Fang Jinxian averted his gaze.
“What Your Majesty wants is peace and cleanliness. I cannot give you that completely. What I can do is make those eyes turn blind when necessary and buy Your Majesty a little peace and quiet.”
“And your condition?”
“Do you know why the Late Emperor appointed Lady Yu as the new Empress before his death?”
“Wasn’t it because of the Imperial Observatory…?”
Fang Jinxian let out a faint laugh.
“The Late Emperor was not so desperate as to pin his hopes on something as absurd as extending his life by appointing an Empress.”
“Then was it because her grandfather’s students and old associates were spread throughout the court? Or because of the Yu Clan…?”
“Those were merely added benefits,” Fang Jinxian interrupted. “The Late Emperor said that His Majesty had lost his mother at a young age and had grown up overly quiet and reserved. He needed a mother—not merely someone to teach him political schemes and court etiquette, but someone who could show him the ordinary joys, sorrows, warmth, and humanity of the world.”
“Although Lady Yu was obedient to her family and easily influenced by others, she was a kind-hearted person. That was why the Late Emperor went along with the arrangement.”
“However, your arrival balanced out the disadvantages that the Yu Clan might have brought. Personally, I hope that you can sincerely stand on the same side as His Majesty.”
Yu Qijian nodded slowly.
“You want to stabilize me not only for His Majesty’s sake, but also because of the Late Emperor’s final wishes?”
Fang Jinxian neither confirmed nor denied it.
“If His Majesty can trust you and grow close to you, it will be a good thing for him and for the realm. I would be happy to see that happen.”
Perhaps influenced by Yu Qijian’s habit of referring to herself without concern for rank or status, he no longer bothered to call himself this minister.
In front of servants, he was we.
Before the ruler, he was this humble minister or this servant.
There was also a selfish reason.
It had been a very, very long time since he had simply been I.
Yu Qijian looked at him and suddenly gained a slightly better impression of him.
“So you’re actually a loyal and righteous person.”
“Whether I’m loyal and righteous or not, I’m merely someone attached to imperial power, seeking a stable life. I have no other choice.”
Her heart was touched even more.
Before this, she had been extremely wary of the powerful eunuch and had avoided him whenever possible. She had only cooperated with him out of necessity to survive.
Yet during these days together, she had never imagined that Fang Jinxian would speak so sincerely and openly with her. Their relationship was not deep enough for such heartfelt conversations.
It turned out that he was not made entirely of calculations and control.
He also possessed a heart that still beat within him, though it seemed somewhat weary.
Fang Jinxian asked again,
“What happened to the King in your story last night?”
Yu Qijian thought for a moment.
“He was overwhelmed with shame. After returning to the palace, he severely punished the swindlers and the flattering ministers. From then on, he governed diligently and cared for his people, becoming a good King.”
“Is that so?”
He had assumed the King would first kill the child who spoke the truth.
Fang Jinxian stepped back and bowed slightly.
“The night air is heavy with dew. Your Majesty should return. Tomorrow, I will have someone deliver the new roster of Palace Servants, along with the preliminary regulations concerning the Phoenix Seal, to the Palace of Eternal Peace.”
“As for peace and quiet, so long as Your Majesty does not endanger the greater situation, I can guarantee that within the Palace of Eternal Peace, no one will disturb your dreams.”
Yu Qijian pressed her lips together slightly.
Her voice softened as she returned his bow.
“Then I thank you, Chief Eunuch. May we have a pleasant cooperation from now on.”
Her tone was gentle, and the clear eyes that looked at him shed some of their wariness and hostility.
A corner of the wall she had erected around herself cracked open, tentatively allowing him inside.
Fang Jinxian remained where he stood, quietly watching her slender figure disappear into the distance.
After a long while, he unwrapped a piece of malt candy and placed it in his mouth, smiling leisurely.
A trace of triumph mixed with self-mockery flashed through his eyes.
Why couldn’t he remain a little more resolute?
After all, he had always been a despicable man full of schemes and calculations.
The night sky was an endless void of darkness without a single glimmer of light.
Yu Qijian stopped at the entrance of the Palace of Eternal Peace and looked upward.
She understood that the universe was vast and boundless. This was the same sky, the same moon.
But she could never return.
A palace lantern had been left burning inside the hall.
As expected, Zhao Yan was still awake.
The little boy wore a bright yellow sleeping robe and sat cross-legged on the bed. An open book rested in his hands, but his head kept drooping, his eyelids nearly stuck together.
The moment he heard footsteps, he immediately raised his head.
When he saw Yu Qijian, all traces of sleepiness vanished instantly.
“Mother Empress.”
He still addressed her with complete seriousness.
Yu Qijian hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not tell him to sleep in the side chamber.
The child lacked affection and was clingy.
She could try getting used to it.
“Didn’t I tell you to sleep first?”
Zhao Yan shook his head and sat up straight.
“The story isn’t finished yet.”
Yu Qijian patted his head.
“You wanted to hear it that badly?”
“Mhm.” Zhao Yan asked, “Has the Lin Family matter been settled just like that?”
“What do you think?” she countered.
It was obvious that Zhao Yan had already thought deeply about the matter.
“The Censor Lin may still have doubts, but because of the posthumous honors and rewards granted by Mother Empress, he will suppress them and won’t pursue the matter further.”
Yu Qijian smiled and nodded.
“Anything else you want to ask?”
Surprised by her attentiveness, Zhao Yan pressed his lips together.
“But I can’t understand something. A person as upright and incorruptible as Censor Lin would give up investigating the truth behind his daughter’s death for the sake of rewards and reputation. In his heart, is his own flesh and blood less important than his reputation?”
“Because his daughter was already dead. That fact cannot be changed. Even the most upright and honest person weighs advantages and disadvantages. Faced with an uncertain path and a safe, acceptable one, most people would be unwilling to gamble. If the Dowager Consort truly died from a heart condition, wouldn’t all his efforts become a case of losing both wife and soldiers?”
Zhao Yan frowned slightly.
He still could not understand and continued wrestling with the logic.
Yu Qijian pointed it out directly.
“You think he should investigate because you strongly suspect that the Dowager Consort’s death was not natural, don’t you?”
He nodded slowly.
“Then did she truly die from a heart condition?”
Yu Qijian did not answer directly.
“Do you remember last night’s story? The Dowager Consort was that nonexistent new robe. The swindlers knew it didn’t exist. People like me and the Chief Eunuch knew it didn’t exist. But some people, like Lord Lin and the others, either pretended to believe it existed or had their own reasons for insisting that it existed.”
“Then what about the child who told the truth?” Zhao Yan asked.
“You are that child.”
Yu Qijian held his small hand.
“You sat there and cooperated with me. You were the silent truth.”
Zhao Yan seemed to understand and yet not fully understand.
“Because I am the Emperor? If I say something is true, then it becomes true. If I say it is false, then it can only be false?”
“Your every word and action influences how others think and act. That is a privilege that belongs exclusively to the Emperor.”
The envy in Yu Qijian’s eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
Before she had figured out a proper educational plan for him, she decided not to say too much and accidentally teach him the wrong lessons.
She quickly told him the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Once she finished, she ordered him to go to sleep and then ran off to the small kitchen in search of food.
The emotional highs and lows of the day had drained all her energy.
Now that she had finally calmed down, Yu Qijian was so hungry that she felt capable of eating an entire cow.
So she ordered herself a hearty midnight feast.
Braised pork knuckle, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, snail meat, and tea to cut through the greasiness.
The food was delicious, but she still found herself missing late-night barbecue and beer, paired with a good video to watch while eating.
When she had first arrived, everything had felt fresh and novel.
But as time passed, her addiction to her phone had begun to flare up, leaving her feeling uncomfortable all over.
She had barely taken a few bites when Zhao Yan followed the scent of food and appeared beside her.
After glancing at the dishes spread across the table, he said,
“…Eating too much at night is bad for your health.”
Yu Qijian waved him over generously.
“Can’t sleep? Come join me. You can keep me company and help relieve my boredom.”
After a brief hesitation, Zhao Yan walked over and sat beside her.
“Alright.”