254: Conversation in the Dark

The golden eyes blinked softly after staring at her for a long time.

Then his gaze shifted downward, looking at the spot where Tu Nan's hand was lightly resting.

Tu Nan's eyes flickered for a moment.

If Your Majesty wanted to feel the Children as she said, their current positions wouldn't allow it.

Either she had to sit on the sofa, or he needed to lean down.

But he didn't move.

Yet, he finally spoke.

“Tu Nan.” Your Majesty's tone was steady and soft. “You are carrying twins. Have you ever thought that they will both be heirs to the Empire, yet because of a trivial birth order, their fates will be completely different?”

“One will possess the throne, while the other will have nothing.”

“Have you thought about it?”

Tu Nan didn't expect The Emperor to bring up such a topic—the succession rights of the Empire.

Perhaps this was the difference between the imperial family and commoners; twins were seen from the start as the beginning of struggle, injustice, and chaos.

“Ominous”—this was how Blue Star once described imperial twins.

Was it for this reason that Your Majesty himself had such a dysfunctional relationship with his twin brother? Tu Nan wasn't sure.

She felt more and more that Your Majesty had truly seen through everything.

So, why was he bringing up this topic now?

Before dealing with her, did he want to determine the bloodline of the Children in her womb?

But according to Tu Nan's understanding of him, he would never act before the System's gift was fulfilled.

And after the issue of the Star Worms was resolved, the longer it dragged on, the more he would think.

He knew clearly the undisturbed connection between Tu Nan and the Children; as long as his reason remained, The Emperor would never truly move against her.

“Your Majesty. I have an old saying: ‘When Children are at odds, it is mostly due to parental injustice.’” She gently squeezed his slender fingers, playing with them joint by joint.

“Are you going to be unfair to them?” she asked.

The Emperor watched their fingers intertwine and said coldly, “No matter what I think, there is only one throne. That is an indisputable fact.”

“Yes.” Tu Nan nodded as if agreeing with him, but then she changed the subject. “But imperial power can be shared equally.”

The Emperor frowned, not knowing what crazy talk she was spouting.

“Dual monarchs are absolutely the most unstable structure. In history, there was a ‘Rebellion of Dual Kings.’ It wasn't because of twins, but a pair of deeply in love Emperor and Empress who ruled jointly.”

He looked at Tu Nan without emotion. “But they eventually drifted apart and turned their weapons against each other.”

That happened? Tu Nan hadn't studied “history” to such depth.

“That's different,” Tu Nan countered.

“There is no difference, Tu Nan. Power is like that; a cone has only one apex, and there is no room for two people there.”

Tu Nan sighed softly.

“Your Majesty, a cone is indeed like that.”

The Emperor waited for her next sentence.

“But who says there can only be one cone? We can set up two, or maybe three?”

Her hand traced a scale in his palm.

“If they are willing, they can balance each other at the two ends of the scale.”

“They must not only ensure their own side isn't too heavy, but also that the other side isn't too light. Because...” She tapped gently in the middle of the scale.

“Once the scale tips, the falling stakes will destroy the most precious treasure no matter what.”

Tu Nan had wanted to say this for a long time. They were already in the interstellar era; what kind of ancient System was an autocracy?

It was because this System was so high and mighty that it forced out things like the Foster Mother System and cloning experiments.

War was certainly a trigger, but the injustice of the System was the root cause.

“Speak. You already have an idea in your head. Tell me,” The Emperor pointed out calmly.

Tu Nan shook her head, looked at Your Majesty's beautiful hand, and suddenly planted a comforting kiss on it.

Your Majesty's whole body trembled slightly, then steadied.

Tu Nan continued her explanation.

“Your Majesty,” she said softly, “if we must choose one of the Two Children to carry all the power, conflict is inevitable. Why don't we split this power from the beginning?”

After a pause, she finally met Your Majesty's gaze and looked into his eyes:

“One as King, one as Chancellor. The King holds authority, and the Chancellor handles affairs. The King leads the nation as the scale's weight, possessing the highest power of arbitration and veto; while the Chancellor, as the engine of the Empire, is responsible for driving daily national operations.”

“The throne is no longer the sole center of power, but the spiritual core of the nation. And the Chancellor is the concrete executor of this spiritual will.”

The Emperor frowned slightly and whispered, “What's the difference between this and dual monarchs?”

Tu Nan shook her head and responded firmly:

“Dual monarchs step on the same ground, fighting for the only throne on a high platform. But ‘One King, One Chancellor’ is about splitting the Foundation, designed to lead them to different peaks so they are no longer enemies.”

“And the Empire will be more stable in their mutual balance and trust.”

“Splitting... power.”

The Emperor was shaken by such almost impudent and bold words.

If it were anyone else, he would never allow them to continue. But for Tu Nan, what she said concerned her own Children; though it was a national matter, it seemed like a family matter.

“Your Majesty, you told me that those in power have no right to cry or regret. But I think, no matter what, we are still human.”

“You carry everything of the Empire on your shoulders. Have you ever relaxed for a single moment?”

Tu Nan looked at him with pity.

“No one is a machine; everyone gets tired. And if you want to be a Wise Ruler, it must be very, very exhausting.”

She tilted her head amusingly. “But you definitely wouldn't want to be a Tyrant.”

No.

The Emperor remained expressionless.

Not long ago, he had almost lost control, wanting to disregard everything and just be an ordinary Male Beast instead of an Emperor.

Casting aside all responsibility, not thinking about the future of the Empire, and just following his own heart—indulging his destructive desires.

“Tu Nan.” The Emperor knew she had proposed a political prototype that could change the Empire's structure for the next thousand years, but he didn't want to discuss that now.

He suddenly spoke, “We should return to the Capital City. The Children should be born in the imperial palace.”

“And you... are you willing to become my Empress?” He dropped such an earth-shattering marriage proposal.

No matter what, Tu Nan didn't expect to get such a question after walking through this door.

Staring blankly at The Emperor, she suspected Your Majesty had been overly stimulated.

“Well?” The Emperor gripped her hand tightly in return, his voice remaining calm.

“You've said a lot, but what identity will you use to push for such a change? Have you thought about it?”

“You can only keep persuading me, just like today.”

“Be my Empress, and I will directly share authority with you. Whatever you want to do next will be much more convenient.”

In his eyes, complex emotions finally settled into stability.

The room was filled only with the sound of Tu Nan's suddenly heavy breathing, making the air tremble slightly.

Swallowing hard, she asked The Emperor foolishly.

“Now... you're not worried about the Rebellion of Dual Kings anymore?”