Decide for yourself."
"Cui Mao hid himself for so many years. That he's pressing forward at every step now is hardly unexpected."
He set down his cup and said with a smile, "His Majesty is partly to blame for pressing him too hard."
Chen Xuanji nodded slightly. "The current emperor has likewise endured in silence for years. How could he not have plans of his own?"
"Quite right."
"When His Majesty first ascended the throne, he followed the late emperor's instructions faithfully and took every step with great caution."
"But the Cui Family behaved so outrageously that they stirred his killing intent, bringing us to the situation we face today."
As Mo Qingxiang spoke, he lifted his sleeve and picked up the teapot to refill their cups.
After pouring, he looked at Chen Xuanji with a half smile. "Your Chen Family has a long heritage too, and stands as the pillar of Jiangnan Prefecture. Cui Mao probably finds it difficult to understand why you sided with His Majesty."
Chen Xuanji neither agreed nor disagreed. "Whether he understands no longer matters."
"What matters is that the Great Wei Dynasty has accumulated grave, deep-rooted maladies over the past century. Some problems have reached the point where they must be resolved.
"If we keep allowing the Cui Family, the Wu Family, and their like to