Meeting the Emperor (Part 3)
The rain outside the palace had subsided at some point, pattering softly on the bluestone pavement, splashing up countless tiny droplets.
The rapid patter of raindrops struck Emperor Zhaowen's heart like an invisible hand gripping his neck, making it hard for him to breathe.
A strange, metallic taste rose in his throat. He frowned, gritted his teeth, and swallowed the blood.
The flickering candlelight inside the hall was unsettling.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's angry voice, Emperor Zhaowen's breath hitched, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched unconsciously.
After a long silence, he finally spoke with difficulty: "Ce'an is Xiao Jiu's only son, I will not treat him like that."
Upon hearing the name "Xiao Jiu," the Empress Dowager's furrowed brows relaxed, and the anger on her face lessened, replaced by a look of sorrow.
Zhou Xujiu, Zhou Yanzhi's father, the deceased Prince An, was once a sickly but talented scholar who was famous throughout the capital.
The beaded curtain swayed in the wind, making a clear and ethereal sound.
For a moment, the atmosphere inside the hall became inexplicably heavy.
After a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager's voice softened. She looked up at Emperor Zhaowen, whose temples were already streaked with white, and a hint of pain flashed in her eyes.
Speaking again, she said earnestly, "Your Majesty, since you still remember 'Little Nine,' then you should remember that winter when you were only nine years old, you fell into the water. It was Little Nine, who was only seven years old, who jumped into the water and did his best to lift you up, saving you. From then on, you were left with a chronic illness."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaowen lowered his hand and trembled uncontrollably, a layer of guilt spreading across his eyes.
For a moment, he seemed to see Zhou Xujiu as a child again, following behind him and calling out "brother".
Although he was not the queen's biological son, and although his birth mother was only a lowly songstress.
But Zhou Xujiu ignored him and continued to call him "brother," even willing to give his own life to save him from drowning.
He had also asked Zhou Xujiu privately why he was so good to him when he was not his mother's biological son.
I vaguely remember that when he heard this question, Zhou Xujiu, who was still running a high fever, forced himself to sit up and asked him in a hoarse voice, "Why else could there be? Of course, it's because you're my brother!"
"But I am not my mother's biological son."
"So what? We grew up together! Surely our bond isn't worth as much as that insignificant blood relation?"
...
The rain outside the palace gradually stopped, and the crisp chirping of birds came from outside the window. After the rain, the sky was clear and blue. After the downpour, it was truly springtime.
Gradually, the magnificent colorful clouds spread across the entire sky, looking like a beautiful brocade of flowing light from afar—red, orange, purple, pink…
The various colors intertwine, yet they do not appear chaotic; instead, they complement each other perfectly, creating an incredibly dreamlike effect.
The Empress Dowager blinked, turned her head to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and continued in a deep voice, "As a result, he died young, Jieyuan lost her husband at an early age, and Ce'an lost his father at a young age, and they have no memory of Xiao Jiu at all!"
She paused, her voice growing deeper, and the weariness hidden deep in her heart surged up in an instant, carrying a strong sense of powerlessness.
"Therefore, Your Majesty, you should know that since Xiao Jiu was willing to risk his life to save you back then, his child will not betray you now."
"But you, not only did you not trust Ce'an, you even beat him..."
Sensing the disappointment in the Empress Dowager's words, Emperor Zhaowen trembled violently, and then—
With a "thump".
"Mother!" He knelt straight down on the ground, ignoring the metallic taste rising in his throat. He looked up at the Empress Dowager above him and said urgently, "I was wrong. I won't do it again. I really won't!"
"Never again..."
A sigh suddenly came from above, followed by a rustling sound.
The Empress Dowager slowly stood up and used a little force to pull Emperor Zhaowen up from the ground.
Meeting his gaze, which was filled with guilt yet tinged with fear, the Empress Dowager reached out and straightened his dragon robe, which had become somewhat disheveled from the action.
Then, she paused for a moment and sighed, "Since your birth mother passed away, you have been raised by my side. Therefore, to me, you are both the emperor and my servant."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaowen's lips moved almost imperceptibly twice.
The Empress Dowager continued, "I know that you have always been afraid of the military power I hold."
Emperor Zhaowen froze abruptly, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes: "Mother, I... no, Lu'er... Lu'er..."
In his haste, Emperor Zhaowen became somewhat incoherent and could not express himself clearly.
"Enough." The Empress Dowager sighed, raised her hand and patted his shoulder, saying lightly, "I know that as the emperor, even if you are not afraid, the court officials will be afraid of the military power in my hands."
Although the military power I hold was truly acquired by myself during the campaigns fought alongside the late emperor.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's last words, a trace of shame flashed in Emperor Zhaowen's eyes. His aged face turned as red as if he had been slapped hard.
Indeed, as the emperor, he was very wary of the military power held by the empress dowager, after all, an army of 100,000 was no small number.
If he were the Empress Dowager's biological son, it would be fine, but unfortunately, he is not. Naturally, he cannot treat such a powerful "Empress Dowager" with a normal attitude.
Therefore, over the years, he has continuously cultivated his confidants, consolidated military power, and secretly suppressed the Empress Dowager's maternal clan, weakening their influence. All this was so that one day he could stop that army of 100,000.
The candlelight flickered, and the Zichen Palace was utterly silent for a moment, with only two breaths, one rapid and one slow, making a sound.
The rapid breathing belonged to Emperor Zhaowen. He dared not refute the Empress Dowager's words, nor could he utter a word of rebuttal, for they were indeed his own thoughts.
The other calm and gentle breathing sound came from the Empress Dowager. Looking at the weathered emperor before her, she sighed silently in her heart.
I vaguely remember when I was young, the Northern Yi tribes attacked and conquered the northern part of Dazhao. Many people in the northern cities were displaced, and the Dazhao Dynasty was on the verge of collapse.
When she insisted on going to the north with the late emperor to kill the northern barbarians despite the opposition of the court officials, those pedantic and rigid officials said the same thing.
"The Empress is a woman; how can a woman go to war and kill the enemy?!"
"If the Northern Barbarians see this, they'll think our Great Zhao is a weak nation!"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, please rescind your decree!"
"..."
At the time, she was still young and impetuous. Upon hearing this, she was so indignant that she drew her sword and rushed out from behind the curtain where she was hiding.
Ignoring the embarrassed or angry looks from the courtiers, she suddenly raised her sword and shouted, "So what if I am a woman?!"
May I ask you, is there anyone here who dares to step forward and challenge me to a duel?
"If we are defeated, that will be a true disgrace! That will truly make the Northern Barbarians think that our Great Zhao is weak!"
Glancing at the ugly faces of the court officials, she sneered, ignoring their noisy rebukes, and continued sternly: "You civil officials, you certainly have a silver tongue, always spouting off about etiquette and human relations."
But when it comes to real combat and sending you to the battlefield, you only know how to make excuses and cower in the back.
I think that if everyone can only talk a good game, then they might as well cut off their tongues!
When the people are starving, it can be used as food to help them fill their stomachs!
After saying that, she made a move to draw her sword and cut off her tongue.
...
"Empress."
"Mother."
The voice of the late emperor in memory intertwined with the voice of Emperor Zhaowen in reality.
The Empress Dowager snapped out of her daze, raised her eyelashes, and met Emperor Zhaowen's sparkling eyes: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will soon hand over military power to the Crown Prince."
"Your Majesty, having sat on this throne for so long, I believe you should know which of your princes is truly capable of becoming the ruler of this country."
Emperor Zhaowen remained silent, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
He knew perfectly well who it was, but...
Suddenly, a slightly heavy touch came from his shoulder. Emperor Zhaowen turned his head and saw that the Empress Dowager had walked to his side and was placing one hand on his shoulder.
With a slight lift of her eyelashes, the Empress Dowager's voice carried a chilling aura: "Lu'er, if you haven't made a decision yet, in order to protect the Great Zhao Dynasty, your mother doesn't mind helping you make the decision."
After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhaowen lowered his head and said, "Lü'er understands."
After the Empress Dowager left, the palace returned to calm, but Emperor Zhaowen's heart could no longer find peace.
Thump, thump, thump...
Each sound grew louder than the last.
After a while, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with a murderous look.
"Someone come here."
...
On the other side, in a side hall of the Zichen Palace.
After wrapping the last layer of gauze, Qi Minghua straightened up and let out a long sigh.
Su Feng, who had just finished his shift and rushed over, glanced at the blood-stained basin beside him, then looked at Zhou Yanzhi, who was wrapped in gauze in front of him.
After holding back for a while, he finally couldn't help but speak up: "It's fortunate that His Majesty's inkstone didn't hit his eyes, otherwise our peerless Lord Zhou would have become a one-eyed hero."
His words were filled with a subtle dissatisfaction with Emperor Zhaowen's actions.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi, whose head was wrapped in gauze, frowned: "Yunyun, you must not say such things again."
Qi Minghua also said, "Watch your words."
The two weren't actually scolding him, but Su Feng was afraid that if these words were overheard by someone with ulterior motives, it might bring him trouble.
Su Feng naturally knew that the two meant well, so he immediately shut his mouth, though his face still showed resentment.
Ce'an was, after all, a member of the imperial clan and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a third-rank official. He came in clean and innocent, but left covered in blood.
Today's incident will likely make things difficult for Ce'an in the future.
“But Ce’an, Yunyun is right too.”
Qi Minghua tidied up his medicine box, took out a bottle of high-quality wound medicine, wrote a prescription on the spot, and handed it over, saying, "Take it three times a day. If you don't take good care of this injury, you'll probably have headaches every day in the future."
After taking the wound medicine and prescription, Zhou Yanzhi nodded silently. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "I will not be returning to the manor for the next few days. If my mother asks, just say it's just a minor injury, so as not to worry her."
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