Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Jiang Lihua naturally turned her head to look at him, and the father and daughter locked eyes for a moment.

The red light that appears in the eyes of those struck by Geass is generally very inconspicuous, merely a red ring around the pupil, easily mistaken for bloodshot eyes and overlooked.

However, for someone like the old emperor who had been tormented by Geass for countless years, he naturally knew very well what kind of symptoms appeared to those afflicted by Geass.

And so, the Emperor and Jiang Lihua locked eyes, and the Emperor saw the red light in Jiang Lihua's eyes. Although it was faint and almost gone, the Emperor still saw it clearly.

Those weren't blood streaks, but rather marks from Geass.

At the same time, although the Emperor knew that his decision to frame Mo Mo was due to being under the influence of Geass, he did not know the effects of the Geass he had been under. He did not know that the girl who had driven him mad and was killed by the Imperial Guards was the one who had placed Geass on him, Jiang Zhong, and Gao Hai. He also did not know that Jiang Lihua and Karen had been under the influence of Geass by that girl before.

Now, all the old emperor knows is that Jiang Lihua has abandoned him, her father, in an almost incomprehensible manner, and chosen Mo Mo, an outsider who is not even a lover.

At the same time, Mo Mo and the people around him are very likely to have Geass, and Jiang Lihua has also been infected with Geass.

what does this mean?

The gentleness on the old emperor's face vanished once more, replaced by a cold expression—the kind of ruthless face that only someone truly in the highest position, holding the power of life, death, wealth, and poverty over countless people, should possess.

"Jiang Lihua".

The emperor suddenly called out Jiang Lihua's name. Jiang Lihua was stunned; she realized the emperor was about to make things difficult for her. If the emperor had normally scolded her in a stern tone, she would probably have either burst into tears or quickly apologized and acted cute.

However, the panic on Jiang Lihua's face quickly disappeared, replaced by forced composure, and she continued to bravely meet the emperor's gaze.

“I am here, Father.”

The old emperor stared at Jiang Lihua and asked, "What is your surname?"

"My surname is Jiang."

What is the Chiang family?

"The Chiang family is the royal family of the Chinese Empire, the noblest family to rule the Chinese Empire. As members of the royal family, we bear the responsibility of governing the country, and at the same time enjoy the love and service of the people."

What are the demands that the Chiang family makes of its members?

"The Chiang family must be loyal to the Chiang family, the royal family, and the Chinese Empire. The Chiang family is the royal family of the Chinese Empire, and must consider things as if they were the heads of the country. At the same time, they must not lower themselves and must always remember their royal status and not lose face."

The two answered each other fluently, and the old emperor seemed satisfied, nodding and saying, "Very good, you remember very clearly what I told you. Since you still remember that your surname is Jiang, that you are a member of the royal family, and that you will inherit the throne in the future, leading countless people of the Chinese Empire and receiving their service..."

"So what are you doing now!"

"Are you really going to abandon the Chiang family, abandon the royal family, abandon the countless people of the Chinese Empire who look up to and hope for the royal family, and... abandon me, your dying father, and just leave with you, this ambitious and even scheming man!"

The old emperor's voice grew louder and louder, almost roaring. Mo Mo's smile vanished as he listened to these words.

Has the emperor finally reached his limit of patience?

This day was bound to come sooner or later. Momo originally thought it would take some time, until Artoria's achievements were even greater and the Emperor had no more official titles to bestow, before it would erupt.

However, by sheer coincidence, Jiang Lihua was drawn into VV's conspiracy, and everything was detonated prematurely.

Whether it's early or late, there's actually not much difference.

The only person Mo Mo felt sorry for was Jiang Lihua. She shouldn't have had to face all of this; Jiang Lihua should have simply waited until things were settled, then peacefully ascended to the throne of the Chinese Empire and continued to lead an empire that Mo Mo had changed.

But now, Jiang Lihua is the first to be blamed by the emperor.

Although Jiang Lihua stubbornly raised her head and stared directly at the emperor's face, Mo Mo could feel her pounding heart from the palm of her hand.

She really went through a lot of hardship.

Mo Mo also wanted to speak up for Jiang Lihua, but she chose to remain silent. This was not only a criticism of Jiang Lihua, but also a way to give her time to face her own heart and make a choice.

Jiang Lihua could choose to leave, and Mo Mo would not blame her in the slightest. After all, that was her father, and she had responsibilities to him; it was her original life path.

Mo Mo also said that even if Jiang Lihua chose to regret it, Mo Mo's promise would still be valid, since a temporary separation does not mean a permanent separation.

Jiang Lihua remained silent for a while, then finally took a deep breath, ready to answer the Emperor's question.

By now, everyone had realized the impropriety of the situation, and no one dared to utter a sound. Even though the Imperial Guards were still kneeling, they seemed oblivious to the sharp, jagged edges beneath their knees.

What they are paying attention to is what is right in front of them.

However, Jiang Lihua, who answered the emperor's question, asked him a question that surprised everyone.

"Father, my mother... is she happy?"

The emperor was stunned. Jiang Lihua's mother?

Oh...it's that woman...the woman who's been dead for many years, what did she look like again?

Jiang Lihua quietly observed the old emperor's expression. By the time the old emperor realized that his reminiscing and confused expression was inappropriate, it was already too late.

Jiang Lihua smiled, but the old emperor, seeing this somewhat bleak smile, felt as if his daughter had suddenly become a hundred thousand miles away from him.

Everything... seemed to end in an instant.

“Father, I remember it clearly. I know exactly what my mother looks like. She is holding a photo of me and you in my bedroom. It’s the only photo of my mother.”

“My mother passed away when I was very young, and my memories of her are very vague, but I do remember two things. One is that my mother always told me to grow up quickly because my father needed me and the whole world needed me.”

"Another thing is that my mother felt very happy. She was just the offspring of a minor nobleman, and she felt very happy to be able to enter the royal family and give birth to me for my father... even though my father probably doesn't even remember what my mother looks like now."

"After all... Mother was a completely insignificant woman, wasn't she?"

The old emperor said with a gloomy face, "She gave birth to the next emperor of the Chinese Empire, and she gave birth to you. Doesn't that show how important she is? Lihua, you know that I was not in good health at that time, and I had no choice but to stay away from you."

"...In the end, in my father's eyes, wasn't my mother just a tool for procreation? Was my mother's existence solely for me? Then where was my mother's happiness? Where was the happiness she spoke of? I don't know!"

"Jiang Lihua!"

The old emperor grew anxious and said, "Don't forget that your surname is Chiang. The Chiang family cannot do without you, the Chinese Empire cannot do without you, and don't forget your royal status!"

"No, I don't want it!"

Jiang Lihua also shouted loudly, "The Jiang family can live without me, and the Chinese Empire can live without me. The Chinese Empire has never belonged to our Jiang family. Does the absence of the Jiang family mean that China is no longer China?"

"Even I... I don't have to be surnamed Jiang anymore, I can be surnamed Mo, okay?"

"I don't want to be like my father, nor do I want the same happiness as my mother. I want my own life!"

Author's Note:

PS: Thank you Hamel's Wolf for the 1500-point reward, and thank you to Sky Blue Nebula, Yakumo Yuyuko, Wandering Dog, and Charlotte's Akira for the monthly ticket support!

205 Turning Against Each Other

Jiang Lihua's words completely shocked everyone. Not only did the emperor stand there as if petrified, but almost everyone who heard her words felt utterly bewildered.

Has Jiang Lihua really been brainwashed? Has she been completely brainwashed by Mo Mo, who is by her side? Otherwise, why would Jiang Lihua say such a thing?

Jiang Lihua actually planned to abandon her surname Jiang, abandon her right to inherit the throne of the Chinese Empire, abandon everything, just to leave with Mo Mo.

Just how charming is Mo Mo? And what conflicts have accumulated between Jiang Lihua and the old emperor?

No one knows the details, but everyone is clear that when Jiang Lihua said those words, some things were completely unleashed from their cages, and there was no going back.

Moreover, Jiang Lihua subtly touched a fundamental point that no one wanted to touch, a point that anyone who touched would be considered rebellious and would even be attacked by countless people.

So, was it really true that the emperor of the Chinese Empire had to be from the Chiang family?

Does the fact that the Chiang family ruled the Chinese Empire for 1,800 years mean that other families couldn't rule the Chinese Empire? And that without the Chiang family's leadership, the Chinese Empire would perish?

Upon closer examination, all of this is illogical.

Even without the Chiang family, there could be Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang. With so many people in the Chinese Empire, there would always be someone with enough talent to become emperor.

The emperor of the Chinese Empire was not necessarily from the Chiang family, but rather because everyone was accustomed to being ruled by the Chiang family, forming a traditional and stable system from top to bottom, in which many people benefited.

Even the Chiang Kai-shek regime could confidently assert that it has been so since ancient times.

You may not see or touch these people in this system, and you may not know their names, but they are all from the old emperor's lineage and are willing to support the Chiang family's rule.

It's just that everyone is used to the rule of the Chiang family. This rule is very effective and successful. It has lasted for 1,800 years and has been revitalized today. It seems that it can continue to exist.

In this way, the Chiang family would gain support and be able to sit securely on the throne.

The Chiang family, the Chiang family with the royal family, and the Chiang family with the emperor, are, in essence, just a long tradition that has bound them together for 1,800 years.

If one day the Chiang family truly falls and the Chinese Empire has a new emperor, as long as the new emperor continues to recognize the entire organizational system of the Chiang family emperors, then for the common people, the emperor is merely someone with a different surname.

The emperor is still the emperor.

This clause was a nightmare for the Chiang family; anyone who dared to open it would be undermining the foundation of their rule. The old emperor was also eager to preserve the Chiang family's position and their 1,800-year history. Anyone who pointed this out would become the old emperor's mortal enemy.

However, the situation today is quite special. The person who pointed this out is also a member of the Jiang family, and also the emperor's most valued daughter, the future emperor Jiang Lihua.

Jiang Lihua lifted the fatal veil, revealing the already fragile foundation of the Jiang family, pushing them to the brink of destruction.

The Jiang family, which was already weak and vulnerable, was further weakened by the fact that its last heir, Jiang Lihua, was unwilling to accept anything from the family. If the Jiang family lost even its last heir, who would bear the responsibility for the future of the family?

With Jiang Lihua gone, the Jiang family had no future. And without a future emperor, the Jiang family was destined to be replaced by someone else, becoming nothing more than a memory of the past in the hearts of everyone in the Chinese Empire.

As for the rest?

Does the Chinese Empire intend to live and die with the Chiang family and the old emperor?

It was always the Chiang family that coexisted with the Chinese Empire and relied on it for survival, not the other way around.

"You're...you're really insane!"

When the old emperor heard what I, Jiang Lihua, said, he pointed at Jiang Lihua with trembling hands, his face changing drastically. It seemed as if his frail body might just faint.

The emperor had reason to be angry, because everything he had strived for and insisted on was, in essence, for the Jiang family and for Jiang Lihua. After all, he was a dying man, with no more desires for life; all he asked for was for his daughter to have an easier time after his death.

But today, Jiang Lihua completely rejected everything the old emperor had said. The old emperor had painstakingly paved the way for Jiang Lihua, but she made an elegant turn at the crossroads and took a rugged fork in the road.

The emperor didn't understand.

To be the emperor, to rule the world, to be served by everyone in the Chinese empire—what's wrong with that? As a human being, once life reaches this point, what else is there to pursue?

The Chiang family's 1,800-year history has not been peaceful. Countless internal wars have raged for the throne, resulting in rivers of blood. Which member of the Chiang family didn't yearn for the throne, for the imperial seat in the Forbidden City?

Even the several empresses in history, didn't they all use countless means to obtain the throne?

Today, Jiang Lihua clearly told the old emperor that she didn't care about any of this.

How could the Emperor possibly understand this?

Finally, the furious old emperor pointed at his daughter's face, looking into her stubborn yet determined eyes, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The old emperor did not believe that Jiang Lihua would be a freak of the Jiang family, because in his memory, although Jiang Lihua had a rebellious temper, she was still an obedient and sensible child who would never do something that went against his wishes, or even against the old emperor's last wishes.

All of this clearly shows that someone changed Jiang Lihua's temperament and her thinking, making her naively believe that there is a more glorious way of life than becoming an emperor and ruling the world.