Fei Jun was more dejected than expected.
When Chen Qing saw Fei Jun again, she began to doubt whether she had found the wrong person. She remembered what a noble and elegant young man he was when she met him a year ago!
In terms of temperament, even Wang Ye was far inferior to him. But then again, the young man came from a distinguished family, possessed top-notch talent, became Third Rank official at a young age, and inherited the good genes of the Fei Family and the eldest princess, making him incomparably handsome. All the good things in the world had come to him, so it would be strange if he wasn't a bit noble.
At this moment, he looked exactly like a teenage drug addict who had just been released from a drug rehabilitation center.
Chen Qing glanced at the time, unsure how to put it. To be honest, in terms of their relationship, the other party wasn't exactly a good match. Wang Ye had at least saved his life, and Duke Liu Yu of Duke of Song had taken care of him before his death, making them friends in adversity. The person in front of him, however, could only be described as someone he had worked with in a life-or-death situation.
It's absolutely not fair to call it sharing hardships, because given the other person's status, even if something serious happened at the time, it would be me who died, while the other person would remain unscathed from beginning to end.
I never imagined that in just one year, such a noble young man could have fallen to such a pitiful state. What a load of rubbish!
Chen Qing rolled her eyes, sat down unceremoniously, and smacked the other person on the head. "What's wrong? You look half-dead? Did some girl dump you?"
Fei Family stared blankly at Chen Qing for a long time, then touched his head, which Chen Qing had tapped, in a daze. His unfocused gaze then turned serious.
"You've arrived?"
"Well, your parents said you were half-dead, and I was curious, so I came to see if they were exaggerating."
What do you think?
"Useless." Chen Qing rolled his eyes. "Useless to a great extent."
"Is that so?" Fei Family took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then said, "Back when we tried to recruit you into the Crown Prince's Faction in the capital, you avoided us in every way. I thought you didn't want to get into trouble, but I underestimated you. Our Prince Consort Chen doesn't even look down on the Crown Prince's faction."
Chen Qing was speechless. At that time, he knew nothing about the internal power dynamics of the court. Only a fool would jump ship to a certain faction without knowing anything.
Moreover, many ancient historical records show that those who pledged allegiance to the crown prince too early generally did not have a good ending.
"Did you know about my mother from the beginning?" Fei Jun suddenly asked.
"Do you think I'm a fortune teller?" Chen Qing glared at the other person. "Her Highness the Eldest Princess has been planning and scheming for many years, starting many years ago when the Great Jin Dynasty had not yet fully unified the world. I wasn't even born then, so how could I possibly know about the Eldest Princess's plans?"
"So what do you think of my mother's scheme?"
"Impressive!" Chen Qing exclaimed sincerely, "Your mother's plan was far-sighted. She made full use of the demon's characteristics. Even while she was confined to the capital by His Majesty and on high alert, she managed to find another way to instantly expand her power. Truly remarkable!"
Chen Qing was absolutely right to praise her. He had heard everything about the Eldest Princess from the Shen Family. She was once the direct heir of the Xiao Household family, but after her position was taken by her younger brother, she had been lying low ever since. The emperor was bound to be wary of such a powerful figure. She was in the capital, and after twenty years of the founding of the country, the emperor's position was becoming more and more stable. Her original power base was being swallowed up more and more, and she was basically in a state of complete seclusion. Under such circumstances, she was able to turn the tables through scheming.
She was simply the pinnacle of strategic thinking; even Wu Zetian wouldn't be worthy to carry her shoes!
"Yes, that's amazing! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, no matter who told me that my mother was responsible for those Golden Dragon Guard turning into living corpses and the Crown Prince being hacked to pieces, I wouldn't have believed it. I wouldn't have believed that my gentle mother would do such a thing."
Chen Qing: "."
What could he say? He could only say that the actress's talent was far superior to those later popular stars; look at how this kid acted, it made him question his very existence.
" Chen Qing."
"Um?"
Don't you think Mother is ruthless?
"Poison," Chen Qing nodded, "Three hundred thousand soldiers, without even blinking an eye, all turned into living corpses. Even most warlords aren't this ruthless. But only a woman like this could create such a situation right under His Majesty's nose."
So you approve of her?
"Your mother doesn't need my approval," Chen Qing said seriously. "From the moment she embarked on this path, she didn't need anyone in the world to agree with her. Only with this mindset could she have achieved what she has today. Do you understand?"
At the bow of the ship, listening to Chen Qing and her precious son's words, the princess's originally cold expression flashed with a hint of emotion.
She hadn't expected that Chen Qing would understand her so well.
That's quite rare.
Fei Jun stared blankly at Chen Qing. He suddenly felt something was strange. He had been a son for decades, yet not a single outsider understood his mother.
" Chen Qing." After a moment of stunned silence, Fei Jun finally came to his senses and stared blankly at the table. "You know, when my mother took me to see the Crown Prince who had been turned into a human pig, I felt like I was dreaming. I don't actually like the Crown Prince. He's a very vicious person, jealous, and lacks ability. But my identity dictates that I can only be a Crown Prince's Faction."
"From childhood to adulthood, I've always adapted to this identity, carefully avoiding angering the Crown Prince, carefully concealing my brilliance, and trying my best not to arouse his jealousy. No matter how much I suffered at the Crown Prince's hands, I dared not come back to tell my mother, for fear of worrying her. In my memory, my mother has always been a gentle person. I always thought that my father and I were protecting her so that she could live a carefree life. But it turns out I was wrong."
"My mother has always known the grievances I've suffered, and she always knows what I'm thinking. She tormented the Crown Prince so badly, saying it was to collect a debt for me, but I can't feel happy about it at all."
"When I saw the Crown Prince, and the way those soldiers looked now, I felt like my mother was a stranger to me. I even... I..."
"Afraid of her?" Chen Qing interrupted the other person's hesitation and asked directly.
Fei Jun's eyes lit up as he looked at Chen Qing: "Why am I like this?"
"Because you're weak," Chen Qing said without hesitation. "With such excellent talent, you're only content to be a mere foil to the crown prince, proving you're just a conservative person seeking stability. When you one day learn that your mother is someone whose ambition and strength far exceed your imagination, of course you'll be afraid!"
"The Crown Prince suffered such a tragic fate, and the 300,000 members of the Xiao Household's army suffered such a tragic fate. Don't you even wonder what your own end will be like?"
Fei Jun: "My mother wouldn't do that to me."
"Hmm, how can you be so sure?" Chen Qing laughed. "Otherwise, what are you afraid of?"
"I... I just feel..." Fei Jun said anxiously, "My mother's methods are far too insidious!"
"Since you think she wouldn't treat you that way, it means she can't harm you. What are you afraid of?"
"This..." Fei Jun glared at Chen Qing with hatred. "So many people died, Mother used such cruel methods to kill so many people, don't you have any reaction at all?"
"Yes," Chen Qing nodded. "You marvel at the ruthlessness of certain powerful figures, you marvel at the terrifying schemes they devise, and then what? Cry? As someone who could be targeted by your mother at any moment, I still eat and sleep as usual. I don't know who you're trying to impress with this pathetic act?"
"What? Do you think you can get your mother to stop with this pathetic look?"
Fei Jun was taken aback; he hadn't expected the other person to say that.
"Why are you looking at me?" Chen Qing said with amusement, "If you can't stand your mother, then you have the ability to stop her. If you really think your mother is utterly wicked, then you should punish her and give those people justice!"
"If you can't sever your maternal bond with the Princess, then stop her! You can't do anything, you don't even dare to protest, all you do is pretend to be a useless person here. What else is that but weakness?"
Fei Jun: "."
"Isn't he just a child who lacks the ability and courage to rebel against his mother, throwing a tantrum here?" Chen Qing looked at the other person with amusement. "Do you want me to think you're carrying a heavy burden?"
"You've enjoyed all the benefits your mother has given you since you were a child, and you still do now. If you can't accept this, then show your strength and attitude. If you can't offer anything, why are you asking me why I'm afraid? Of course you're afraid. You're so weak. When you encounter a powerful elder who can do whatever they want to you, what can you do besides be afraid?"
Fei Jun's father, who was outside the door, frowned upon hearing this and was about to speak up to stop them, but was stopped by the eldest princess.
Chen Qing stood up, looked at Fei Jun who was dumbfounded by the scolding, and shook his head. "You weren't like this when I first met you. Back then, when you discovered the Crown Prince's accident immediately, you dared to step forward and take responsibility. Because I could sense then that you weren't afraid of the Crown Prince's accident, you had absolute confidence in yourself. Even without the Crown Prince, you still had a place to stand. Because your pride is very much in line with the characteristics of the Vermilion Bird, that's why you were able to master the Vermilion Bird Technique before the age of thirty!"
Fei Jun looked at Chen Qing for a long time before saying, "And you, Chen Qing? Did you start out with this kind of ambition?"
"I'm not," Chen Qing shook her head. "I'm only trying to protect myself, but like you before, I believe that even if the sky falls, I can still stand firm in this world. That's my confidence in myself. Actually, I initially thought we were on the same path."
"Fellow travelers?"
Watching Chen Qing leave the cabin, Fei Jun stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to come to his senses.
This guy who could force his mother to back down, from the very beginning, thought he was on the same path as her?
Was I really that good before?