zChapter 1034 - Unable to Do Anything! (1/2)
The Emperor and this Empress have always been the best working partners. In the past many years, with one in the court and one in the harem, they managed everything in a stable manner. The Empress was very good at guessing the Emperor’s thoughts, as he shot a glance over, she would know what to say and what to do. And in the past, the Emperor also felt that this Empress understood his thoughts. Ignoring the fact that there was no love, feelings still existed. There was nothing to criticise about giving her the position as the mother of the nation.
However, the two of them understood one thing clearly, it was just that no one had laid it out in the open. They were waiting, waiting for someone on the other side to appear, taking the bait. Then whether the Empress could still be the Empress would depend on her good fortune.
Of course, those were the thoughts of the Emperor in the past. Ever since he favoured Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu, all of this were thrown to the back of his mind. Sometimes, he would be a little clear-minded, remembering that he was waiting for someone to appear, and that person had to be brought out by the Empress, so the Empress could not be abolished. He also knew that touching the Empress was the same as touching the foundation of the nation. It was not something which could easily be settled by saying ‘Abolish the Empress’, that was why the Empress seat had been kept the whole time.
But tonight, for unknown reasons, the Emperor’s mind cleared up a lot. It was not as if he remembered something, or that he had come to realise the truth. He only started to suspect, started to become suspicious of the current situation. Especially when he heard that he actually banished Zhang Yuan to the Department of Guilty Servants, a huge feeling of being dumbstruck surged in his heart.
He asked the Empress: “Do you know why We sent Xiao Yuan Zhi to the Department of Guilty Servants? Why don’t We remember what mistake he committed at all? In addition, even if he did make a mistake, it is impossible for Us to treat him like this. From when Xiao Yuan Zhi was young until now, the number of huge mistakes he committed was not limited to one or two, We have already gotten used to it.”
Hearing this, the Empress was actually feeling delighted on the inside. No matter what, the Emperor being willing to think about the situation showed that he was not completely muddled and was not completely accepting of what Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu and her son said. This allowed her to see hope, the hope of seeing the Emperor recover. She said to the Emperor: “Your Majesty feels that some things are strange recently?”
The Emperor nodded, “Things are a little strange, but We cannot think of what exactly is wrong. Other than the matter with Xiao Yuan Zhi, Empress, tell me, is there anything else that is strange?”
“There are a lot.” The Empress said plainly, “For example, Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. Another example, the Eighth Prince. Does Your Majesty feel that the recent situation is normal?”
The Emperor thought very seriously, then shook his head, “We don’t think that is anything strange! Yuan Shu is Our beloved concubine, Mo-er is Our favoured son, there is nothing wrong with Us being close to them.”
“Beloved concubine and favoured son? Then why ignore them for more than 20 years? Has Your Majesty never thought of the reason?” The Empress hit the crux of the issue with one sentence, but the Emperor who was listening was stunned.
Every time this topic was mentioned, his head would hurt. The Emperor raised his arm and grabbed his head with a pained expression, the gaze directed at the Empress containing some hatred. He said: “Empress, We only asked you about Xiao Yuan Zhi, why did you have to mention Concubine Yuan Shu and Mo-er? Our head feels especially painful once We heard your words, so you should stop talking about it.”
The Empress was helpless, but seeing that Emperor like this, it was not good for her to say anything else, so she shifted the topic back to Zhang Yuan, saying: “Does Your Majesty wish for This Wife to fetch Zhang Yuan back from the Department of Guilty Servants?” She shook her head while saying this, “It is not easy! Right now, This Wife is also unable to do anything in this Imperial Palace, being restricted by Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu in every way. Does Your Majesty feel that This Wife has the ability to take Zhang Yuan out? Thanks to you, Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu is the master of this imperial harem.”
“You are the Empress.” The Emperor’s volume increased a little, and he spoke rather unhappily: “Why are you still unable to do anything? Yuan Shu is such a nice person, how can she restrict you?”
“Since Your Majesty thinks so, why didn’t you ask Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu directly to get Zhang Yuan out, but summoned This Wife here instead?” She asked a question in return: “Asking This Wife to come, isn’t it because Your Majesty subconsciously feels that some things should not be said to Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu?”
Once she said this, the Emperor also remembered, that’s right! He was in a daze just now and felt that many things did not make sense. For example, how did he celebrate New Year’s Eve for the past 20 years? Why did he not meet Imperial Concubine Shu for so many years? Why did he feel like he had forgotten a lot of things? And had a warped viewpoint of a lot of things? For an instant, he had an especially strong will to clarify these questions, and at the same time, he felt that he could not ask Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. If he wanted to ask, he should ask a reliable person. Thinking about it, the only reliable person was the Empress, that was why he summoned the Empress.
“That’s right!” The Emperor mumbled: “We called you here to guard against Imperial Concubine Shu. But…… why?” He did not understand it again.
The Empress sighed softly, patted the back of the Emperor’s hand and said: “Since Your Majesty wants to see Zhang Yuan, then This Wife will do everything I can to fulfill Your Majesty’s wish.” Saying this, she looked at Fang Yi who was standing outside the door. Fang Yi nodded in the Empress’ direction but did not take action immediately, because Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu and the Eighth Prince were still standing outside.