"This was equivalent to a prolonged battle, so we had to think it through—how we should proceed step by step. Every step we took was closely connected."
Uchiha Hikaru said this to Shui Lingboyang only so she could be mentally prepared, allowing Xiao Hong to gradually overcome some of her psychological barriers and handle these matters more successfully.
What Uchiha Hikaru most hoped for was to help as little as possible in this matter and let Shui Lingboyang handle it independently. That way, the credit in the end would belong to Shui Lingboyang alone.
Shui Lingboyang could also use this to prove her strength, earn Queen Your Majesty's appreciation, and convince the ministers and subjects.
"I understand. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'm already prepared to take on this responsibility and handle this matter, so rest assured. Don't worry about me anymore, and make sure to protect yourself as well."
"And to be honest, I need to tell you something: I want to gain a guiding power from this matter. So you have to understand why I have such thoughts."
"And we've been together for so long, so I understand what intentions you have toward me. You should also understand what kind of thoughts made me say this, right?"
Originally, Uchiha Hikaru had only intended to keep such words to himself and had not wanted to say them aloud. He had not expected Shui Lingboyang to share the same thoughts, so he was very happy.
"Then our thoughts really do match perfectly. I'm thinking exactly the same way as you. Even if you hadn't told me, I would have made sure you learned independence through this matter."
They had now worked out their strategy. Uchiha Hikaru's earlier methods and ideas had proved highly effective, successfully luring out