Qi Junmu stood upright where he was and gave a faint, neither light nor heavy, acknowledgment.
Qi Junmu's action caught Lin Xiao off guard—and the Empress Dowager even more so. As a subject, Lin Xiao couldn't let too many emotions show on his face. The Empress Dowager was startled for a moment, then her face filled with fury.
Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair. She said, "The Emperor has grown up. He has his own ideas and finds me tiresome. He doesn't listen to my words and doesn't care to keep them in mind."
Her tone was calm, but everyone could feel the rage beneath that calm. The palace attendants and eunuchs serving around her all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh and looked away from Qi Junmu's face, fixing her gaze on Ruan Jiqing.
The Emperor was not someone she could freely vent her anger on—even if he was her son. But Ruan Jiqing was different. He was the one who had accompanied the Emperor out of the palace alone.
The moment the Empress Dowager looked at him, Ruan Jiqing's legs went weak before he could even speak. Fortunately, he did not immediately kneel and confess his guilt. If the Emperor himself had not admitted any fault, and Ruan Jiqing—his personal attendant—confessed, that would be slapping the Emperor in the face.
Ruan Jiqing was certain that if he did that, he would not live to see tomorrow's sun.
He understood this reasoning, but that didn't stop him from cursing his luck inwardly.
When the gods quarrel, why drag insignificant people like me into it? I'm innocent.
The Empress Dowager hadn't expected Ruan Jiqing to have such backbone. And at this moment, that backbone became oil on the fire—whoosh—fanning her inner rage even higher.
The Empress Dowager fixed her eyes on Ruan Jiqing and said, word by word: "Ruan Jiqing, you are the one who serves closely at the Emperor's side. When the Emperor acts willfully, you should advise against it. You know full well how dangerous it is for the Emperor to leave the palace alone, yet you dared to conceal it. If any harm, however slight, comes to the Emperor, even being sliced into a thousand pieces would not atone for your crime. The Emperor has always been reasonable. In my opinion, this whole thing was your idea in the first place."
When the Empress Dowager had not named him, Ruan Jiqing could pretend to be confused. But now that she had named him, he could no longer feign ignorance. The only thing he could do was kneel, tears and snot streaming down his face, and say: "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, spare my life!"
At this moment, he could not cry out his innocence—crying innocence would mean the Emperor was wrong. Nor could he confess—enticing the Emperor was a capital crime, and if he admitted it, he was as good as dead. He knew very well in his heart: the Empress Dowager simply felt slighted by the Emperor and wanted to take her anger out on him.
No matter what, the beating today was unavoidable. This was entirely a case of taking punishment on the Emperor's behalf—bearing a disaster that was never his fault.
"Guards! Drag Ruan Jiqing out and give him fifty strokes with the staff, so he learns to remember better in the future." The Empress Dowager gave this order exactly as Ruan Jiqing had expected.
He thought the matter would end there. But the moment the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Qi Junmu spoke again. He said: "Imperial Mother, Ruan Jiqing hasn't done anything wrong. Fifty strokes is too harsh."
As soon as Ruan Jiqing heard this, he realized the Emperor was about to clash with the Empress Dowager. He quickly said: "Your Majesty, this servant has angered the Empress Dowager. These strokes are deserved."
The Empress Dowager, meanwhile, laughed coldly. She said: "Then what does Your Majesty propose?"
Qi Junmu raised his eyes: "Ruan Jiqing is this child's personal attendant. As the saying goes, 'If you want to beat a dog, you still need to look at its master.' Imperial Mother, you aren't trying to beat Ruan Jiqing—you're trying to slap my face. I am the sovereign. If I want to leave the palace, a mere servant like him can only listen and follow. If he disobeys or dares to reveal my whereabouts, I can have all nine generations of his family executed. If Imperial Mother is in a bad mood and wants to discipline me, I am ready to listen. But Imperial Mother cannot interfere in matters at my side. Since ancient times, the rear palace has not been allowed to meddle in state affairs."
"You—" The Empress Dowager's chest heaved violently from the moment Qi Junmu opened his mouth. When his words ended, she suddenly stood up, jabbing a finger at the young emperor who refused to be controlled.
Qi Junmu looked at her and smiled faintly: "Imperial Mother, do not be angry. I have always heeded Imperial Father's teaching: first I am the sovereign, only then am I a son. If Imperial Mother is feeling unwell, have Bai Feng come to take your pulse. Whatever you do, do not harm your health over this child."
"I know that Imperial Mother does not wish to see me right now. I will return to my palace so as not to offend your eyes."
In one breath, he invoked the late Emperor's words, thoroughly frustrating the Empress Dowager. Then he simply turned and left.
He walked away with a carefree ease, feeling thoroughly pleased.
Ruan Jiqing, still on the ground, looked at the Empress Dowager whose face had turned ashen with rage. He swallowed hard. In the end, trembling, he managed to kowtow to her, then scurried after the Emperor.
He knew that if he didn't scurry away now, the Empress Dowager might truly kill him. But from today onward, he could only cling to the Emperor's thigh—no one else's.
After Qi Junmu left, the Empress Dowager swept all the teacups and vessels off the table onto the floor.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao signaled for the attending palace attendants to withdraw.
None of them were fools. None would stay behind to become the target of the Empress Dowager's rage.
Once everyone had left, the Empress Dowager slumped onto the soft couch. Lin Xiao saw her deeply dejected expression and felt a touch of sympathy. He stepped forward and said, "Empress Dowager, the Emperor has grown up."
"He has grown his wings and forgotten how he came to sit on that throne," the Empress Dowager said with a cold laugh.
Lin Xiao shook his head. "The Emperor is filial at heart. But he is still the sovereign. Empress Dowager, if you had truly beaten Eunuch Ruan today, what would outsiders think of the Emperor? Surely some would say the Emperor is weak and cowardly, and that the Empress Dowager rules supreme in the palace. If this continues, and someone exploits the situation, the bond of mother and child between Empress Dowager and Emperor will likely grow cold."
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes. Her gaze was somewhat unfocused. She said, "I never meant that... it's just... the Emperor was never like this before. Send someone to investigate properly. What has happened to him lately? Has someone bewitched him?"
If no one had whispered something in his ear, then no matter how angry Qi Junmu was today, he would never have spoken such heart-stabbing words—directly comparing her to someone from the rear palace who coveted state affairs.
If word of this got out, could she, the Empress Dowager, remain secure in the palace?
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was becoming obstinate, Lin Xiao sighed and agreed to look into it.
Just as he was about to take his leave, the Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead and said with a tired face: "Tomorrow, have my sister-in-law come into the palace. Last time, she hadn't finished telling that story."
Lin Xiao said, "Yes."
No comments:
Post a Comment