The Empress Dowager said in a deep voice, "The late Emperor left a will, and Yu'er should have gone to his fiefdom long ago. As for Ayan and Ruoling, they are willing to follow Yu'er, and I don't want to keep them by my side."

"Father said that no one may return to the capital without being summoned, but can't I ask my fourth brother to stay in Shengjing to help me? The Great Zhou is still ravaged and so poor. The Southern Liang has humiliated the Great Zhou so much, but I dare not fight back. Why can they abandon everything here to go to their fiefdoms? Why should such a heavy burden fall entirely on my shoulders? Why!"

The Empress Dowager shouted, "Emperor, you've had too much to drink! Guards, escort the Emperor back to his imperial bedchamber!"

"I'm not drunk!" He flung away Duan Yunsheng, who was trying to help him, pointed at Lu Xiaoyun, and then at Zhu Yu. "You, and you, you all have to leave me. I am the emperor, so is an emperor destined to be a lonely figure?"

Lu Xiaoyun frowned: "Your Majesty, the new policies have already been implemented. We have two prime ministers, Bu Feizhang and Gu Weizhi, and rising stars like Guo Shaoning in the court. Whether I am in Shengjing or not is no longer important. Moreover, Huainan and Jiangnan cover a vast area. If I manage these two places well, I will also be contributing to the construction of the Great Zhou. Why should the entire burden be placed on your shoulders as Your Majesty says?"

Zhu Yu didn't say anything, just kept looking at Lu Xiaoyun. Hmm, she's really something, she left Zhu Dan speechless.

The Empress Dowager said, "Yu'er is right." Seeing that Zhu Dan's eyes were slightly red, and considering it was the New Year, she softened her tone, "Your Majesty, if you miss them, you can just summon them back anytime, right?"

Zhu Dan remained silent. Summon them back? Ha, would they want to come back? Would they even come back?

Ruoling walked over and carefully tugged at Zhu Dan's sleeve: "Fifth Brother, don't worry, even if we leave Shengjing, we'll come back as soon as you want to see us."

Zhu Dan closed his eyes tightly, forcing back the tears in them, and said in a hoarse voice, "Alright, I will issue the decree now."