Qi Junmu's expression was dark and twisted. The Empress Dowager, reclining nearby, looked somewhat surprised. She sat up straight, her nails painted with madder tapping lightly on the small table beside her. "What is wrong with Your Majesty today? You lose your temper in your own palace, draw blood, and now come here with such blazing inner fire. Since Bai Feng is here, let him take your pulse and cool that fire down."
Her unspoken meaning was clear—she already knew about the eunuch he had beaten to death at Qianhua Hall, and she was displeased. After all, Emperor Jing had only recently passed away; spilling blood in the palace was hardly a good omen.
The Empress Dowager's feelings toward Qi Junmu were complicated—both doting and stern, sometimes excessively so. When she doted, she doted to the bone; when she was stern, it was as if he were not her own child.
Toward her daughter, Princess Fuhua, the Empress Dowager was truly affectionate—personally teaching her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and even hiring renowned tutors to teach her poetry and prose. Princess Fuhua was quite famous throughout Da Qi as a talented lady. Qi Junmu sometimes felt that the two of them were the real family, and deep down, he had always envied Fuhua.
But even in the Empress Dowager's eyes, Fuhua was not the most favored. That honor belonged to Lin En, the eldest son of his uncle Lin Xiao. Lin En was half a month older than Qi Junmu. As a child, he had saved Qi Junmu from a fire but had half his face burned. After recovering, he had always worn a half-silver mask, and still did to this day.
The Empress Dowager was deeply grateful to Lin En and treated him exceptionally well. She once said to Lin Xiao, "Lin En will always be Qi Junmu's savior, no matter what happens." Over the years, she had even intended to betroth Fuhua to Lin En, but with Emperor Jing's recent passing, it was not the right time to bring it up.
From this, it was clear that the Empress Dowager truly cared about Qi Junmu—otherwise, she would not have treated Lin En so well. Perhaps, as she herself had said, Qi Junmu was a man and a prince; he could gain power, but family affection had to come second.
For a ruler, being too sentimental was a sign of weakness.
She had great expectations for him. Every woman in the palace dreamed of becoming Empress Dowager. Together with the Lin family, she had been quietly working behind the scenes to help Qi Junmu become emperor.
When Qi Junmu truly ascended the throne, she was naturally overjoyed.
On the very first day of his reign, his uncle Lin Xiao asked him: In the future, did he want to be a brilliant and universally praised wise ruler, or a feared and despised tyrant? The word "despot" was reserved for Emperor Jing; the Empress Dowager and Lin Xiao dared not use it—it was far too disrespectful.
Qi Junmu had always dreamed of ushering in an era of prosperity, so he naturally chose to be a wise ruler. The Empress Dowager was pleased, and Lin Xiao fully supported him. After all, Emperor Jing had been too cruel, too twisted, keeping everyone in constant tension, exhausted in both mind and body.
Lin Xiao said that to be a wise ruler, one must be tolerant and allow dissenting voices. One must respect superiors, treat subordinates with courtesy, and listen to the ministers' opinions—even when their words were harsh.
In his previous life, Qi Junmu had done exactly that. Sometimes it was truly stifling. Even when he felt wronged, he had to appear wise and magnanimous. He won praise from the court and gained many people's affection.
But the result was nothing more than suddenly suffering a stroke three years later, bedridden, and finally being smothered to death in his own bedchamber.
Thinking back to the helpless, desperate struggle for breath just before death, Qi Junmu still felt as if something were lodged in his throat, making it hard to breathe. Now he had made up his mind: if being a wise ruler led to that end, he might as well be a despot, a tyrant.
He wanted to live like his father, Emperor Jing—others wouldn't even dare to lift their eyes to look at him, let alone smother him to death.
His past life had not been pleasant. This was the Empress Dowager's Renshou Palace, and Qi Junmu finally managed to suppress the emotions roiling inside him. At this moment, he was in the open while his enemies were in the dark. He did not want to alert them prematurely.
So in response to the Empress Dowager's words, he put on a slightly sheepish look and said quietly, "Imperial Mother, today when I took my afternoon nap, I had a nightmare. Before I could fully come to my senses, that servant made a mistake. In my daze, I had him beaten to death."
Of course, he was just saying this. The facts would not change—those who deserved to die would still die.
"Just send away those clumsy servants. No need to spill blood over it—that would only stain the gates of your Qianhua Hall," the Empress Dowager said, her expression softening slightly.
She understood that every time Qi Junmu had nightmares, it was because he had dreamed of Emperor Jing.
Emperor Jing had left a deep impression—or rather, a deep shadow—on his sons. A single casually spoken word from him could chill the heart. Moreover, she had heard that Qi Junmu had been having nightmares frequently lately, even smashing several fine porcelain pieces in the middle of the night.
Since he had already explained himself, she did not wish to press further.
Bai Feng was a deeply calculating man. Seeing that the Empress Dowager and the emperor clearly wanted to speak privately, he took the opportunity to ask to withdraw to the side hall and write the prescription.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, dismissing him and all other palace attendants.
The Empress Dowager was now the most honored woman in all the realm. She need not flatter anyone, need not compete for favor. Even Qi Junmu had to respect her; all under heaven wanted to curry favor with her. Her days were far more pleasant than when she had been a consort.
With a carefree life came good spirits, and with good spirits came a youthful and radiant look.
She looked at Qi Junmu seriously and said, "You are the emperor. In principle, I should not interfere in your affairs. But you are still young. Remember: once you open certain doors, you lose control. You are the sovereign. No one dares to criticize what you do—but the history books will not show you any mercy."
Qi Junmu gave a faint smile. "Imperial Mother's teachings, this child remembers. Imperial Mother knows that I am by nature mild-mannered and timid. Seeing blood like this frightens me too."
The Empress Dowager: "..." She felt that the child's smile did not reach his eyes. But when she looked carefully, the Qi Junmu before her still had that dull, wooden expression, earnestly trying to appear serious and composed. So she decided she must have been overthinking.
She thought to herself that her son probably hadn't smiled in a long time, so his expression was a little stiff.
She calmed herself but could not help asking, "If it frightens you, why keep the palace gates wide open to watch?" Word would soon spread through the entire palace that the gates of Qianhua Hall had been thrown open, and the emperor had sat inside watching a eunuch beaten to death.
Qi Junmu lowered his eyes and said uneasily, "I have been dreaming of the dead lately. I wanted to see for myself what death looks like."
The Empress Dowager: "..." She felt that Qi Junmu might be getting confused. In the past, he would never have said something so foolish.
She was beginning to feel a surge of anger, but before she could speak, Qi Junmu looked up and smiled at her again. "Imperial Mother, don't worry. This child is joking."
Finally, the Empress Dowager could hold back no longer. She called out loudly for Bai Feng to come and take the emperor's pulse.
Bai Feng hurried away and hurried back. The moment his fingers touched Qi Junmu's wrist, he felt the scorching heat. He said with a shocked expression, "Forgive me, Empress Dowager, but His Majesty is ill. His body is burning with fever."
The Empress Dowager's expression shifted instantly—panic and worry flashing across her face. She quickly ordered the attendants to help Qi Junmu lie down in the side hall and had Bai Feng take his pulse properly.
When Bai Feng said the emperor had merely caught a chill and would recover after a few doses of medicine, the Empress Dowager finally relaxed. After scolding the palace attendants who served Qi Junmu, she breathed a sigh of relief.
So that was it. She had thought Qi Junmu was acting very strangely today—it turned out he was truly feverish and delirious. She had wanted to ask him about Shen Yi and why he had ordered Shen Yi back to the capital, but now she had to drop the matter.
Lying in the side hall, behind the bed curtains, Qi Junmu's eyes were wide open. A twisted look of satisfaction crossed his face. He had known about this illness—it was all planned. A sudden change in the emperor's temperament needed an excuse.
A fever-induced delirium was the perfect excuse.
The hidden enemies would not become overly alert because of this. But this was only temporary. One day, he would no longer need excuses. He would do whatever he wanted.
And he would not have to explain himself to anyone.
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