It Seemed Different from What She Had Expected

It was said to take half an hour.

In reality, it hadn't taken that long at all!

By the time he had finished making all thirteen dishes and carried them to her chambers in Qianqing Palace, it still wasn't time yet!

By that calculation, that bastard arrived at every mealtime because he had prepared everything in advance, even calculating the time it took to get there!

That precise?

"Why aren't you eating yet? Don't you like it? Are you hungry?"

Ye Qinglian came back to herself and shook her head.

"I was wondering where Xiao Bing went. Why hasn't that girl shown up today..."

Chu Ning was puzzled too.

"Yeah. Normally, she'd lurk by the stove during mealtimes and help you taste for poison, but in reality, she'd be sneaking bites."

Ye Qinglian didn't mind. "She has a good personality. She's not as awful as you make her sound. Besides, I can't finish all the dishes you made by myself. It wouldn't be right to waste what's left."

After all, they represented his effort.

Seeing that Xiao Bing wasn't coming, Chu Ning rose with a smile and helped Ye Qinglian fill her bowl with soup. He set it down less than half a step from Ye Qinglian.

The woman narrowed her eyes slightly.

This time, she noticed it.

But since you worked so hard, I won't expose you.

She didn't react and simply accepted it naturally.

"I heard from Xiao Bing that you're going to choose an Emperor Consort and announce it to the world?"

Ye Qinglian nodded and said calmly, "You don't need to worry about these matters. Just wait in the palace for the ceremony. But as I've said, even if you become the Emperor Consort, you'll still sleep in the side hall. You won't be moving in here."

Chu Ning sighed, somewhat disappointed.

"Even after we're married? Then do we still count as husband and wife?"

"Even among commoners, after a woman becomes pregnant, her husband will voluntarily sleep in a separate room. You didn't know that?"

"People from my hometown don't sleep separately. It seems there's no problem after three months..."

The chopsticks snapped instantly!

Ye Qinglian glared over with an embarrassed, furious expression!

No problem?

What exactly did you mean by no problem?

Bastard, do you dare say it? Even if you made this entire meal today, I'd still beat you up!

Chu Ning naturally didn't dare say it...

Otherwise, he really would get beaten...

He smiled as he took the broken chopsticks and handed her a new pair.

"I didn't say anything about doing anything. It was you, Qinglian, who was overthinking it."

"Heh. All men in the world are the same. So don't even think about it!"

Ye Qinglian emphasized, "The two of us only became husband and wife in name because of that accident. We merely have the status of husband and wife on the surface. As for anything else—even more outrageous demands—you'd better try thinking about it!"

Chu Ning nodded and laughed.

"It's fine. Separate rooms it is. We're doing it all for the sake of raising the child anyway."

"Heh. Even after the Dragon Prince is born, that won't be possible."

"Ah? Isn't that going a little too far? If we want another child in the future, would we have to wait until the next seventh month and fifteenth day?"

"If you're not going to eat, go back to your palace!"

The seventh month and fifteenth day?!

You really know how to seize an opportunity!

You're merely a mortal, yet you were unconscious after only one day. Half a month later, you still hadn't completely squeezed Chu Ning dry!

I heard that someone lay outside the palace for three months and couldn't even get out of bed, yet he was still thinking about such things?

A Human Heart was never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. At that time, she simply couldn't control herself. Even if Xiao Bing had come, she might have swallowed her whole!

Therefore, the relationship between them had merely been an accident!

"Fine, fine, I won't say anything anymore..."

Chu Ning smiled and let the matter go. His wife was wonderful in every way, except that she was too impulsive and quick-tempered. Being a little gentler would be nice too...

Ye Qinglian snorted and said nothing more, continuing to focus on her meal.

"Qinglian..."

"What is it? If you have something to say, say it. If you need to fart, then fart!"

"As the emperor..."

"My empire..."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're my wife..."

Sure enough, he said it after all!

I knew it!

Chu Ning asked curiously, "How have you been considering the matters of the court? The political system I gave you really is quite good. It would make things easier for you."

"After all, once the child grows a few more months, attending court may become troublesome for you. It's better to establish it early. With your cultivation, you can keep everything firmly under control. In the short term, you could even delegate authority to the cabinet and let it judge and handle matters on its own. It would be even better if there were trusted senior officials in court."

Ye Qinglian put down her bowl and chopsticks and looked over with cold eyes.

"It seems you know quite a bit about this. You even guessed that?"

"You seem to understand these matters quite well. You could even guess this?"

Chu Ning froze for a moment, somewhat surprised.

"Really?"

"There is one—the former prime minister."

She sneered inwardly.

You've revealed your true colors, haven't you? You even know my prime minister. You must have planned long ago to take over after I abdicate!

After all, what ordinary person could have devised such a political system? That Zhang Juzheng of the Great Ming was merely a smokescreen to conceal your own talent and ambition!

Chu Ning understood and nodded.

"Hmm, that one could indeed be useful. But handing over power indiscriminately would be troublesome. If you truly lacked the energy later on, especially during the period of postpartum weakness when you couldn't handle court affairs at all..."

She smiled beautifully, with a hint of coldness.

"Would you handle the government as the Emperor Consort?"

Chu Ning shook his head. "There's no need. If you gave me power, it would inevitably throw the Human Heart of the court into chaos and easily trigger factional struggles."

So you really were thinking about whether I'd give power to you. As if that could ever happen!

Chu Ning smiled as he explained the solution. "The imperial authority and the prime minister are actually two extremes. One represents supreme imperial power, while the other represents all the officials under heaven."

"If there's a vacancy and the prime minister tries to dominate alone, it'll be troublesome. Especially after establishing a new cabinet alongside him. At that point, you can separate the prime minister's office on its own. You could even separate the cabinet and have the Six Ministries fight with it. Give them authority and let both sides oppose each other, developing factional struggles."

Ye Qinglian froze, confused.

"Why create factional struggles? Wouldn't that create chaos?"

As a history and literature enthusiast, Chu Ning immediately revealed the key point.

"The cabinet's authority is the strongest part of your political structure, second only to imperial power. That means it will become dominant. But if you give the Six Ministries authority, they'll have the capital to struggle against the cabinet. When officials fight, they'll exhaust each other internally, preventing anyone from monopolizing power. They'll have to weigh matters against one another before producing solutions, and then continuously reform themselves internally, allowing stronger talents to emerge..."

"Once they start fighting, they'll inevitably have to reveal their trump cards. The more you know, the more weaknesses you'll hold, and the easier they'll be to control. If anyone starts acting up, wouldn't a single imperial edict make them leave immediately?"

"You're the greatest controller of imperial power. You control the entire court and, through it, the whole world!"

After hearing this, Ye Qinglian's heart was once again shaken by turbulent waves!

If Chu Ning had been talking nonsense, she could simply have treated it as a joke.

But she had controlled imperial power for nearly a century. How could she not understand what effect such methods would have if implemented?

To the officials, her image would become even more terrifying and imposing. To her personally, it would mean being able to manipulate an even more powerful political machine!

How deep are this man's schemes?

Ye Qinglian raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Chu Ning.

"Oh? You came up with all this?"

"No. In that Great Ming I told you about, there was a man named Jiajing. He ruled this way while refusing to attend court for twenty years. But he loved cultivation and failed to cultivate. You're the one who actually succeeded at cultivation, so you're more impressive than him."

Ye Qinglian was half convinced.

"Why are you telling me this? To display your talents and seek an official position, or do you intend to govern in my place?"

Chu Ning looked utterly bewildered. "Isn't it because you'll have trouble attending court later? Besides, what would I want from becoming an official? Fame or wealth? I'm already living off my wife so comfortably—what else could I want?"

"And why would I govern in your place? I'm not good at this."

Ye Qinglian's expression was as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

"Chu Ning, putting other matters aside, you cannot participate in governing the dynasty. I can let you cultivate, and I can give you wealth and glory, including anything else you might want. But this empire was passed down through the Ye family. I will not hand it over to an outsider."

"Even if you have such thoughts, dispel them as soon as possible."

Chu Ning was utterly dumbfounded.

"So I gave you all this information, and you still suspect that I'm plotting to seize your empire?"

"Isn't that what you're doing?"

Chu Ning fell silent for a moment, his expression gradually settling.

Self-protection. Not enough trust?

That makes sense. I've only been in the imperial palace for three days. This is only my third day.

Perhaps I really have interfered too much, making me suspicious.

He gave a bitter laugh. "Actually, I only said that casually that day. It was merely a political system for reference. If you hadn't asked..."

Chu Ning paused and didn't continue.

"But I suppose you wouldn't believe me even if I explained it... Well, eat first. I'm going to rest. I'm a little tired."

He then set down his bowl and chopsticks, rose, and left through the door.

Why did he leave just like that?

In an instant, the figure before her seemed to have done more than simply push open a door.

It felt as though a distance had opened between the two of them as well.

Ye Qinglian's brows drew tightly together.

Her mood wasn't particularly joyful because she had "exposed" the truth about Chu Ning. Nor had she seen everything she wanted to see. Instead, she felt a certain... disappointment?

This seemed not to be what she wanted to see...

Outside the door, Xiao Bing came running over. The moment she saw Chu Ning, she apologized.

"Mister Chu, I went into secluded cultivation today and forgot to call for you..."

"It's fine."

The figure continued farther and farther away. Xiao Bing was puzzled, but she still hurried to tell Ye Qinglian the good news.

The young girl said excitedly, "Your Majesty, I broke through to the late Fourth Realm! I don't know why, but my cultivation has been progressing so quickly lately. Eh? Your Majesty, you're already eating? I thought it would be later..."

"Is Mister Chu not eating with you?"

Ye Qinglian's eyes lowered slightly.

"He already ate. You can eat too."

Xiao Bing seemed to notice something and sensed that the two of them were in poor spirits.

What happened...?