Chapter 127: The Dragon Throne
In the evening, all matters were arranged.
Wang Yan rushed over and said, “General, the Empress is making a fuss, wanting to see you. She says if you don’t go, she’ll set Da Ning Palace on fire.”
“Let her burn it.”
Xiao Yi was sure An Yuanzhen wouldn’t dare cause trouble, but he went nonetheless.
Because of him, Da Ning Palace had almost ground to a halt; the palace paths were empty of servants, the underfloor heating was off, and Kunning Palace was as desolate as a cold palace.
Stepping inside, An Yuanzhen sat on a chair, turned away from him, and was wiping away tears.
“Greetings, Empress.”
“Where is my Phoenix Crown?”
“It must be returned to the Inner Treasury. The Empress is relocating to Tai Ping Palace and cannot take it with her.”
“You… you’re bullying me.”
“This is a change of dynasty. If the Empress feels I am not doing a good job, try having another martial man take over.”
“I… Humph, are you this petty? If I say I’m unhappy, why are you so fierce?”
“Please pack your belongings quickly, Empress. You will move to Tai Ping Palace in a few days.”
An Yuanzhen turned her face, tears still streaking her cheeks. The worry in her eyes, however, turned into curiosity as she asked, “Didn’t you promise to enfeoff my father as King of Nanyang and send me back?”
“That is not my responsibility,” Xiao Yi said. “But as long as your father knows where he stands, when Lord takes the throne, he will naturally keep his promise.”
“But what about now? You’ve dismissed the palace servants and cut off all expenses, I’m living a very hard life.”
“The Empress has likely never experienced hardship.”
“Why should I endure hardship when I don’t have to?” An Yuanzhen pouted and said, “Everyone out, I have something to say to him. Stay far away.”
“Yes.”
Once everyone else had left, she beckoned Xiao Yi closer and whispered, “Come closer. If you take good care of me, my father will repay you.”
“I have already done my best. It’s the Empress who is blessed and doesn’t know it.”
“Then let me tell you something else. Come closer.” An Yuanzhen’s voice grew lower, quite mysteriously, and she said, “While you were out of the capital this month, You Niang often came to chat with me, and every time she asked about you.”
Mentioning Li Zhaoning, Xiao Yi fell silent.
An Yuanzhen asked, “Why did you suddenly become distant towards her after going to Yingling?”
“Did she say that to you?”
“I’m smart, I guessed it. I’m asking you, you answer first.”
“There is no such thing. I was just going out of the capital on official business.”
“Tsk, you left without saying goodbye, and returned with no news. Why?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“As expected.”
An Yuanzhen paused, then suddenly, as if casually, in a joking tone, asked a question.
“Because you like me?”
“Hm?”
Xiao Yi was taken aback for a moment. He looked at her and saw a mischievous smile on her lips and bright eyes.
He found it amusing and asked, “What do you like about me?”
“Humph.”
Xiao Yi didn’t call her out for being presumptuous, but instead, he re-established the distance between them.
An Yuanzhen was a little displeased and asked, “Then do you think I’m more beautiful, or is You Niang more beautiful?”
Xiao Yi did not answer.
But since she had asked, he looked at her for a few moments.
An Yuanzhen’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned her head away, muttering, “What are you looking at?”
“Is the Empress from the Shatuo people?”
“Ah?” An Yuanzhen immediately became nervous and said, “I clearly look more like my mother.”
“Your eyes resemble your father’s? Brown.”
“Yes, I don’t look very much like a Shatuo person, do I?”
Xiao Yi shook his head and said, “Even women from Jiangnan are rarely as fair-skinned as you.”
“You’ve been to Jiangnan too? I haven’t even been.”
“Then your knowledge is shallow.”
“You… you’re really annoying. Next time I’ll tell You Niang, yes, I’ll say you’re seducing palace maids.”
Xiao Yi was unconcerned.
He could see An Yuanzhen’s intentions. These women in the palace were all full of schemes; An Yuanzhen was the most foolish, and she also wanted to manipulate him.
“Empress, please rest assured and stay here. Your subordinate takes his leave.”
“Wait.” An Yuanzhen said, “Li Youniang really wants to know why you’ve been neglecting her. Can’t you just say it? If it’s because…”
“It’s not because of the Empress. It’s simply that I don’t want to get married.”
“Why?”
“After the Empress married into the Imperial Palace, have you been happy and free?”
An Yuanzhen was taken aback and stared at him blankly.
Xiao Yi bid farewell and left.
Outside the hall, Wang Yan was waiting and said in a low voice, “General, the Empress Dowager has been waiting all day.”
The imperial decree for abdication had not yet been obtained.
Xiao Yi glanced at the sky; night was about to fall.
Although the Imperial Palace was now under his control and he could come and go as if it were his own garden, the more this was the case, the more he felt an inexplicable unease about meeting Li Hanmei.
He couldn’t pinpoint the source of this vague feeling, but it was unlike the ease with which he dealt with the female officials and the Empress.
“I need to go to the front hall to patrol. You go to the Empress Dowager’s quarters, get the imperial decree for abdication, and put it in my office.”
“Yes.”
Passing through the palace paths and leaving the inner palace, he was no longer followed by palace servants.
The front hall was vast and empty. Apart from the Imperial Guard stationed at the distant palace walls, it was silent everywhere.
Xiao Yi stood on the high stone steps, gazing at the horizon. The night sky swallowed the last of the daylight, and lights flickered on in every household in Kaifeng City.
He rather enjoyed this time and watched for a long while. Afterward, he ordered his subordinates to not follow and went to patrol the halls alone, carrying a lantern.
He had already visited the grandest Zi Chen Hall twice, but he had not yet visited the Jin Xiang Hall within it.
The night was quiet, exuding a sense of grandeur and mystery.
Xiao Yi stood outside Jin Xiang Hall for a while, knowing that this palace had been transformed from the inner palace of the Xuanwu Military Governor’s mansion, and had once been the center of power during chaotic times.
He pushed open the vermilion lacquered door. The lantern dispelled the darkness in the hall. The hall was not large, about ten meters wide and seven meters deep, supported by eight pillars, yet it inexplicably exuded an imperial aura.
There was no one in the hall.
Xiao Yi walked further inside and saw the imperial throne behind the dais.
It was covered with bright yellow brocade embroidered with cloud patterns. The armrests were carved with dragon heads at both ends, their mouths holding precious pearls, and the backrest was inlaid with seven gilded horizontal bars, symbolizing the seven administrations of the Son of Heaven.
He ascended the steps and hung the lantern on a nearby stand.
The lamplight fell on the dragon head of the armrest, and in an instant, the dragon seemed to come alive, casting a disdainful glance at Xiao Yi.
In that moment, recent thoughts, dreams, and words flashed through his mind.
“They are indeed pure in heart.”
“I am not betting on Liu Chong, but on you.”
“You have great ambitions, don’t you?”
“Long live! Long live!”
Xiao Yi closed his eyes and shook his head.
He had not seriously considered these matters before, as he had always been preoccupied with survival. It wasn’t until last night that Li Hanmei’s words seemed to awaken him.
What were his plans in this life… did he have great ambitions?
After an unknown amount of time.
The curtain behind the Dragon Throne suddenly lit up, and someone carrying a lantern approached, their footsteps very light.
Xiao Yi knew Li Hanmei had arrived. As expected, the curtain was lifted, revealing her solemn and dignified face.
A band of cloth was still wrapped around her neck, like a collar.
“General Xiao is here. What is the matter?”
“Patrolling.”
“You’re not here to get the abdication decree for Guo Que’er, but to patrol the Dragon Throne. What a leisurely pursuit.”
Li Hanmei said this with a slight smile, walked forward slowly, closed the hall door, and bolted it.
She turned back and said, “Since the Imperial Palace is under your command tonight, why not try sitting on it?”
Xiao Yi said, “It’s just a chair. What difference does it make whether I sit on it or not?”
“Are you afraid?”
Li Hanmei walked up to him and asked, “You dare not face your ambitions directly, afraid I will persuade you?”
Xiao Yi shook his head and said sincerely, “Today, for every arrangement I make, I think to myself that whatever you do cannot change the course of the dynasty change. You have failed completely.”
“What I told you last night was all from the bottom of my heart.”
“Promises are useless. Circumstances are stronger than people. Accept your fate.”
“Xiao Yi, I told you, I am a good judge of character. I understand you, you have great ambitions…”
Xiao Yi turned back and saw the persistence in Li Hanmei’s eyes.
A sense of pity welled up in his heart, and he shook his head. He ascended the steps and sat on the Dragon Throne.
As he sat down, he couldn’t quite describe the feeling.
He just felt it was a chair with a good view. Stroking the dragon head on the armrest, he vaguely felt the power of command in his grasp.
He looked down at Li Hanmei from his elevated position, asking her with his eyes, “Are you satisfied?”
Li Hanmei stood below the imperial steps, her gaze meeting his. She remained silent for a long time.
Finally, regardless of her state of mind, she curtsied deeply and said softly, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Her voice was not charming, but unlike her usual stern demeanor, it was so gentle it sent a shiver down his spine.
Xiao Yi said sternly, “Come forward.”
Li Hanmei seemed to falter for a moment. She lowered her head and bowed, appearing very submissive, and then stepped forward.
Xiao Yi watched her slightly lift her skirt, her soft-soled silk shoes making no sound on the carpet, watched her silently hang the lantern, and then gracefully walk up to him.
“Your Majesty.”
“Is it fun?” Xiao Yi said.
“Are you satisfied?”
Xiao Yi did not answer. To be honest, having an Empress Dowager so obedient did indeed bring a sense of satisfaction.
She wanted him to have the illusion that by sitting on the Dragon Throne, he could have everything.
A smile appeared in Li Hanmei’s eyes.
Xiao Yi reached out, took her wrist, and pulled her down to sit beside him.
“You… what are you doing?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to share the state with me? Are you scared now?”
Li Hanmei quickly concealed her panic, straightened her posture, and asked, “Did you promise me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I have great ambitions. I can seize the world myself. Why should I cooperate with you?”
“Such a young man’s stubborn talk. You pulled me down to sit with you, doesn’t that mean you want to conspire with me to conquer the world?”
“I just want to tell you, playing with fire leads to self-immolation,” Xiao Yi said. “If you continue to do futile things, you will be the one to suffer.”
Li Hanmei was startled, and as if scalded, she moved to the side, trying to avoid being too close to him.
Xiao Yi, however, had already smelled a faint plum blossom scent from her.
On their previous meetings, she had not used incense.
After sitting in silence for a while, he found the Dragon Throne quite comfortable.
“Alright.”
Xiao Yi sighed, “You’ve sat on it, you can’t do anything to me. Give up.”
“Mm.”
Li Hanmei sighed softly. It could be heard that she had also given up.
Xiao Yi could have ignored her, or even imprisoned her directly. Ultimately, he was indebted to her, so he advised her not to dwell on it anymore.
After all, since they had met, she had bestowed official positions and gifts upon him, agreed to release the craftsmen from Yingling, and had been almost entirely compliant with his requests.
No matter what, this was the end of it.
“Let’s go.”
The next moment, Xiao Yi turned his head and met Li Hanmei’s gaze.
Two lanterns hung nearby, casting dim light. Yet, in her eyes, there was a hint of something else.
He noticed she had applied eyeliner tonight; it looked quite good.
The Imperial Palace was silent. Sitting side-by-side on the Dragon Throne like this was quite a dangerous matter for both of them.
Yet, they seemed to have a tacit understanding and wanted to sit there for a while longer…
