FID – Chapter 965

Chapter 965: Who the Hell Invited You Sincerely

The Empress Dowager wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy. She pulled her hand back forcefully, her face awkward.

The little emperor, seemingly not understanding her displeasure, leaned in again. “Imperial Grandmother, with you around, I don’t even need to appoint an empress. Which empress could genuinely care for me like you do? So I really’m not in a hurry. You take your time observing, even if it takes three or five years. I’ll just be in my early twenties. I’m still young.”

“Besides, think about it. If you really pick an empress to manage the harem, I’m afraid it won’t be as convenient for Badou and Hongdou to come in and visit the harem or you in the Yangxin Hall. Who else could love those two like you do, treat them as their own, and let them regard the palace as their private garden?”

“Add to that, if the empress later has a child, that child could very well be the Crown Prince. If he bullies Badou or Hongdou, what could you do? How much injustice would they suffer? You’d be heartbroken, wouldn’t you?”

The Empress Dowager’s face froze. She stared silently at the boy, not knowing where he had the nerve to say such things.

‘If the empress has a child’—what is this? Was he implying that the child wouldn’t be his? Why was he speaking as if it were some stranger?

The little emperor had just delivered a sharp lesson to an imaginary person, and he left satisfied.

The Empress Dowager sat on the cushioned seat in silence for a long while, eventually laughing uncontrollably.

Even the old maid couldn’t suppress her amusement. “The emperor’s resistance to appointing an empress is truly unprecedented. He could say anything.”

“Thanks to his imperial uncle’s careful guidance over the years, even if he hasn’t learned much else, he has fully mastered his uncle’s audacity.”

“In the past, we only saw the emperor acting spoiled or playful in front of the princess consort and Elder Madam Liu. Now, for him to show this side in front of Your Majesty—that clearly shows he truly regards you as someone close. Your Majesty should be pleased. Her Majesty can already understand your care and good intentions.”

“Hmph. What do I want him to understand? When his imperial uncle was sixteen, he had already established himself firmly in court, making no one dare underestimate him—calm, wise, strategic, every plan brilliant beyond comparison. And look at him now, he is at the same age but is still acting spoiled with people, as if he hasn’t grown up. How can one trust him?” The Empress Dowager frowned as she scolded.

The old maid stifled a smile, answering respectfully, “That’s exactly why he needs Your Majesty watching over him at all times. That’s why he came to you today.”

“Mm.” The Empress Dowager cleared her throat and leaned back on the cushioned seat, relaxing. “In the next few days, draft a list of the prominent young ladies in the capital. In April, when spring begins, I will hold a flower-viewing banquet. We will invite them to the palace, and I will take a proper look.”

“Yes, this old servant will ensure it is done properly.”

After the emperor left, the Yangxin Hall quieted down.

The old maid stirred the charcoal in the hearth to a brighter flame and glanced back at the elderly woman, dozing with eyes closed.

Her hair was still a dazzling silver, yet her expression was unexpectedly serene and kind. There was no trace of the past bitterness or sharpness in her brow.

Everything was gradually getting better. And that was comforting.

Just then, far outside the Yangxin Hall, the young emperor ran into General Qin slowly approaching the entrance of the Imperial Garden.

Though well past sixty, the man carried the formidable aura honed over decades as a general, unweakened by age. Even from a distance, everyone nearby could feel the overwhelming presence pressing down.

It was suffocating.

The young emperor narrowed his eyes and stood firm, waiting for the man to approach. “Elder Qin, may I ask if there’s some urgent matter for you to enter the palace at this hour?”

“Today is New Year’s Day. As an old minister, I came specially to pay respects to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager and offer my New Year’s greetings.”

Feng Mohan pressed his lips together. This old man truly did not follow convention. The response he had prepared immediately fell apart.

Usually, didn’t he always find some pretext of official business to slip past him and his imperial uncle to get into Yangxin Hall?

Today, was he trying a different tactic?

Qin Xiao stood with his hands folded in front, calm and composed, accepting the emperor’s scrutiny without a hint of tension.

Their eyes met. The young emperor, sharp and fierce, faced the veteran general, whose depth of concealment made the boy seem slightly outmatched.

“I have just left Yangxin Hall. At this hour, the Empress Dowager has already retired. Elder Qin, there’s no need for you to go there. I have received your New Year’s greetings. If there’s nothing else, you may return.”

“I have heard that Your Majesty has been troubled by the memorials submitted by court ministers. Even with the power of His Highness, who can maintain temporary peace in court, once he leaves, Your Majesty alone cannot keep the senior ministers under control,” Qin Xiao said, calm and poised, his gaze fixed lightly on the emperor.

“What do you mean by this, Elder Qin?”

“If Your Majesty can draw the three-dynasty veteran who has always remained neutral into your camp, then those senior ministers who rely on their seniority will naturally restrain themselves before Your Majesty.”

Feng Mohan’s gaze deepened. “Elder Minister Yuan of the Inner Cabinet has served three reigns. Even my imperial uncle could not persuade him to take sides. I fear he doesn’t place me in his eyes at all.”

Qin Xiao smiled. “It so happens that this minister has some personal friendship with Elder Yuan.” Then he shifted the topic. “Today is the New Year, let us not speak of official matters. In two hours the palace banquet will begin. Your Majesty will be dining in Yangxin Hall, I assume? Then this minister won’t disturb you further.”

“…For the family banquet, I will be dining with the Empress Dowager. Since you are alone in your residence, why don’t you stay in the palace and spend the New Year with us?”

“In that case, this old minister shall respectfully accept. Thank you for your sincere invitation, Your Majesty.”

Feng Mohan nearly ground his teeth to dust.

Who the hell sincerely invited him?!

When it came to shamelessness, he couldn’t hold a candle to Grand General Qin!

Daring to openly scheme about his Imperial Grandmother right in front of him! He would definitely find a chance later to speak ill of him before his grandmother and have her scold him for his impropriety!

After offering a formal salute, Qin Xiao turned and slowly departed the palace.

Thick-skinned or shameless—whatever it took. If he didn’t fight for it, he would live and die with regret.

Since he has made up his mind, there is nothing he dares not do. He didn’t think he had suffered much, but he knew very well how much Aman had suffered.

By late afternoon, the New Year family banquet in Yangxin Hall began right on time. At the same moment, the New Year’s meal in Xinghua Village officially started as well.

Around the large round table in the kitchen, every seat was filled to the brim.

Drinking games, loud laughter—joy and festivity overflowed throughout the entire courtyard.

Not only the Liu courtyard; every household in Xinghua Village was just as lively.

Laughter could be heard everywhere.

Even the occasional bark from a dog inside someone’s yard made anyone who heard it smile unconsciously.

The air was saturated with the rich flavor of the New Year.

Just a couple of days after the holiday, An Cai, alone as always, walked into Liu Jinfu’s home. No one knew what the two men discussed, but when An Cai left, his triangular eyes curved slightly, as if carrying a hint of a smile.

Soon after, villagers went to their village chief to inquire, and news quickly spread through the entire village: Xiapo Village wanted to dig paddy mud from their fields.

Everyone thought it was amusing, but not a single voice objected—just as Grandpa Liu had expected.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhiqiu had also become busy. In great haste he set a date and prepared to take two powerful backers with him to inspect the estates he had purchased, ready to put his development plans on the agenda.