Song Qingshu gazed into her beautiful eyes and could not help but sigh. "At this point, what meaning is there in saying any of this?"
The Yellow-robed Woman froze, then quickly understood. Everything had already been settled. Whether it was true or not no longer affected the outcome.
"But I still want to know!" The Yellow-robed Woman lifted her chin, a trace of stubbornness appearing on her face. If women could remain rational at all times, they would not be women.
Song Qingshu was somewhat surprised. Seeing the hope in her eyes, he hesitated before finally answering, "Yes."
"I thought you would at least come up with a plausible excuse to deceive me." Bitterness surfaced on the Yellow-robed Woman's face, and in an instant she became somewhat despondent.
Song Qingshu looked into the distant night sky and said slowly, "There is no point in deceiving you. Even if I said I had not deliberately delayed, you would not believe it in your heart."
"I understand." Expressionless, the Yellow-robed Woman turned to leave. Yet after taking two steps, she stopped and asked, "What do you intend to do with His Majesty?"
"He will not die," Song Qingshu answered briefly.
The Yellow-robed Woman continued, "Do you intend to make him a puppet?"
"Zhao Gou was never a good emperor," Song Qingshu said without answering directly. "Surely you know that better than I do."
"But he is the most legitimate emperor, and this is the Zhao family's realm!" The Yellow-robed Woman was somewhat angered.
"The Zhao family's realm?" Song Qingshu smiled mockingly. "A hundred years ago, it was the Guo family's realm!"
The Yellow-robed Woman opened her mouth but could not refute him. Taizu had seized the throne through the Chenqiao Mutiny, and the illegitimacy of his accession was known throughout the land.