The emperor and the eunuch returned to the palace. Apart from a few of the emperor's confidants, no one noticed that he had left the palace. The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the eunuch to take the silver notes to redeem Furong from her servitude. He also told the eunuch to be careful and not let anyone discover his identity.
The young eunuch hesitated, "Your Majesty, withdrawing two thousand taels of silver requires a transaction. No matter the reason, if I go and withdraw it, the Empress Dowager will immediately know about it, and she will also find out that you have left the palace multiple times, and may even trace it back to Miss Furong. This, this..."
The emperor was taken aback. He had many treasures in his private treasury, but none of them were silver notes or coins. The emperor had no need for these; when he went out of the palace incognito, he would naturally take silver openly and legitimately. But now he absolutely could not let the Empress Dowager know about this, otherwise she would definitely kill Furong and keep a close watch on him, forbidding him from leaving the palace again.
The Emperor could imagine how angry the Empress Dowager would be, how furious she would be at his frequenting of brothels. He paced back and forth in his bedchamber, frowning. In his frustration, for the first time, he felt a growing reluctance to be controlled by the Empress Dowager. He was the ruler of the land, so why was he always being controlled? The Regent was an outsider, an enemy in the power struggle, but the Empress Dowager was his own mother. He was merely redeeming someone, yet he had to be so timid and hesitant. How could he, the Emperor, be so aggrieved? Even his servants were terrified of the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor paused, his brow furrowing even more deeply. The Empress Dowager's authority in the palace actually surpassed his own? This was not a good sign. He looked at the young eunuch and tentatively asked, "What do you think the Empress Dowager's reaction would be if I were to explain this to her?"
The young eunuch turned pale and immediately knelt down, kowtowing, "Your Majesty, spare my life! The Empress Dowager will surely beat this servant to death!"
"Oh?" The emperor chuckled lightly, continuing to probe, "My mother is kind-hearted, how could she easily kill you? You are someone close to me, why are you so afraid?"
The young eunuch kowtowed repeatedly, his gaze fixed calmly on the ground. He deliberately said, "Your Majesty, I was educated before entering the palace. In history, which empress dowager has ever killed a palace servant like me? It is precisely because of Your Majesty's benevolent heart that Your Majesty has done something unknown to her. It must be my fault. To prevent me from affecting Your Majesty, Your Majesty must have killed me. I... perhaps I am timid, but it seems that's how it's written in the books I've read."
Having been meticulously tutored by the regent for six years, the emperor naturally knew the ins and outs of every dynasty by heart. The young eunuch's words instantly brought to mind several instances of mothers vying for power, even those involving empress dowagers ruling and effectively sidelining the emperor. His expression shifted, but he suppressed the thought. They had always shared a deep mother-son bond, remaining cautious and dependent on each other to guard against the regent. The empress dowager was the person he trusted and relied on most; he shouldn't think of her like this.
The emperor summoned the chief eunuch and ordered him to produce two thousand taels of silver notes. He then rewarded the eunuch with several items of equal value, effectively converting the money into cash. Afterward, he instructed a junior eunuch to leave the palace immediately, settle Furong in a safe place, and subconsciously emphasized that the Empress Dowager must not discover this.
The young eunuch went immediately, and the redemption went smoothly. However, when Furong packed her bags and left the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion with the young eunuch, she discovered that he had no money! Furong couldn't show her displeasure, so she could only suppress her resentment and thank the young eunuch. Then, she paid out of her own pocket to rent a dilapidated courtyard and asked the young eunuch to convey her gratitude to the emperor. To ensure the emperor would remember her and visit her again, she feigned inferiority, claiming her status was too low to deserve seeing her benefactor again. Unable to repay the redemption money, she could only pray for her benefactor's happiness and well-being every day.
The young eunuch readily agreed and returned to the palace to embellish the story, relaying it to the emperor. Sure enough, the emperor was captivated. It was his first time saving someone, and he hadn't even considered things thoroughly, not even preparing a courtyard for Furong. It's a wonder that Furong didn't mind at all, and wholeheartedly considered his needs, praying for him, and not even daring to see him. She's such a kind girl; she shouldn't be living this kind of life.
The Emperor hadn't slept well all night, his dreams filled with images of Furong, which even soiled his bedding. He went to court listlessly, and after court, Xu Zifan didn't leave the palace, but strolled leisurely to the Imperial Study. The diligent eunuch, seeing the Regent arrive, naturally helped announce his arrival and ushered him in. As the two walked together, the eunuch whispered, "This servant stirred up trouble between His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, and His Majesty is now somewhat wary."
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow, hummed in agreement, and said "Very good" before entering. He searched his memory for any useful information, then gave the emperor a simple bow, his face showing concern, "Is Your Majesty feeling unwell? Has the imperial physician been summoned?"
The emperor shook his head. "I'm fine. I just slept in a little late."
Xu Zifan breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. It seems Your Majesty was reading too late. Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. You must never do this again."
"Yes, I understand," the emperor replied with a smile, though inwardly he was extremely impatient. The Regent always spoke in that tone, like his own father. He hated most that the Regent treated him like a son; it was as if he had betrayed his father, as if his mother were truly having an affair with the Regent—utterly despicable!
Xu Zifan glanced at the emperor's expression, then sat down in his chair without any hesitation, acting as if he were completely at ease. He was deliberately trying to annoy the emperor. When this mother and son used the original owner of this body, wasn't it because of their love? When they asked the original owner to teach the emperor, wasn't it because of their filial piety? Now they're unhappy and want to turn their backs on him? Well, they'll have to see if the emperor agrees. Since he's started this, he'll make him suffer and be a good adopted son!
Xu Zifan took a couple of sips of tea and casually began to test the emperor. The original owner of this body had always been the emperor's tutor, so such tests were commonplace. Even if the emperor was unwilling, he had to answer, since power was still in Xu Zifan's hands. After a while, someone spoke at the door. The emperor, no longer wanting to face Xu Zifan, called out, "Who's here?"
The chief eunuch entered and reported, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager sent someone to bring you a nourishing soup, as well as two palace maids to teach you about human affairs."
The emperor's face flushed red. He had never encountered anything like this before, and now that Xu Zifan had overheard it, it was tantamount to directly telling Xu Zifan why he was so listless. Just moments ago, Xu Zifan had told him not to study so late, so this was a slap in the face. He even felt that Xu Zifan would scold him for being absurd.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Zifan chuckled and said casually, "It turns out that Your Majesty has grown up. I hadn't even noticed. It is the Empress Dowager who is so thoughtful and observant, taking such good care of Your Majesty. Your Majesty, you are truly fortunate to have such a mother. As the saying goes, 'Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important.' You must be filial to the Empress Dowager and not let her love for her son go to waste."
The emperor hadn't thought much of it at first, but his expression froze upon hearing this. His bedding was dirty, and the Empress Dowager knew within the time it took to hold the morning court session. She even prepared a nourishing soup for him and selected a palace maid to teach him about personal matters. This meant that one of his personal attendants was someone from the Empress Dowager's faction. What was the Empress Dowager doing? Was she monitoring him? If he were to have a conflict with the Empress Dowager in the future, wouldn't this person be a spy sent by her?
The Emperor smiled wryly and replied to Xu Zifan, "My mother treats me very well, and I will naturally be filial to her. After my wedding, the harem can be managed by the Empress, allowing my mother to be relieved of her burdens and live a leisurely life. At that time, my mother can listen to music, watch plays, appreciate flowers, and paint. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Xu Zifan chuckled and said, "If that's the case, the Empress Dowager will be bored. She has never liked women's poetry and songs. She would probably prefer if the Emperor talked to her about politics. Usually, when the Empress Dowager calls me over, she asks me about politics."
"Oh? The Empress Dowager also inquired about the Prince's political affairs?"
"Of course, the Empress Dowager would occasionally offer some good suggestions to discuss with me. Does Your Majesty still remember the flood a few months ago? I originally thought it would be appropriate to send Huai Zhong, but the Empress Dowager felt that Huai Zhong was too young and might not be able to control the officials in the south, so she suggested sending Fu Lin instead. I thought the Empress Dowager was right, so I supported Fu Lin, and sure enough, Fu Lin did a very good job."
The emperor's smile vanished. Huai Zhong was his confidant, someone he had personally promoted. The flood wasn't difficult to handle; he had intended for Huai Zhong to seize the credit and rise in rank. However, Xu Zifan vehemently opposed this in court, insisting on sending the Empress Dowager's brother, Fu Lin, instead, greatly humiliating him. He believed Xu Zifan was deliberately opposing and suppressing him, and sulked for several days, complaining frequently to the Empress Dowager—who, of course, hadn't claimed it was her idea!
Thinking about it carefully, Fu Lin is the Empress Dowager's brother. It's only natural that the Empress Dowager would want to give credit to her family for such an easy opportunity to gain merit. Why didn't she speak to him directly, but instead consulted with Xu Zifan? Didn't the Empress Dowager know that Huai Zhong was his man? Didn't she know he wanted to promote his confidant? He suddenly felt that the Empress Dowager was a stranger. Was she using her scheming against him? Was she willing to let Xu Zifan humiliate him in court for her brother's credit? Was the Empress Dowager truly helping him seize power and assume personal rule, or was she seeking personal gain?
The emperor felt a growing sense of crisis, as if a knife was hanging over his head! He also thought of the Empress Dowager's people in his palace. If he hadn't been careful to have his confidants cover for him during his recent trips out of the palace, the Empress Dowager might have already received the news and brought him back before he even left the palace gates.
He must expose the Empress Dowager's people; he can only have loyal people around him, otherwise everything he has will be controlled by the Empress Dowager!
This was the first time he'd thought this way. History spoke for itself: there was no familial affection in the royal family. As long as the Empress Dowager held power, there was no such thing as maternal love and filial piety. If his mother hadn't been ambitious, why would she have used the Regent to seize the throne? No wonder emperors throughout history had opposed the empress dowager's interference in politics; it was a matter of endless trouble. Now the Empress Dowager was wholeheartedly helping him deal with the Regent. Once the Regent fell, would the Empress Dowager hand over power to him? Or would she become a second "Regent"? And then, would the Empress Dowager's relatives seize power?
Xu Zifan, observing his micro-expressions, felt it was about time. He got up and added more fuel to the fire, saying, "Your Majesty, please drink the tonic soup while it's hot. It won't be effective if it cools down. It rained last night and was quite chilly. I'll go pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I'll take my leave now."
The Emperor nodded, watching Xu Zifan's hurried departure. He sensed that Xu Zifan's concern for the Empress Dowager far exceeded his earlier concern for him. The Empress Dowager had a difficult childbirth and was left with some illness; she felt unwell on rainy, damp, and cold days. Xu Zifan's behavior showed that he cared about the Empress Dowager, and perhaps his earlier visit was merely a pretext to stay in the palace and see her.
The emperor's face darkened. The empress dowager could even use Xu Zifan, her childhood sweetheart, so thoroughly. Was she truly a loving mother to him?