Xuanzheng Hall.
Sui An ran into the hall.
The two small buns atop her head were slightly disheveled as she stopped breathlessly before the Imperial Desk.
“Father!”
Yan Pingxiao looked up, his gaze shifting to Yuanbao behind her.
Yuanbao quickly knelt: “Your Majesty, earlier in the bamboo grove outside Fahua Hall, Her Highness and this servant encountered a young lady… she… she bears a striking resemblance to the late Empress…”
Yan Pingxiao didn’t address this statement, instead asking: “How did you meet her?”
Sui An lowered her head, lost in thought, and whispered: “In the bamboo grove…”
“I went to find Mian Mian, and then I saw her.”
“When I first saw her, I felt happy in my heart. Mian Mian liked her too.”
Yan Pingxiao’s brows suddenly furrowed deeply as he listened to Sui An continue: “Father once said that Mian Mian was a kitten Mother found, and she never let anyone else touch it. Even Tang Gonggong and Yuanbao couldn’t hold her, yet Mian Mian liked her just as much as I did.”
Young as she was, Sui An didn’t overthink things like Yan Pingxiao did. She simply followed her intuition – an intuition that made her feel an immediate affinity for Nan Shu upon seeing her, and a desire to be close to her.
Yan Pingxiao’s hand on the Imperial Desk clenched into a tight fist. He rose abruptly: “Summon Pei Ji.”
Pei Ji was the general of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the Imperial City’s security. Upon receiving the summons, he quickly entered Xuanzheng Hall.
Before he could offer greetings, he heard the Emperor command: “Take some men to Qingzhou and investigate someone for me.”
“May I ask who Your Majesty wishes to investigate?”
A cold intensity gathered between Yan Pingxiao’s brows, his dark eyes unfathomable and revealing no emotion: “Consort Rong’s cousin.”
“Named Nan Shu.”
Nan Shu? Lan Shu?
Pei Ji looked up in shock.
“Investigate thoroughly. Leave no stone unturned.”
After Pei Ji departed and Yuanbao had taken Sui An away, only Tang Shunfu remained in the empty hall, occasionally stealing glances at the Emperor’s expression.
“Tang Shunfu.”
Suddenly called upon, Tang Shunfu quickly bowed his head respectfully: “Your Majesty?”
“Tell me, can the dead return to life?”
Tang Shunfu felt a chill run down his spine. He weighed his words carefully: “When I was young, I heard people say that in this vast world, nothing is too strange. Tales of ghosts and gods are widely circulated among the common folk, so there must be some truth to them.”
“However… however that young lady’s age and background are verifiable…”
Tang Shunfu didn’t believe the dead could return to life, but he didn’t dare speak too bluntly. He hadn’t forgotten the Emperor’s madness when Miss Shen passed away, nor had he forgotten the catastrophe three years ago. Now that five years had finally passed, why would someone so similar to Miss Shen suddenly appear?
Could there be some conspiracy at play?
But aside from those of them who had served in the northwest, no one knew of Shen Lan Shu’s existence.
Yan Pingxiao leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes: “Five years.”
He had once thought he could forget her.
But later he discovered he was more afraid of forgetting her.
Ciyuandian.
Yan Pingxiao came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager after court.
After some pleasantries, the Empress Dowager said: “A few days ago, Lanzhou came to see me.”
She unconsciously studied the Emperor’s expression, but his face remained completely unreadable, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
“He said you rejected the petition for the selection of consorts again…”
Yan Pingxiao set the teacup down on the table, his tone neither warm nor cold: “My uncle’s reach grows longer by the day.”
With just these words, the Empress Dowager’s expression shifted. Song Lanzhou was her nephew, and his words naturally reflected her brother’s intentions.
“I know you cannot forget the late Empress, but it has been five years…”
Yan Pingxiao’s fingers suddenly tightened around his thumb ring, the intricate patterns digging into his skin with a stinging sensation.
“Why must Mother insist on me holding a selection? Shall we send women into the palace to live as widows?”
The Empress Dowager could not suppress her irritation: “When have I ever forced you? You are now twenty-seven, with only one imperial heir. The court officials, unable to persuade you, have petitioned me…”
“Anyone who dares gossip before Mother again shall be dragged out and executed.”
Yan Pingxiao closed his eyes, struggling to contain his inner turmoil: “Affairs of the court are not Mother’s concern.”
The Empress Dowager lowered her gaze, rotating the prayer beads on her wrist as an indescribable estrangement permeated the hall.
After perfunctorily inquiring about the Empress Dowager’s health and sitting briefly, Yan Pingxiao took his leave.
When his figure vanished from sight, the Empress Dowager leaned wearily against her chair.
Granny Zhuang came behind her to massage her shoulders: “His Majesty surely has his own plans. There is no need for Empress Dowager to worry excessively.”
The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together, massaging her temples in resignation.
“Since the twenty-fifth year of Yong’an, I have been confined to this deep palace. He went alone to the northwest – the hardships he endured are beyond my comprehension.”
“I never knew he had found someone dear to him during his time in the northwest…”
Granny Zhuang also recalled the catastrophe that had separated mother and son for five years.
“Having someone by His Majesty’s side was a blessing, though tragically, beautiful blossoms are often short-lived…”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze grew distant. During the succession struggle, Yan Pingxiao had hidden the young woman exceptionally well. Aside from his close aides, no one – including herself – had ever seen her, or even known of her existence.
It was only during the coronation ceremony, when he abruptly fled the Divine Martial Hall in frenzy, returning three days later disheveled and carrying a child…
Subsequently, he posthumously honored her as Empress and established the child as Princess, revealing the woman’s existence to the Empress Dowager.
“Words are futile now. The dead cannot return. Since he occupies this position, having few imperial heirs only invites opportunity for the remnants of the deposed crown prince’s faction.”
Granny Zhuang softened her massage: “His Majesty is stubborn. Even if Empress Dowager wishes to advise him, you must mind the measure…”
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes: “I know.”