Wei Zhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and respectfully withdrew.
Without Bai Shan and Zhou Man, of course, there were other ways to expose the matter. It just would be much less tactful.
The Emperor didn't take the issue very seriously, and although he regretted the lack of subtlety, he needed to think of another solution. As he had said, he couldn't simply issue a decree to force people to come to the capital, could he?
After all, people could still refuse a royal edict, couldn't they?
The Emperor, not in the best of moods, walked back to the harem with his hands behind his back. The Empress had just returned from visiting the Empress Dowager. She personally helped him out of his robe, and after the maids served tea, she waved for everyone to leave.
Only then did the Empress say, "Mother has been crying."
The Emperor frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Is she unwell?"
The Empress sighed and said, "The physician says it is emotional distress."
