Jiuxi

Chapter 1013 [Involuntarily]

As autumn turns to winter, a few drops of shattered jade whiten the depths of the palace.

A figure strolled along the path, moving slowly forward.

Empress Dowager Ning wore a vertical collared Yuehua brocade robe, paired with a palace-style embroidered skirt of gauze with a gold-thread cloud pattern, and a red feather crepe and white fox fur crane cloak. She looked graceful and elegant yet not too plain.

There was a vague sense of melancholy on that face that always looked good with light or heavy makeup.

It had been nearly a year since she returned to the old capital, and this was the first time she had walked into the Qionghua Garden, quietly admiring the rare snow scene in Jiangnan alone - a group of palace servants followed not far behind her, all of them watching, and no one made any inappropriate noise.

The Heluo Palace has a history of nearly two hundred years. In terms of its size, palace regulations, exquisite layout, and beautiful scenery, it is far superior to the Yongjia Palace.

There is no need to say much about the three major palaces of the former dynasty, Chengtian, Taiji and Zichen. In the harem, apart from the Qinzheng Hall, Wende Hall and other places where the emperor governs the country, there are also sleeping palaces where the emperor, empress and concubines live. There is also a large royal garden, such as Qionghua Garden, Yujing Garden, Fujing Garden, Jifang Garden, etc., with pavilions and towers dotted among them, and halls and mountains and rivers dotted around.

Empress Dowager Ning had very little free time in the past year. The affairs of the palace and the court were never-ending, and she also had to worry about the various situations of the young emperor and the two grand empress dowagers. Therefore, she had little time to stroll around this magnificent palace.

However, with the establishment of the Prime Minister's New Policy Office in May, Lu Chen and his capable ministers took on the important task of implementing the new policy. Not only was the burden on the Secretariat and various ministries of the court lightened a lot, but Empress Dowager Ning could also feel much more relaxed.

In this way, Empress Dowager Ning finally had some time to herself, and no longer had to face endless government affairs to deal with and endless memorials to read as soon as she opened her eyes.

But is this the life she wants?

Empress Dowager Ning couldn't be sure.

She was not a person who clung to power. She had never coveted power, from being a princess to a crown princess and then to an empress. At most, she used her tenderness to smooth the wrinkles between Li Zongben's eyebrows when he was troubled and bored. Later, Li Shizhi colluded with Empress Dowager Xu to murder the emperor and rebel. For the throne left by her husband and her young son, she had to sit in that position.

In the past few years, she has tried her best to consider the overall situation. Faced with Lu Chen's constant concessions, she has also tried and calculated.

Maybe this is a petty trick that cannot be shown on the public, but what else can she do besides these petty tricks?
What's more, those means did not stop Lu Chen's footsteps. Now the status and power of the Prime Minister's New Policy Office are getting higher and higher. In addition, the military power is always tightly held in Lu Chen's hands. She is very clear that the disadvantage of the Tian family is irreversible.

Exhaling lightly and watching the white mist condense in front of her eyes, Empress Dowager Ning felt tired and powerless again.

The quiet and elegant snow scene in front of her seemed to have lost its charm. She stopped, turned around and said, "Let's go back."

Ruolan quickly responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Walking out of Qionghua Garden and getting on the Phoenix Chariot, Empress Dowager Ning closed her eyes slightly, as if in deep thought.

When she arrived at the east warm room of Wende Hall and saw Li Daoming coming forward to greet her, she suppressed her melancholy and said gently, "Have you finished your homework today?"

Li Daoming has grown a little taller. He will be nine years old in two months. In this age when people mature precociously, he has actually understood a lot of things. Not to mention that he is the Son of Heaven. He must understand the meaning of "grow up as quickly as possible", whether actively or passively.

Children from ordinary families might just be beginning to learn at this age, but Li Daoming has already passed that stage. His teachers now are the scholars in the Hanlin Academy who are well-read in poetry and literature, as well as Xue Ruogu, a noble official who was the second place in the imperial examination and a candidate for prime minister.

"Mother, I have finished my homework."

Li Daoming saluted meticulously. The hair around his lips showed his real age, but his every move already showed that of an adult.

Queen Mother Ning took his hand and came to sit beside the couch, and said gently: "Although it is said that studying requires diligence, you are still young after all. Don't be impatient and ruin your health. I heard from Yuan Yuji that you have been asking the teachers to teach you for a little longer every time recently, is that right?"

Li Daoming said respectfully, "Mother, it's just a quarter of an hour longer. It won't matter. The lectures given by the teachers are very interesting. Sometimes I am so fascinated by them that I beg you to talk more. I know that mother is very hard-working. I want to learn more so that I can help her share the burden in the future."

He was so sensible and well-behaved that Empress Dowager Ning naturally felt very relieved. She secretly sighed that her hard work over the past few years had not been in vain and praised him, "Good boy."

Li Daoming smiled shyly, then asked with some curiosity: "Mother, when can the King of Qin return to the capital?"

Queen Mother Ning looked around and saw that she was surrounded by trusted female officials, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Daoming thought for a moment and said slowly, "Mother, do you still believe that the King of Qin is a loyal minister of the Great Qi?"

Empress Dowager Ning remained silent.

In fact, when Lu Chen declined her offer to rule the country for ten years, she knew that the other party would not give up power, and what happened later also confirmed this judgment.

Just as he said when the Enko fraud case broke out, he did not want to and would not become the second Yang Guangyuan.

After a moment, Queen Mother Ning said with difficulty: "My son, things in this world are never black and white. The King of Qin did take over the power of the court, but no one can deny that what he did was beneficial to the country and the people. Take the New Deal for example. Before the establishment of the Prime Minister's New Deal Office, the implementation of various policies was bumpy. The two prime ministers did their best, but they were ultimately not as decisive as the King of Qin."

Li Daoming said without hesitation: "That's because the King of Qin holds the military power, and no one dares to oppose him. If the military power is controlled by the court, I believe the two prime ministers will be able to do better than the King of Qin."

"This is where the problem lies."

Queen Mother Ning no longer avoided these issues as she did before, and said, "The military power of the King of Qin was not given to him by anyone. He has been in the army for many years and has established his prestige in the army through victory after victory. Therefore, those arrogant and brave generals are willing to obey his orders. This is something that no one can replace. Even if I issue an edict to let the Marquis of Yongding or the Marquis of Linjiang take over a certain army, without the King of Qin's nod, those soldiers will still not obey them, and may even cause a mutiny in the army."

Li Daoming thought for a moment, then mustered up the courage to ask, "What if we replace all the generals? Will the soldiers still disobey orders?"

Queen Mother Ning was startled. She looked at her son, who seemed a little strange at the moment, and frowned slightly and asked, "Who taught you this method?"

Li Daoming shook his head and said honestly, "Mother, no one would talk about these things in front of me. I just think that you are too tired and worried about these things all day long, so I want to help you think of some solutions." Queen Mother Ning looked at him for a moment, temporarily suppressed her doubts and said, "How can this matter be so simple? The King of Qin is the Prime Minister of Military Affairs, and any transfer of generals in the army requires his consent."

Li Daoming lowered his head and thought for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "Mother, if that's the case, can't the King of Qin force me to abdicate at any time?"

Queen Mother Ning's heart tightened, and she subconsciously grasped his hand, muttering, "No, he won't do that."

Li Daoming looked at his mother in confusion and wondered, "Mother, why wouldn't he do this?"

"because--"

Empress Dowager Ning wanted to say that Lu Chen was loyal and righteous, and always remembered the Emperor Gaozong's support for him. She wanted to say that the royal family had done nothing wrong and that the righteous cause was still in their hands. She wanted to say that the overall situation was the most important and that the current situation in which the entire court was united in pushing forward the new policy was hard-won. She also wanted to say that there were many ministers in the court who were loyal to the royal family and that Lu Chen should not dare to act rashly.

But she ended up saying nothing.

Because of a very simple reason, all Lu Chen needs is time.

By the time the new policy produces significant results, Lu Chen will have already controlled the entire court. By then, he can do whatever he wants. Even if he really doesn't want to, there will be many people pushing him forward, and everything will come naturally.

Seeing his mother fall into silence, Li Daoming asked bluntly: "Mother, are the royal family really going to sit and wait for death?"

When Empress Dowager Ning saw the panic in his eyes, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

There is no warmth in the succession of imperial power. When the day comes that she can no longer bear to speak, she doesn't think Lu Chen will allow her son to live. After all, as long as Li Daoming is still alive, there will always be people who want to use this banner to do something, no matter whether he is motivated by public or private interests.

Queen Mother Ning used great willpower to force herself to calm down, and said softly: "My son, I know you are very sensible, but... but many things are not as simple as you think, and you must not make hasty decisions on impulse. You must believe in your mother, and I will protect you no matter what. Besides that, don't think too much about other things, and follow the teachers to study and learn, do you hear me?"

Li Daoming bowed his head and said, "Yes, mother."

The moment he lowered his head, there was clear disappointment in his eyes.

He thought he had hidden it well, but he didn't know that all these reactions were seen by Empress Dowager Ning.

After all, he is just a child who is almost nine years old.

After Li Daoming left, Empress Dowager Ning leaned back on the couch and fell into long contemplation.

She knew that her son was precocious, so she had high hopes for him, hoping that he would grow up to be an outstanding emperor. However, even though she did everything possible to protect him from the wind and rain, the young emperor was still inevitably influenced by the outside world.

Recalling every detail of the conversation between mother and son, as well as the disappointment in Li Daoming's eyes at the last moment, Empress Dowager Ning suddenly sat up.

Ruolan hurried forward and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any instructions?"

Empress Dowager Ning said calmly, "Call Yuan Yuji over."

Ruolan took the order and left.

About half an incense stick later, Yuan Yuji, Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, hurried to the east warm room of the Wende Hall. He noticed at a glance that except for a few female officials who were trusted by Empress Dowager Ning, all other palace servants had left.

Not knowing what had happened, Yuan Yuji bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

"Yuan Yuji."

The cold tone of Empress Dowager Ning made Yuan Yuji's heart tremble.

He raised his head cautiously and saw the cold eyes of Empress Dowager Ning.

"I want to hear the truth. What exactly has the emperor done during this period of time?"

Empress Dowager Ning said in a deep voice: "You don't have to tell me. Considering your loyalty to the late emperor for so many years, I will not kill you. Go home and retire."

"Your Majesty forgive me."

Yuan Yuji knew very well that this nobleman could do what he said, so he said awkwardly: "I don't know what your majesty is referring to."

Queen Mother Ning shook her head and said impatiently, "You can go down."

"I say, I say everything."

Yuan Yuji finally lost his composure. If Empress Dowager Ning was willing to listen to his explanation, then there would be room for maneuver. The problem was that the other party did not give him this opportunity at all.

If he was driven out of the palace, how could he do anything?

Listening to Yuan Yuji's statement, Empress Dowager Ning frowned and her expression became more and more solemn.

(End of this chapter)