That evening, Xuan Yuanzhan deliberately skipped official business and returned early to spend time with Su Xuening.
After a tender moment, the two ordered hot water.
Before Bihe and Lülian could serve him, Xuanyuan Zhan waved them away.
He carried Su Xuening to the bathtub himself.
Su Xuening originally wanted to wash herself, but Xuan Yuanzhan shamelessly squeezed in to help her, and she had no choice but to do so.
Su Xuening was initially shy, but after a while, she realized that he was genuinely helping her wash, and she became less shy.
After washing her up, Xuan Yuanzhan carried Su Xuening back to bed.
"You will be setting off for Northern Wei the day after tomorrow, and I will accompany you," Xuan Yuanzhan said softly, embracing Su Xuening.
Su Xuening suddenly looked up, surprised, and said, "You're going too? What about Dong Chu?"
He just ascended the throne, how can he possibly leave?
Xuanyuan Zhan raised an eyebrow noncommittally: "Anyway, nothing major is happening in Dongchu right now, and the Xuanwu Divine Beast has already appeared, hasn't it? With it protecting Dongchu, nothing serious will happen."
...Su Xuening looked at Xuan Yuanzhan speechlessly: "Does the Xuanwu Divine Beast know that you have entrusted it with such a great responsibility?"
Xuanyuan Zhan pinched the tip of her nose: "This is not a responsibility I gave it, but a responsibility that it inherently has as the guardian beast of Eastern Chu!"
Su Xuening was defeated by him: "Are you really going to come with us? You've only just ascended the throne, do you think the ministers will let you go to Northern Wei?"
Xuanyuan Zhan snorted: "If I still need to be controlled by them, then what kind of emperor am I!"
Su Xuening was instantly amused and gave him a thumbs up.
These are truly words he would say; he would probably say the same thing to those ministers in court.
"I would be happy if you could come along."
They had only been together for a short time, and she naturally didn't want to be separated from him again so soon.
But she would definitely need to go with her mother and Yun'an to find her father. So it would be best if he could come along too.
Xuanyuan Zhan smiled, and affectionately lowered his head to kiss her forehead: "Let's leave Xiaobao with Mother, and let Mother take care of him."
Su Xuening frowned, remained silent for a moment, and shook her head, saying, "Let's take care of him ourselves. Xiao Bao doesn't drink the wet nurse's milk. If we leave Xiao Bao here, he will go hungry."
She didn't know Xiao Bao was such a picky eater, so she left him in Xiliang with her mother. But she didn't expect Xiao Bao to refuse to drink his wet nurse's milk and lose a lot of weight in just a few days.
They don't know when they'll be back from their trip to Northern Wei. What if they're gone for months? How can she leave Xiaobao to starve in Eastern Chu?
Xuanyuan Zhan didn't think that much about it; he only thought that the situation in Northern Wei was unclear, and it wouldn't be safe to take Xiaobao there.
However, Ning'er's idea is also correct. Xiao Bao only drinks her milk. If Xiao Bao is left in Dong Chu, it will be difficult for the Empress Dowager to take care of him.
"Then take him with you to Northern Wei, and keep a close eye on him there."
With so many of them around, they should be fine.
"Mm." Su Xuening nodded, thinking that she would definitely stay by Xiaobao's side at all times.
The next morning, when Xuanyuan Zhan attended the morning court, he told the officials about his trip to Northern Wei. As they expected, the officials objected.
But their objections were useless. Xuanyuan Zhan did not take their opinions seriously and directly announced that after his departure, the Empress Dowager would rule as regent, with Marquis Dingping assisting her.
The officials naturally voiced their opposition.
It's one thing for Marquis Dingping to assist in governing the country—he's a prince, after all—but what's with the Empress Dowager ruling as regent? It's like a hen crowing at dawn!
In short, there were all sorts of opposing views, and all sorts of opinions were expressed!
No matter how much they objected, it was useless; Xuanyuan Zhan simply announced the end of the court session.
The courtiers were completely helpless against Xuanyuan Zhan!
The new emperor ascended the throne in accordance with the late emperor's will. In addition, the previous emperor's sons were either dead or exiled, leaving only the eldest prince who was stripped of his title.
Now, the new emperor is the only son of his kind, and he is completely acting on his own initiative, refusing to listen to their opinions at all, yet they are powerless to stop him.
Now they understand that the new emperor is far more powerful than the previous one.
In the past, no matter how muddled the previous emperor was, he would at least listen to their opinions. But the new emperor doesn't play by the rules at all, treating their words as nothing and completely ignoring them.
Even the imperial censor's dying remonstrance wouldn't have any effect!
As the officials left the court, they all shook their heads with sighs.
"Tell me, how can the Emperor allow the Empress Dowager to rule as regent? What kind of behavior is this!"
"How can the empress dowager interfere in politics? Wouldn't that plunge the country into chaos?"
"What does a woman know about politics? The Emperor is just randomly matchmaking people up!"
"You all say that if the Emperor can let the Empress Dowager interfere in politics, why doesn't he just hand over the affairs of Eastern Chu to the Empress?"
"Yes, didn't he say that the Empress's power was equal to his? Then why doesn't he let the Empress rule? The Empress is the Crown Princess of Xiliang, which is much stronger than the Empress Dowager, who is just a woman and a child!"
"It is estimated that the Emperor will bring the Empress with him on his trip to Northern Wei."
"Why do you think the Emperor suddenly wants to go to Northern Wei?"
"That's right, he's only been on the throne for a few days, why is he already heading to Northern Wei again!"
"Who knows? Anyway, with the Empress Dowager in charge of the Eastern Chu government, we're probably in for a lot of trouble!"
Chengqian Palace.
When Bai Fuya heard that Xuan Yuanzhan wanted to hand over the administration of Eastern Chu to her, she was shocked: "If you hand over Eastern Chu to me, what can I do?"
Xuanyuan Zhan, however, had complete faith in her: "Don't underestimate yourself. These are just trivial matters. I believe you can handle them. If there are any difficult ones, you can discuss them with Mu Lingchen. If that doesn't work, you can send me a message by carrier pigeon. Or, if they're not urgent, you can leave them here and I'll deal with them when I get back."
Even if he goes to Northern Wei to find General Su, he probably won't be gone for long. Surely he won't be gone for a whole year!
Bai Fuya was still a little worried, but Duanmu Junyu smiled and encouraged her: "Since Zhan'er trusts you so much, don't refuse him. Let those old fogies see that we women are not to be underestimated!"
Could it be that Xuanyuan Zhan doesn't look down on women? Just based on that alone, it's enough for her to admire him!
Since Xuan Yuanzhan had put it that way, Bai Fuya had no choice but to agree: "Alright then, I'll give it a try."
Although she hasn't approved many memorials, it probably wouldn't be too difficult for her.
Xuanyuan Zhan had complete faith in her: "You can definitely do it."
From a very young age, he always felt that his mother was a person of great wisdom. A person with such wisdom could easily handle these small matters.
Bai Fuya smiled and gave him a reproachful look: "You, you're always causing me trouble. I don't even have a chance to enjoy my retirement!"
"Of course there's a chance! Once we return from Northern Wei, you can enjoy your retirement however you like!" Xuan Yuanzhan hadn't even left yet, and he was already making empty promises to Bai Fuya.
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