Chapter 29: 29

The Empress Dowager (1)

With the passing of the stages of mourning, the grief lessened, and the mourning clothes also gradually changed to become lighter and smoother. Finally, they reached the entombing stage.

The new Emperor led the procession of the imperial family, and officials carried the late Emperor’s coffin to the completed mausoleum in the countryside. This was then followed by more crying and prayers. After that, the late Emperor’s entombment was finally completed.

The next day, everyone took off their mourning clothes and put on normal clothes again. Life gradually returned to normal. After a delay of two months, the new Emperor finally had a formal audience with the courtiers.

During that meeting, the Empress Dowager’s birthday in October was part of the proposed agenda.

In the Palace of Eternal Spring, Cui He carefully placed a jade hairpin in Chu Ning’s hair and said, “I wonder what’s going on this year. The Empress Dowager suddenly wants to have a birthday banquet.”

Chu Ning stood in front of a bronze mirror and adjusted her clothes. Upon hearing Cui He, she looked sideways to check the recently smoothened crease and said, “Who knows? It might be that she is turning sixty-five this year. It is customary to have a grand celebration at that age.”

“But Madam, I keep feeling that the reason might not be that simple.”

Chu Ning thought so too.

The Empress Dowager came from the Qi clan. Although she obtained power for them, she seemed more like an old lady who lived a secluded life in the monastery. She ate simple meals and spent most of her time praying. She lived a simple life and rarely ever had birthday banquets. Even if it was customary to have such a banquet for one’s sixty-fifth birthday, she should have taken into account that the late Emperor had just passed away.

It was obvious that she had other reasons for wanting a birthday banquet.

“It doesn’t matter. We might learn something when we go there later.”

Chu Ning and Xiao Yu had lived in the Palace of Eternal Spring for more than a month. Now that the funeral was over and Xiao Yu’s health had recovered, it was time for them to return to the East Palace.

Initially, she planned to pay a visit to the Palace of Hundred Blessings and greet the Empress Dowager. After all, the Empress Dowager was her elder, so she had to show her respect. However, this morning, someone from the Palace of Hundred Blessings came and said that the Empress Dowager requested to meet her there after lunch.

The people of the East Palace and the Palace of Hundred Blessing stayed away from each other. Even as the Crown Princess, the Empress Dowager did not pay much attention to her. Now that she asked to meet her, it was obvious that there was a motive.

After Chu Ning finished dressing up, she waited in the Palace of Eternal Spring until a servant from the government office came to inform her that Xiao Yu was busy with work and could not return. Only then did she head to the Palace of Hundred Blessings by herself.

She had expected this.

Xiao Yu and the Empress Dowager had a strained relationship. If it was not required, he would hardly ever go to the Palace of Hundred Blessings. In the past, Chu Ning had always gone alone for any customary visit to the Empress Dowager. Furthermore, something serious happened in the royal court recently.

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During the Emperor’s first formal audience with the courtiers, a courtier from the Censorate proposed an impeachment proceeding against Liang Biao, the Governor of Cangzhou, on the grounds of misappropriation of disaster relief funds and food three years ago and allowing his family to oppress the people.

This impeachment proposal came prepared. Not only were the crimes listed clearly, there was even a detailed time frame, sum, and other details provided. Xiao Yu immediately knew that this was jointly investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Review.

Many in the imperial court knew that Liang Biao was protected by the Crown Prince. Now, he became the first person to be executed by the new Emperor as a warning. It was clear that he was going after the Crown Prince behind his back.

Xiao Yu felt troubled.

He had prepared beforehand and asked Xu Rong to destroy all damning traces of the past. However, Xiao Kezhi still had the upper hand. This time, it was Liang Biao in the far flung Cangzhou. It was impossible to know how much damning evidence he held against anyone else.

However, before this matter was even finalized, Xiao Kezhi issued another order. He instructed someone to hand over to Xiao Yu the reopening of the dredging work on a fourteen-mile-long river channel in Huazhou. This caused a great stir in the imperial court.

The dredging work in Huazhou was previously suggested by the Interpretation and Observation Envoy. However, due to the previous Emperor’s sudden illness, the matter was set aside temporarily. If this work was successful, it could divert the old river, distribute the water load so that there would be no more flooding in Huazhou. It would also irrigate hundreds of fertile paddy fields. This was something that would benefit numerous subjects and could win tremendous praises.

The new Emperor persecuted the Crown Prince’s subordinate yet he entrusted such an important task to him. No one knew what the new Emperor was planning.

In the next few days, Xiao Yu was still trying to determine what Xiao Kezhi’s motives were. At the same time, he had to go to the Ministry of Works to consult and discuss with the officials in charge. He also had to travel to Huazhou in the coming month.

Near the Palace of Hundred Blessings, a maid standing watch saw Chu Ning heading her way, so she rushed to her and gave a small curtsy before entering the palace to announce her arrival.

Chu Ning waited outside the palace. She felt that the maid took a long time to announce her arrival.

Chu Ning was long used to the cold treatment by those from the Palace of Hundred Blessings. She was not annoyed and waited patiently. After a long while, the maid smiled and led her in.

The moment she entered, she could hear a youthful and gentle female voice saying something followed by the Empress Dowager’s hearty laughter.

The Empress Dowager always had a stern expression. It was rare that someone in this palace could make her laugh like that.

Chu Ning thought for a moment and immediately knew who the female voice belonged to.

As expected, the moment she entered the room, she saw a girl about fifteen to sixteen years old sitting beside the Empress Dowager. The girl appeared serene and demure. She seemed reserved but friendly and unpretentious. This girl was Qi Chenxiang. She was the youngest daughter of the Head of Secretariat and also a niece of the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager did not have any children, so she was close to Qimu’s children, especially Qi Chenxiang, who was the sixth child. She was gentle and caring from a young age. She was also outstanding among the young ladies in Chang’an. As such, she was beloved by the Empress Dowager.

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