"If you ask me, you are the woman most suited for King Mingrui. As for Sheng Lengshuang, that wild thing from the countryside, if she didn't have a son and play dirty tricks, why would King Mingrui even bother with her?"
Hearing this, Sima Min's mind conjured a wicked plan. "You're right, we must deal with Xiao Feng, that bastard, first."
The cloaked man was very pleased with her words. "You were too kind before. If it were me, I would have dealt with Xiao Feng from the start, but it's not too late now."
Sima Min's eyes were filled with sinister killing intent. "You figure out a way to capture Xiao Feng. As long as this bastard is alive, it doesn't matter if he loses an arm or a leg."
This time, she wanted Sheng Lengshuang to suffer immensely and be thoroughly abandoned by King Mingrui.
...
Sheng Lengshuang played with Xiao Feng for a while, then began teaching him medicine. "Today, we'll continue practicing acupoints. Acupoints are very important. If you prick the wrong one, or misidentify it, you could harm the patient."
Xiao Feng, holding a silver needle, obediently asked, "Can Mama prick acupoints accurately with her eyes closed?"
Sheng Lengshuang flicked his forehead, chuckling. "How can you prick acupoints accurately with your eyes closed? However, a skilled doctor can tell where an acupoint is just by looking. Also, don't think about pricking acupoints with your eyes closed. When learning this, even the slightest mistake can lead to big problems, understand?"
Xiao Feng understood, feeling quite disappointed. He had thought it would be like in the storybooks, where one could prick acupoints accurately with eyes closed.
While observing Xiao Feng pricking acupoints on a dummy, Sheng Lengshuang also read her medical books, not interfering. Whether Xiao Feng pricked them correctly or incorrectly, she wouldn't interrupt him while he was learning; she would explain it to him slowly after he finished.
Just as Xiao Feng was engrossed in his studies, Mo Lingxi arrived.
He was about to jump out when he saw his mother's slightly cold gaze. He obediently sat back down and continued his studies.
"Why are you here?" Sheng Lengshuang asked softly, putting down her medical book.
Mo Lingxi placed a food box on the table and sat opposite her. "I have something to discuss with you, so I brought some food you and Xiao Feng like. Am I disturbing Xiao Feng's studies?"
Sheng Lengshuang gave him a "figure it out yourself" look.
Mo Lingxi rubbed his nose and said apologetically, "I'll be mindful next time. Shall we talk outside?"
Sheng Lengshuang replied that it wasn't necessary. "It's a good opportunity to train Xiao Feng's concentration. This child is active and his attention span isn't very good. He can only sit still for a quarter of an hour when he first starts learning acupoints, but then he gradually loses focus."
Xiao Feng pouted. Sitting still the whole time was really, really hard.
Mo Lingxi: "...Sitting still..."
The rest of his words, under Sheng Lengshuang's cold gaze, took a sharp turn. "This is quite good."
Xiao Feng, it's not that Papa isn't helping you, but Papa dares not disobey your mother. You can only rely on yourself.
Sheng Lengshuang: "What did you come to see me about?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the Southern Jin Dynasty. His Majesty and I suspect that the Southern Jin Dynasty will approach you again soon," Mo Lingxi said.
Sheng Lengshuang raised an eyebrow. "What has the Southern Jin Dynasty done now? Their envoy is still locked up in the prison of my Eastern Jin Dynasty's Ministry of Justice, and with so much evidence, they are still causing trouble. Aren't they afraid of something happening?"
Mo Lingxi's eyes turned cold. "The Southern Jin Dynasty wants to gain benefits from my Eastern Jin Dynasty without paying anything."
Sheng Lengshuang was amused. "Is the Emperor of Southern Jin's mind alright?"
"That one has been on the throne for too long and has become a bit arrogant. In his eyes, since my Eastern Jin Dynasty went through such great internal strife and disasters, if the Southern Jin Dynasty hadn't kindly refrained from attacking, the country would have been destroyed long ago. We should be deeply grateful to the Southern Jin Dynasty."
"...I genuinely think the Emperor of Southern Jin has a screw loose. Even with these troubles in my Eastern Jin Dynasty, it's not as if the Southern Jin Dynasty can attack whenever they please."
Mo Lingxi said calmly, "When one has been emperor for too long, if they cannot maintain their original intentions, they will become like the Emperor of Southern Jin, always thinking that whatever they want can be obtained with a single word."
Sheng Lengshuang shook her head. "So, what do His Majesty and you plan to do?"
Mo Lingxi dropped a bombshell in a very calm tone. "His Majesty has already issued a secret decree, ordering the army to move towards the border."
Sheng Lengshuang's brow twitched. "Is this to start a war, or to intimidate them?"
"Mostly intimidation, and also to prevent the other two countries from helping Southern Jin. To be honest, Southern Jin is making a lot of noise, but they don't dare to start a war. For years, everyone in Southern Jin has only known how to enjoy themselves, and their military strength is very weak."
"Not going to war is the best. Once a war breaks out, the consequences will be too severe." Even for the victor, the price to pay is immense.
Mo Lingxi understood this even better than Sheng Lengshuang. "His Majesty and I intend to demand compensation from Southern Jin and then destabilize their royal family. This way, Southern Jin will not be able to do anything for a long time."
Sheng Lengshuang thought this was good. "Continuing to maintain the balance of the four countries is the best thing for the Eastern Jin Dynasty right now. What happens in the future can be dealt with in the future."
Mo Lingxi understood her meaning and smiled. "Don't think that His Majesty has any intention of unifying the four countries. He doesn't even want the throne, so how could he want to unify the four countries? Right now, he just wants to hand over the affairs to me, or to cultivate a son early, so he can be a hands-off ruler."
Sheng Lengshuang's mouth twitched, unsure whether to laugh or be relieved. "...Didn't he become emperor after a lot of difficulty?"
"He became emperor out of necessity. In that situation, if he hadn't become emperor, he would have met his end. Otherwise, he would have preferred to be a leisurely prince."
"It's truly rare to have such descendants in the royal family."
Historically, such royal descendants were very, very few. Most royal descendants only thought of ascending to that supreme position.
Suddenly, Sheng Lengshuang looked at Mo Lingxi with a peculiar gaze.
This made Mo Lingxi's face darken. "You don't need to look at me like that. I've never had any ambitions for that position. Rather than being an emperor, I'd rather be someone with great power who is feared by the emperor."
Sheng Lengshuang pondered for a moment and felt that his words made sense. Being an emperor required consideration of too many factors, and many things could not be done as one pleased, unless one became a foolish ruler. But being a minister with great power was different; one could basically do whatever they wanted.
"You should be grateful that His Majesty doesn't fear you and wants to be a hands-off ruler, otherwise, you would be in a lot of trouble."
Throughout history, there have been too many such emperors.
Mo Lingxi sighed. "I wish His Majesty feared me, then I would have an excuse to leave. Unfortunately, His Majesty only wants to hand over affairs to me so he can live a leisurely and comfortable life."
Sheng Lengshuang didn't know where to start complaining about this uncle and nephew. Both of them wanted to hand over affairs to the other to be hands-off rulers. "You might as well focus on cultivating His Majesty's son."