Being a subject and being a loyal dog were two different things.
Unfortunately, many people in this world didn't understand the difference between the two.
Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Family, and Teacher — in people's hearts, these five were people that they had to respect and obey. This concept had been deeply rooted in people's hearts since ancient times.
People had to maintain respect for Heaven and Earth, be loyal to their Ruler, love their country, be filial to their parents, and respect their teachers. These were all virtues, but being loyal to the Ruler was for the sake of love. Love didn't necessarily mean being loyal to the Ruler.
When faced with an incapable ruler like the previous Emperor, being loyal to the Ruler was no different from bringing disaster to the country.
For the sake of cultivation and to realize the value of justice in his heart, Li Mu was willing to do things for the Great Zhou court and the people of Great Zhou. However, this didn't mean that he would crawl at the feet of the Empress and be a loyal dog.
The Empress might be high and mighty in the eyes of others, but in Li Mu's heart, she couldn't be majestic.
When he thought of how she had ravaged him in his dreams, the majestic image he had painstakingly built for her collapsed in an instant.
Li Mu couldn't see through Zhou Zhong, but he knew that over the years, as the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, he had shielded many people from the old party. However, he had also made incomparable contributions to perfecting the laws of Great Zhou.
If one carefully read "Commentary on the Laws of Zhou", they would discover that Zhou Zhong would amend or add a new section of the law every once in a while.
In Wei Bin's case, according to the old laws, there was no doubt that his sentence would have been reduced.
However, two years ago, Zhou Zhong had defined rape of more than two people as a serious case. Wei Peng's "Law of Great Zhou" hadn't been updated in time, and by a freak combination of factors, he had successfully obtained the death penalty for Wei Bin.
If one carefully studied "Commentary on the Laws of Zhou", it was easy to discover one thing.
In the past decade or so, Zhou Zhong hadn't touched on the interests of the nobles in Shen 'du. Ever since the failure of the reform, he had never tried to abolish the Penal Code. Instead, he had used a silent method to promote the reform of the laws at the lower levels.
If he hadn't revised the laws two years ago, Li Mu would have been able to see Wei Bin and the others in Shen 'du a few years later.
Human nature was complicated. It was hard to label someone like Zhou Zhong as a good or bad person. However, there was no doubt that he was a smart person. He would not have said those words to Li Mu for no reason.
Regarding Cui Ming, it was still too early to talk about winning or losing.
Li Mu pondered for a long time. He was certain that from the perspective of the law, Cui Ming would not be able to escape death unless the Empress protected him. Therefore, Princess Yunyang would definitely persuade the Empress Dowager or Consort Dowager to persuade the Empress. However, with the Empress's character, she would definitely not agree.
After feeling sorry for the Empress for a while, he had already walked to the entrance of the Li Residence.
Li Mu pushed the door open and said, "Xiao Bai, come and see what I bought for you …"
Li Mu stepped through the door and stopped.
Xiao Bai was squatting in the garden in front of the courtyard, holding a small shovel. Other than Xiao Bai, there was also a woman standing in the garden.
Xiao Bai planted the flowers she had bought a few days ago and patted the soil with the small shovel. She asked, "Sister Zhou, when will these seeds bloom?"
The Empress said softly, "Step aside."
Xiao Bai took the shovel and walked out of the garden. When she saw Li Mu, she said happily, "Young Master, you're back!"
Li Mu had just parted with the Empress at the palace. He had gone to the Secretariat and chatted with Zhou Zhong on the street, which had taken up a lot of time. However, she had arrived home before Li Mu. It seemed that she had been at the Li Residence for a while.
The Empress glanced at him and said, "The palace will not be peaceful for the next two days. I came to your place to hide."
Li Mu immediately understood what she meant.
For Cui Ming's case, Princess Yunyang would definitely ask the Empress Dowager and Imperial Concubine Dowager for help. These people were the concubines of the former Emperor and the elders of the Empress. If they lowered their status and pleaded for Cui Ming, the Empress would definitely be in a dilemma.
Under such circumstances, it was not a bad idea to not see and not hear.
Li Mu thought for a while and asked, "How long will Your Majesty be hiding here? Do you need me to clean up a room for you?"
Xiao Bai put down the shovel and said with a smile, "I've talked to Sister Zhou. She will sleep with me tonight."
Li Mu sighed. When would Xiao Bai become more vigilant? During the time when Li Mu returned from the palace, she had already treated the Empress as a sister.
Human thoughts were complicated. For demons like her, who had grown up in the mountains and had never interacted with humans before, many of them were very naive. They were so naive that they gave people the impression that they lacked a brain. She and Bai Tingxin were both this type.
Of course, the Empress was trustworthy. Li Mu was happy to see Xiao Bai build a good relationship with her.
Xiao Bai still did not know that the Sister Zhou she spoke of was the richest woman in the Great Zhou. If she got closer to her, she might have a chance to grow five tails and six tails …
What surprised Li Mu was that Xiao Bai was naive and ignorant. She did not have much respect for her status as the Empress. The Empress could actually put down her status and call a little fox sister. She really did not behave like an Empress at all.
However, he soon realized that Li Si was probably right.
She was powerful and had a high status, but she was also human. Humans would feel lonely.
After becoming the Empress, she had no relatives, no friends, and even no enemies.
For the sake of the throne, the Xiao Royal Family had fought with the New Party to the bitter end. However, what they were fighting for was the position of the next emperor. As the youngest Transcendent expert in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Xiao Royal Family would not and would not dare to become her enemy.
Li Mu sighed. As a person, she did not even have an enemy. No wonder she would feel lonely.
Xiao Bai was silly because of this. When others knew the Empress's status, they would respect her and stay away from her. Xiao Bai was close to anyone who treated her well. This was the nature of the Heavenly Fox Clan.
As for Xiao Bai, because she was so beautiful that even women could not arouse the slightest jealousy, it was easy for her to capture the Empress's heart.
Last time, the Empress gave her a few drops of Heavenly Fox Blood Essence, allowing her to advance to four tails. She remembered this kindness in her heart and probably forgot the task Liu Hanyan gave her. She automatically excluded the Empress from the ranks of fox spirits.
While these thoughts flashed through Li Mu's mind, the Empress had already walked out of the garden.
She stood outside the garden and gently waved her sleeves. Li Mu instantly felt that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the courtyard suddenly became abundant.
In the garden, the seeds that Xiao Bai had just planted sprouted and broke out of the ground. They grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. First, green leaves were born, and then buds were formed. In a short moment, the buds that had just formed buds were competing to bloom …
In a few breaths of time, the garden in the Li Residence was full of flowers.
Li Mu marveled at the Transcendent powerhouse's Daoist magic. Xiao Bai was already dumbfounded.
She grabbed the Empress's sleeve and said blankly, "Sister Zhou, I want to learn this …"
The Empress pinched her face and said, "When you grow another tail, I will teach you."
Li Mu didn't tell Xiao Bai that if she wanted to reach the Empress's level, she would have to grow another three tails and become a Seven-Tailed Fox.
Spring was a magical power that could be performed by a powerhouse in the Creation Realm. However, the cultivation of the Fifth Realm was only at the level of making the withered tree sprout. The Empress's Daoist magic that could make the withered tree bloom in a short period of time required at least the cultivation of the Seventh Realm.
In the small courtyard, the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Xiao Bai ran into the garden, sniffing and looking around. Li Mu remembered that there was no more food at home, and the matter of Cui Ming would probably not be resolved in a day or two. In other words, the Empress would have to stay here for at least two days.
He looked at the Empress and asked, "Your Majesty, what kind of food do you like to eat? I will go and buy it."
The Empress said lightly, "I said, you don't have to call me that outside the palace."
It seemed that she really didn't like being the Empress. After leaving the palace, she didn't even say "Your Majesty". However, in this way, Li Mu was a little troubled about how to address her.
If he called her Miss Zhou, it would seem distant, but if he called her Miss Xiao, it would be a little strange.
Like Xiao Bai, it didn't seem appropriate to call her Sister Zhou either.
Xiao Zhou, Xiao Xiao, or directly calling her by her full name would be even more inappropriate.
Li Mu thought for a moment and asked, "What do you like to eat?"
Since he didn't know how to address her, he might as well not address her and save himself the trouble.
The Empress thought for a moment and said, "Fish, tofu …"
There were three people, so four dishes and one soup should be enough. Xiao Bai liked to eat chicken, and the Empress liked to eat fish. Li Mu made steamed sea bass, Xiao Bai's favorite stewed chicken with mushrooms, braised tofu, and casually stir-fried some vegetables. The last dish was the soup that Xiao Bai spent two hours to meticulously brew.
Without Mr. Mei and Shangguan Li, and with Xiao Bai's liveliness, this meal was much more lively than the last time. Gradually, Li Mu also realized something.
He could completely treat Zhou Yi of the Li Residence and the Empress in the palace separately. The woman sitting opposite him now was not the monarch of a country. She was just an elder sister who had the same name as the Empress and whom Xiao Bai had just met.
At the dinner table in the Li Residence, the atmosphere was harmonious. In a hall in the West Palace, Princess Yunyang knelt on the ground and begged, "Mother, please save the Prince Consort!"
Opposite her, a woman who looked to be about the same age as her and who also looked very similar to her slowly stood up. She said coldly, "Back then, I advised you that Cui Ming's status is not good enough for you, but you refused to listen to me. Now that he has caused trouble, you only know to come and beg me?"
Princess Yunyang stepped forward, hugged her leg, and said, "Mother, no matter what, he is still my Prince Consort. I have already lost one Prince Consort. Do you want me to lose another one?"
She was her daughter after all. The woman sighed, helped her up, and said, "Okay, I will put down my old face and beg His Majesty."
Princess Yunyang stood up, wiped her tears, and said happily, "I knew it. Mother is the best …"
A moment later, at the gate of Shangyang Palace.
Looking at the woman in the palace dress walking slowly, Shangguan Li bowed and said, "Greetings, Imperial Dowager."
The woman in the palace dress asked, "Is His Majesty in the palace? I have something to see His Majesty."
Shangguan Li looked at the woman in the palace dress, shook her head, and said, "Imperial Dowager, His Majesty is not in the palace."
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