As the screams subsided, Mo Yun guessed that the Empress Dowager had given up interrogating them. She put the note she had just written into her silver hairpin and fastened it. Taking advantage of the chaos in Anci Palace, she changed into a maid's clothes, quickly climbed over the wall, and handed the note to a guard on duty to pass on. That guard was also one of Xu Zifan's factions in the palace. As soon as he left the palace, he went to the back wall of the Prince's mansion and crawled through a dog hole to find Xu Zifan.
The note read: "The Empress Dowager hosts a flower-viewing banquet; the Emperor and Empress meet; the Emperor's confidants are tortured, resulting in death or injury; Wen will be removed from office."
Xu Zifan was already used to these secret notes from An San. He immediately ordered De'an to spread the word that the Empress Dowager already knew about Furong's affair, telling the young ladies and wives that the Emperor was obsessed with Furong's rebellion against the Empress Dowager, leaving the Empress Dowager with no choice but to choose someone to fight Furong. He spread the message very discreetly, making those who knew the news feel that only they or a few others knew the secret. He achieved the desired effect while keeping the parties involved in the dark. This was a clever use of timing, location, and people's emotions, allowing him to grasp everyone's psychology. This plan was inseparable from his previous studies in psychology.
As for the Empress Dowager's torture of the Emperor's confidants, this was absolutely a case of being blinded by one's own power. The Empress Dowager had been enjoying her position for too long and had forgotten that her son was now the Emperor, no longer the obedient child. He didn't even need to do anything; the Emperor would be furious upon returning to the palace and would inevitably have his first argument with the Empress Dowager. Regardless of the outcome, their already fragile familial bond would completely crumble, leaving a huge, irreparable rift—perfect.
There was something else that surprised Xu Zifan, yet also felt somewhat expected: An San's swift execution of Wen Mama was tantamount to severing the Empress Dowager's arm, far exceeding his initial expectations when he sent her. However, An San's actions over this period made him feel that nothing she did would be surprising. Perhaps one day she would tell him that she had already eliminated all of the Empress Dowager's influence. He thought that even if that happened, he wouldn't be surprised; this was a woman with limitless power.
With An San in the palace, Xu Zifan was completely at ease about palace affairs and could focus entirely on infiltrating the court. He reviewed the memorials, identifying two vacancies requiring the transfer of officials. The emperor would undoubtedly be in a terrible mood tomorrow. If he added fuel to the fire by forcefully sending away the emperor's two trusted confidants, the emperor, unable to vent his anger on him, would likely take it out on the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager, having lost Wen Mama, would naturally also be seething with anger, and a further rift between mother and son might ensue.
Xu Zifan curled his lips, selected the two people the emperor most wanted to promote, and wrote them down in the memorial. He suddenly realized that he actually had the potential to be a villain; he was naturally adept at infuriating people. Perhaps this time, he should do what his scumbag father did and drive them to their deaths of anger.
The weather inside and outside the palace was changing, but the emperor, lost in the allure of her beauty, remained oblivious. He even lingered an extra hour at Furong's residence, his mood so oppressive, only hurrying back to the palace just before the gates were about to close. Furong, a master of reading people and a smooth talker, smiled as the emperor reached the palace gates, still savoring Furong's soft, fragrant body, and remarked to Xiao Shunzi, "If only I could stay at Furong's place."
Xiao Shunzi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, your precious body cannot stay outside. Why not bring Miss Furong in and arrange a palace close to you?"
The emperor sighed, "You're such a fool. This isn't as easy as you think."
Xiao Shunzi scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "This servant is not very bright. I just think that Your Majesty is the ruler of the world. If you want to arrange someone, it's just a matter of saying a word. Who can stop you? Your Majesty is the most powerful person in the world. It must be a blessing from several lifetimes for this servant to be able to serve Your Majesty."
The emperor laughed, "You're right, I am the ruler of the world, what can't I do!"
Xiao Shunzi lowered his eyes to hide the smile in them. He figured the Empress Dowager had already learned of the information he had deliberately leaked. He didn't believe she would do nothing after they'd been out of the palace for so long. Soon the Emperor would realize he wasn't the emperor who could do whatever he wanted; if he wanted to arrange things for Furong, the Empress Dowager was a formidable obstacle in his way!
The emperor had barely entered the palace gates and taken two steps when he was stopped by a eunuch from the Empress Dowager's side. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence at Anci Palace."
The emperor's expression changed drastically, and he asked in confusion, "The Empress Dowager asked you to wait for me here? How did she know I had left the palace?"
The eunuch bowed his head and said, "This servant does not know. This servant is only here to wait for His Majesty on orders."
The emperor felt uneasy and somewhat flustered. This was the first time he had done something behind the Empress Dowager's back that displeased her, and now that he had been discovered, he was unsure how to react. But he immediately recalled Xiao Shunzi's words: he was the ruler of the land, so what did the Empress Dowager mean by sending people to wait for him at the palace gate? Did she intend to discipline him like a child? Was he, the emperor, not allowed to leave the palace?
Thinking of this, the emperor inexplicably regained his confidence and said coldly, "I will change my clothes first before I go. You may inform the Empress Dowager that I will visit her later."
The eunuch knelt on the ground with difficulty, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has ordered that Your Majesty go to Anci Palace as soon as you return to the palace..."
"Insolence!" Xiao Shunzi kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, and shouted, "How dare you disobey the imperial decree?"
The eunuch was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, "This servant dares not, this servant dares not, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
The emperor snorted coldly, ignoring him, and returned to his palace. But when he went to change his clothes, he found that none of his personal attendants were there; in fact, none of them were there, not even the head eunuch. He asked in confusion, and a maid replied that they had all been summoned by Granny Wen.
The exact purpose of Anci Palace is unclear.
The emperor's expression immediately changed. He strode out and bumped into Xiao Shunzi, who had changed into eunuch's clothes. He said coldly, "Prepare the carriage and take us to Anci Palace!"
Xiao Shunzi responded, looked around, and asked in confusion, "Where's my godfather?"
"They've all been taken away by the Empress Dowager. Hmph, I'd like to see what she's up to!" The Emperor was extremely displeased with the Empress Dowager's actions, and anger was evident on his face.
Xiao Shunzi exclaimed in surprise, "They've all been taken away? But I just saw Chunlan and Xialian over there..."
"What?" The emperor frowned. Chunlan and Xialian were also his close palace maids. Although they were not among the confidants he had personally trained, and he had not told them about leaving the palace, all the other people who served him closely had been taken away. How could the two of them have been left out?
Then Xiao Shunzi's face turned pale. "Your Majesty, before leaving the palace today, Chunlan spoke to me. Now that I think about it, could she have told someone something? But I swear I didn't reveal anything about Your Majesty."
The emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at him, his voice icy cold, "Recount every word of your conversation without holding anything back, or you'll lose your head!"
Xiao Shunzi knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three times before anxiously recounting his conversation with Chunlan. He had pretended to be oblivious at the time, not letting Chunlan get a single word out of him. But Chunlan's roundabout way of getting information was all too obvious given the Emperor's suspicions. Chunlan was the Empress Dowager's spy planted next to him! No wonder the Empress Dowager arrested him the moment he left; Chunlan must have tipped him off! As for Xia Lian, since the Empress Dowager didn't arrest her, she was probably a spy just like Chunlan.
"Go, arrest them both and send them to the Shenxing Division for torture. I need to know whose people they are, what information they have leaked, and who they have seen after I left today!" After giving the order, the emperor flicked his robes, boarded his imperial carriage, and headed straight for Anci Palace.
Xiao Shunzi hurriedly ordered the guards to arrest Chunlan and Xialian, then chased after the imperial carriage. However, upon seeing the Empress Dowager, before he could even pay his respects, she pointed at him and shouted, "Take this audacious wretch out and have him beaten to death!"
Two men immediately stepped forward to arrest Xiao Shunzi. Xiao Shunzi's face turned pale. The emperor roared, "Let's see who dares! Mother, you've taken away my men and now you want to beat Xiao Shunzi to death. What are you trying to do?"
The Empress Dowager stood up. "What are you doing? Doesn't the Emperor know? These scoundrels bewitched the monarch, lured you out of the palace, and disregarded your safety. They all deserve to die!"
The emperor's face grew even uglier. "Were all those people brought by the Empress Dowager beaten to death?"
"So what if I am? I can see you've been bewitched by them, and you're still stubbornly clinging to your delusions. Do you really want these dog servants to serve you?" The Empress Dowager looked at him coldly and said sternly, "What exactly are you doing outside the palace? What important business requires you to leave the palace every few days?"
The Emperor pressed down on Xiao Shunzi's shoulder to prevent anyone from touching him, and said coldly, "Is the Empress Dowager interrogating me? If my answer does not please the Empress Dowager, will she also have me beaten to death?"
These words were incredibly hurtful! The Empress Dowager stared at him, shocked, and exclaimed, "What did you say?! You..."
"What about me? I am the emperor, not the empress dowager's little cat or dog. How come I don't even have the right to leave the palace? Or is it that the empress dowager only treats me as a puppet, not allowing me to do anything she dislikes, and even killing my people at will?"
"You...you, you..." The Empress Dowager felt dizzy and staggered.
Granny Wen hurriedly helped her sit down, saying anxiously, "Your Majesty, the mistress is only worried about your safety, you..."
"Shut up! I'm speaking with the Empress Dowager, when did it become your place to interrupt, you dog servant!"
Granny Wen was startled. She had served the Empress Dowager since childhood and watched the Emperor grow up. In the past, the Emperor had always given her respect, but now he was calling her a "dog servant." With so many palace servants watching, she had lost all face but could not refute him. She could only kneel down and admit her mistake, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
The Empress Dowager, having recovered, pointed at the Emperor and angrily scolded, "You've really grown some guts! I worry about you day and night, scheming and plotting for you, and you, on the other hand, are indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs. Even if I've laid out a plan for you, you'll ruin it! Tell me, what exactly are you doing outside the palace? What is it that's luring you out so many times?"
The emperor, feeling suppressed, said coldly, "You've finally told the truth. In your heart, I'm nothing but a lump of mud. Everything I have is thanks to you, all of it is something you schemed for. I'm useless, only good for causing you trouble. Is that what you think?"
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, the Emperor continued, "Where are my men? I want to see them immediately!"
Looking at the unfamiliar and powerful emperor before her, the Empress Dowager suddenly realized that something had changed, something that had changed long ago without her noticing.