Chapter 2637: The Regent and the Empress

Seeing the empress dowager rush out excitedly, only to regain her majestic poise upon seeing their family of three, Sang Qien instinctively released Zu An’s hand. Her womanly instincts told her that Ah Zu and the empress dowager had to have something between them.

She and Dandan had shared their guesses, but because of how sensitive the empress dowager’s identity was, they hadn’t dared to investigate. Even so, at that instant, she confirmed their relationship—there was no need for concrete proof.

She had spent many years living in the capital and understood how powerful the empress dowager was. She didn’t want to get on the empress dowager’s bad side, lest she implicate her daughter.

Zu An could never have known that Sang Qien would have thought this far in an instant. Upon seeing Liu Ning, he smiled and said, “Paying respects to the empress dowager.”

He greeted her like a friend, showing no inclination to bow. The surrounding officials didn’t think that there was anything inappropriate about his behavior either.

“You’re finally back.” Upon seeing Zu An’s warm smile, Liu Ning’s spirits lifted a little.

“The recent situation must have tired you out.” Zu An thought about the kings’ uprising and figured that Liu Ning and Bi Linglong had to have their hands full dealing with the situation.

The empress dowager’s eyes flickered. “Indeed, but now that you’re back, I’m sure my fatigue will be dispelled.”

It had been three years. She felt as if there was a flame inside her that urgently needed to be vented. Most empress dowagers who were widowed in their prime reared boy toys and lovers. She was no maiden herself, but the two men in her life had been truly top tier. After the time she'd spent with Zu An, no one else could catch her fancy anymore.

She'd thought that she would go insane in the last three years. It was almost a relief that the kings’ rebellion had distracted her, or else she wouldn’t have known how to spend the long days without him.

The officials frowned.

Is it just me or does her tone sound off? We must be thinking too much of it, right? There’s no way the empress dowager is flirting in broad daylight.

Only Zu An knew that was indeed what she meant. His heart quivered.

What a temptress.

But he could only feign ignorance, as there were too many people around. He coughed lightly and asked, “Your Majesty, what’s the current situation?”

“Let’s talk in the Imperial Library.” The empress dowager beckoned the officials to follow her.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Zu An noticed that the officials present looked unfamiliar and young. The empress dowager explained through telepathy, “The imperial court has been in turmoil in recent years. The old foxes have already lined their pockets. They feign submission, only to act against me in the shadows. Linglong and I had no choice but to nurture the younger officials.”

Zu An nodded. He had been in a high position as well, and that had given him a glimpse into the power struggles in politics.

No matter how ingenious and beneficial a policy was, whether it worked out or not ultimately depended on the executor. Should the wrong person be entrusted with a policy’s execution, they could either execute the policy poorly, or warp its intent to cause outrage toward the ruler. The officials who were currently in power had been nurtured by Zhao Han, so it wouldn’t be easy for the empress dowager and Bi Linglong to bring them over to their side.

There was a massive sandbox in the middle of the room. Zu An could tell it was a map of several provinces at a glance.

Liu Ning must have been discussing curbing the rebellion with the officials earlier.

The officials quickly explained the situation to Zu An.

In the period shortly after his departure, the imperial court had remained stable due to his intimidation. But when two years passed and he showed no signs of returning, rumors had begun spreading. The empress dowager and Bi Linglong tried to suppress them, but it was to no avail.

King Yan and King Guangling had been the first to gather their armies and rebel. They'd quickly gained the support of other grandmaster kings, and the movement had eventually grown into eighteen kings marching toward the capital to demand Bi Linglong’s abdication.

“They even compiled a list of the empress dowager, the empress, and the regent’s crimes...” The officials’ voices trailed off at this point.

Zu An was stunned.

Huh? Did I receive Dong Zhuo’s script?

The officials passed Zu An a scroll submitted by the rebels. He glanced at it—most crimes listed on it were generic, but there was a jarring one accusing him of tainting the imperial harem and having a questionable relationship with the empress and the empress dowager.

He noticed a couple of yellow booklets that appeared to be storybooks circulating in the streets. He picked one up, and the booklet’s title made his eyelids twitch.

‘The Philandering Regent’

‘The Regent’s Romances’

‘The Regent and the Empress’

‘The Regent and My Mom’

...

The booklets were so bold and ridiculous that even the thick-skinned Zu An blushed upon reading them.

Did they install cameras in the imperial palace? How do they know so much?!

The other officials also had weird looks on their faces. They'd thought that the rebels had fabricated these stories to besmirch the regent, the empress, and the empress dowager, and that no one should take them seriously. But now... They couldn’t help but wonder if they were real.

Zu An coughed lightly to change the topic. He probed further about the rebellion and learned that the rebels had built incredible momentum. Zhao Han’s imposing reputation had left a strong impression on the masses, whereas the regent’s power was only known within the capital. Furthermore, it hadn’t been long since the regent came to power, so most people were still inclined to side with the Zhao clan.

The central army had initially suffered consecutive losses. Seeing that everything was going to crumble, Bi Linglong had joined the frontline to personally lead the campaign. She'd been accompanied by the Qin clan’s two masters, the Murong clan’s father and daughter, Pei You, Gao Ying... Even Xiao Jianren had brought the Embroidered Envoys there to provide intelligence.

The situation had stabilized, and the central army and the rebel army had come to a standstill at Phoenix Pass outside the capital. The central army couldn’t defeat the rebel army, but the rebel army couldn’t breach Phoenix Pass either. This standstill had lasted for months now.

Bi Linglong had already done a good job, but the sharper ones could all tell that the imperial court was at a disadvantage. Many neutral parties were keeping an eye on the situation, and if they concluded that the imperial court didn’t have the means to quell the rebellion, they could either join the rebel army or declare their independence. That would pose a lot of trouble.

The empress dowager said, “Someone proposed bringing the Fiends in to quell the rebellion. The Fiend Empress dispatched an envoy over to ask Linglong if she needed help, but Linglong turned her down. The rebels have accused us of colluding with the Fiends, so bringing them in would only reinforce that position. Besides, there is enmity between humankind and the Fiend races. If we let the fiend army in, their soldiers could take the opportunity to harm the populace.”

Zu An nodded. “Linglong made the right call.”

Even though he was the Fiend races’ regent, and the Fiend Empress and the upper echelons on that side were his close friends, he understood that if a war broke out, it would be hard to restrain the bloodthirsty fiend soldiers.

“I’ll have to personally make a trip to Phoenix Pass,” Zu An said calmly, as if the army of the eighteen kings wasn't worth a second thought.

And yet, none of those present found anything wrong with that. Their previously gloomy faces lit up with smiles, as they were confident that the regent could quell the rebels given his influence and strength.

The empress dowager coughed. “The rest of you are dismissed. I need to discuss confidential matters with the regent.”

She turned to her lady-in-waiting and instructed her, “Show Miss Sang and little Sisi around the imperial garden. Have the imperial kitchen prepare some snacks for little Sisi.”

Sang Qien was perplexed.

What confidential matters do they have to discuss? It feels like she's just evicting us from here. Look at her eyes—she’s on the verge of gobbling Ah Zu up!

Pui! She’s using this as a pretext to fulfill her personal needs.

Despite having guessed the truth, Sang Qien couldn’t fight the empress dowager over Zu An in public. If that were to happen, they would become a laughingstock. Besides, as an official’s daughter, she didn’t stand a chance against the empress dowager.

Forget it, I’ll turn a blind eye to this on the account that she’s treating Sisi well.