He laugh and clap his hands. He even stomp his feet. He stop after while and look at her. He take the letter from her and fold it.
"Yes it is not written by her but by her rotten husband. She is half dead when we got there. He was beating her up violently. His father is too weak too stop it. No one in the house dare to oppose that man. My men had him hold down and write this letter as your sister speaks."
"What is going on?!" She come rushing up to him and beat his chest. The emperor hold her tight as she try to hit him. He whisper softy in her ears.
"She had resign the fate she is in. I had arrested her rotten husband. Had his arms chopped off and put away in jail. Her father-in-law, old Han is old and he looks unwell. She is now the head of the house. My guards are the witness to his will that he have made your sister to take over everything he own. Also..." He pause for awhile. "She is four months pregnant with the Old Han's child."
She cry even louder when she hears that. The empress repeatedly beat his chest and he allow her to do so.
"This is karma! This is karma! Why did it falls on me?! I am the wicked one!"
The Lunar new year come and go. She sits alone in the cold room. watching the last fall of the snow flakes. She remember that her sister enjoys playing in the snow. They used to make snow balls and fight. Life is indeed simple and sweet. Everyday the emperor continue to visit her in the afternoon. Everyday he brings something from the outside that the palace can't get but nothing makes her smile. Even though he had moved most of her belongings from the empress quarter, she just can't smile.
One day in spring, he bring in his previous concubine, Lady Zhou. They met they talk, they sleep together like old times. The emperor watch them though the books shelves in the room. He remember that night he went home, he heard the noise from the concubine's living quarter. As he walk across the bridge, he hear laughters and odd noises. As he gets closer, he hears sighs and sounds of panting heavy in the air. He push open the door. Inside all his concubines and his wife are naked and playing with each other's private parts. The smell in the air, it feels like there are drugs around. He cover his nose and mouth. His crown princess walk up to him like a drunk person. She tried to remove his clothes but he push her hands away. He ordered the maids to open the window to let the smell and the air to circulate. The incense to be kill off immediately. It was chaos and some maids help their owners by getting them up or draped their coats over their bodies. He remember his wife screaming at him as he walk off.
"Don't you like it?! Don't you want it?! You like to watch this kind of show!! I am now the actress for you!! I can do more. Come my princely husband!! Let us all serve you together!! Hahaha!"
Suddenly he decide that he shouldn't be hiding anymore. He walk out slowly to the two naked women. He slowly undress and show them his erected member.
Days later, he had someone to take care of Lady Zhou. His sources informed him that she had been whispering about the royal family. Hence he had to send his guards and eunuch served her a poison that that only going to make her a mute. So that she won't talk too much. A warning also to her not to write anything that will destroy the reputation of the royal family.
Days become slow as he watch the snow falls. His son been thou is growing up well, he now fear that Duke Su will never surrender the military power. While Tang Li's military power is growing stronger he doesn't fear that she will overthrow him. She has married that Marquis BaiLi's son which is proven he is loyal to the emperor. The emperor is thinking of making Duke Su to sign an agreement that in the event if he should pass away, all the power will be pass to the crown prince. From there, the emperor will be able to control the military and they will be at his command. He tap the table as he think of a proper way to say it. He decided that he should approach Shung Yu on this. However that last few nights, after that night of rendezvous with the empress and Lady Zhou, somehow Shung Yu knows about it. They had another fight and argument. He is thrown out of the bedroom and sleeping in his library for now. Even his mother doesn't want to see him.
"Your majestic..." His personal eunuch hand over a letter to him. He snatch it and read it roughly. After that he scrunch it and he get up from his chair. Walk to a candle which is lit up, he burnt it.
"Go to the royal temple and find out more about the new monks that have join. I want all their details. Especially where they are from. "
The eunuch bow and retreat. While he watch the paper burnt.
Two weeks later, the royal physicians congrats him on the pregnant Shung Yu. He sits on his throne and watch his royal subjects all smiles and celebrating. He is now not sure if this is truly him who have made the pregnancy happen. Later in the afternoon he walked to the cold palace. As usual he sit beside her and she ignore him. He got up and leave the cold palace. As he wonder around the palace, he watch the city that the ancestors had built. He is now the ruler, the protector and the son of heavens. Yet he is now standing alone. He doesn't have anyone he can really talk to. His only brother, his only best friend, his only childhood playmate, is technically gone. There is no one for him.
"Your majestic, the dowager seek for your presence."
He nod his head and turn around to walk down the long lonely stairs to his mother's quarter.
"Mother." He bow and she pat the seat beside her. He sit down and take a sip of the tea. She look at him "You have alot on your mind?"
"Mother... yes i do have. I ..."
"It's time for you to let her go."
"Mother why do you always..."
"Keeping her alive there is inhumane. She have stayed there for a year now. How long more do you want to play with her? She is suffering."
"She is not. She don't know what is suffering. "
"Then send her out to the outskirts as a slave. She will suffer there. It's not good for us to keep her in this palace. Our reputation will suffer."
"I cannot do that. I need to keep her here. I can't control the prime minister if she is gone. "
"Your excuses are a lot, my son. There are many ways to control a person."
"Well i choose this way."
"I prefer you to choose another way." She looks sternly at him. "Terminate her life in the cold palace, is the highest honour that she can get."
"MOTHER! Let me deal with this alone. If there is nothing, i shall leave now. "
She watch her eldest son walk far from her room. She wave to her eunuch, he lower his top to her. "Did our men caught that spy in the royal temple?"
"Yes your highness. He is caught and silence now."
"Sent in a fake report to the emperor. Write whatever you can think of."
He bow and walk off while she take her slip of tea and lay back.
"Maybe it's time for me to visit the empress." She mumbled.