I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 511 Dereliction of Duty
The abolition of the empress seemed to be a signal, and all sorts of strange and monstrous figures emerged.

In the harem, some women were trying to curry favor with the emperor; in the court, some petitioned the emperor to establish a new empress, some to take in new concubines, and others to distance themselves from Chu Liuzheng, the vixen who had bewitched the emperor.

The officials, who had been tricked by the tax reform, were determined to make the emperor unhappy. Memorials piled up on the emperor's desk like snowflakes, which made Xiao Jingfan angry and gave him a headache. To make matters worse, there was a heartless person gloating on the side.

Thus, Chu Liuzheng, who was secretly watching the drama unfold, received several memorials urging him to get married and to establish an empress.

She muttered to herself as she approved the reply.

"It's not like I'm getting married, why should I approve it?"

[By the way, didn't Chenxing and Siyue say that the Tyrant wants to see me jealous? Should I act it out and slip away while I'm at it?]

[So, how does a character with a jealous personality act again? Doesn't he have to start by picking a fight?]

As Chu Liuzheng pondered, he tried to recall how the other concubines in the harem behaved when they were jealous.

Xiao Jingfan, who heard it all clearly, was speechless.

To be honest, he was quite curious about how Chu Liuzheng would act.

So he pretended to know nothing and continued to review the memorials.

On the other hand, Chu Liuzheng decided to give up halfway through her preparation. Acting was too mentally taxing, and she would rather use that time to think about what to eat for dinner. She was thinking of chicken soup rice noodles.

Xiao Jingfan, who was waiting in vain, angrily changed the rice noodles to regular noodles.

That works too.

Chu Liuzheng readily accepted the change from rice noodles to regular noodles. She picked up a mouthful of noodles and ate them with relish.

Xiao Jingfan: "..."

His Majesty the Emperor silently thought to himself: Oh well, oh well, oh well... I'm used to it, I'm used to it...

March arrived in the blink of an eye. Chu Liuzheng and his men picked two baskets of roses in the Imperial Garden, intending to send them to the Imperial Kitchen and ask Chef Qiao to make some flower cakes for them to try.

Unfortunately, they ran into the Empress Dowager just around the corner.

Having encountered this situation, there was no reason for Chu Liuzheng to turn around and leave. He stepped forward to greet her, saying, "May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings."

The Empress Dowager intended to leave Chu Liuzheng waiting for a while before calling him to get up, but Chu Liuzheng stood up on his own after performing the curtsy, very self-consciously.

The emperor exempted her from performing the rites in the palace, but the empress dowager was the emperor's mother, and her performing the rites was only out of respect for the emperor and to fulfill the proper etiquette of a junior, nothing more.

With a lump in her throat, the Empress Dowager's face was not good. Zhao, the old woman supporting her, gently patted her arm before the Empress Dowager said, "It has been quite a while since I've seen you. Come back to the palace with me for a cup of tea. I have something to ask you."

Here it comes! I knew there was more to the "Hundred Children" painting series.

Since there was no way to avoid it, Chu Liuzheng agreed and ordered someone to send the flower petals to the imperial kitchen. Then, he took Chenxing and Siyue back to the palace with the Empress Dowager.

The two didn't exchange a single word on the way.

In Wanshou Palace, Consort Xie, who was copying scriptures in the small Buddhist hall, rushed out to greet the Empress Dowager upon hearing that she had returned.

The emperor ordered her to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors, but thanks to the Empress Dowager's intercession, she was allowed to visit the Wanshou Palace to keep the Empress Dowager company from time to time, but she was not allowed to go anywhere else.

She had barely uttered the word "Aunt" when she saw Chu Liuzheng walking beside the Empress Dowager. Her face immediately darkened, and she pointed at Chu Liuzheng, demanding, "Aunt, what brings this vile woman here?"

The Empress Dowager glanced at her and asked, "Have you finished copying the scriptures for today?"

Consort Xie was most afraid of being looked at like that, so she immediately shrank her neck and said weakly, "There are still two more to go, Aunt, please don't be angry, I'll go back and copy them right away."

After saying that, she glared at Chu Liuzheng and led her people back to the small Buddhist hall.

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

If she were to complain to the emperor, she wouldn't even be able to keep her position as a concubine. Why can't she learn her lesson? What happened to the saying that everyone in the palace is perceptive?
The Empress Dowager seemed to only then remember that there was a person named Chu Liuzheng beside her, and glanced at her sideways, "Yu'er has a childlike nature and always does things in a straightforward manner. The Emperor likes this about her the most."

These words sound like an explanation for Consort Xie, but the key point is in the last half of the sentence: the Emperor liked it.

Chu Liuzheng seemed not to hear, and smiled slightly: "I don't argue with children."

Empress Dowager: "...Go in and sit down to talk."

"Alright." Chu Liuzheng followed the Empress Dowager into the main hall, while Chenxing and Siyue were stopped outside by the eunuchs guarding the door.

Seeing Chu Liuzheng turn around, the Empress Dowager said, "There are people serving in the palace."

"You don't know this, but I'm used to using my own people." Chu Liuzheng didn't care about that and said to the outside, "Siyue, come in."

With the emperor's orders in place, Siyue and Chenxing only obeyed Chu Liuzheng's commands, and even the Empress Dowager's words had no effect.

Upon hearing Chu Liuzheng's summons, Siyue slapped the eunuch's hand aside, walked in, and stood behind Chu Liuzheng.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager's face darkened, and she was about to lash out when Zhao Mama pinched her arm again.

Granny Zhao winked at her: Don't be angry, don't be angry, important matters are at hand.

They didn't intend to do anything to Chu Liuzheng anyway, so it didn't matter who they used.

The Empress Dowager barely suppressed her anger and took her seat in the main seat.

Having spent many years in the palace, she was no longer easily angered, but for some reason, when she encountered Chu Liuzheng, all her years of self-cultivation were useless, and she would often feel chest pain from Chu Liuzheng's actions.

On this point, the emperor and his mother should have a lot in common.

This woman has the ability to infuriate people without them even realizing it.

Without the Empress Dowager's instruction, Chu Liuzheng took his seat at the lower end of the table and got straight to the point: "What does the Empress Dowager want to ask me?"

I need to go back and eat some flower cakes, I'd better hurry.

Empress Dowager: "Have you seen the 'Hundred Children' painting that I sent you?"

Chu Liuzheng nodded and answered truthfully, "The embroidery is exquisite. Not only did I see it, but I also showed it to His Majesty."

The Empress Dowager hummed in agreement, waiting for her to continue. Unexpectedly, Chu Liuzheng stopped speaking after saying that, picked up the freshly served tea, and lowered her head to take a light sniff of its aroma.

The Empress Dowager's place is full of wonderful things.

The suppressed anger suddenly flared up again. The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger and asked, "Do you understand what I mean?"

Chu Liuzheng put down his teacup and looked up to meet the Empress Dowager's eyes, which were completely unlike the Emperor's. "I am not very smart. If the Empress Dowager wants me to understand something, please speak frankly."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was too lazy to argue with her, lest she get angry and hurt herself. She said, "The Emperor has few children. You have enjoyed the Emperor's favor for many years, yet you have not given birth to a son or daughter for the Emperor. Chu, you have failed in your duty."

The greatest duty of women in the harem was to bear children for the emperor, and this was also what the Empress Dowager was most dissatisfied with about Chu Liuzheng.

Although she hoped that Consort Xie would give birth to a prince, the emperor was infatuated with Lady Chu and didn't even glance at the other women. So she settled for second best and hoped that Lady Chu could give birth.

But it's been almost four years, and let alone having two children in three years, there's not even a hint of Chu's belly showing.

She had secretly asked the imperial physician, and learned that her son's hidden illness had long since healed. Since it wasn't the son's problem, then it must be that Lady Chu was infertile.

A woman who cannot bear children is favored by the emperor, which is a disaster for both the country and the family. The empress dowager could not sit idly by.

Chu Liuzheng was speechless as he listened to the Empress Dowager's accusations.

[Hasn't the Empress Dowager seen the records from the Imperial Household Department? I did sleep with the Tyrant, but we were always... uh, not exactly having very innocent conversations under the covers, okay?]

(End of this chapter)