782 A Million Times for You 144 (1/2)
”I think so too. Mother, why don't I master the techniques first before imparting the skills I've acquired to you?”
”Sounds good. After all, I won't have to burden you if I'm capable of protecting myself.”
An Xiaoning smiled at her and said, ”We'll do just that, then. I'll memorize the content tonight and burn the book tomorrow.”
”Go ahead.”
——
”Shishi, did you hear what I told you?” Shi Xiaoyu asked in a gentle voice.
The expectant mother, Lin Shishi, snapped back to reality and said, ”Mother, what you just said is too absurd. Does witchcraft really exist in this world?”
”Of course it does. Gucheng has already told me that Shi Qingzhou and An Xiaoning will be coming to the palace tomorrow. I locked Shi Qingzhou up for decades, but I didn't even manage to find out about the book's whereabouts. Do you think Gucheng will be able to find out? They detest me to the core and wish that they could kill me. If Shi Qingzhou gives the book to An Xiaoning, for all we know, everything the Tuoba family owns might just end up in someone else's hands. Shishi, you're the First Lady now. You can't let something like that happen. Do you understand?”
Lin Shishi, who was initially intimidated and flabbergasted by her mother-in-law's misdeeds, began to find the latter's actions rather reasonable all of a sudden. ”I don't think Sis Xiaoning would be that ambitious.”
”You still don't get it. At the end of the day, she's still a member of the Tuoba family. No one likes being restrained and controlled, she wouldn't express her ambitions openly. We mustn't let our guard down against others,” said Shi Xiaoyu.
After hearing her mother-in-law's reminder, Lin Shishi began to feel like nothing was impossible in this world and also thought that there was a likelihood that An Xiaoning was indeed harboring such thoughts.
”Mother, you said Gucheng wouldn't be able to find out about it easily. Do you have a better solution then?”
Shi Xiaoyu nodded earnestly and said, ”It'd be rather impossible to find out anything by interrogating them. After all, I didn't manage to do so throughout so many decades. However, we can adopt another strategy.”
”What is it?”
”As long as they're dead, this calamity will never happen in the future. By then, we wouldn't have to pursue the matter about the book anymore, regardless of where it is. It'll no longer be that important since no one knows where it's hidden.”
Dumbfounded, Lin Shishi asked, ”You mean… you want to kill Sis Xiaoning and her mother…”
”It'd be much easier to do that since the Autumn Palace is our territory. Shishi, I know you're soft-hearted and you still see An Xiaoning as your sister, so you don't wish for that to happen. If you can't stand on my side and spare a thought for Gucheng, then there's no point for me to have a daughter-in-law like you,” said Shi Xiaoyu, seemingly trying to threaten Lin Shishi.
Stuck in a dilemma, Lin Shishi said, ”Sis Xiaoning has once saved my life…”
”If you're just as soft-hearted as Gucheng, how are you supposed to achieve greater things? How about you discuss this with Gucheng and let him know how you feel from your perspective? We'll then see what his attitude is like.”
”Alright.”
Lin Shishi constantly pondered over the matter while on the way back.
While lying in bed, she asked, ”Mother has told me about that book of witchcraft. She didn't manage to get anything out of Shi Qingzhou despite holding her captive for so many years. Do you think you'll be able to find out anything by locking them up for a period of time?”
”Stay out of this,” Tuoba Gucheng clipped.
”How could I stay out of this? Gucheng, will you kill them?”
”Are you worried that I would kill them or hoping that I would do so?”