Seeing that she was busy, Xu Zifan got up to take his leave. The Empress Dowager wanted to persuade him to stay, as Xu Zifan was her greatest asset now, and she wished she could be with him every day, rekindling their childhood sweetheart feelings and making him as obedient to her as before. But Xu Zifan left without a word, and her pleas were useless, which made her somewhat disheartened. In the past few months, Xu Zifan had seen her less desirable side, perhaps realizing she wasn't as good as she used to be, which was why he had distanced himself? But she was powerless now, and even the Fu family was on the verge of collapse; she could do nothing but rely on Xu Zifan.
As Xu Zifan walked through the palace, he felt a stark contrast to when he first transmigrated. Back then, if the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had been more alert and joined forces with several high-ranking officials to deal with him, he would have had to expend considerable effort. But instead, he had used a series of events to distract them, making them focus on other things, and then influencing their psychology step by step, gradually building up to where they were today. Their power had collapsed, and they had become canaries in his cage.
The current masters residing in this palace are all surrounded by his men. Their every move is under his control, like a play he orchestrates, dictating their every action. With his power, ascending the throne would be effortless, but that's futile. His mission is to inflict excruciating pain upon them. Overthrowing them outright would only breed hatred; he wants them to accumulate enough regrets to haunt them later. Every wrong step they take will be a dagger plunged into their hearts.
Xu Zifan went to see the emperor, who looked displeased and stared at him, asking, "Does the Regent know about loyalty to the emperor and love for the country?"
Xu Zifan didn't respond to his words, but said, "Judging from what the Emperor said in Anci Palace, it seems that the Emperor is extremely dissatisfied with the Fu family? When the Imperial Noble Consort recognized her relatives before, the Emperor had already stripped Fu Lin of his official position and ordered him to retire to his home. If the Emperor does anything more to the Fu family, it would be too embarrassing for the Fu family, as the Empress Dowager's maternal family and the Emperor's in-laws. At least we can't let the Imperial Noble Consort's father lose face."
"I don't need you to teach me how to do things!" After saying that, the emperor suddenly seized on his last sentence. He couldn't let the Imperial Noble Consort's father lose face. Wasn't the Imperial Noble Consort's father Fu Cheng? Fu Cheng was the eldest son of the Fu family. The family didn't split up because he was gone. Otherwise, how could Fu Lin be the head of the Fu family?
The emperor suddenly thought of a way to deal with the Fu family, but he still didn't give Xu Zifan a friendly look. "Regent, you have disobeyed my orders time and time again. What are your true intentions?"
Xu Zifan twirled the ring on his finger and said with a faint smile, "As the Regent, I naturally have to think about the court and cannot allow the Emperor to make mistakes that could jeopardize the court. When Your Majesty embraced the Imperial Concubine today, your shoulder injury must have hurt again, right? I remember the imperial physician saying that if Your Majesty's shoulder injury is not healed properly, your right hand will be unable to exert force in the future, which would be equivalent to being unable to write or review memorials. Your Majesty disregards your own health for the sake of a concubine; this is truly the behavior of a foolish ruler."
"presumptuous!"
"Honest advice is hard to hear. Your Majesty, please do not act willfully in the future, otherwise your ministers and I will have no choice but to continue to offer our honest advice. I am busy with state affairs, so I will take my leave now." Xu Zifan got up and was about to leave, but stopped at the door and said, "Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. Your Majesty, you can't even manage the affairs of these few people in the harem. How can you govern the world? You should investigate the matter of the imperial heir thoroughly, lest you become a laughing stock."
The emperor stared in disbelief at Xu Zifan's retreating figure, then slammed his hand down on his desk. He had assumed he was now in power, had Xu Zifan under control, and could gradually strip him of his authority later. But today, all of that was shattered. He suddenly remembered that since the Empress Dowager had gone to the imperial palace, Xu Zifan had rarely met with him privately. Each time they did meet privately, Xu Zifan was neither servile nor arrogant, completely unlike his submissive and submissive demeanor in court. So, was it all just an act by Xu Zifan? But why?
The emperor was furious and humiliated, overwhelmed by the shame of being played. What could be more disheartening than thinking oneself superior only to discover one is nothing? Especially since he was the emperor, yet he was powerless against a mere subject, completely outmaneuvered by him. What could he, as emperor, possibly do?
The emperor calmed down, weighing his own power and planning how to deal with Xu Zifan. He realized that what had initially seemed like a winning strategy was rapidly turning into a dead end, and he was at a loss for how to salvage the situation. Previously, he had relied on the Empress Dowager to cultivate his own confidants, and the Fu family also held some influence. His plan then was to marry several daughters of high-ranking officials as empresses or concubines, thus winning them over to join forces against Xu Zifan—a plan that would have given him a high chance of success. But now, his empress and imperial concubine offered him no assistance whatsoever and even caused trouble. What had he been doing all this time?
The next morning at court, an unremarkable official suggested that the emperor select concubines to enrich the harem and ensure the continuation of the imperial line. Before anyone could react, the emperor agreed, ordering all eligible women from the families of officials to participate in the selection. Afterwards, the emperor conferred the title of Duke Cheng'en upon Fu Cheng, and then fabricated several charges against Fu Lin, demoting him to a commoner and banishing him from the capital.
Xu Zifan expressed no objection to either of these matters. Other ministers offered some advice, but the Emperor had already made up his mind. He couldn't handle the major issues himself, but he could certainly help Fu Lin vent his anger for Furong. Once he had selected several daughters of high-ranking officials to enter the palace, he could then deal with Xu Zifan. The two matters were thus settled. Upon receiving the news, the Empress Dowager hurriedly summoned Xu Zifan to the palace, but Xu Zifan only conveyed one sentence to her: "The Fu family still exists, and they still hold the title of Duke of Cheng'en. There is no need to worry. Fu Lin's conduct is improper, and he has failed to properly educate his daughter; he deserves this punishment."
The Empress Dowager was furious, but her health improved remarkably and she didn't faint again. She remembered Xu Zifan saying that the Fu family would never fall, which had reassured her. She never expected things to turn out this way. The Fu family hadn't fallen, but what good was Fu Cheng's death? Her maternal family was utterly finished; she had lost all her power!
Fu Lin's home was ransacked, and his entire family was expelled from Beijing, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.
Everyone was curious about what had happened, and why the Empress Dowager and the Empress's maternal families had encountered trouble. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had issued a gag order regarding the miscarriage, and not many people knew about it yet. However, Xu Zifan took this opportunity to have the news spread, and also mentioned what Fu Lin and the Empress Dowager had done in the past.
The news that the Empress, consumed by jealousy, had caused the Imperial Noble Consort's miscarriage spread like wildfire, shocking the people. However, seeing the fate of the Fu family, they believed the news to be true. The Empress instantly became a vicious, jealous woman, and the crimes plaguing Fu Lin made him a ruthless official who preyed on the people. Even the public's impression of the Empress Dowager plummeted; she was seen as a wicked woman for wanting to kill the Imperial Noble Consort while protecting the Empress. Of course, some believed that the Emperor's favoritism towards his concubine and neglect of his wife was what had driven his mother and first wife to such a state. In any case, their entire family's reputation was ruined, providing ample material for unofficial historical accounts.
The officials were all troubled, especially the higher-ranking ministers. Their daughters would undoubtedly be chosen as concubines by the emperor, but the imperial court was rife with corruption and chaos; it didn't seem like a good place for them. The emperor had dismissed the Fu family so easily for the sake of Furong; if the blame fell on them, wouldn't the emperor dismiss them just as easily? Perhaps the lower-ranking officials were happy that their daughters could enter the palace and try their luck at immense wealth, but the ministers simply wanted to avoid it altogether.
Officials who had sought refuge with Xu Zifan came to him for advice. Xu Zifan's daughter was of marriageable age, and they believed he would surely have a solution. However, Xu Zifan simply told them to be patient, explaining that the selection of a concubine required much preparation and couldn't be done on a whim. He suggested they could easily create some excuse to postpone it. This postponement offered many possibilities: engagement, marriage, illness—any of these would suffice, and who would be able to keep an eye on things?
There are many things to do in the world. Following Xu Zifan's advice, the officials exaggerated some things that were usually kept from the emperor. One flood, which wasn't too serious, was exaggerated and reported to the emperor. There were many places that needed manpower and money to deal with the flood, so the selection of concubines had to be postponed. The emperor was initially unconvinced, but when he appointed one of his own people as imperial envoy, he found that Xu Zifan did not object. This was an opportunity to make a contribution, and he was even more pleased.
To capitalize on this success and promote his own people, the emperor arranged several positions for them, placing almost all of his men in these roles. Ministers were always divided into factions, and while not everyone knew the exact affiliation of others, they could at least guess. The emperor's actions drew criticism from many officials who were originally in charge of flood control, but since it was the emperor's order and the regent had agreed, no one dared to object. Few truly approved of the emperor's abilities; they felt he handled state affairs haphazardly, like playing house, and was incredibly unreliable.
The Emperor was temporarily pleased in court, but returned to the inner palace feeling depressed. Xiao Shunzi and Mo Yun interrogated the second-class palace maid, who confessed that she had been instructed by the Empress Dowager to arrange these events. The Empress Dowager naturally denied this, claiming that Mo Yun had arranged for the maid to fake her death to escape, making it appear to outsiders as a suicide. The Empress Dowager was unable to defend herself, and the Empress looked at her with resentment and fear, returning to her palace that very day, nervously rejecting any attempts at appeasement from the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager also had a huge argument. The Emperor accused the Empress Dowager of being a poisonous woman, while the Empress Dowager accused the Emperor of framing her. Mother and son hated each other to the core, but with no one to testify, the Empress Dowager could only suffer in silence. The Emperor felt guilty and pity for Furong, so he naturally left the power to manage the six palaces to her. The Empress Dowager's smugness upon returning to the palace vanished, and she felt that something was wrong. Even Xu Zifan refused to see her again because of this outcome.
The Empress Dowager naturally refused to accept this outcome and was constantly frowning. Mo Yun seized every opportunity to sow discord between them, offering advice while subtly suggesting that the Empress Dowager should think about the Emperor's filial impiety.
The Empress Dowager suddenly locked herself in her room for three days, forbidding anyone from entering except for mealtimes. Upon emerging, she instructed Mo Yun to win over the imperial physicians and ascertain the sex of the Empress's fetus. Mo Yun's heart skipped a beat; she guessed what the Empress Dowager was planning. She was somewhat surprised and gained a deeper understanding of the Empress Dowager's cold-blooded ruthlessness. If the Empress Dowager still possessed the power she once had, with a few confidants and the Regent as her backer, she could truly be the undisputed ruler of the palace, showing no regard for the Emperor. Fortunately, she had already eliminated all of the Empress Dowager's influence; the Empress Dowager's plan would only have succeeded or failed halfway.
While winning over the imperial physicians, Mo Yun also sent messages to Xu Zifan, Xiao Shunzi, and Qi Hong, instructing them to prepare. The Empress was only three months pregnant, so how could it be possible to determine the sex of the baby? However, the Empress Dowager was not knowledgeable in medicine. When the imperial physicians replied that they were absolutely certain the Empress was carrying a boy, half of the weight on the Empress Dowager's heart was lifted.