Before leaving the room, Yun Ye swept Zhangsun with a glance from the corner of his eye. Sure enough, Zhangsun’s face was full of joy without the slightest trace of shame or annoyance. She seemed about to clap and cheer. She had originally been extremely beautiful, and at this moment she actually adopted the coquettish manner of a young girl, causing Yun Ye to nearly trip over the threshold.
Seeing this, Zhangsun laughed even more loudly. She originally had barbarian blood—frank and domineering was her true nature. Having pretended to be virtuous for so many years, she’d long been sick of it. At the academy she was the greatest, her son was filial, life was satisfying—if she didn’t seek some happiness, how could she be worthy of herself?
Turning the corner, Yun Ye handed the rice bowl in his hand to Xiao Ya, who was hiding there drooling. Xiao Ya hugged the large bowl, her eyes smiling into crescents, and leaning on the stone table began attacking that plump pig’s trotter.
Pouring Xiao Ya a cup of water, Yun Ye began stroking his chin that had only a layer of fuzz, sneakily stealing glances at Zhangsun inside the room where laughter continued. Perhaps this was the only place one could see the unrestrained Zhangsun.
Yun Ye dared guarantee that starting tomorrow, that gracious and dignified Her Majesty the Empress would return to the mortal world.
Regarding Zhangsun dispatching five hundred Left Military Guard soldiers to guard the Yun household, Yun Ye was extremely, extremely grateful. If she wanted to make a scene, let her make a scene. The entire Yun household would accompany her in playing around. Even if she wanted to ascend to heaven, as long as she was happy, he would find a way.
The entire day, Yun Ye accompanied Zhangsun strolling around the academy, listening to Yun Ye and Li Tai tell her interesting academy stories. Huang Shu naturally became the protagonist. Li Tai specially called Huang Shu over and even asked his mother whether he really did look like a rat.
Li Tai discarded all restraint, just like a child who had achieved results, desperately showing off all his accomplishments to his mother. Seeing his mother’s astonished expression when he easily lifted objects weighing a thousand catties, his lips trembled with excitement.
The Huang Shu couple prostrated themselves on the ground to kowtow to the Empress. Seeing that Huang Shu’s wife was also pregnant, she had an attendant help Ying Niang up and asked with warm smiles how many months pregnant she was, whether her body had any discomfort, what they relied on for their livelihood, and whether she was using any supplements.
Ying Niang’s legs went completely soft. If not for the attendant supporting her, she might have sat down on the ground. After answering Zhangsun’s questions incoherently for a few sentences, she suddenly broke free from the attendant, ran to her small shop, boiled a white porcelain bowl in hot water, and soon a bowl of fermented rice wine with goji berries, jujube meat, and osmanthus flowers was brought out by Ying Niang and respectfully presented to Zhangsun.
Yun Ye and Li Tai couldn’t stop her in time. Several attendants looked as if they’d seen a demon. Zhangsun took the fermented rice wine, drank a mouthful, and said to Ying Niang: “The taste is very good. How is it made? It’s even better than the fermented rice wine in the imperial palace.”
Ying Niang’s round face immediately lost sight of her eyes. Awkwardly twisting her two hands back and forth, she didn’t know where to put them.
A small sandalwood ornament was bestowed on Ying Niang by an attendant. Ying Niang helped her husband up, and the two people backed away with bent bodies. From beginning to end, Huang Shu hadn’t dared raise his head, his eyes constantly fixed on the ground. In his heart, Li Tai was a man-eating evil dragon. He didn’t know what kind of powerful existence his mother was. Terrified that his ugly appearance would frighten the Empress and then be cut to pieces by Li Tai, he was truly afraid of Li Tai.
After the Huang Shu couple left, Zhangsun very ungracefully continued drinking the fermented rice wine. While drinking, she said to Yun Ye and Li Tai: “In this world, there are those who want this empress’s life, but it would absolutely not be this couple. Looking at you all so anxious, did you think this empress would eat food from just anyone?”
Yun Ye breathed a long sigh of relief. Li Tai had already decided to beat Huang Shu again to vent his heart’s resentment.
The academy had no chaotic assortment of flowers and trees, only large expanses of green grass. Now was class time with no idle people wandering about everywhere. Zhangsun was somewhat tired, so Yun Ye had people spread carpets on the grass. Li Tai, with several attendants, brought out all the butterflies from the butterfly house for his mother to view, emphatically introducing his own works—several blue swallowtail butterflies he said he’d caught with great difficulty in the Qinling Mountains. As for the guards’ hardships, he didn’t mention a word.
Butterflies were naturally beautiful. The colorful butterflies were even more brilliantly multicolored in the sunlight. Each one had been air-dried and fixed with fine needles onto softwood boards. When the wind blew past, they seemed to come alive. Zhangsun’s eyes shone with wonder repeatedly. Yun Ye knew she’d developed thoughts of claiming them for herself. Just as he was about to say he’d give them to Zhangsun, who knew the Empress would speak first: “Yun Ye, you needn’t say anything. The imperial family has its rules. If all good things enter the imperial palace, this isn’t a good thing. Having these butterflies, one would want more butterflies. Local officials would desperately present tributes. History books say even these small things can devour people. Butterflies placed in the academy are a kind of beauty, even a kind of learning. But placed in the imperial palace, this empress understands, they would become a disaster. If we can’t restrain ourselves in even such small matters, how can my Great Tang establish a foundation for ten thousand generations?”
Seeing the Empress say this, Yun Ye and Li Tai could only bow and receive instruction.
Indulging once in a while didn’t matter—it could adjust one’s state. Following Yun Ye’s introduction, Zhangsun quickly entered her role. In the room storing dragon bones, Zhangsun gently patted the dragon bone fossil and asked Yun Ye: “Yun Ye, did such ferocious beasts really once exist?”
“In reply to Your Majesty, they truly existed. This skull is proof. That was the extremely distant ancient past. The masters of that world were them. The entire world was warm and humid with lush vegetation. Countless living creatures ran across the land. The Tyrannosaurus Rex hid its body behind tall vegetation, waiting for the best hunting opportunity.”
“A clumsy, short giant beast walked past. It had three sharp horns growing on its head—also an extremely fierce beast. Ordinarily the Tyrannosaurus Rex wouldn’t prey on such giant beasts, but now it had to. Its two children were still waiting for it to bring food back. This mother Tyrannosaurus Rex fiercely charged out, using its sharp teeth to tear open a huge gash in the giant beast’s belly. Just when victory seemed certain, unexpectedly, that giant beast didn’t die. Before dying, it thrust its sharp horn into that mother Tyrannosaurus Rex’s chest. Though the Tyrannosaurus Rex was king of all beasts, its heart was as fragile as all living creatures.”
“The giant beast died. The Tyrannosaurus Rex dragged the giant beast’s corpse back, blood continuously flowing from its chest. Its children didn’t yet have the ability to be independent. If it died, its children could only become food for other giant beasts.”
Zhangsun seemed not to hear what Yun Ye said. She circled the dragon bone several times, finally stopping and stroking the massive dragon tooth, saying to Yun Ye: “Why did you stop speaking? This empress is still waiting to hear the ending. But even if you don’t say it, I can guess. The ending must not be good. Better not to speak of it. A living king of beasts is still a king; dead, it counts as nothing. This dragon exhausted all its cunning trying to preserve its children, not even fearing death. All mothers have the same thoughts. Yun Ye, I want to hear a good ending.”
“The best ending would be that the Tyrannosaurus Rex dragged the giant beast back to the nest and then died. Its children, relying on the giant beast and its corpse, survived their infancy, could hunt for themselves, and finally grew into a new Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
“The bad ending is probably that both mother and children all died, correct?”
“Your Majesty’s insight is flawless—exactly right.”
“Yun Ye, why would you tell this empress a story where the Tyrannosaurus Rex is destined to die? Am I about to die?”
“Your Majesty, this humble minister merely told Your Majesty a speculative story. You absolutely must not apply it to yourself. What this minister spoke of is a natural law—eliminating the weak and keeping the strong. It has always been thus since ancient times.”
“Such powerful beasts have moments of death—how can humans escape? Yun Ye, why can we not see these beasts now? Where did they go? Why did they disappear? You are the first person to bring this thing out. You must understand it very well. Tell me.”
“The one who has studied this is not this humble minister but my teacher. My teacher speculates there are two reasons. The first is that the climate changed. At that time, the earth was very warm with dense forests everywhere and many small animals surviving, so the Tyrannosaurus Rex had endless food. Later, the climate became cold, many small animals died, and without food, the Tyrannosaurus Rex also starved to death.”
He couldn’t explain to Zhangsun about the shape of the Earth—he could only casually get by with this.
“Yun Ye, are you speaking in remonstrance? You should tell these words to His Majesty. Treating the common people well has always been His Majesty’s principle. You caused great disaster in Chang’an, disturbing court and countryside. His Majesty said: Water can carry a boat but can also capsize it. If we don’t treat the common people well, sooner or later we’ll be like the former Sui, swallowed by this torrent of common people.”
“That His Majesty comprehended this principle is worth ten thousand gold. This is also why you could easily escape this time. Did you think there were no memorials in court advocating beheading you to pacify the realm?”
She glanced at Yun Ye and continued: “This time everyone was indulging. You were indulging, the Dou family was indulging, His Majesty was indulging. I could only indulge at the academy, be unrestrained once. The husband sings and the wife follows—if I didn’t indulge, would I let all under heaven say this empress is more steady than His Majesty?”
Being this empress was too exhausting for Zhangsun. When the Emperor made mistakes, she must also make mistakes—advancing and retreating together, sharing sweetness and bitterness. This was perhaps why she’d never fallen from favor.
Right now there was an eight-year-old little girl preparing to launch an attack on her rock-solid empress position. Who knew how Zhangsun would handle it? Yun Ye looked at the gracious, dignified, and supremely confident Zhangsun and couldn’t help but reveal a smile.
Zhangsun’s health had become very poor only after giving birth to this daughter. Yun Ye and Sun Simiao had long researched rheumatism and asthma. With Old Sun’s capabilities, presumably it wouldn’t be long before good methods emerged. Zhangsun wouldn’t die, nor would she die.
Yun Ye really wanted to see what kind of situation would arise when the Eternal Empress competed with the Female Great Emperor. Yesterday, Wu Shihuo had entered the capital. As part of the military officer lineage, the sons and nephews of his family would naturally enter the academy to study. His two sons, Big Wu and Little Wu, looked rather foolish. But he hadn’t seen his daughter yet—who knew what kind of natural beauty she possessed, or whether she was a demon?