RUAN YANJUN
"Shi Tengfei," I said, keeping my voice calm but with a hint of authority, as I glared at the emperor who was still lying on his bed, face down and half-naked at near midday. "Get up right now and get dressed. I'll wait for you in the tea room. If you don't come out in half an hour, I'll come drag you out of bed and put you on display as you are right in front of your palace."
Upon hearing my threat, he quickly sat up with a gasp but kept his back on me. Although this man still acted like a child at times, he was smart enough to know that I never spoke out empty threats.
"Half an hour," I reminded him before I turned to the Chief Eunuch Zeng Jie who was standing a few steps behind me. "Get His Majesty washed and dressed."
"Yes, my lord," he replied and ran to the door to summon the servants.
I walked out of the chamber and took the corridor to the right.
In front of the tea room, a place the emperor had designated as a restricted quarter for only him and me to discuss private and confidential matters, I found Empress Suyin and her son, Prince Yongnian, standing before the door.
As an empress and as a first-born child of the emperor, they held the highest status in the inner court, but their demeanor possessed none of the bearing of royalty. They both looked like mere bystanders hoping to get even just a glimpse of the emperor.
As I approached, they both bowed to greet me.
"Greetings, Lord Ruan," the empress said. "I've heard of your arrival in the palace, so I and my son have come to pay our respect and gratitude to you for heeding our plea."
I sighed. Indeed, Empress Suyin was the one who had sent me a message informing me about Shi Tengfei's condition, that the emperor had locked himself inside his room and would not allow anyone in except for his chief eunuch. He had abandoned his duties as the emperor for so long that many of the officials had started to lose faith in him.
Shi Tengfei's reign had been met with strong opposition from the start. The only reason that no one had done more than file petitions was because they knew that Shi Tengfei had me at his back. Empress Suyin knew that if I stayed away for too long while the emperor was at his lowest, those people who'd been eyeing the throne, especially his older brother who had remained bitter over the years, would grab the opportunity to dethrone the emperor.
"I'm surprised you knew where to reach me," I replied.
"I knew you were heading to the west, so I figured you'd stop by in Qushan before crossing the desert. I sent one letter to each of the inns in Qushan to make sure you get the message."
I nodded. This woman possessed a brain that none of the consorts and concubines could equal. That was the reason why I did not object when the late Empress Dowager had selected her for Shi Tengfei's empress even if she was ten years older. Unfortunately, Shi Tengfei could not see that. To him, Empress Suyin was just an old, ambitious woman who had stolen the title that he had wanted to bestow on his one true love, and that was no other than Princess Xinnu's mother.
"Is that all or do you wish to see your husband?" I asked.
She shook her head. "His Majesty resents the sight of me. I will not dare rebuke him in his current condition. I just wanted to ask his lordship how His Majesty is doing."
I sighed. This woman was indeed pitiful, but instead of pity, I was displeased with her instead.
She was the empress. She had the right to demand more from her husband, but instead, she withdrew herself to the corner too afraid that her sight might offend the emperor and would resent her even more. From the rumors I had heard, Shi Tengfei had only bedded her on their wedding night and had never paid her another visit ever since.
She did this to herself. She had made herself pitiful. As a result, she had made her son, the firstborn who should be vying for the crown prince position, as pitiful as she was.
"He's gotten out of bed and is being dressed," I replied. "I'll make sure he'll get better from hereon. He should be here in a moment."
"I believe you, my lord." The empress clasped her hands and bowed again. "You're the only one His Majesty listens to. We probably should take our leave now."
"Why are you afraid to see your husband?"
She stared at me blankly for a moment, and then she lowered her head. "He's in a difficult condition. I don't wish to add to his suffering."
"You think that he just seeing you will already cause him suffering?"
She did not answer and just swallowed. Her eyes were welling with tears, an indication of the deep-seated emotions that she had been suppressing inside her for two decades. She may be nearing her fifties, but she was still lovely. The fine wrinkles around her eyes and mouth did not make her any less appealing.
But she would not acknowledge any of that. Being much older than the other consorts and concubines, besides the fact that her husband had forgotten her existence, she had developed severe insecurity and she blamed her age and her face for it.
I could only sigh for her. The sight of her son pitying her was even more pitiful.
As they walked away, I took a good look at Prince Yongnian. I had never bothered myself with low-level cultivators before, so I had not immediately noticed that the young man had already breached the third level. At that level of skill, he should be qualified to hold a position in the imperial army, but I didn't think he'd want that. With the way he had stared at the empress earlier, his eyes full of pain for his mother's suffering, the last thing he wanted was to make her even lonelier.