62 The empress dowager clashes with some thugs (1/2)
By lunch, almost half of the women in the harem were successfully sold off. Nothing untoward again happened, except for the tears and screams of the women as they were dragged away by their new owners.Some tried to squeeze past the guards to reach the empress dowager but were pulled away kicking and screaming.
The empress dowager merely looked bored and signaled a halt during lunch. After telling Ming Hethey will be back, she and the emperor left and rode back to the palace.Hu Xui and Li Bingbing welcomed them back. Li Bingbing had prepared a simple lunch in the empress dowager's favorite place, the sunroom where she and the late emperor used to have long talks over dinner or a game of chess.
The food was very simple, rice, two meats, pie and the emperor's favorite, strawberry jelly.
”You might as well join us for lunch,” the emperor said, pulling the chair next to him. The empress dowager signaled to Hu Xui who sat down a bit uncomfortably. Li Bingbing took the remaining chair next to the empress dowager.
They didn't talk while eating but it was not an uncomfortable silence. The empress dowager had a special way of making people feel comfortable in her presence. She was enjoying her lunch so they enjoyed theirs. Even the emperor was smiling as he quietly finished his jelly.
”Did you advise Yi Hai to make free use of the kitchen?” the empress dowager finally opened the conversation. ”We don't have a cook until tomorrow morning. They have to fend for themselves in the meantime.”
”He's been informed about it, niang niang,” Li Bingbing said.
”Okay, thanks.”
The emperor finally finished his jelly.
”What about father's consort and my little brother?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
”The duke paid a lot of money to get them back. One million each,” the empress dowager said with a smile.
The two women gasped.
”Holy....that much?” Hu Xiu asked with rounded eyes.
”Uhmm. I'm getting you a good assistant, Little Gu,” the empress dowager said, turning to her stepson.”You're going to be busy in the next six months so you need help.”
”Okay,” the emperor said.
”Your majesty, we might have a problem,” Yi Hai's voice suddenly intruded in the silence. He stood by the door, stiff and very soldierly.
”Have you eaten?” the empress dowager asked. ”Pull up a chair and join us.”
”I'm not sure...” Yi Hai was very surprised at the empress dowager's casual invitation.
”Have a seat, commander,” the emperor said.
Thus commanded, the leader of the palace guards took a seat and began eating. He felt very bizarre but as weird as the situation seemed to him, the emperor and his stepmother handled it with aplomb.
The empress dowager behaved like she was entertaining guests, getting up and going to the kitchen to get more food and keeping up a steady flow of conversation which made the threepeople feel more comfortable sharing a meal with the emperor.
”You were saying something about a possible trouble, commander?” the emperor finally set down his fork and looked at Yi Hai.
”I received a report that the duke and the prime minister's forces are coalescing to make trouble for the auction this afternoon,” the commander said. ”I suggest their majesties should reconsider their decision about going back there later. There might be trouble with these people.”
”Gu Sheng?” the empress dowager turned to the emperor. ”Your decision.”
Yi Hai frowned. Didn't she understand what he was trying to say? It was dangerous to go out there in the open yet she was asking the emperor like he was merely being inconvenienced going to the park for a walk.
”Of course we're going back,” the emperor said impatiently. ”Don't worry, commander. We'll be careful.”
The frown never left Yi Hai's face. The empress dowager saw it and laughed.
”We're such stubborn fools, aren't we, commander? Is that what you're thinking?”
The commander had the grace to look ashamed.
”No, your majesty. Nothing like that but I do think it's folly going back out there.”
”Little Gu, I think the commander is right.You stay here and wait for us. No need to unnecessarily worry Yi Hai. I'll be fine on my own.”
”But An Ning...” the emperor protested.
”Your majesty, it would really ease my mind if you stay behind and just wait here inside the palace. It could be really dangerous out there.”
”What he's actually saying is it's okay for me to go out there since I'm not that important but it's another matter if you get hurt. That about right, commander?” the empress dowager mocked.
The commander hesitated but he was actually a very honest young man so he just nodded his head, refusing to say anymore.
”An Ning, why go out there then if it's really that dangerous? Just stay here with me. Let them fight it out among themselves,” the emperor said, looking at his stepmother with a look of worry on his young face.
The empress dowager laughed.
”But where's the fun in that?” she said, flashing a dimple. ”I don't want to disappoint the people who went through all this trouble just to kill me. It's no fun.”
”An Ning!” the emperor said sharply. ”Don't joke like that.”
”You are such a square, Little Gu.You know, anyone will think you're in your fifties if they hear you talk like that. Chill, dude.”
”I cannot chill as you put it if you keep talking like this is not important. You are important, An Ning. At least, to me,” the emperor said, then furiously turned his red face away when he encountered her mischievous smile.
”I love you, too,” the empress dowager said, blowing him a kiss. The emperor fidgeted in his chair, embarrassed yet pleased.
The three people listened to this banter with mixed feelings. Hu Xiu was smiling, Li Bingbing had a crease on her smooth forehead, while Yi Hai merely looked exasperated.
”Niang niang,” Li Bingbing said, hesitating as if she didn't want to give offense yet must get something off her chest, ”those girls...they're going to be alright, aren't they?”
”I believe so,” the empress dowager said.
”And the children...”
”Will stay with their mothers. It's all been planned, don't worry.”
Li Bingbing sighed as if a burden had been lifted off her chest.
Yi Hai personally escorted the empress dowager to the plaza. The crowd had grown bigger by this time, almost reaching the big government building.The empress dowager took her place at the dais without fanfare.There were whispers when everybody noticed the emperor's absence but it all died down when the auction again started.
Two men in their late twenties ended up fighting over a girl, which was rather funny except that their argument got heated up so fast the two men started exchanging blows, furiously trying to beat each other to death.The fight escalated very quickly people had to scramble away to avoid being caught up in it.