Hua Zhi responded to the Empress Dowager’s every word, knowing that what she truly wished to say was not any of this.
Sure enough, after lowering her head to take a sip of tea, the Empress Dowager said, “The Crown Prince is still young, his character not yet formed. This is the most critical period, and I worry with all my heart — twelve parts of it — fearing that one careless moment might lead him astray. I am truly afraid: afraid that the great Daqing dynasty will crush him beneath its weight, and afraid that he will be the one to ruin it.”
The Empress Dowager smiled bitterly. “The Prince of Ling cannot be relied upon — it is already considered filial piety if he refrains from causing trouble. The other imperial princes are equally useless. Yanxi is dependable, yet in time he will likely still have to travel far and wide on the Crown Prince’s behalf. When all is calculated, only our grandmother and grandson are left to depend on each other within this palace — and at my age, how many days do I have left?”
Hua Zhi responded with care. “You shall surely live to a hundred.”
“You are clever, not saying those ‘ten thousand years, ten thousand thousand years’ words.” Seeing that she would not take the bait, the Empress Dowager felt both helpless and pleased. From any angle, the fact that Hua Zhi was difficult to manipulate was a good thing — she was truly one of her own people.
“I have long heard that you are forthright, so I shall not beat around the bush with you.”
“Yes. Please give your instructions as you see fit.”
“I want you to enter the palace for two hours each day to tutor the Crown Prince. There is no need to go to the Imperial Study Hall — lessons will take place here, in my Fushou Palace.”
Hua Zhi was briefly taken aback. What puzzled her was not the instruction to enter the palace and teach — having been appointed Grand Tutor, she had already mentally prepared herself for this, had even been drafting in her mind what she ought to teach. But in Fushou Palace… why?
The Empress Dowager had assumed she would understand, yet seeing her expression, it seemed as though she had not?
After a moment’s thought, she vaguely began to grasp it. This foolish girl had likely never considered matters from that angle. Of course — if one had never harboured such thoughts, why would one think in that direction? Yet she needed to make it plain. Only with that wariness in mind would she conduct herself with greater care, giving others no handle to grasp.
“The Crown Prince is twelve now — just the age when a young man begins to harbour tender feelings. I know you see him as a younger brother, as family — but others will not see it that way.” The Empress Dowager took her hand and smiled gently. “You, child, your heart is upright, and I am fond of you. I am also waiting for you to become my granddaughter-in-law. The fewer ripples between now and then, the better — don’t you agree?”
“It is this younger one’s foolishness — I had not thought of it.” Thought was shaped by habit. In her eyes, little Xiao Liu was only twelve — in the world she had once come from, he would barely be entering middle school. How could she have ever connected such a young child to romantic feelings? Yet she had forgotten that here, twelve was already old enough to be betrothed, and by fifteen or sixteen one could already be a father or mother.
Twelve was indeed the age of budding feelings — yet strangely, even now that the Empress Dowager had pointed it out, the first thing Hua Zhi thought of was the adolescent rebellion that came with youth. If an emperor were to go through a rebellious phase, that would be no small matter — his power was far too great.
Pulling her straying thoughts back, Hua Zhi gave the Empress Dowager her assurance. “This younger one knows what to do.”
“The person I have always worried will cause problems was never you.” The Empress Dowager shook her head, patted her hand, and rose to her feet. “In the imperial family, love is a luxury. I have never once experienced what it means for an ordinary household to live in harmony. I only hope that Yanxi will fare well, that the Crown Prince will fare well. They are the hope of Daqing — and my hope as well. Only with these two supporting this dynasty can things go well, and only then can I close my eyes in peace.”
Hua Zhi heard the helplessness within those words, and understood the Empress Dowager’s warning: if she became the reason these two men fell into discord, the Empress Dowager would not tolerate her. The imperial family had always been without sentiment — she understood this, yet still could not help but feel a chill run down her spine.
For the first time, Hua Zhi had such a clear and sharp recognition of Yanxi’s identity. He was no ordinary person. He was Shizi — a member of the imperial family wielding the power of life and death over all beneath heaven. And that, too, condemned him to a life not entirely his own.
If one day the imperial family wanted his life…
She lowered her gaze and forced that possibility down. That will not happen. To reach this place of quiet and safety, a hundred steps had been taken, and the most grueling ninety of them were already behind her. There was no reason to stumble on the last ten.
Hua Zhi reminded herself inwardly: it was not yet time to relax. At least not now. If she and Yanxi were to wed… she likely would not be able to relax for a very long time.
Out of habit she pressed her lips together, suppressing that small resistance within her heart. She exhaled a long breath and raised her head, just about to speak — and met the Empress Dowager’s complicated gaze. Inexplicably flustered, she lowered her head again at once, no longer bearing the calm and composed manner she carried on ordinary days.
The Empress Dowager turned away and walked to the doorway, gazing at the scenery outside — meticulously beautiful in every detail, yet never once having made her feel it was beautiful. She had not wished to drive a wedge between herself and Hua Zhi; she had even hoped Hua Zhi would feel close to her. The world was never short of clever people, yet it was rare to find those who directed their cleverness toward the right places. To be born with a heart of seven exquisite chambers, yet never turn that keen perception against one’s own people — how precious. She too wished to have such a young person at her side, someone to sit with and talk to, someone who brought her cheer.
Yet now the Emperor had passed, the Crown Prince was young, the central palace had no mistress, and as the Empress Dowager of Daqing, for the sake of the dynasty’s stability she had no choice but to be the villain — to scheme against and threaten someone who had rendered countless merits.
She could not place her hopes on the Crown Prince understanding the gravity of things — that was too uncertain. Hua Zhi was perceptive; she would surely know how to guide little Xiao Liu going forward, to cement the familial bond between them so deeply that Xiao Liu would never allow his feelings to drift in the direction of romantic love.
In her heart, this matter was no less important than the Emperor’s passing.
It was Xiao Liu who sat upon the throne, but it was Yanxi who could stabilize this dynasty — at least until the Crown Prince came of age, it would remain so. On a personal level, she also hoped that the child who had endured so much suffering could find a kindred soul to share his life with, children at his knees, generations of descendants filling his hall. And so she needed to preemptively cut off every possibility that might destroy all of that — even if… she had to be the villain.
The Gu family had only these two left whom she could rely upon. She could not afford even a single risk. Neither could Daqing.
“Until two days ago, Xiao Liu was most sensible — even without a mother to shelter him, he grew into a child who understood propriety, was reasonable, loyal and benevolent, and treated others with kindness.”
The Empress Dowager turned back and looked at Hua Zhi, who had already composed herself.
“I also believe that in the future he will not lose these fine qualities — because in the future his side will still have you, still have Yanxi, still have this younger one. He will have more worthy officials and capable generals than ever before. There will be no powerful maternal relatives to harm and burden him. No one will dare claim credit for placing him on the throne and try to use it to their advantage. Before him lies a broad and open road — he need only go forth unburdened and learn how to be a wise ruler. I believe he will do it well.”
After a brief pause, Hua Zhi added, “You need not worry. He will surely not disappoint you.”
The Empress Dowager’s throat tightened, and for a moment she did not know how to respond. All her scheming and maneuvering amounted to what Hua Zhi was supremely confident she could accomplish on her own. And so — she was confined to the deep palace, while Hua Zhi had risen to high position as a woman. All her calculations and schemes — how could they compare to one who carried mountains and rivers within her chest?