Time Travel and Love

Chu Qingmeng was silent for a moment, looked at Mo Chenfeng, and then spoke calmly, "Uncle Emperor, An Ning's words may be hard to hear."

"It's okay, just tell me what you have to say." The emperor's voice was also calm and unhurried.

"It seems the princes aiming for the throne have split into several factions, fighting each other. The Crown Prince's faction is undeniably one of wits. It's no wonder the Emperor's uncle is reluctant to pass on the throne. This Crown Prince is somewhat, well, a bit foolish." Chu Qingmeng's casual words made the Emperor smile. He then listened to her continue, "To be fair, just look at how he spoke out against the military commanders on his first day at court during such a critical moment in the fight for the throne. He's not smart enough to be crowned Crown Prince."

Chu Qingmeng only heard the emperor say "hmm" in a seemingly cheerful mood, and then continued, "Fifteen and Seventeen are fellow travelers. They have some intelligence, but it's not high. Moreover, they are not ruthless enough and are easily intimidated. Even if they ascend the throne, I'm afraid it won't last long. They lack the power to intimidate civil and military officials and are more timid than brave. If this continues for a long time..."

"Well, An Ning's evaluation is indeed pertinent. I knew it a long time ago, but they are still better than the prince." The emperor seemed to be very troubled by this problem.

"Uncle Emperor, have you considered the Eighth Prince?" Chu Qingmeng asked tentatively.

"An Ning, there's no need to test me. Just speak your mind. Today, I only want to hear your true feelings."

"Yes." Chu Qingmeng thought for a moment and organized his words. "The Eighth Prince is decisive and ruthless. He has a good eye for situations and a steady hand. To be honest, Uncle Royal, the Eighth Prince has been targeting me since the last attack on the Seventeenth Palace. Half a month ago, An Ning was kidnapped and taken to his mansion outside the capital."

The emperor was startled for a moment, "What?!"

"Uncle Emperor, there's no need to be shocked. The Eighth Prince probably thinks that holding An Ning in his hands will help him contain the General. Although he's lost his military power, the General, as the leader of the military commanders, must be guarded against." Chu Qingmeng's tone was calm, without any emotion. "To be fair, the Eighth Prince's actions show the ambition of an emperor, and he could be considered the crown prince."

A trace of surprise flashed in Mo Chenfeng's eyes, and then he lowered his eyes to hide his emotions and stopped looking at her.

"Well, An Ning thinks the Eighth Prince is capable of great use?" The Emperor was excited but also a little surprised after hearing Chu Qingmeng's analysis. Could she really speak so impartially without any personal grudges involved?!

"It's just okay, Uncle Emperor, don't get excited." Chu Qingmeng tried to persuade him. Seeing that the Emperor seemed to have calmed down, he continued, "It's so-called "just okay" because the Eighth Prince didn't act thoroughly enough. An Ning had guards left by my brother. Although he kidnapped me, he didn't think things through. Underestimating your opponent is a taboo in life at any time. This is his first fault. My brother's men replaced the Eighth Prince's guards in just one night, and to this day, the Eighth Prince still hasn't noticed. He's not strict with his subordinates and doesn't exercise due diligence in employing them. This is his second fault. These two things wouldn't be a problem for an ordinary person, but for an emperor, if he underestimates his enemy in a war, the consequences of his territory being overthrown are unimaginable. If he doesn't exercise due diligence in employing his subordinates, and treacherous ministers are in power, he might not understand the suffering of the people. This won't last long. Therefore, An Ning feels that the Eighth Prince is okay, just a backup option."

"That makes sense." The emperor nodded, but his excitement was gone. "Eleven, what do you think of An Ning?"

"Uncle Emperor," Chu Qingmeng suddenly laughed out loud, "During the siege of the mansion, An Ning caught the attention of the two princes. The Eleventh Prince also took action against An Ning, but he wasn't as ruthless as the Eighth Prince. He gave An Ning some warnings, which kept her busy for three days without sleep."

"Hehehe" The emperor chuckled twice. In order to restrain Liu Jin, his two sons put a lot of effort into An Ning.

"However, judging by Eleven's actions, An Ning feels he possesses a certain element of a benevolent ruler." Chu Qingmeng paused and explained, "An Ning is surrounded by fringe figures, naturally no match for Eleven's power. Even when he had every intention of overthrowing An Ning, he merely taught An Ning a lesson, perhaps to see if she would behave herself. To this day, he continues to monitor An Ning. He'll take no action unless his boundaries are crossed, and if they are, he'll kill her instantly. This is a valuable quality for an emperor: he can be tolerant of his subordinates while never letting anyone off the hook. Furthermore, after listening to Eleven's morning court sessions over the past two days, An Ning feels that while his approach is gentler, not as ruthless as the Eighth Prince's, it's effective, and this is one of the emperor's strengths. Eleven's intelligence is undoubtedly one of the best among the princes, and he's always been discreet. My father told me that he previously served under the Crown Prince, but now he's siding with the Eighth Prince to support him, proving his scheming is no less than the Eighth Prince's. However..."

Chu Qingmeng pretended to be hesitant and asked, "It's just that An Ning doesn't know what Eleventh Prince's character is like. A king must be careful in all aspects and cannot let any one of them fall short. I've heard a little about the Eighth Prince's character, and he's not bad. But Eleventh Prince is really too unremarkable. An Ning really doesn't know."

"Eleven..." The emperor pondered for a moment, then understood what was going on. He didn't answer Chu Qingmeng's question, "An Ning, let's be honest today. My two rebellious sons must have caused An Ning a lot of suffering. Tell me, is there anything you want?"