63 The emperor has his say (1/2)
Inside the carriage, all was silent. Yi Hai peeked a look at the empress dowager but hastily averted his eyes when she caught his gaze.
”How are you feeling?” she asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.
”I'll live.”
”Next time, when I tell you to go, you go. I don't like to be disobeyed in the middle of battle, understand?”
Yi Hai opened his mouth to disagree but caught his father's eyes and clamped his mouth shut.
”How many do you think are left of the duke's and prime minister's forces?” she asked after a while.
”It can't be that big. They were expecting to wipe us out in that first encounter so they sent more than half of their army.”
”Hmnn. I guess we'll know when we go back there later.”
Yi Hai didn't answer.
”After the auction, prepare one hundred men. We're going to pay the duke and the prime minister's son a visit,” the empress dowager said.
Yi Hai was surprised.
”Do you think that's wise, your majesty? What if they're waiting for us to do just that?”
”After I've literally destroyed their reserves? I don't think so. I think they're too frightened of me right now to think of anything but retreat. But I don't want them to retreat alive. I want all of them dead, is that clear?”
There was such a determined and angry look on her face that the three people in the carriage almost cringed in fear. The empress dowager looked almost like a wild animal in her red dress and black pants with her long hair unbound.
”I will take no prisoners. Only dead bodies. Is that clear?” the empress dowager repeated.
The voice was hard and implacable. Yi Hai swallowed his saliva and nodded.
The ride to the palace was accomplished in tense silence. The three of them could tell that something had really enraged the empress dowager. They could smell it in the air, it was thick in the small space of the carriage.
Yi Hai heaved a silent sigh when they entered the palace gate and the carriage finally stopped at the emperor's courtyard. The empress dowager jumped unassisted and offered a hand to Yi Hai's mother, who looked weirdly at her. Meanwhile, Yi Ying helped his son down the steps, his eyes a bit panicked when it encountered his son's.
The emperor was waiting for them at the top of the stairs when they turned and made their way to the house.
”I just heard the news,” he said. ”Is Yi Hai okay?”
”He's fine, but the wound needs to be cleaned,” the empress dowager answered. ”They tried to ambush us. They're all dead.”
”But An Ning, it's the middle of a public auction in broad daylight and with many witnesses around. Surely, they're not as stupid as to mount a coup as publicly as this?”
”They thought they had their chance and they took it. Too bad I lived and they didn't.”
”An Ning,” the emperor said in despair. ”Can you please stop being so flippant? I worry about you when you're like this.”
”Stop with the lecture,” the empress dowager was really mad this time.
”I know you're angry but please stop. It's not worth it.”
”Revenge is not worth it? Since when?”
”Since it started eating at you.Father wouldn't have wanted to see you like this. You know he wouldn't. He loved you too much to see you waste your life in this pointless undertaking.”
The empress dowager visibly took a deep breath.
”If I promise to see only justice done will you stop with the lecture?” she finally asked with an unforced coaxing smile.
The emperor sighed.
”You're an idiot,” he said.
The empress dowager laughed and looked back at the people pretending not to hear this awkward conversation.
”A fifteen year old boy calling his stepmother an idiot. What a family, huh?”
The onlookers smiled awkwardly, conscious of the emperor's eye on them.
”Come inside,” the emperor said. ”We'd better take a look at your wound, Yi Hai.”
”The others are in here as well?”
”Yes. I put them in the big room down the hall. I thought it better to put everyone in one place since we don't have the staff we used to. There's no use getting ourselves exhausted running from place to place.”
”How many?”
”About twenty injured and two dead.”
”Not many then.Thank god for that,” the empress dowager sighed and was silent, then as if she had just remembered something, she looked at Yi Hai's parents. ”I hate to ask but can you help? The injured needs to be tended to and somebody has to cook dinner to feed all these people. Only for tonight and possibly tomorrow morning. The job interview will open tomorrow and I'm sure I can find new replacements for the servants before the day ends. Please?”
”Don't worry a thing. You can count on us, your majesty,” Yi Ying said, with an awkward bow. ”We'll help all we can.”
”Really appreciate it. Sheng, can you take care of Yi Hai? I really need to get out of these clothes. I really, really stink.”
The emperor nodded and watched as she bounded out the room and out of sight.
The hour was almost over when the empress dowager returned. The emperor threw her a quick glance. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had obviously been crying and upset about something. He sighed. His stepmother was really a contradiction. Sweet and pampering yet savage when the mood strikes her. He knew she had loved his father and really mourned his loss when he died. The difference in their ages had become non-existent when they realized that they had many things in common and shared many things they both liked. His father had been very happy the last days of his life, happier than he had ever been, in fact.
But An Ning...sometimes he wondered if she had ever felt happy. She had said that after this was over, she would leave Yuqui. She would leave him to go back to her own country. Theemperor tried to stop the depressing thought. If he offered to give her Yuqui, he wondered if he could make her stay. Would she?
The auction resumed without any incident this time. The daughters of the gentry had been sold off at great profit, bigger than what the duke's daughter and grandson had netted, in fact. The families didn't want their daughters or sisters humiliated or enslaved so they were forced to buy them back at great cost.
Ming He didn't forked out any money for his daughter, only his service and the waiver of his usual percentage. But the emperor still paid him for his day's work. Fair was fair, after all.
After the daughters of the gentry and the ministers were taken out of the pool, all that was left were five orphaned girls with nowhere to go. The empress dowager yanked them out of the lineup and declared the auction closed.
Yi Hai walked over to her side and waited. The empress dowager was tying her cape over her outfit so she was looking down. It was nearing dawn and the air was a bit chilly. When she lifted her head up, she was surprised to see a thousand pair of eyes staring back at her.
”What's the matter? The auction is closed.”
The crowd fidgeted but no one spoke.
”Well?” the empress dowager frowned.
The crowd remained silent then a slight movement was seen and a young man with short hair and wearing glasses was shoved roughly in front while the rest took a few steps back.
The empress waited. The young man was so nervous he was almost clawing at his hat to pieces.
”Your...your majesty,” the young man stammered.”We were wondering about the job interview tomorrow. Anybody can apply it said?”
”Yes.”
”Even young people or old people?”