Chapter 40 Mother and Son's Breakup
Yuwen Che looked at the Empress Dowager on the phoenix bed, who seemed to have lost all her energy and spirit in an instant, leaving only dejection and resentment—the mother who had put him on the throne. His eyes showed no emotion. He calmly turned and instructed Li Dehai, who was bowing in attendance, "Go and summon the imperial physician to properly treat the Empress Dowager. Make sure… that the Empress Dowager recovers her health."
The words "Phoenix in good health" sounded more like an instruction to ensure her long-term well-being at this moment.
After giving his instructions, he looked at the Empress Dowager again, his tone indifferent, as if stating a given fact: "Mother, you are getting old and your energy is waning. From now on, just stay in Cining Palace and quietly worship Buddha, enjoying your old age. You don't need to worry about the affairs of the inner palace anymore... or even the affairs of the court."
These words were like a final verdict, completely stripping the Empress Dowager of the last remaining power and freedom.
The Empress Dowager abruptly raised her head, her cloudy eyes filled with disbelief and a final struggle. Her voice was shrill: "You...you want to imprison me?! Yuwen Che! I am your birth mother! Your own mother!!"
“Birth mother?” Yuwen Che repeated the two words, a cold and sarcastic smile curving his lips. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, exuding an unassailable majesty. “Empress Dowager, back then, when Father was on the throne, you were the Empress. When you personally handed me that cup of poisoned wine, deceiving me into letting me personally serve it to… those brothers who had studied literature and martial arts with me, those with whom I shared brotherhood, what were you thinking? Did you ever consider even a trace of motherly affection? Did you ever think about how I… felt at that time?”
He took a step closer, his gaze sharp as a sword, seemingly able to pierce through all the Empress Dowager's pretenses and reach the most hidden corner of her heart: "Do you think that, even now, I wouldn't know what you're thinking?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling, all-knowing edge: "You're thinking of using the Shen family's affair to hold a grudge against Xue'er, how to find an opportunity to take revenge on her, even... like you eliminated Consort Roujia back then, to get rid of her without anyone noticing. Then you'll collude with another powerful family to carefully select a new, obedient empress for me, step by step, just as you manipulated my father back then, to continue to manipulate me, to manipulate the Great Zhou empire, so that you and your new maternal family can continue to enjoy that supreme power, is that it?"
Under Yuwen Che's relentless questioning, the Empress Dowager's face turned deathly pale, and her body trembled uncontrollably. All her thoughts and schemes were laid bare before this son.
“But Mother, you’ve forgotten.” Yuwen Che stood still, his black dragon robe gleaming coldly in the candlelight. He exuded an imperial aura forged in the crucible of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. “I am not a father who is indecisive and controlled by others.”
He slightly raised his chin, his eyes looking down arrogantly, and declared, word by word, an undeniable fact:
"I am Yuwen Che. I am the Yuwen Che who makes all the surrounding countries tremble with fear and whose iron hooves bow down in submission wherever they go!"
His voice was filled with absolute confidence and ruthlessness: "I am not foolish enough to hand over power to others, much less... to let my Xue'er repeat the mistakes of my father's Consort Roujia. No one, including you, can touch her in the slightest."
Having said that, he turned away from the Empress Dowager's desperate and resentful eyes, and strode away. The heavy palace doors slowly closed behind him, shutting out all light and hope, along with the Empress Dowager's unwilling sobs, from that magnificent yet cold Cining Palace.
From this day forward, no one in this deep palace could threaten Guanju Palace or his Xue'er. He used the most resolute method to clear away the last, and also the first, obstacle for his beloved.
The heavy palace doors behind him completely shut out the suffocating oppression and despair within the Cining Palace. Yuwen Che continued walking, his dark robes fluttering in the cold palace corridor, creating a soft rustling sound.
Just as he was about to step out of the Cining Palace, a faint, mournful cry from the Empress Dowager echoed from within the hall. The sound, piercing through the crack in the door, carried boundless desolation and regret, clearly reaching his ears:
"I... raised a... good emperor for the Great Zhou... but... I failed to raise a... good son..."
These words, like a tiny thorn, gently pricked Yuwen Che's heart, causing him to pause almost imperceptibly for a moment.
A good emperor? A good son?
His handsome, cold profile remained expressionless, yet a faint, elusive, complex emotion flickered in his deep eyes. Perhaps. He had become a competent, even formidable, emperor, clearing all obstacles and consolidating his rule. But in his mother's eyes, he was ultimately an unfilial son who had murdered his maternal clan and imprisoned his own mother.
The pause was so brief it was almost nonexistent. The slight ripple in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by an icy resolve. Without looking back, without even slowing down, he continued striding away from the palace that symbolized power struggles and the rift between mother and son.
His direction was clear and singular—Guanju Palace.
There, he found his only concern at that moment, a warmth that could melt the ice in his heart.
Inside Guanju Palace, a warm and cozy atmosphere filled the air, with a faint, soothing fragrance. Su Luoxue had already woken up, but after lying in bed for a long time, she felt a dull ache in her lower back. Fuling diligently attended to her, and seeing her discomfort, she carefully helped her sit up slowly. Then, she supported Su Luoxue, who was only wearing a soft nightgown, as they walked very slowly and deliberately around the bedchamber, stretching their stiff muscles.
"Your Majesty, please slow down... The imperial physician repeatedly instructed that you must rest in bed to ensure the safety of the pregnancy. We'll just walk for a little while and move around a bit, please don't tire yourself out." Fuling gently advised her while steadily supporting her.
Su Luoxue nodded gently. She knew what was important, but lying down for too long was really uncomfortable. She gently protected her lower abdomen with her hand, where her and Yuwen Che's shared bloodline was growing—two precious little lives.
Just then, familiar, steady footsteps came from outside the hall.
Yuwen Che appeared at the door. He had shed the cold and stern demeanor he had shown in Cining Palace, and there was a hint of weariness between his brows. But the moment he saw Su Luoxue, all his negative emotions melted away like ice and snow, and his eyes softened instantly.
He strode forward and naturally took Fuling's place. He stretched out his strong arm and gently but securely put his arm around Su Luoxue's waist, letting her lean most of her weight on him. He asked in a low voice, "Why did you get up? Are you feeling unwell?"
His return and the warmth of his embrace instantly eased all of Su Luoxue's soreness and discomfort. She leaned against him, looked up at him, and gave him a tender and dependent smile: "My back hurts from lying down for too long, so let Fuling help me walk around."
"Yes, just walk slowly for a while. Tell me if you get tired." Yuwen Che lowered his head, kissed the top of her head, and held her close, as if she were a fragile piece of glass, accompanying her as she slowly strolled around the palace.
From the cold indifference of Cining Palace to the tender warmth of Guanju Palace, it was merely a short distance along the palace path. For Yuwen Che, the former was the imperial path he had to bear, while the latter was his willing home. Here lay his beloved, the child he longed for, and the ordinary warmth he was willing to protect with everything. The bloodshed, the power struggles, and the scheming outside were all firmly kept outside this warm haven.
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