Lin Qingqing saw that Mo Xiao's expression had eased up. He not only called back the people who served him, but also gave her some instructions. Her mind began to become active again. When she was about to say something, the empress dowager grabbed her wrist.

"It's getting late, and I can't stand the tossing and turning any longer. Let's go, follow me back."

Lin Qingqing swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue back, and looked back at Mo Xiao every few steps, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Only when they were far away and could no longer see clearly did Lin Qingqing lower her head, her face full of frustration.

The Queen Mother glanced at her and asked, "Why, do you feel resentful towards me and feel that I didn't allow you to speak to the Emperor?"

Lin Qingqing shook her head: "I dare not."

The Queen Mother: "I dare not, but I still blame you."

Lin Qingqing pursed her lips and said nothing.

The Queen Mother sighed and said softly, "Why can't you figure it out, child?"

"You have been in the palace for so long, why haven't you seen clearly what kind of person the emperor is?"

Lin Qingqing's eyes began to turn red again, and she was somewhat unwilling and unconvinced: "I have not done anything treasonous, and I have never intended to harm Lin Jiuqing. Why does Your Majesty treat me like this?"

The Queen Mother: "You shouldn't have set your sights on Lin Jiuqing, let alone her. You should know that no one can stop the emperor from doing what he wants. You colluded with court officials to coerce the emperor into submission, which is a taboo for the emperor. How can he let you go?"

Lin Qingqing raised her hand and rubbed her brows, and said softly: "I was wrong...but is what Your Majesty did really right?"

"As an emperor, he favors only one person, which has led to the death of his offspring," Lin Qingqing murmured. "He made Lin Jiuqing have a child, and even wanted to register the prince under Lin Jiuqing's name. In this way, he let Lin Jiuqing monopolize power. Isn't he afraid that Lin Jiuqing's ambition will be aggravated, and he will cause trouble in the future?"

Throughout the history of the dynasty, there has never been such a precedent.

Lin Qingqing glanced at the Queen Mother and asked, "Don't you think that what he did was inappropriate, Mother?"

The Queen Mother's expression was always calm. Facing Lin Qingqing's questioning, her expression did not fluctuate. She only glanced at Lin Qingqing and said calmly: "You are right. I agree with your point of view."

"Then the Queen Mother..."

"But what can I do?" The Queen Mother interrupted Lin Qingqing directly, "No matter what, he is my son, and I don't want to make things difficult for him."

Lin Qingqing opened her mouth and managed to utter a sentence after a long while: "If Your Majesty goes too far in the future, even to the point of disbanding the harem and leaving Lin Jiuqing alone, will you let him do it?"

When the Queen Mother heard this, her eyes finally showed some movement.

She stopped and looked sideways at Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing was stunned by her gaze and subconsciously took a step back. She was about to bow her head and apologize, saying that she just spoke hastily and had no other intentions, when she heard the Queen Mother speak slowly, "He is the emperor, and he is destined to have many things in his life that he cannot control. He has the whole world on his shoulders and the people in his heart. He has suffered enough. As a mother, at least, you cannot and should not destroy the last bit of happiness that belongs to your son."

"If that's really what he wants, I won't stop him."

Lin Qingqing's eyes suddenly widened, her mouth opened wide, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.

The Queen Mother continued walking forward and added softly, "If he really wants to do it, no one can stop him."