Chapter 34 A Talk with a Monarc
Meanwhile, in the empress chambers
Pa!
A loud slapping sound echoed in the air as a frail figure of a man stumbled on the ground with a red handprint on his pale face.
If Li An and Misha are here, they would recognize that person as the eunuch who has guided and trapped them in that room. However, news of their escape has reached the empress and it made her really angry that she wanted to kill the eunuch.
"How could you be so stupid!?" she growled.
"You should have stayed there and stopped them from escaping."
The eunuch just touched his cheeks but did not say anything. What should he say when the words of the empress are due to her anger. If he stayed in that place then the emperor would quickly discover that it was the empress who wanted to scheme against his guest. If that happened then the empress would be further punished.
The eunuch was angry but kept it in his heart. He dare not voice his discontent at his master.
"That little brat seems tricky. But who could that child be? She came from the Cold Palace… Did my cousin bring her or… Is that little girl her illegitimate daughter?" The mind of the empress began churning trying to cook another scheme.
…
Meanwhile, Li An was now meeting with the emperor... her father.
Misha, on the other hand, did not enter and just left the hall and stayed outside.
The Emperor's voice was calm yet tinged with intrigue. "So, you are Li An, the child of the Cold Palace."
She kept her head bowed, carefully choosing her words. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am honored by your summons."
The Emperor observed her for a long moment. "Tell me, Li An, how did a child like you manage to earn the gratitude of a merchant so well-regarded as Yang Eigou?"
Li An paused, meeting his gaze directly. "Your Majesty, it was merely a fortunate coincidence. I happened to be nearby when the merchant was injured, and I simply applied what little medical knowledge I had learned. I did not expect any reward."
The Emperor's brow raised slightly, impressed by her humility. "Your actions show wisdom beyond your years," he noted, a hint of approval in his tone. "It seems you have talents not commonly found in those your age."
Li An lowered her gaze, humbly accepting the praise. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I only hope to put whatever knowledge I possess to good use."
The Emperor's expression grew more thoughtful. The child's words and demeanor is not that of a child but is one of an adult.
He glanced briefly at the officials standing nearby before returning his attention to her. "Your actions and skills have not gone unnoticed. Tell me, what is it you desire in return for such… service to my people?"
Li An hesitated, considering her words carefully. She knew better than to appear ambitious or demanding in the presence of the Emperor. "Your Majesty, my only wish is to serve faithfully and assist those in need. If I might be granted permission, I would like to continue helping the people through my small clinic."
The Emperor seemed to ponder this, nodding slowly. "Very well. You may continue your work, but understand this: the empire is not a place free from scrutiny. Be cautious in your endeavors."
Li An bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I understand."
As the Emperor waved a hand to dismiss her, Li An sensed she'd managed to escape the Empress's trap—at least for now. She left the chamber with Misha by her side, her mind swirling with the implications of the day's events.
Though her encounter with the Emperor had gone well, Li An knew the Empress would not take this outcome lightly. She'd have to tread even more carefully from now on, lest she provoke further schemes. Yet as they stepped out into the palace courtyard, she suddenly noticed a busy scene.
…
As she and Misha passed through the arched corridors, a murmur of activity from a nearby courtyard drew her attention. Physicians, eunuchs, and maidservants flitted back and forth, some clutching cloth-wrapped bundles or porcelain bowls. They moved with an urgency that piqued her curiosity. She caught sight of Misha, her ever-diligent attendant, hovering at a respectable distance.
Li An called her over. "Misha, let's see what's happening there."
Misha's eyes widened in alarm. "Young Miss, that is not a place we should intrude."
But Li An was already gripping Misha's sleeve, gently tugging her toward the courtyard's outer wall. Misha followed reluctantly, whispering, "That courtyard belongs to Empress Dowager Ao Fang. We must not disturb her."
Undeterred, Li An's eyes sparkled with interest. Empress Dowager Ao Fang was the emperor's mother, a woman shrouded in mystery, spoken of only in hushed tones among the palace staff. Her declining health was rumored but rarely confirmed; the Dowager seldom left her quarters, and few knew her true state.
Misha tugged at Li An's arm. "We should leave, Miss."
But Li An had already assessed the structure, noting where the wall was most accessible and the lines of sight least visible to the guards below. She seized Misha's hand, and before her companion could protest further, Li An propelled herself up, steadying them on the roof of the courtyard's outer wall.
The sun was already low in the horizon and afternoon air was filled with the faint scent of medicinal herbs drifting from the courtyard below, mixing with the distant calls of palace birds. Nestled in the shade of the eaves, they observed the scene unfolding below. Inside the main room, cloaked by gauzy curtains, figures clustered around a reclining silhouette—the Empress Dowager, lying still on an opulent bed.
Li An peered down, her young face set in concentration as she watched the physicians carefully apply heated stones wrapped in linen to various points on the Dowager's arms and legs. The wrinkles lining the Dowager's face were etched with a pallor that suggested chronic pain, her breaths shallow yet steady. Several maids dabbed her forehead, while a physician softly murmured instructions to the attendants, his tone composed but urgent.
"She's very sick…" Li An whispered to Misha, who was huddled beside her, nervously glancing around.
"Yes, Young Miss," Misha replied, her voice low, nearly drowned by the rustling leaves. "The Empress Dowager has been unwell for some time. She suffers from severe fevers and weakness that the palace physicians have struggled to treat."
Li An's gaze returned to the Empress Dowager, her brow furrowing. A mixture of sympathy and curiosity stirred within her. She could see the Emperor's mother faintly through the delicate curtains, her figure appearing frail and diminutive against the elaborate, gilded bedding.
"How does the emperor feel about this?" Li An asked, her voice soft but penetrating.
Misha hesitated. "The Emperor rarely speaks of it, but his visits to the Empress Dowager's chambers are infrequent. There is… distance between them." She cast Li An a wary look. "Such matters are delicate, Young Miss."
Li An turned back to the scene below, a calculating glint in her eye. If there was distance between mother and son, it would suggest a history, perhaps a painful one. She had observed Emperor Gu Han Di's restrained composure, his unwillingness to reveal even the slightest hint of vulnerability. Could it be that his mother's illness stirred complicated feelings within him?
A sound from below snapped her from her thoughts. One of the physicians had shifted closer, his voice drifting up to where they hid.
"…perhaps we could request a more specialized elixir," he suggested to the head maid, who nodded with resignation.
Misha caught Li An's sleeve, whispering anxiously, "Young Miss, please—if anyone finds us here, we could be punished severely."
Li An patted her hand, her gaze still trained on the scene below. "It's all right, Misha. They're too focused on the Dowager to look for two eavesdroppers."
She took in the scene thoughtfully. Despite the array of herbal compresses and elixirs, the Dowager's breaths remained labored. A certain helplessness hung over the room, thickening the air.
Misha bit her lip. "Young Miss, you shouldn't have to see this."
Li An met Misha's worried gaze, her expression unyielding. "I don't fear what I see, Misha. The Empress Dowager is suffering, and everyone here knows it, yet no one seems able to help her." Her voice softened, a touch of sympathy slipping through. "I wonder what that must feel like—being so alone."
Misha's face softened, and she squeezed Li An's hand. "But some might say solitude is the price of power, Young Miss."
Li An turned back to the Empress Dowager, her curiosity tinged with a deeper understanding. In that moment, the old woman seemed less an unreachable figure and more a mother whose relationship with her son was tangled by the demands of the throne.
As they watched, the Empress Dowager stirred, her eyes fluttering open briefly. A servant moved to adjust her pillow, but she brushed the woman aside, attempting to sit up. Her voice was faint, but it carried a weary authority.
"Enough," she murmured. "You fuss too much."
The chief physician leaned forward. "Your Grace, your condition—"
She raised a hand, silencing him with a slight wave. "My condition is my own burden. I have no wish to draw out the last breaths I have." Her tone held a resigned strength, the finality in her words clear.
A strange pang filled Li An's chest as she listened. Here lay the woman who had raised an emperor, a woman whose strength and intelligence must have shaped the ruler that Gu Han Di had become. Yet now, the very skills and virtues she had instilled in her son seemed to offer no solace in her final days. Her influence, though undeniable, was ultimately just a faint shadow cast in a vast, cold palace.
As Li An and Misha continued to watch, a group of attendants approached with trays bearing delicately painted vials. One of the maids took the vials, moving with practiced precision as she presented them to the Empress Dowager. She drank the contents without hesitation, grimacing slightly as the bitter liquid passed her lips.
Li An's eyes narrowed. She felt an intense curiosity about the medicine being given to the Empress Dowager. There was a sense of finality, as if these treatments were no longer intended to heal, but merely to ease her path forward, making her last days more comfortable rather than aiming for true recovery.
Empress Dowager Ao Fang settled back into her bed, her gaze drifting upward. "So many years, yet this place remains unchanged," she whispered, more to herself than to those in the room. "A gilded cage, as it always has been."
The statement hung in the air, heavy with unsaid history and unfulfilled desires. Li An's young heart felt the sting of it. She tightened her hold on Misha's arm, her mind racing with questions. She had glimpsed the heavy burdens of power before, seen the toll it took on her mother, Concubine Su, and now she was witnessing it again in the Empress Dowager.
After a few moments of silence, Li An gently pulled Misha back from the edge of the roof. They climbed down as stealthily as they had ascended, Li An's steps thoughtful, her usually bright eyes cast downward as if lost in a reverie. Misha followed her, worry etched across her face.