The capital’s night was clamorous with noise, while the hunting grounds lacked the liveliness of daytime.

This time, the Emperor and Empress’s summer retreat hadn’t invited officials or their family members, so there was no banquet in the evening. Under the bright bonfire, only Chu Zhao and Xiao Yu sat together eating.

Tonight’s main course was Xiao Yu’s quarry, carefully prepared by the imperial chefs, but the Emperor and Empress’s minds weren’t on food and drink.

Chu Zhao told Xiao Yu about Xie Yanfang’s matter and the decision she had made.

Firelight danced across Xiao Yu’s face, his expression flickering between light and shadow.

“I didn’t expect Third Uncle would actually do this,” he said, then shook his head. “Though nothing Third Uncle does is surprising. I’ve known since childhood that he’s very clever and capable. Mother said he could do anything he wanted to do.”

“He has no disloyal intentions toward Your Majesty and wholeheartedly supports you as Emperor,” Chu Zhao said. “But, A’Yu, you must be the Emperor yourself. You cannot become someone else’s Emperor.”

Xiao Yu nodded. “I’ll listen to Sister.” After saying this, he suddenly realized that Sister Chu had just said he shouldn’t be someone else’s Emperor, and Sister was also someone else. If he said it like that, Sister would be unhappy. He immediately corrected himself: “I’ve noted it. I will be myself.”

Chu Zhao laughed despite herself, reaching out to pat Xiao Yu’s shoulder. Speaking of clever, this child was very clever too.

“You’ll soon take personal control of the government. Although you’re young, although the Late Emperor and Crown Prince are gone with no one to guide you, you’ve experienced life-and-death hardships, and these experiences will guide you. You’ll learn how to be an Emperor,” Chu Zhao said. “If you don’t know something, you can learn. As long as you study and aren’t discouraged by failure, there’s nothing you can’t learn. A’Yu, being an Emperor requires a lifetime of learning, so don’t be afraid and don’t rush.”

Xiao Yu smiled and nodded. “Sister, rest assured, I’m not afraid.” He hugged Chu Zhao’s arm. “With Sister here, I’m not afraid of anything.”

Chu Zhao pulled her arm back, making him sit up straight, and said, “Even without Sister, you don’t need to be afraid. You must remember, without anyone, you can still be an Emperor.”

Xiao Yu made a sound of acknowledgment and obediently sat up straight. Seeing the plate before him, he enthusiastically cut a piece of meat. “Sister, try this quickly. This is deer meat I personally hunted.”

He carefully placed the meat on Chu Zhao’s plate, looked up at her, then came back to his senses—the topic had changed too quickly.

“Sister,” he asked sheepishly, “it won’t taste good when it’s cold.”

With such a major matter at hand, was he only concerned about the meat getting cold? Chu Zhao felt both annoyed and amused. She said, “I’m not just going to imprison Xie Yanfang; I’m also going to charge the Xie clan with crimes.”

Once convicted, she could legitimately cut down the great tree that was the Xie clan.

This was Xiao Yu’s maternal grandfather’s family.

Having had his thoughts exposed by her, Xiao Yu simply stopped concealing them and smiled. “I know Third Uncle’s feelings toward me. As long as I exist, I am the Emperor, and the Xie clan are my relatives and subjects. Sister imprisoning him now is for my benefit, and Third Uncle surely agrees with this point, which is why he was willing to bind himself. Moreover, Third Uncle did indeed do wrong, and it’s proper that wrongdoing be punished. Besides, this punishment is only imprisonment, and charging the Xie clan with crimes is just assigning guilt—it’s not confiscating property or exterminating the clan. So I have nothing to worry about.”

Chu Zhao fell silent at his words. What he said was quite right, but some things couldn’t just be dismissed as “right.” He truly treated the Xie clan only as imperial relatives, not as family.

Was this the result of Xie Yanfang’s teaching?

Or were children born into the imperial family naturally restrained in their emotions?

“You’re so calm about this, I don’t know whether to be happy or unhappy,” she said helplessly.

Xiao Yu smiled. “Then Sister, try the deer meat I hunted. If you find it delicious, you can be happy.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily and ate a bite of deer meat as he suggested.

“Is it good?” Xiao Yu asked with concern.

Chu Zhao didn’t speak but continued eating another bite. Then, looking at Xiao Yu, she said, “Cut more meat for me. How is one piece enough?”

A smile blossomed on Xiao Yu’s face.

—

After dinner, Chu Zhao had Xiao Yu rest early, as hunting was tiring. As for Chu Zhao herself, she was destined for a sleepless night—messages from all directions of the capital kept arriving continuously.

After washing up, Xiao Yu didn’t sleep either. He sat on his bed, listening to two eunuchs discussing what to hunt tomorrow.

“This servant has already scouted the mountains here. Tomorrow let’s go west—there are many pheasants there.”

“Better to go east. I heard they’re preparing wild boar.”

Xiao Yu suddenly stood up. The two eunuchs hurriedly stopped talking and asked, “What does Your Majesty require?”

Xiao Yu looked toward outside the tent. “I’m going out for a walk.”

He would go see Third Uncle. Although he had no particular interest in going, if he didn’t, Sister Chu would think him coldhearted.

“Go ask if there’s any roast meat left,” he instructed again.

The eunuch said, “Your Majesty and Her Majesty gave away the remainder as rewards, so it’s probably all been claimed.”

Your Majesty hadn’t hunted much, and the Emperor and Empress couldn’t eat much themselves, so when it was given as rewards, there wasn’t enough to go around.

Xiao Yu glanced at him. “Who said it has to be from what I hunted? Today I came to hunt, so all the game belongs to me.”

The eunuch suddenly understood—His Majesty meant to just cut a piece from any meat.

“This servant is foolish.” He slapped his own face once and ran off in a hurry.

Xiao Yu knew they were slow-witted—ten of them couldn’t compare to one Eunuch Qi. When he was young, he liked the barrier that clever people built for him, which he could hide behind. Now that he’d grown up, having clever people by his side made him feel irritated—

Even when clever people didn’t speak, their eyes were noisy.

—

Hearing that Xiao Yu was coming, Du Qi, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood up, a smile appearing on his face.

“His Majesty does care about the Young Master after all, not deluded by that woman,” he said.

Xie Yanfang, who had been leaning with his eyes closed, laughed at his words. “I didn’t raise His Majesty to be like that.”

As they spoke, Xiao Yu had already entered, carrying a food box in his hand.

“Third Uncle, this is my quarry from today. It’s been roasted—you should try some too,” he said happily.

He didn’t mention at all what had happened, nor did he seem to notice the dense rows of soldiers and guards he’d walked past to get here.

Xie Yanfang sat up and nodded with a smile. “Thank you, Your Majesty. This is wonderful.” He asked again, “What did Your Majesty hunt today?”

Xiao Yu replied, “What they released—I got one of everything.”

Xie Yanfang smiled and opened the food box, looking at the various cut meats inside.

“It’s just gotten a bit cold,” Xiao Yu said. “If you want to eat it, heat it up yourself. If you don’t want to eat it, throw it away.”

Xie Yanfang didn’t mind his attitude. This child had long stopped concealing or being perfunctory with him.

Xiao Yu sat down casually, looking around, saying nothing.

“What is Your Majesty looking at?” Xie Yanfang asked.

Xiao Yu replied, “Nothing. I’m counting the time. When it’s about right, I’ll leave.”

Du Qi was stunned. What did he mean?

Xie Yanfang was already laughing. “Don’t worry about the time. As long as you’ve come, that’s enough. Actually, it’s fine even if you don’t come—your Sister Chu won’t care about such things.”

Naturally, Xiao Yu wasn’t surprised to be seen through by Xie Yanfang. He neither admitted nor denied it, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “Third Uncle, now that you’ve had trouble, I only have Sister left by my side.” Though he was sighing, his eyes were full of mirth. “Sister will never leave me again. She’ll toil for me and keep me company.”

Xie Yanfang smiled. “Your Majesty is too kind. Even if nothing had happened to me, the Empress wouldn’t leave you.”

After finishing this sentence, he didn’t hear Xiao Yu’s response. He couldn’t help but look up, seeing the young boy sitting in the chair with somewhat gloomy eyes.

Would Sister really never leave? Over the past year or so, Sister had often said strange things—things like “Sister won’t be here,” “you’ll be on your own in the future.” Sister no longer liked holding his hand, and didn’t come see him before bed anymore.

He wasn’t a child anymore. He could sense the meaning in her words and Sister’s distancing from him.

But now it was better. Sister had even arrested Third Uncle. He only had Sister left by his side now. Sister would surely stay with him.

“People don’t leave their home,” Xie Yanfang said. “The Empress and you, A’Yu, are alike—you have no parents or relatives left. You are each other’s family. So wherever A’Yu is, that is the Empress’s home.”

These words didn’t smooth the gloom in the young boy’s eyes; instead, they added several parts unease.

Parents and relatives?

“A’Yu.” Xie Yanfang raised his voice. “What are you worried about?”

Xiao Yu came back to his senses, looking at him. The gloom was replaced by several parts agitation. “I’m not worried. You don’t worry either. When Sister calms down, she’ll release you. I’m leaving.”

With that, he stood and walked toward the exit.

“Does the Empress still have family? Besides Chu Lan, does she have other relatives?”

Xie Yanfang’s voice came from behind.

Xiao Yu’s figure paused.

Xie Yanfang’s voice continued.

“Then Sister Chu will indeed leave you.”

Xiao Yu spun around abruptly. “She won’t!”

Turning back, he saw the cool smile in Xie Yanfang’s eyes as he held a piece of cold roast meat.

Xiao Yu’s hanging hand clenched into a fist. “Sister Chu has already married me. We’re family. She won’t leave me.”

Xie Yanfang put the piece of meat—whatever kind it was—into his mouth and chewed slowly. “Sister Chu didn’t marry you. She’s assisting you because your parents died. If her relatives are still alive, sooner or later she’ll leave you. Xiao Yu, if your parents were alive, wouldn’t you want to return to their side?”

Yes… Xiao Yu’s eyes became somewhat confused. Mother, needless to say, with her warm embrace. And Father, though he rarely spent time with him and ignored him, he still wanted his father.

So Sister Chu must feel the same way.

Xie Yanfang stood and walked over, crouching before him and gripping his hands, looking into his eyes. “Tell me. I can still help you keep her now. Otherwise, she really will go home.”

Xiao Yu looked at him, his lips moving. “Her mother is still alive.”