In the Taiji Palace, after the Emperor finished his medicinal bath, Sun Fu assisted him as he lay down to rest.
The Emperor suddenly asked, "Has Yong'an Palace opened its doors?"
Sun Fu glanced at Li Yueyao, who was sitting nearby reviewing memorials, and replied, "Your Majesty, Qian Lou had someone climb in and open the door from inside.
He then conveyed the oral decree of the Grand Princess: if the doors were closed again, all the doors of Yong'an Palace would be dismantled.
Consort Xian then emerged and smoothly received the decree."
The Emperor chuckled lightly upon hearing this, "If I knew this method would work, I would have used it earlier."
Li Yueyao, overhearing nearby, scoffed softly, "Don't I understand you? It's not that you couldn't think of it—you just couldn't swallow your pride."
The Emperor muttered quietly, "Aunt, why do you have to expose me?"
"You've been like this since childhood. Sometimes you clearly want something, but you stubbornly refuse to say it, insisting others coax you into accepting it.
You're grown up now—isn't this childish?"
"Aunt, it was just because I argued with her a few times. Who knew she would get so angry?"
"You were the same as a child, always saying things backwards to provoke me, which is why I spanked you. Don't you remember?"
The Emperor recalled the scenes of being spanked as a child and laughed, "Aunt is Aunt, different from others."
Li Yueyao placed the memorial she had reviewed with vermilion endorsement aside.
"As you grew older, these little flaws seemed to disappear.
Then you ascended to the throne, and everything appeared fine over the years, so I felt quite reassured. Who knew this flaw still lingered?"
The Emperor remained silent.
Previously, Consort Xian still admonished you, but now the six ministries of the court and the imperial harem all meekly obey you, with no one daring to oppose you. Is this normal?"
The Emperor sighed deeply, "There are those who oppose. In the court, the Right Chancellor often opposes me, making me lose face.
In the harem, it's Consort Xian—when angry, she avoids me for five years."
"See, these are people of integrity and backbone. Honest advice may be hard to hear but benefits conduct—a principle you knew at three years old. Do you still need me to teach you now?
Are those who always comply with you truly acting for your benefit?"
The Emperor stayed silent.
Li Yueyao also ceased speaking, and the room fell into a deep silence.
After a long while, Li Yueyao heard the Emperor's steady breathing and approached to check, finding no fever or other issues.
She quietly removed the Blood Phoenix Bracelet from her wrist and placed it in the Emperor's hand, covering it with the blanket.
Then she returned to her seat and continued reviewing memorials.
A few days ago was Li Yueyao's twenty-seventh birthday. On a whim, she visited the treasury and found a Blood Phoenix Bracelet left by her mother before her passing.
The sunlight that day shone in just right, making the phoenix on the bracelet lifelike, with the small half-circle of white jade glowing with a gentle luster.
Li Yueyao, as if bewitched, put the bracelet on her wrist.
That night, the ancestors entered her dreams.
According to Cuiwei's observations, whenever Li Yueyao dreams of the ancestors, the Blood Phoenix Bracelet on her wrist emits a dim red light.
This made her realize that the Blood Phoenix Bracelet might be the medium through which the ancestors enter dreams.
Today, she thought of letting the Emperor hold it to test whether it could confirm her guess.
Indeed, shortly after, the Emperor began talking in his dream: "Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Grandfather, your child knows he was wrong…"
Sun Fu, standing nearby, heard this and was about to step forward to wake the Emperor, but Li Yueyao stopped him.
"Leave him be. My father is chatting with His Majesty."
Sun Fu fell silent upon hearing this and stood quietly to the side.
He only heard His Majesty continue, "Father, I was wrong, I was wrong. Please don’t hit me, don’t hit me…"
Sun Fu couldn’t help but want to step forward again, but Li Yueyao’s icy gaze stopped him.
"Ah… Imperial Grandfather, I was wrong, I’ll change, I’ll change… Ah… Father, don’t hit me…"
This went on for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the Emperor suddenly cried out, "Father, Imperial Grandfather… Father… Don’t go… Don’t leave me behind…"
Only then did Li Yueyao slowly rise and walk forward. She quietly took the Blood Phoenix Bracelet from the Emperor’s hand before unhurriedly calling out:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you having a nightmare?"
The Emperor jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his pupils slightly unfocused. Staring at the bright yellow bed curtains, he murmured:
"Aunt. I dreamed of Father and Imperial Grandfather."
"Oh, they visited your dream tonight? What did they say?" Li Yueyao feigned surprise.
"Imperial Grandfather said if the empire is lost in my hands, he’ll beat me to death. But how could our empire possibly be lost?"
Li Yueyao snorted inwardly. You ask me? I want to ask you the same thing.
"And what did your father say?"
"Father called me an unfilial son and chased me to hit me. He didn’t say anything else."
After speaking, the Emperor reached out and rubbed his arm, as if it still hurt.
Li Yueyao looked coldly at the Emperor and asked, "So, what does Your Majesty plan to do?"
The Emperor’s gaze grew distant and profound. After a long while, he said, "Today, within a single day, my ancestors have warned me twice. There must truly be a problem. What does Aunt think I should do?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yueyao felt like hitting the Emperor twice on the head.
She replied irritably, "You ask me? Are you the Emperor, or am I?"
The Emperor snapped back to reality and reached out to tug at Li Yueyao’s sleeve. "Aunt, I’m still poisoned, and my health hasn’t fully recovered. You have to help me."
Seeing the Emperor, just like when he was a child, pulling at her sleeve and asking for help, Li Yueyao glared at him.
"I still need time to understand the court situation, help you deal with the backlog of memorials, and detoxify you and Consort Shu. I’m already overwhelmed.
As for the rear palace, leave it to Consort Xian to handle. Whatever she uncovers, she’ll report it herself. Don’t interfere.
Don’t let your beloved consorts, ladies, or beauties come crying to complain, and then you soften and reprimand Consort Xian.
Let me tell you, the fact that Consort Xian hasn’t come to see you means she’s still angry. Don’t provoke her again.
If you make her lose her temper this time, you’ll never see her again in this lifetime."
Hearing this, the Emperor pouted, looking quite displeased.
"Don’t you dare pout. It’s your own fault for being blind back then. I told you to choose her, but you insisted on picking that Xie Wanrou… You deserve it.
If you had chosen her back then, would your rear palace be in such chaos? Would you and Consort Shu have been poisoned one after another?
It’s not without reason that your father beat you in your dream.
Who knows, these days he might visit your dreams every night to beat you."
Hearing this, the Emperor thought about his father visiting his dreams every night to beat him, feeling both joy and fear.
Of course, he would be happy to see his father and Imperial Grandfather, but being chased and beaten all the time was also quite frightening.
Li Yueyao didn’t care what he was thinking and continued, "Just now, I heard you say the Right Chancellor often contradicts you. Is that Feng Shenyu?"
"Yes, it's him."
Li Yueyao listened and carefully recalled: "He entered the court after I went to Chunshan, right?"
"Yes," the Emperor replied.
"I've only heard his name, never seen him. I've heard he is handsome, the last disciple of Su Taifu, and rose to Right Chancellor in seven years.
That's the fastest promotion in our dynasty, isn't it?"
When the Emperor heard Li Yueyao's question, he frowned and said: "He's a hard one to describe."
"How so?"
The Emperor sighed: "If you say he's upright as an official, the censors accuse him of indulging in revelry, often visiting places of song and dance.
If you say he's treacherous, judging from the cases he handled, he eliminated harm for the people and has quite a reputation among the populace.
If you say he forms factions for personal gain, he impeaches this one, then targets that one.
In short, it's hard to say; this person is both righteous and wicked."
Li Yueyao frowned as she listened: "The old Taifu was the cornerstone of the state, always upright and unbending in his lifetime. How could he have taught such a disciple?"
The Emperor shook his head after hearing this.
Li Yueyao asked again: "They say he is as his name suggests, handsome and majestic like jade. Is that true?"
The Emperor nodded: "Yes, indeed extraordinary in appearance, tall and well-built, a perfect frame for clothes.
Whether it's crimson or purple official robes, he wears them and makes the robes look even better."
"Why is he unmarried until now? Perhaps he has some hidden ailment?" Li Yueyao asked.
The Emperor heard this, looked strangely at Li Yueyao, and said: "Aunt, why are you so concerned about Feng Shenyu? Do you have thoughts about him?"
Li Yueyao heard the Emperor's absurd question, reached out and punched his arm, saying:
"Thoughts about him? Not a chance. I'm just thinking, if he really has some hidden ailment, perhaps I could cure him and form an alliance."