Summer court sessions were far from pleasant, and the capital was particularly stifling today.
Before the sun had even risen, several officials standing outside the palace walls were already drenched in sweat. One of them, disregarding decorum, fanned himself repeatedly with his sleeve while cursing: “This damned wretched weather.”
An official beside him laughed: “For the Empress, this is actually excellent weather.”
The surrounding officials all chuckled. Ever since the discussion about military rewards began, the Empress no longer lowered the curtain. When censors inquired, the Empress said it was too hot.
“What is the Empress really trying to do?” an official whispered. “Is she throwing a tantrum at the Grand Tutor?”
Another official chuckled twice: “You think women only know how to throw tantrums? Her intention is very clear—”
He mouthed two words silently.
“Seize power”
The nearby officials fell silent for a moment.
Someone scoffed: “The Emperor hasn’t even seized power yet! What can she seize!”
But immediately another official muttered: “Precisely because the Emperor hasn’t seized power, that’s why the Empress wants to seize power.”
These words caused the nearby officials to fall silent again.
If not for the Emperor’s youth, Empress Chu would never have had the opportunity to accompany the Emperor to court. Using the Emperor’s youth to gain the chance to attend court and hear state affairs, then taking the opportunity to seize power—there was nothing surprising about that at all.
Otherwise, once the Emperor came of age, the Empress would just be the Empress.
“What gives her the right—” someone muttered, but swallowed the rest of his words. This Empress indeed had leverage and couldn’t be treated as just a little woman, but— “Even having military authority doesn’t mean she can do as she pleases and break the ancestral rules!”
If the Empress wanted to seize power, she should do so in the Inner Palace. The Inner Palace must not interfere in politics—she shouldn’t point fingers and give orders in the outer court.
“Who knows who’s instructing her—” someone suddenly said.
“Who else could it be,” someone nearby responded. “Minister Xie, of course.”
This time the nearby officials didn’t fall silent, but collectively let out a muffled grunt from their noses: “All foreign relatives.”
As the grunt faded, there was some commotion outside the palace gate. The officials made way, and in the dim morning light, Xie Yanfang walked over at a leisurely pace. He was actually holding a fan, fanning himself as he walked while greeting others with a smile.
“It’s really hot today.”
The officials all responded with smiles. Those who didn’t want to respond lowered their heads and made way.
Xie Yanfang walked at the very front. When he reached the palace gate, it opened precisely at that moment, and he entered the palace smoothly without obstruction.
Only then did the other officials proceed in order. The officials standing at the back resumed their conversations.
“Will the Empress speak up again today?”
“Will no one respond again today?”
“How will Xie Yanfang deal with it?”
“I never expected Minister Xie to also remain silent.”
“If he speaks up, the Grand Tutor will definitely attack relentlessly. This is strategy.”
“These two sides are just seeing who can outlast the other.”
“Isn’t there a third party?”
This last statement was somewhat abrupt. Two officials were taken aback and turned their heads to see someone who had somehow moved up behind them—
But this was nothing unusual. The back of the queue consisted of lower-ranking officials, many of whom didn’t belong to the Grand Tutor’s faction nor associate with the Xie family—independent and obscure, serving as idle minor officials.
“Minister Zhu, what do you mean by a third party?” they asked.
The official called Minister Zhu hesitated for a moment before saying: “The Empress, actually, doesn’t belong to the foreign relatives. She and the Emperor are both sovereigns.”
The two who had been speaking were taken aback and found it somewhat amusing: “The Empress depends on the Emperor, how can they both be—”
They didn’t finish their words. The censors called out, and ceremonial music sounded—the Emperor was arriving at court. Though they were at the back of the queue, they could no longer talk casually. The several officials quickly stopped speaking, assumed solemn expressions, and watched as the Emperor and Empress walked slowly forward. They bowed in salute.
“Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.”
……
……
Court proceedings continued slowly, mostly discussing the same old topics. Inside the hall it was stifling. Some officials in the queue became distracted and dazed, some were drowsy, and some, to avoid distraction and drowsiness, raised their heads and glanced at the Empress from time to time—
The Empress sat behind the Emperor.
She seemed closer than before.
Some people, bored during court, pondered these details and even felt a bit excited—why doesn’t the Empress just sit directly on the dragon throne together with the Emperor?
After all, the dragon throne was quite large. Seating two people, one of whom was a child, would be no problem.
If that really happened, would the court explode in chaos?
The official was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a female voice say: “Minister Zhou, how many of the officials selected by the Ministry of Personnel this time are of upper rank?”
Throughout the court hall, voices high and low, some clear and some aged, were all male. This female voice was particularly pleasant among them.
And the male voices that had been speaking all stopped, as if intoxicated by the female voice.
The sudden silence was suffocating.
No one answered the Empress’s question—not even a single “This subject does not know.” Nor did anyone question the Empress for inquiring about state affairs.
The Empress was met only with silence.
The Ministry of Personnel official who was asked simply lowered his head.
Other officials who weren’t asked either cast their eyes downward or had wooden expressions.
The Empress didn’t speak again either, only watching the officials in the court.
It seemed like a long time yet also just an instant before Deng Yi spoke: “What are the arrangements for flood prevention this year?”
Deng Yi’s single sentence was like a drop of water falling into hot oil. The quiet court became lively again, with officials competing to respond. Besides speaking, various documents and records were also brought in.
Sitting on high and being ignored, the Empress’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. She listened to the officials’ words calmly and attentively. At a certain moment, she would raise a question, then plunge the court into silence again, until Deng Yi spoke up on another topic to spark liveliness—
This repeated itself until Deng Yi said: “Is there anything else to memorialize today? If not, court is dismissed!”
As the officials in the back row bowed to respectfully see the Emperor off, they all felt somewhat sorry for that young woman, but pity was useless in the court hall.
As the Emperor and Empress rose, Deng Yi suddenly called out to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, do you have anything to say?”
The officials also raised their heads to look at the Emperor. Given the struggle between the court and the Empress these past days, the Emperor had naturally witnessed it all. He was a child, but more than just a child. What did he think? How did he view this?
Xiao Yu seemed startled by the question, then shook his head and said: “I am still learning. I have nothing to say about court matters.”
Indeed, the Emperor appeared to have no opinions. He showed neither joy when the Empress spoke up, nor fear or anger when the Empress was met with the ministers’ silent resistance.
He sat quietly on the dragon throne listening to state affairs, only listening, forming no thoughts.
This answer made Deng Yi smile slightly. He nodded: “Your Majesty is sagacious.” He added, “Your Majesty should study well.”
Xiao Yu nodded and without further delay, took Chu Zhao’s hand and left.
The officials also dispersed like a tide.
“I never expected Empress Chu wouldn’t coerce His Majesty into making trouble with her.”
“She’s not stupid. If she dared coerce the Emperor into making trouble with her, the Grand Tutor could use the imperial seal to confine her to the Inner Palace, and she’d never get out again!”
“The Emperor’s not stupid either. What does it have to do with him? Just because no one responds when the Empress speaks doesn’t mean no one will respond when he speaks. He just needs to wait four more years until he personally assumes power.”
The officials discussed and laughed as they went about their business. The Empress’s confrontation with the ministers didn’t affect court affairs or impact them.
It didn’t affect Xiao Yu either. After court, he went to his lessons as usual.
Actually, it didn’t affect Chu Zhao either. After court, she continued sitting in the study reviewing memorials. Although the ministers in court wouldn’t speak to her and resisted her with silence, memorials still continued to be delivered.
Whether the Emperor or the Empress read them, they just pretended not to know.
After all, neither the Emperor nor the Empress had the final say on memorials or their responses.
When Xie Yanfang entered, he saw Chu Zhao reading while eating pastries.
“Don’t dip into the wrong osmanthus sauce,” he said, reaching out to move the inkstone on the desk away.
Chu Zhao smiled: “I won’t.” She then pointed to the opposite side. “Minister Xie, please sit.”
Xie Yanfang thanked her but didn’t sit.
“Empress,” he asked with a smile, “isn’t it difficult to be Empress?”