Chapter 55: Grandmother and Uncle
The public execution did not end until sunset because Emperor Jingdi sat there and chatted with the people.
When they returned to the bedroom, the maid held the lamp and lit the candles. The warm light flickered and reflected on the faces of the four people.
The king is here, wild and desolate, bright and glorious, and the whole river is full.
They sat on the mat and discussed future development.
The house was filled with the aroma of hot tea, and Manchuan drank a cup of tea happily with a smile on his face that never stopped.
Ming He frowned and said worriedly: "The people who were killed today were all high-ranking officials. They usually relied on the Empress Dowager. Although we have cleared the court of the cancer, we have also offended the Empress Dowager."
At this point, Manchuan stopped smiling, and his eyes wrinkled with worry. "This is not good."
After saying that, she secretly glanced at Jun Lin's expression, and finally swallowed what she wanted to say.
The Empress Dowager had only one biological son, the late emperor, but the late emperor was obsessed with love all his life and only married one wife and had one son.
She hated Jun Lin's biological mother and also hated Jun Lin, because the harem was supposed to be a place for concubines to gather and expand, and to compete to select a better heir for the Jing Kingdom.
The late emperor had kept Junlin's gender a secret since birth, and announced to the Empress Dowager and the world that he was a prince. Although there was no way around it, he was a boy after all, and as the only child, she had to inherit the throne.
The Empress Dowager's disgust became even stronger, but as time went by, she realized that since this child was the future Emperor Jing, he was her only support, so she changed her attitude towards her and became amiable.
Five years ago, the Grand Empress Dowager took her adopted son Junxun to Jinglin Villa for recuperation and has not returned since. Junlin's uncle Junxun is an adopted son, so the person who is closest to her by blood is only the Grand Empress Dowager.
How should an emperor face his loved ones who have been angered?
Will he compromise and admit his mistake to please the Empress Dowager?
Jun Lin had just finished her tea when she looked up and saw three pairs of eyes staring at her. She paused and asked in confusion, "Why are you looking at me?"
Manhuang was honest and straightforward: "Lord, how are you going to explain this to the Empress Dowager?"
After she finished speaking, the three of them held their breath, extremely nervous, holding onto the corners of her clothes tightly, waiting for her answer.
Jun Lin was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly smiled: "Why worry? We won't care about it, and besides..."
Thinking of this, her smile became softer.
Moreover, in the entire palace, the person she cared about most was her younger uncle, the Emperor Jun Yan.
Ever since Junlin was born, her health has been poor. The late emperor's mind was all on his wife, and the Empress Dowager hated her, so it was her uncle who raised her single-handedly.
She still remembers that not long after she was born, the twelve-year-old boy was at a loss and held her in his arms as if she were a treasure.
Jun Yan would be so happy watching her babbling that he couldn't sleep at night. When he saw her stumbling into his arms just after learning to walk, he would hold her in circles and praise her for a long time.
Although Jun Lin, as an adult, did not need the company of a child, after coming to this world, Jun Xian still did his best to give her a happy childhood.
Their relationship was so good that Jun Lin didn't call him imperial uncle, but just called him "little uncle" affectionately all day long.
Every time she called him, Jun Xun rubbed her head, his love and affection overflowing.
Jun Lin softened his expression, picked up the cup and sipped the tea, and said soothingly: "As long as the Empress Dowager doesn't rush back in the near future, it will be fine. If she wants to come back..."
The gentle expression suddenly turned serious: "Then you have to be careful that she seizes power."
She said what the ministers dared not say.
The air was quiet for a moment.
Ming He smiled in relief: "It's good that the head of the family knows it in his heart. The Empress Dowager had ulterior motives in infiltrating the court with her own connections. Now that you have eliminated her minions, if she rushes back, then civil unrest is inevitable."
Manchuan snorted: "Minghe is really brave."
Jun Lin quickly comforted the grumpy old man: "Okay, Mr. Man, you can speak frankly from now on. I'm not that old-fashioned. I'll accept whatever makes sense."
After that, they discussed the officials' duties and response measures, and then they dispersed to rest.
Jun Lin walked to the window, opened it and looked at the moon which was half covered by clouds. His thoughts had already drifted to southern Xinjiang.
I don’t know how much one person can handle in this year.
…
Jinglin Villa.
The breeze blew and the leaves rustled.
The carved door was pushed open, the maidservants who were serving withdrew politely, and a close minister knelt in front of the woman who was reciting Buddhist scriptures with her eyes closed.
Although she is over fifty, she still looks very well-maintained, wearing simple clothes and turning Buddhist beads while praying devoutly.
"Grand Empress Dowager, Governor Li and Minister Liu were killed by His Majesty today."
The hand that was turning the Buddhist beads paused for a moment and then continued to turn them. She squinted her eyes and said nothing, as if she was not upset about the loss of two people.
The minister wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and said very cautiously, "As for the rest of us, we were all executed by His Majesty..."
God knows how much courage he must have taken to say this.
“Pah—”
The Buddhist beads were smashed to the ground, the string broke, the beads scattered, the minister's legs suddenly went limp and he knelt on the ground, his head pressed against the ground, trembling, "Grand Empress Dowager, please calm down, Grand Empress Dowager, please calm down..."
"Okay, this unfilial grandson, okay——"
She was so angry that her chest heaved violently and her breathing became rapid. Her eyes were filled with hatred and rage, and she wished she could burn Emperor Jing to ashes right now.
He actually dared to kill all her people, clearly showing that he did not take her, the Imperial Grandmother, seriously.
"Call Jun Yan."
"Yes... yes, I will go right away..."
The ministers were about to leave in a hurry, but at that moment the door opened and a person came in with a charming and alluring face like a fairy among flowers.
The flickering red candlelight shone on the pointed chin, the brows were long and gentle, the nose was high, and the lip color was as beautiful as the cherry blossoms in the courtyard.
The corners of his eyes were narrow and upturned, and his pupils were naturally filled with starlight and water color. His long, slender and thick eyelashes hung down like crow feathers, covering the brilliance in his eyes.
Her face was different from Jun Lin's bright and ostentatious charm. Instead, it was as graceful, soft and quiet as the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River.
Although she is already 32 years old this year, she is still youthful and breathtakingly beautiful.
When the close minister saw someone coming, he tactfully withdrew. He did not have the courage to know about the Empress Dowager's romantic affairs.
The Empress Dowager laughed in anger, raised her finger and pointed at his nose, scolding: "Look at what you have been pampering since childhood. You only have you in your eyes, not me, the Imperial Grandmother?"
Jun Xun was as calm as a pool of stagnant water, he just stood there without saying a word.
She stared at his charming face and felt a little relieved. She raised her hand to touch him, but the man dodged her without leaving a trace.
She got angry and said viciously: "Why are you pretending to be so noble? Don't you know why I adopted you? It's this face that gave you everything. Why don't you want to serve me for so many years? Are you waiting for your little nephew to take your virginity?"
Ugly, immoral, disgusting, and spicy words spewed out of her like a venomous snake. The man lost his composure. His eyes were filled with anger and his delicate features were grim: "Mother, be careful with your words."
The Empress Dowager looked at him with disdain and said coldly: "If your little nephew knew that the uncle she worshipped was my male favorite, she would hate you so much."
"You are nothing but a pile of mud. You are nothing but this face. Who are you pretending to be innocent for? Who are you keeping your virginity for? If I really want to, I can take you anytime."
Jun Xian then lifted his eyelids and looked directly at her. Looking at the woman's ugly desire, his eyes were as calm as water.
He turned and walked away, no longer paying attention to the malicious words from the people behind him.
It doesn't matter.
He didn't care about the maids and eunuchs pointing fingers at him, or what outsiders thought of him; he didn't care.
Like a gorgeous blooming Lycoris radiata, attracting countless people's drooling, but this man is actually a pure lotus in his bones, elegant and holy, and he still has a pure body.
He was a man who would rather die in glory than live in dishonor. It was precisely because of this that the Empress Dowager only dared to vent her anger with vicious words and did not dare to force him, otherwise, the man she had set her eyes on would become a dead body.