Chapter 127 Lobbyist

"Xiao Jin!" Yun Zhao's eyes were filled with tears. Humiliation, anger, and disappointment intertwined. His voice was choked with sobs. For the first time, he addressed Xiao Jin by his name, regardless of status. "You're ungrateful!"

She still remembered how, when she first entered the palace, she often secretly criticized the moody young emperor, secretly cursing his unpredictable moods. But at some point, that complaint gradually turned into genuine admiration and recognition.

She performed her duties in the palace conscientiously and did everything with all her heart, but when she decided to leave, she did it so decisively without any hesitation!

"If you yell again," Xiao Jin stepped closer, his eyes deep and full of unquestionable threat, "I will really kill you right now!" He finally understood that when dealing with a woman like Yun Zhao who was sober, rational and extremely stubborn at heart, soft words and slow approach were of no use at all. Sometimes he had to be so tyrannical and domineering in order to break her hard shell.

"You!" Yun Zhao was so angry that she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth. In the end, she swallowed back the more intense words and just stared at him fiercely, tears silently sliding down her face.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Jin's heart softened involuntarily. He slowed his tone, speaking with a barely perceptible, clumsy concern, "I've had someone bring you some food. You must be hungry after fighting all night, right?"

Yun Zhao turned his head and refused coldly: "I'm not hungry."

"I'm hungry," Xiao Jin said without question, "You can eat some with me."

Yun Zhao was about to refuse again, but Xiao Jin had already sat back down on the bed, his eyes fixed on her gravely: "Try to refuse me again?"

The words that were about to come out of Yun Zhao's mouth were stuck, and he could only subconsciously shrink back and express his final protest with silence.

Xiao Jin looked at her rare display of defensiveness, tinged with a hint of grievance, and his heart softened. Unwittingly, he reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head. His movements were a little stiff, yet they held a strange tenderness. "Rest for a moment. I'll go wash up and change clothes."

Yun Zhao did not respond, but just buried his face even lower.

Xiao Jin looked at her deeply, stood up and walked out the door, whispering a few instructions to Wang Gui who was waiting outside.

A moment later, Wang Gui quietly walked in carrying hot tea and some exquisite snacks, and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty."

Yun Zhao had already gotten off the couch, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and returned the greeting, his tone distant: "Eunuch Wang, you are too kind. Now it's my turn to pay my respects to you."

"Oh, my dear Lady Shang Gong, you are embarrassing me!" Wang Gui quickly turned aside, a perfect smile on his face, and his words were full of familiarity and respect. "When you first entered the palace, I was a little boy who couldn't even fill my stomach. I am so grateful for your care. Now, I am looking forward to hearing you call me 'little boy' again."

Yun Zhao just smiled faintly when she heard that, but the smile did not reach her eyes: "Yun Zhao dare not." She had already heard about Wang Gui's current power and means. The title of the Supervisor of the East Factory was enough to make people in the court and the country tremble in fear. He was the sharpest and darkest knife in the emperor's hand.

Wang Gui gently placed the refreshments on the table and poured Yun Zhao a cup of hot tea. Yun Zhao accepted it and thanked him calmly, saying, "Even though I'm far away in Jinzhou, your reputation is well-known to me."

"Your Majesty, please stop tormenting me!" Wang Gui waved his hands repeatedly, his attitude extremely humble. "I am only doing my best to carry out your errands and fulfill my duties. Your Majesty originally planned to go straight to Jinzhou on this trip north, but I didn't expect you to end up in Xuanhua. This is truly... fate's trick, yet we end up in the same place."

Yun Zhao raised his eyes, a look of scrutiny in his eyes: "Your Majesty, have you really traveled thousands of miles just to find me?"

Wang Gui's smile grew increasingly sincere, his words like carefully crafted rhetoric, yet revealing a hint of truth: "Of course! Your Majesty has often missed you over the past year. He has instructed that all palace meals and teas must follow the same rules as when you were managing the Shanggong Bureau, without any deviation. Your Majesty still drinks the same three kinds of tea you blended for him year-round. Your Majesty truly cares about you, you, and never forgets you."

Yun Zhao listened silently, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the warm teacup.

Wang Gui observed her expression and continued in a low voice, "Your Majesty has not set foot in the harem for over a year. He often reviews memorials late into the night, and when he's tired...he sleeps in the side halls of Yanying Palace. The furnishings in that hall are still as they were when you were here, and no one is allowed to touch anything without permission."

Yun Zhao sighed softly, raised his eyes to look at Wang Gui, and said with understanding: "So, today, the eunuch is here to act as a lobbyist."

Wang Gui immediately acted terrified and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Majesty, please understand! Your Majesty must not know this, otherwise I will lose both my head and my tongue! Your Majesty, the Yikun Palace has already been tidied up and is meticulously cleaned every day. If you agree to become your empress, I will be loyal and serve you and Your Majesty with all my heart. After all, you are the aunt I have accepted from the bottom of my heart!"

Yun Zhao frowned slightly and asked, expressing his greatest concern: "Does Eunuch really think I'm fit for the position of Empress? If the Empress's family becomes too powerful one day, can Your Majesty truly rest easy? Since ancient times, when relatives of the Empress' family became powerful, few have had a happy ending."

Wang Gui took a half step forward, his voice lowered but remarkably clear, "Your Majesty, you worry too much. Your Majesty is not a narrow-minded, intolerant ruler. Your Majesty has his own wise and wise decisions regarding checks and balances. Your Majesty, for now, the best policy is to accept it. In my humble opinion, there is no one in the world more suitable to rule the country than you."

Yun Zhao, however, revealed another key reality: "I'm afraid the cabinet elders won't agree. They already have their preferred empress candidate in mind, someone who can better balance the political situation, and it's definitely not me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gui's eyes gleamed, and he smiled. "Although Your Majesty is far away in Jinzhou, she still cares deeply about the affairs of the capital and is fully aware of the goings-on in the court. So... Your Majesty still cares about Your Majesty. If Your Majesty knew this, I wonder how relieved and happy he would be!"

Yun Zhao didn't deny it. She did often think of that deep palace, of that emperor who was sometimes cold and cruel, sometimes naive, but who ultimately shouldered the responsibility of governing a vast country.

When I think of this, my heart is filled with mixed emotions.

Silence stretched between the two of them for a long time. She finally spoke softly, her tone slow and clear: "This matter... please allow me to think it over carefully."

Wang Gui nodded in agreement: "Of course we should consider it. After all, this is a matter of great importance to the country."

Yun Zhao, however, was still worried and continued, "Eunuch, I always think that we should escort His Majesty back to the capital as soon as possible. The Oirat are cunning and brutal, and are definitely not easy to deal with. As you know, Your Majesty's grandfather collapsed after being captured, and after returning, he sparked a struggle for the throne..."

Her tone was earnest, each word tinged with worry: "As long as you agree to arrange a return to the capital, Your Majesty will definitely set off."