strictlysupreme Chapter 198: Make plans early
Chapter 198: Make plans early
Ye Qinghao naturally knew all this, but hearing these words coming from Ye Qing'an's mouth still made him find it somewhat interesting: "So, what do you think I should do?"
"What should I do to prevent the Emperor from suspecting me and from harboring any resentment towards me?"
Ye Qing'an lowered her eyes: "Father is in this position now. Even if the Emperor suspects him, he cannot treat him or demote him in the same way he treats others."
"It is precisely because Father is in this position that we need to be more careful. After all, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, and there are many people secretly watching Father, waiting for him to make a mistake and seize upon it."
"I think that instead of pretending that nothing happened, it would be better to take Zirui to the Emperor to apologize."
"Apologize?" Ye Qinghao scoffed. "If I take Zirui to apologize, wouldn't that be blatantly telling the Emperor that I did indeed intend to ally with His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Ye Qing'an shook her head: "It's Zirui, not Father."
Ye Qinghao asked in confusion, "Does it matter whether it's Zirui or me? Zirui is my son, and his surname is Ye."
“Of course it’s important.” Ye Qing’an said softly, “Although Zi Rui’s surname is Ye and he is Father’s child, he is, after all, a living person, and he is already nineteen years old.”
"At nineteen, having developed his own ideas and unwilling to obey his father's orders, he was misled by His Highness the Crown Prince and went astray for a time. It is not surprising that he did so."
Ye Qing paused for a moment and said, "Father will take Zi Rui to apologize and have him admit his mistake in front of the Emperor, and act a little aggrieved. There's no need to say that His Highness the Crown Prince is forming cliques. Just say that he is about the same age as His Highness the Crown Prince, gets along very well, and plays with him often, so they have become quite close."
"At that time, even if the Emperor does not believe that it was only Zirui who did it, there is no evidence, and Zirui has already admitted his mistake. Even if the Emperor punishes him, he can only punish Zirui and cannot blame Father."
"Furthermore, Zirui only admitted to having fun with His Highness the Crown Prince, but he did not admit to forming a faction with His Highness the Crown Prince. Even if Zirui is punished, the punishment will not be too severe."
"Furthermore, Father can take this opportunity to plead with the Emperor to give Zirui a chance to redeem himself."
Ye Qinghao's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Atone for your sins with merit? How can you atone for your sins with merit?"
"Of course, I will remain by His Highness the Crown Prince's side, but I am willing to report His Highness the Crown Prince's every move to the Emperor, who loves his son dearly and cares about him."
"In this way, even if Zirui gets closer to His Highness the Crown Prince in the future, he will have a legitimate reason to do so, and everything can proceed as normal."
"But the fact that you are keeping an eye on His Highness the Crown Prince for the Emperor is known only to Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Father, and Zirui. No one else knows except you. As for what Zirui is really doing and what his purpose is while he is by His Highness the Crown Prince's side, that is entirely up to Father's wishes."
"How Zirui speaks to His Highness the Crown Prince is entirely up to Father."
Ye Qinghao's gaze lingered on Ye Qing'an for a long time before he finally said, "You've... taken the Emperor and the Crown Prince into your scheme."
Ye Qing'an lowered his head and remained silent.
"Who taught you all this?"
Ye Qing'an shook her head, raised her head, and her eyes were clear: "No one taught my daughter. She just liked to read books before, all kinds of books, including some about the court. Today I heard about this matter from Consort Lan. I thought about it all the way and barely came up with this method."
Ye Qing'an hesitated slightly: "I don't know if this method is feasible, but I feel that since this matter concerns Father and the Ye family..."
"I also share the surname Ye, so naturally I can't ignore it either."
"Regardless of whether my proposed method is useful or not, I still need to express my thoughts to avoid regrets later."
Ye Qinghao nodded, and his gaze toward Ye Qing'an changed slightly: "That's good. If you encounter something like this in the future, you can come and talk to me."
Ye Qing'an smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Father."
"Go."
Ye Qing'an left happily, even her back view showed a hint of joy.
Ye Qinghao's gaze lingered on Ye Qing'an's retreating figure for a long time before he finally spoke: "What do you think of Miss's performance since she entered the manor?"
"This old servant has watched the eldest young lady grow up. A few years ago, before she left the manor, she didn't really have much of a presence. Even when the madam was still alive, the eldest young lady was mostly quiet. Perhaps it was because the eldest young lady couldn't cultivate that she received a lot of cold words and criticism, which is why she developed that kind of personality."
The steward, who had been standing to the side, smiled and said, "It's just that since the young lady returned to the manor this time, her temperament has indeed changed a lot. If it weren't for the fact that she remembers everything that happened a few years ago, this old servant would have suspected that the young lady has become a completely different person."
"The young lady is no longer as weak and easily bullied as before, probably because she has a weakness now. A mother is strong, after all. Moreover, this old servant thinks that the young lady is actually a very intelligent person. Perhaps it is because she did not care much about many things before that we did not know it."
"Recently, a lot has happened in the manor. From an outsider's perspective, please allow me to say something disrespectful, but putting aside the young lady's Holy Spirit Body talent, just the intelligence and methods she has recently displayed are probably unmatched by any of the other young masters and ladies in the manor."
After the butler finished speaking, Ye Qinghao remained silent for a long time.
He has eyes too, so he naturally knows that what the steward said is true.
However, he also had his own concerns: "I'm just worried that Qing'an will hold a grudge about what she went through before. If she is really given an important position, I'm afraid she will seek an opportunity to take revenge, for her mother, and for herself and Feiran."
"But those things from a few years ago, whether it was the late Madam, the eldest daughter, or the second young master, had nothing to do with you, sir."
Ye Qinghao paused slightly, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly.
Yes, those things from a few years ago had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Even if Ye Qing'an wanted revenge, it was none of his business.
Of his children now, apart from Ye Qing'an, the others are indeed somewhat lacking.
With powerful enemies surrounding them and the Emperor watching them closely, the Night Mansion's position is not as secure as it appears on the surface.
Although he is in his prime, there are some things he should plan for earlier.
Ye Qinghao narrowed his eyes, having made up his mind: "I have some books in my study, all of which are rare and unique editions. Miss likes to read, so you can send them to her later."
"Yes."