“Mother Empress is still angry with me, isn’t she?”
The current Xuanzheng Hall was even worse than the shabby little residence Xiao Hongyi had lived in when he was still a prince.
He didn’t want to stay here at all.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Feng Zhao replied.
This time, even though the system had prompted her, she didn’t immediately give him what he wanted.
“Xiao Hongyi, you are the Emperor now. No one will care that you’re only five years old.”
“There are some things I can help you with, and some things you must face on your own.”
“Living alone in Xuanzheng Hall is the first step.”
She would fulfill her mission of raising him, but she wasn’t going to shelter him behind her forever like a helpless chick.
Xiao Hongyi seemed to understand only part of what she meant.
Before he could continue hesitating, Feng Zhao turned around and left with her attendants, leaving him standing there alone.
Lianqiao couldn’t help asking,
“Your Majesty, aren’t you worried that Noble Consort Wen might try to harm His Majesty if you leave him alone in Xuanzheng Hall?”
“No.”
Feng Zhao continued walking until she had left the palace grounds before stopping and glancing back at the grand hall.
“Wen Meier may be foolish, but she isn’t brainless.”
“She just fought me for the throne. If Xiao Hongyi were to suddenly die right afterward, let alone me—even Wen Chenglin wouldn’t spare her.”
Wen Chenglin didn’t want to be seen as a usurper.
At least not publicly.
His ambitions were enormous. He wanted to be remembered in the history books as a virtuous minister, praised by future generations.
That meant there were certain things the Wen family simply couldn’t do.
At the very least, Xiao Hongyi couldn’t die right now.
If he did, the Wen family would be the first to suffer.
“There are certainly many of Wen Meier’s spies inside Xuanzheng Hall.”
“I remember there’s a eunuch called Xiao Li by Little Ninth’s side. He’s fairly capable.”
“Go test him. If he’s trustworthy, leave him a few antidote pills for emergencies.”
Lianqiao immediately understood and departed to carry out the task.
Meanwhile, Feng Zhao returned to Fengming Palace.
Fengming Palace was equally quiet under the night sky.
The palace maids hurried forward to greet her.
Even the cat she had recently adopted was jumping around inside its cage.
“His Majesty ascended the throne today. Even the cat is excited!”
The maid shamelessly flattered her.
Xie Chen, who had been sleeping all day:
“…”
He had no idea when he had ever looked excited.
To him, it didn’t matter who became Emperor.
As long as he wished it, the future territory of Cangyun would eventually belong to him anyway.
Hardly worth paying attention to.
The black cat lazily sharpened his claws and yawned.
Every strand of fur seemed to radiate arrogance and indifference.
He looked less like a cat and more like a tiger inspecting its territory.
Then, in the next instant, his dignified image shattered.
“Meow!!!”
Feng Zhao had lifted both him and the cage off the ground.
And she was doing it very roughly.
Studying the black cat through the cage, Feng Zhao naturally didn’t believe the maid’s nonsense.
But suddenly, an idea occurred to her.
“If I send you to Xuanzheng Hall, then he won’t be completely alone, right?”
Little Bun was timid.
Maybe having a cat around would help.
Xie Chen was furious.
No one liked being treated as a gift and passed around.
Just as he was preparing to retaliate, the cage lurched violently again.
The shaking left him dizzy and weak.
He collapsed helplessly inside the cage.
Completely defeated.
At that moment, Lianqiao returned from Xuanzheng Hall.
“Your Majesty, Xiao Li is trustworthy.”
“He refused to poison His Majesty, even when threatened with my poison.”
At present, Feng Zhao possessed few bargaining chips.
The only way to test Xiao Li’s loyalty had been to use poison.
When people faced life and death, their true intentions were revealed.
Xiao Li had passed.
He had never entertained any disloyal thoughts.
“A loyal servant indeed.”
Feng Zhao nodded.
Lianqiao boldly guessed,
“Your Majesty, you’ve been staring at the cat all night. Were you planning to give Little Black to His Majesty?”
Feng Zhao neither confirmed nor denied it.
Instead, she asked,
“How was he when you left?”
Lianqiao replied,
“After Your Majesty left, His Majesty kept staring in the direction you went.”
“It looked as though… he was about to cry.”
Little Bun was timid.
Whenever he encountered something he couldn’t handle, all he could do was cry.
Feng Zhao could practically picture it.
His eyes red and watery.
Tears falling one after another.
After a moment of thought, she set down the cat cage.
“Forget it.”
“If I’m going to cut ties, then it should be done cleanly.”
She needed him to understand his current position.
She couldn’t watch over him every moment of every day.
Leaving the cat cage where it stood, Feng Zhao hardened her heart and walked away.
Inside Xuanzheng Hall, Xiao Hongyi remained standing in place for a very long time.
His legs had gone numb before he finally realized no one was coming.
Xiao Li repeatedly urged him to rest.
Each time, he refused.
“Mother Empress will come back.”
“I’ll wait for her.”
His small hands gripped the edges of his robes tightly.
Deep down, he knew Feng Zhao didn’t truly like him.
But what if?
Hadn’t they gotten along fairly well these past few days?
Xiao Hongyi fought back his tears.
His eyes became red.
He forced himself not to cry.
He waited.
And waited.
He waited until the moon disappeared and the sun rose.
Still, she never returned.
“Why?”
“Why did Mother Empress leave me here all alone?”
“Was I not obedient?”
“…Or does Mother Empress think that now that Little Ninth is Emperor, I no longer have any value to her?”
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
In the end, he could no longer hold back.
Large tears rolled down his cheeks one after another like broken strings of pearls.
Xiao Li had followed him ever since entering the palace.
He knew his master was kindhearted and gentle.
Several times he wanted to tell him:
The Empress Dowager didn’t abandon you.
You haven’t done anything wrong.
She paved a road for you.
She even left me life-saving antidote pills.
Everything she’s doing is to help you take your first step forward.
But he never found the right words.
“Your Majesty, please get some sleep.”
“In another hour, it’ll be time for morning court.”
Xiao Hongyi sniffled and wiped away his tears.
Then he suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance on Xiao Li.
Phoenix blossoms.
The same incense Feng Zhao always used.
“Xiao Li…”
“Did you see Mother Empress earlier?”
He leaned closer and sniffed carefully.
Before Xiao Li could answer, his eyes landed on the sleeve of the eunuch’s left arm.
The scent was coming from there.
“What are you hiding?”
“Let me see!”
Xiao Li’s heart sank.
The antidote pills Lianqiao had given him were wrapped inside a handkerchief.
The fragrance must have come from the cloth.
Even Lianqiao probably hadn’t realized that while helping Feng Zhao scent her clothing, she had also scented the handkerchief.
And in doing so, accidentally exposed Feng Zhao’s involvement.
“Xiao Li, you’re hiding something from me.”
Xiao Hongyi’s face darkened.
He didn’t like being deceived.
Xiao Li had always been loyal.
He didn’t want to disappoint his master.
In the end, he could only present the items with both hands.
“The Empress Dowager specifically instructed this servant to keep them safe.”
He then explained everything that had happened.
At first, Xiao Hongyi felt happy.
Happy because he hadn’t truly been abandoned.
But after understanding Feng Zhao’s intentions, he fell silent again.
This time he didn’t stare at the doorway.
Instead, he stood motionless, gazing at the Dragon Throne behind him.
His dark eyes were unreadable.
No one knew what he was thinking.
The next day, during court, Feng Zhao noticed something unusual.
Little Bun was ignoring her.
Even when he greeted her on the way, he seemed distracted and absent-minded.
Almost…
Like he was angry.
Was he upset because she had left him alone in Xuanzheng Hall?
A trace of bitterness rose in Feng Zhao’s heart.
But she said nothing.
Taking her place behind the pearl curtain, she looked down at the assembled ministers inside Zichen Hall.
“Yesterday, both His Majesty and I received many memorials submitted by the court officials.”
“They were all quite well written.”
She paused before speaking again.
“Attendents.”
“Return all of the memorials to their respective authors.”