Chapter 37: Outburst part 1
The imperial procession moved at half its usual speed, sluggishly winding through the palace paths.
As they reached a corner, the sound of music drifted from within the hall. Listening closely, it seemed to be a Pipa; the melody was laced with resentment and mournful sorrow, sounding like weeping or complaining.
Gu Zhen closed his eyes and listened for a moment, a subtle change shifting his expression. Just as Wu Mao thought His Majesty might have a change of heart and order them to turn back, Gu Zhen asked indifferently, “Does the Empress play the Pipa in the courtyard every day?”
How would Wu Mao know such things? He awkwardly wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. “Perhaps Her Highness has felt a bit melancholy of late.”
“Melancholy over what?” Gu Zhen raised an eyebrow lightly.
Over what? Wu Mao’s face stiffened, thinking, Do you even have to ask?
Stealing a glance at the Emperor’s expression, he laughed dryly twice and said carefully, “Her Highness is likely… likely still grieving over the matter of the Marquis of Huai’an’s manor. If Your Majesty is concerned about Her Highness, why doesn’t this slave go inside and offer greetings on Your Majesty’s behalf?”
Still over that matter.
A trace of irritation flashed across Gu Zhen’s brow. After a brief pause, he said flatly, “Let her be.”
Who is concerned about Zhao Yiyi? With her terrible temper, her love for making scenes, her solitary nature, and her penchant for giving him the cold shoulder—how could he possibly miss someone so uncooperative?
Yet, for some reason, he suddenly felt a splitting headache.
In his heart, Gu Zhen was inevitably annoyed. He was the Emperor; his words and actions left no room for regret or retraction, especially regarding the conflict with the aristocratic families and court officials. He could not retreat a single step.
If he took one step back, the court officials would advance two. Only by pushing back could he force them to bow to the imperial might and restrain their arrogance.
But she just had to throw a tantrum over this specific issue.
Fine. The days ahead are long. He decided to solve the immediate problems first. As for these personal matters, they could wait.
Carrying these heavy thoughts, he made his way to Wanchun Palace. He had heard from the palace servants that the Empress Dowager was unwell and had summoned an imperial physician, so he had come to pay a visit.
“Why has the Emperor come?” The Empress Dowager’s voice held a hint of delight. She hurriedly ordered tea to be served and asked the Emperor to sit beside her. “We happen to have some new tea; taste it and see how it is.”
Gu Zhen took a seat in the lower position and said warmly, “I heard from the servants that Mother was unwell and had summoned a physician. Since I had no pressing matters today, I came to visit. Is Mother feeling better today?”
The Empress Dowager rebuked him playfully, “I don’t know who told you; they really deserve a beating!” She turned and glared at the attendants. “Aijia told you not to tell the Emperor, so why were you all so loose-lipped?”
Watching the Empress Dowager’s antics, Gu Zhen simply smiled without speaking. Only after she finished scolding the servants did he say, “The servants were only concerned for Mother’s health; there is no need to be too harsh.”
Silence settled over the hall for a moment. Thinking of the recent rumors in the palace, the Empress Dowager’s thoughts shifted, and she couldn’t help but cast a sideways glance at the Emperor.
The Empress had been a beauty even in her maiden years; just looking at her face was a pleasing experience. The Empress Dowager had assumed that the lack of concubines in the palace for so many years was because her son’s soul had been hooked away by the Empress.
Now, it seemed, that wasn’t entirely the case.
She pretended to sigh casually. “Emperor, you are twenty-three this year. At this age, others have children who can run and jump. Unlike you now… As Aijia grows older, seeing others playing with their grandchildren, how could I not be envious?”
Gu Zhen’s hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly. He lifted his eyes to look at the Empress Dowager and said softly, “Does Mother not always say that Linchuan’s wild nature is already too much to handle?”
The Empress Dowager’s face stiffened, and she coughed lightly twice. “How can that be the same? Besides, Linchuan will soon be at the age to marry and leave the palace. How could a mother not wish for a few grandchildren to bring joy to her knees?”
“Aijia is anxious here, yet you and the Empress—why do neither of you seem to take this to heart?”
Gu Zhen took two sips of tea, his gaze slowly shifting to the window. Several branches of apricot blossoms, beaten by rain and still stained with clear dew, hung trembling from the tree, extending into the window.
A child?
He thought distractedly, Would a child between him and the Empress also have almond eyes, fair skin, and a tall, slender frame?
Perhaps they would also play the zither, enjoy reading, and write a good hand.
But in the next moment, remembering the Empress’s stubborn disposition, he realized the child would likely be just as obstinate, and a headache set in. She was already fussy enough, getting angry over a few words and crying whenever she was upset. If the child inherited her temper, what would he do?
Her stubbornness alone was enough for him to handle; if another one like her came along, how would he cope?
Sensing the Emperor’s distraction, the Empress Dowager coughed twice and said warmly, “It’s just that you two have been married for so long without any news. In Aijia’s opinion, perhaps we should seek…”
“Enough.”
Barely recovering from his thoughts, hearing about the child again made Gu Zhen suddenly irritable. His expression faded completely into coldness as he spoke in a deep voice, “Mother. In the future, do not mention this matter again.”
The Empress Dowager was stunned. “Emperor?”
Gu Zhen rubbed his brow and said flatly, “The Rouran are eyeing us covetously from the borders, and the political issues left by Imperial Father remain unresolved. We are in a time of internal trouble and external aggression. All of Zhen’s thoughts are currently on state affairs; I have no leisure to teach a child.”
The apricot blossom that had stretched through the window finally fell, rolling a few times on the desk before coming to a stop.
The sunlight illuminated the man’s handsome, clear features. Amidst the Empress Dowager’s astonished expression, he spoke again. “As Mother said, Zhen is only twenty-three, in the prime of life, and my ascension was rightful and proper. What use is there in rushing for a child?”
If there really was a child with a temper like hers, making a fuss over tiny things all day, it would be torture. Better to wait. Wait a few years, until the court is stable, until he has the time and the patience to deal with it.
“Your Imperial Father…” The Empress Dowager tried to argue.
Because the late Emperor had passed away early, the current Emperor had ascended the throne at barely twenty, leading to him being bullied by the court officials. If the late Emperor had waited longer to have him, the Emperor would have ascended as a child, leaving him even more at the mercy of those officials.
Gu Zhen said in a deep voice, “Imperial Father was superstitious about those warlocks and ruined his body with elixirs; otherwise, why would he pass away in his forties? Zhen has never liked Buddhism or Daoism and is in good health, so how could I be the same as Imperial Father? Furthermore…” His face turned suddenly cold. “Later on, did Imperial Father not also entertain thoughts of deposing Zhen?”
The Empress Dowager was rendered speechless. The Emperor had lived alone in the Eastern Palace since the age of five. Later, when she had Linchuan, she had even less time to care for her eldest son, leaving him to stumble through growing up on his own.
Thus, there had never been much closeness between mother and son.
Let alone heart-to-heart talks.
This was the first time the Empress Dowager had heard him voice these thoughts. Beyond her shock, she found it somewhat hard to accept. But she knew her eldest son’s temper; once he decided something, there was no room for change.
After deliberating, she ultimately said no more.
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