190: Separately with the agreement

"Not bad, you have awareness."

The Emperor sat upright at the head of the table, having watched enough of the two of them, and finally deigned to speak.

"Having ideas and ambition, that is very good."

He smiled slightly, not feeling offended by Tu Nan's blunt words; on the contrary, he showed appreciation, and his tone even carried a strange sense of satisfaction.

This basically meant that Tu Nan had successfully passed this little test, and The Emperor had likely let her off the hook.

This response was something she had deduced from the information provided by Green Fox, specifically the various policies The Emperor had implemented since taking power.

He suppressed veteran officials, balanced the nobility, held military power, and frequently gave speeches to the entire populace.

He was definitely not an Emperor who only sought to maintain the status quo; he must have a deeply buried, comprehensive strategy. That meant he needed more Pure Ministers who dared to fight and forge ahead, and who were loyal to him.

Regardless of whether Tu Nan herself could become such a person, her statement in front of Hain would not be rejected by The Emperor.

Sure enough, after praising Tu Nan, The Emperor began to prod Hain.

"Did you hear that? What do you think?" He asked his close minister, seemingly gently.

What could Hain think? The Emperor was clearly quite pleased by Tu Nan's words and had even given his verdict with his golden words.

Hain was silent.

The Emperor's expression cooled. He snorted and criticized, "As for you, you always seek stability and demand perfection in everything. But you lack courage."

"Look, Kong Jiamu is about to be promoted to General rank. And you?" He scrutinized Hain with dissatisfaction, "How much longer do you intend to stay in your current position? What... are you here under me to save up a dowry for yourself?"

When The Emperor's tongue turned sharp, no one could rival him.

"I dare not, Your Majesty. I have always been diligent in my duties." Hain felt embarrassed, especially since The Emperor was comparing him to Kong Jiamu in front of Tu Nan.

"Diligent in your duties..." The Emperor crossed his hands and cracked his knuckles, dissatisfied. "That only proves you are qualified. Is that enough for you?"

"Have some ambition." Ignoring Hain's lowered head, he pondered for a moment and directly assigned a task.

"Take over the matter that Kong Jiamu is investigating!" The Emperor sneered. "Look at him, he's about to be decorated and he's still busy running around. Now he'll probably blame me for stealing his credit."

"I... obey."

"A knife is not sharp without honing. This matter has significant implications; do not be soft-hearted. Go." The Emperor waved his hand, signaling that the matter was settled.

Hain silently exited the study, paused for a moment at the door, and eventually turned away without a word.

The Emperor watched Hain walk away, then finally deigned to address the person standing before him, whose mind was drifting elsewhere.

"Pure Minister, hmm?" He savored these two words and shook his head.

"Since you want to walk the path of a Pure Minister, don't think about turning back halfway. Being double-minded will not lead to a good result."

This was why the other party was The Emperor; it was due to both Opportunity and ability.

He could make a decision and never hesitate again. In just a few days, faced with the sacrifice of his subordinates, he already appeared to handle it with ease.

"Your Majesty, please just consider it as me not having Cultivated enough." It was indeed Tu Nan herself who had proactively pushed everything to this point.

She looked silently at the retreating figure outside the door and whispered, "May I go see him off?"

The Emperor waved his hand casually and readily agreed.

* * *

Hain was walking along the road out of the palace that he had traversed countless times, his mind blank. The cold wind blew his bangs, hitting his eyes with a slight stinging sensation.

"Hain."

He was pulled back to reality by the voice from behind.

It was Tu Nan. Her eyes were only on him, and she was heading straight towards him against the wind.

Hain would always be happy because Tu Nan ran towards him. No matter when, even now, when she had just hurt his heart.

"Why didn't you put on more clothes?" The indoor temperature was comfortable, and Tu Nan's attire was not suitable for the cold outdoors. Hain took off his coat and draped it over her.

Surrounded by the warmth from the coat, Tu Nan lowered her head and only said.

"I'm seeing you off."

"Okay."

The two walked side by side on the empty, straight road in front of the palace. Only the guards on both sides were occasionally passed by them, letting them know that this was not a changeless, endless stretch of road.

"Do you... really want to make your own way?" Hain couldn't help but ask.

What appeared in his mind just now were the words Tu Nan had said to Gu Lvhai that he and Kong Jiamu had overheard that day.

Perhaps everything had traces to follow.

"If you love someone, your greatest wish is to hope they are happy..." Hain whispered, repeating what Tu Nan had once said, and finally asked seriously, "Do you want to serve Your Majesty because you yourself wish to? Tu Nan."

Tu Nan was stunned. She carefully pondered the meaning of this sentence and discovered...

"Yes, Hain. I don't want to live a life that has been arranged for me."

She tugged at her collar and her eyes curved.

"My thoughts are no different from yours." She tilted her head to look at Hain, who was somewhat confused, and explained.

"Do you remember why you left Sea Soul Star? Because you didn't want to live a life that was boxed in. You didn't accept it, you didn't submit, and you felt that the outside world could let you soar."

"Here," Tu Nan paused, "is just like Sea Soul Star was to you."

"Full of restrictions, rules, a path already paved for me from which I cannot turn back."

"And now that I have finally grasped the Opportunity... I cannot give it up."

She smiled apologetically.

"Even if you don't approve, even if I am sorry to you."

Hain had not expected to hear such words.

But he felt that these words were as they should be. Every word seemed to be what he had once thought and felt. So, had Tu Nan always lived as repressively as he had in his youth?

"Then... what about Kong Jiamu?" He still felt unwilling to accept it. If Tu Nan couldn't feel this sense of security by his side, could Kong Jiamu give it to her?

"I said before, I am not a good Female Beast." Tu Nan let out a short laugh.

"Him... I can't even say these things to him. Using him... I am really selfish, my methods are really dirty, aren't they?"

Hain was exceptionally silent today.

He didn't immediately coax Tu Nan as he used to, saying she wasn't wrong.

He couldn't speak for his friend, and he had no standing.

Moreover, he was still very upset himself at this moment.

"But at least you are a very good mother." Hain said very, very slowly. He had escaped Sea Soul Star, and legally, he had violated his engagement with Gu Lvhai, but he increasingly did not feel that it was a "mistake."

"If you were truly selfish, you could have chosen to leave the Children with your husband. You were in such a difficult situation then, yet you still chose to take the Children with you."

"Along the way... you must have faced a lot, but you never thought about giving them up for a single moment."

"Marriage was what I thought you needed most, but if you don't need it, that's okay."

Hain's eyes shifted. He had figured something out, and he became more resolute.

"I am glad we already have Children. I have figured it out, Tu Nan. You lack a sense of security, you have your own ambition, that's all fine. The Children are our strongest contract. As long as they are here, you and I will always have an unbreakable connection."

Tu Nan was left speechless.

Hain had stolen her words; this was what she had intended to say to him next.

She both hoped Hain would let go now and harbored the wish that he could come back later.

She was such a... big liar.

No matter how long the road was, it had an end. When the two finally reached the palace gate, both stopped.

Hain looked at her for a long time, bent down to lift her hand, and pressed his cool, soft lips to the back of her hand.

"I don't stand high enough to give you the sense of security you want."

"Perhaps when I can give you all the support you need, you will no longer be hesitant, Tu Nan."

Ambition finally ignited in his eyes.

Under Tu Nan's gaze, he did not look back and walked out of the palace gate.