Volume 1, Chapter 41: Mother and Son

Every single word pierced straight to the heart.

The Empress Dowager swayed slightly, pointing at Shen Ran and unable to utter a single word.

"As for a conscience..."

Shen Ran’s gaze swept across the bedchamber, which was decorated even more lavishly than those of the imperial consorts. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, "No one knows a son better than his mother, and Your Majesty is not wrong—I indeed have no conscience. Not only do I lack a conscience, but I am also thoroughly unfilial. Otherwise, how could I have allowed you to wantonly keep male favorites and prove unfaithful to the late Emperor after his passing? After all, the dignity of the imperial house is inviolable. To the late Emperor, this is the utmost humiliation."

"I still remember that apart from Your Majesty, the late Emperor's absolute favorite was Imperial Concubine Zhen. Yet, simply because she was suspected of having a clandestine affair with an imperial guard in the palace, the late Emperor showed her no mercy and ordered her execution. And that guard was subjected to the most brutal punishment of death by a thousand cuts—a full three thousand six hundred slices, until nothing was left of him but a skeleton. Does Your Majesty need me to help describe the details?"

The Empress Dowager: "...!?"

Every hair on the Empress Dowager's body stood on end.

She took a few steps back, leaning against the desk, and forced out an imposing front as she said, "Shen Ran, are you threatening me? I am your birth mother!"

"Your Majesty has already said those exact words just moments ago."

Shen Ran smiled. "And haven't I always respected Your Majesty and tried my utmost to fulfill your wishes? However, if Your Majesty remains unsatisfied and insists on using your status as my birth mother to meddle in my private affairs and demand that I act according to your will, then there are certain matters I shall have to help Your Majesty recall in detail, just to snap you back to reality."

The Empress Dowager stared fixedly into Shen Ran’s eyes, her face turning deathly pale. She demanded, "Why? Clearly you used to loathe that—"

Pausing for a moment, she changed her phrasing. "Clearly you used to loathe the Empress so much, why have you suddenly come to trust her so completely? Why are you so firmly convinced that the witchcraft plot was never her doing? She clearly had every reason to hate you and wish you harm!"

The Empress Dowager cried out from the depths of her chest, "Emperor! Even I know that a sovereign must not trust easily, why on earth do you—"

"Because I choose to trust her."

Shen Ran leisurely smoothed out his sleeves and replied indifferently, "I do not interfere with Your Majesty's actions, and I expect Your Majesty not to interfere with mine—especially do not attempt to touch the person I hold dear. Only then can peace be maintained between Your Majesty and me."

A cold fingernail guard scraped across the tabletop, and the Empress Dowager's gaze darkened.

Shen Ran smiled lazily. "However, I suppose I truly ought to thank Your Majesty. After all, had it not been for your daily harsh supervision and merciless punishments, had it not been for your ruthless resolve to cut off your own arm to save your life, and those three years as a hostage in the Rongdi territory, I might not possess the fortitude I have today. Truly, you cannot have both fish and bear's paw."

"Since Your Majesty desired glory, status, and a son who would ascend the throne as the supreme ruler, how could you possibly expect that same son to constantly pander to maternal sentiment and obey your every command?"

"After all, has Your Majesty never heard the saying that in the imperial family, there is no such thing as a father and son?"

"Since there is no bond between father and son, how can there be one between mother and son?"

At these words, the Empress Dowager seemed to lose all her remaining strength. Her body went entirely limp, and she collapsed heavily into the chair behind her.

Shen Ran stood up and slowly executed a bow toward the Empress Dowager. "I have said all that needs to be said."

"If Your Majesty still clings to even a shred of maternal affection, please conduct yourself accordingly and remain well-behaved. Furthermore, do not ever listen to the instigating words of those harboring malicious intent. Otherwise, should Your Majesty do something I do not wish to see, the consequences will likely not be what Your Majesty wishes to see either."

***

Having emerged from the Empress Dowager's palace, Yuanbao immediately minced forward with an affected gesture, calling out, "Your Majesty."

Shen Ran gave a cool, affirmative hum.

Yuanbao asked, "Shall Your Majesty's carriage proceed to the Yikun Palace?"

Shen Ran turned his head, shot him a look that was half-smile, and drawled lazily, "What do you think?"

His tone was mild, yet it made Yuanbao shiver involuntarily.

He immediately adopted his delicate hand gesture and shouted at the top of his lungs—

"Prepare the carriage for the Yikun Palace!"

***

When Shen Ran returned to the Yikun Palace, he did not summon any guards to announce him, walking in entirely by himself.

The moment he stepped through the gates, however, he noticed not a single palace servant was in sight. Xue Wu was sitting by the window in a daze, a heavy trace of fatigue on her face, clearly still distressed by the day's events.

After a brief moment of thought, Shen Ran walked up behind her, reached out to cover Xue Wu's eyes, and smiled. "Guess who?"

Xue Wu: "...!?"

Xue Wu had been lost in her own thoughts, and when sudden darkness fell over her vision, she couldn't help a start. Immediately afterward, she heard Shen Ran's utterly childish question.

Only little children played such "guess who" games.

Xue Wu tried to pull away the hands covering her eyes, but no matter how many times she tried, Shen Ran's hands remained as immovable as if they had been welded to her face.

At the same time, a smiling voice echoed from right behind her ear: "Guess who?"

Never had she expected Shen Ran to possess such a boyish side. Between laughter and tears, Xue Wu asked, "How old is Your Majesty this year?"

There was a brief silence behind her, followed by a lazy reply—

"About three and a half. How does my wife plan to coax me?"

That single word—*wife*—was laden with endless winding depths of tenderness.

In an instant, Xue Wu felt a buzzing sensation in her ears, and her cheeks flushed scarlet in a sudden rush of heat.

She stared wide-eyed in a daze of confusion.

Right after, her wrist was caught, and as her whole body crashed firmly against the man's chest, the scent of dragon-saliva incense mixed with the crisp, captivating fragrance of winter plum blossoms washed over her like a tidal wave—cool yet lingeringly intimate.

At the same very moment, she felt a slight, cool touch pressed against her lips. It was entirely natural, a mere brush like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface.

Xue Wu felt her mind go completely blank.

A man's light chuckle reached her ear: "Awu, don't waste your energy being unhappy over irrelevant people. They aren't worth it."

He always seemed able to see right through her thoughts.

Xue Wu started slightly, then murmured, "Actually, Your Majesty, I am not angry at others, but rather at myself—unable to protect the people I wish to protect, and unable to share Your Majesty's burdens, only ending up causing Your Majesty to worry about me instead."

"I don't consider it a worry at all."

Shen Ran raised his hand slightly to tuck a stray lock of hair that had fallen against Xue Wu's cheek behind her ear.

His cool fingertips brushed across her face, causing a slight tremor to run through her.

Slowly, he said, "In front of me, you only ever need to be your truest self. You must believe that I can shelter you from any wind and rain."

***

The Qifeng Palace.

Liu Ruyi watched the servants bustling in and out of her palace courtyard, her expression turning ashen.

She gripped Yinhua's hand tightly to suppress her mounting fury. "Eunuch Yuanbao, why did Your Majesty issue an imperial decree to replace all the guards and maids in my palace?"

The relentless torment of the past few days had gradually stripped away her facade of virtuous perfection, and her tone now carried an unmistakable edge of aggression.

Yuanbao's small eyes narrowed into slits.

He let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh. "It's all because of that treacherous little maid Banxia who betrayed her master. His Majesty simply cannot bring himself to trust any of these palace servants anymore. Imperial Noble Consort, please do not be upset. It isn't just the guards and maids in your palace being replaced; those in the Empress's palace are being replaced as well."

Looking at Yuanbao's chubby face, Liu Ruyi felt an itch of pure hatred in her teeth.

Cultivating and grooming those people had taken no small amount of effort; once they were all swapped out, her previous efforts would be completely wasted.

Gritting her teeth, Liu Ruyi forced out, "But—"

With an *Aiya*, Yuanbao cut off whatever Liu Ruyi was about to say next.

Holding his delicate hand gesture, the layers of fat on his face quivered vigorously. "Oh, Imperial Noble Consort, His Majesty is truly doing this entirely for your own good! He was terrified that one day you might also run into a heartless little wretch like Banxia and get framed, leaving you unable to clear your name even if you had a hundred mouths to argue with. Why on earth can't you appreciate His Majesty's kind intentions?"

Liu Ruyi: "..."