Chapter 331 - TugBoat to the Dark Side

"And what is this reason?" The Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow.

Monk Du nodded and looked up at the Emperor, "It was the great spectacle of your wedding with your Empress that convinced my Master...Although at that time, neither I nor my master knew that the celestial miracle of that day was tied to your ceremony."

The Emperor knit his brows and did not say anything in response, Monk Du took his silence as a cue for him to continue, "That event moved my Master, he immediately into deep thought and recalled that I had once spoken of a certain Empress dowager with dark energy emanating from her. His interest was finally piqued and it was even more so when I informed him of the tale of spreading around about this event, the one about you and your Empress being celestial beings..." He finished with a knowing look in his eyes.

The Emperor lightly scoffed and steered the conversation away from his fabricated tale with an inquisitive question, "If his interest is so piqued, can you afford not to deliver then?" The Emperor asked, now feeling more certain that this Monk was simply bluffing. His reluctance to leave was a clear indicator that he could not simply walk away as he did before. 

Monk Du blinked and then raised his eyebrows and indignantly responded, "My Master understands the importance of my promise… He will stand by me in my decision."

"My mother also understands the importance of not giving room to enemies of the state to operate... So she will also stand by my decision." The Emperor said and continued on with a calm smile, "It appears we're at an impasse. I bear no grudges against you so you may leave in peace." 

Eunuch Li frowned, but he remained silent. Normally, if it were on any other issue, the Empress dowager would naturally agree and praise the Emperor's decision right now. After all, she was clearly the type to hold grudges and see them through... But as she was now, if she heard that the Emperor did this, she would be upset and see it as an affront against her, especially because it had to do with this "Empress" whose very existence she seemed to loathe. She would definitely explode, the Emperor had to know this. 

Moreover, no matter what ill she had done to him, the Empress dowager was still his mother. This issue concerned her health, it was not something for him to dismiss for the sake of petty revenge - the Emperor should also know this. Eunuch Li wanted to believe that the Emperor was working some kind of angle here, but he could not help thinking that he really meant for the Monk leave. It was no longer a farfetched notion that the Emperor would truly dismiss the dowager for the sake of this Empress of his. 

It could not be risked, if this Monk left now they may never locate him again, so Eunuch Li had to intercede. He turned to the Emperor, cupped his hands and bowed, "Your majesty, please reconsider..." 

The Emperor ignored Eunuch Li and kept his calm eyes on Monk Du, who was looking up at him with a steady gaze. Eunuch Li glanced at Monk Du, frowned and repeated, "Your majesty, please reconsider this..." He pleaded, looking up at the Emperor, trying to pass on a message with his eyes but the Emperor was still not looking at him. 

Monk Du knit his brows, he had simply been bluffing hoping to make a benefit through this service that he was going to be rendering. He could not just leave as he said, he had never seen his Master agitated about anything before. It was important that the Empress dowager be taken to Taohua temple, his Master's orders were clear. But he could not just leave the fate of the twins hanging in the air either. 

Eunuch Li frowned at the Emperor and was about to open his mouth again, but Monk Du beat him to it with a simple, yet shocking question, "If not for your mother's sake, then how about for yours?"

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, slightly amused as he went, "Mine?"

Monk Du let out a slight breath and nodded. He had noticed this as soon as the Emperor walked in but he did not plan to mention it. After all, it was not his business and he would rather not poke an unfamiliar sleeping dragon. But since the situation was already like this, he thought it was worth a try and so he went ahead and hoped for the best, "Yes, yours. Although it's to a lesser degree, I sense the same dark energy your mother possesses in you now..."

Eunuch Li immediately worriedly swept his glance over the Emperor, looking for anything amiss. While the Emperor blinked at Monk Du and then laughed, "... Do I seem like a child to you?" He asked, all traces of humor gone from his face in an instant. 

Monk Du knit his brows, "I know it is hard to believe and might seem like a desperate falsehood but I speak the truth. The fact that I am seeking a pardon for the siblings does not mean that we cannot do without it. After all, we have managed to evade capture this long... But life on the run is no way to live... Moreover, even if I may lie to others, I will dare to lie to you for fear of retribution." He said bowing his head in deference.

"So am I to go along to visit your master now...to be "saved"?" The Emperor asked with a dry laugh, clearly being sarcastic. It seemed Lei Xing had rubbed on a bit too much on him. The Empress dowager had told Eunuch Li about her recurring nightmares of being swallowed in dark mass, this she believed to be the dark energy Monk Du had mentioned was surrounding her. 

And Eunuch Li, in a bid to make the Emperor more understanding of the Empress dowager's condition, had told the Emperor about it. While the Emperor thought this "dark possession" excuse explained his mother's peculiarities, such as her memory lapses. He was still not wholly convinced that she had no fault in her actions. After all, it was not as if she held no ill will to those she attacked.

"That is not necessary..." Monk Du responded, he then looked up at the Emperor and explained, "As I said, yours is to a lesser degree, subtle. It seems to be more or less under control, for now...But you should understand that its existence means there is a potential for danger in the future." 

The Emperor slightly narrowed his eyes and Monk Du could sense his skepticism growing deeper but before the Emperor could shut him down again, Monk Du swiftly added, "Your mother was not born the person that you see today, as I'm sure your eunuch here can corroborate... And neither was your father born as the person you came to know, I am sure there are also ways for you to verify that as well. I cannot say for certain, but it seems to be a sort of hereditary curse... As unlikely as you may find it, is it worth the risk?" Monk Du asked, looking at the Emperor with Sage's confident expression.

The Emperor knit his brows, not sure how to respond to this. Of course, he had heard of stories of what his parents were like before the decimation of Xia country. Eunuch Li had told him a few stories about his mother's childhood and his grandfather's annals consisted of conversations of his father advocating for peace and other humane practices in court. But just because someone suddenly did something out of character or because a change was too drastic did not mean that it had to do with some otherworldly possession. 

People and their views change and most importantly, people are also great at hiding their true colors. His mother's change had an easy explanation, grief and anger changed her. As for his father, perhaps he had simply been lulling everyone around him into a false sense of security, which gave him the advantage he needed for his plans. 

Monk Du could tell that the Emperor was seriously considering his words. But he also got the sense that the Emperor was still not leaning in his favor and was simply explaining away his words in his mind. So he tried for one more push, "Although it's nothing like what you have with your Empress, your parents also shared a similar extraordinary connection…" 

"I do have a great gift of insight, I see much beyond the capabilities of ordinary people…" Monk Du reminded, seeing the question in the Emperor's gaze, "I could tell that you and your Empress were both extraordinary from one glance back when I visited your mother. I had seen you both exiting the palace that day...but that is neither here nor there."

"...My point is your parents' lives together were once happy, probably as happy yours seems today. But yet their blissful relationship still soured and your mother succ.u.mbed to her rage which fed and awoke the dark energy which slept within her as it does for you. It not only pulled her towards the dark but due to the peculiar connection they shared, it pulled your father as well. Your connection with your Empress is much stronger, what do you think will happen to her once you become unstable?"

"... But of course, you have no need to worry about that if you are always happy together - which of course, you are now. But even now when things should be going very well here you are...seething on the inside. Why is that?" Monk Du thoughtfully asked and then instantly regretted it when he was suddenly faced with a cold piercing glare from above. 

Monk Du lightly gulped, it seemed he had gotten carried away in his assessment and poked a sore spot. He immediately thought to recant but before he could speak, the Emperor quietly and menacingly went, "The fact that I cannot keep you here, does not mean that you can do as you like. Will you rise and leave on your own or do you require assistance?"

Monk Du blinked at him, gulped again, and then lightly sighed. He bowed his head and then rose to his feet, finally giving up. It seemed he had said a bit too much and failed. The Emperor looked ready to launch at him and toss him out on his own if he said one more word. So Monk Du decided that it was best to leave for now and return another day with an apology to take the Empress dowager on their journey. 

As for the Chun siblings, he tried his best. He would help them as long as he lived... and after he was gone, they would have to fend for themselves. At the very least, they were not completely helpless. They would have to fight whatever enemy came their way.

It was a pity, but it seemed that he would have to end his long life filled with worry for his two charges, he wondered if he would even be able to rest in the afterlife leaving them like this. 

Monk Du inwardly sighed, deeply bowed to the Emperor and was about to turn to leave, when Eunuch Li suddenly walked over to him in quick steps and under the Emperor's still piercing glare, he quietly said, "Please wait outside."

Monk Du blinked at him in surprise, seeing a ray of hope, he slightly smiled and bowed his head to Eunuch Li. Then he turned and left the hall as Eunuch Li turned to look up at the Emperor with a disapproving frown of his own.