Long Tingsheng pulled free of his mother's hand, opened the door, and looked outside. Then he shut all the doors and windows and returned to her side. "Mother, do you truly believe Third Brother could have escaped so easily? Ji Feihua is such a shrewd man. How could he have made such a glaring mistake?"
Empress Jian's voice trembled. "Tingsheng, you... what do you mean?"
"He must have kept something in reserve," Long Tingsheng said. "I'd wager Third Brother has been hidden away by him. If that eunuch traitor can treat Father this way today, he can do the same to us tomorrow."
"What can we do about it?" Empress Jian said. "Your father tried to fight him, and what came of it? Didn't he meet a miserable end? You must never follow his example. Just be your emperor in peace... endure for a moment, and the winds and waves will calm. As long as we wait patiently, an opportunity will come."
"Mother, do you truly think he'll let me sit securely on the throne?" Long Tingsheng said. "That man is consumed by ambition. What he truly wants is to become emperor himself. He means to seize the Long dynasty's realm."
"And what of it?" Empress Jian said quietly. "His forces fill the Imperial City and everything around it. The ministers are all cowed by his power, and not one dares openly oppose him. Only by doing as he commands can we, mother and son, scrape by alive. My son, you must never walk the same road as your father."
Long Tingsheng nodded. "Rest assured, Mother. I understand."
A sudden commotion arose outside. Mother and son fell silent. Before long, they heard someone kick the palace gates open with brutal force. Looking up, they saw Little Princess Qiqi storming in.