Chapter 195 Longtai

Xiao Guang said, “Do you really want to see His Majesty?”

“It’s not that I want to see him, but it’s that he wanted to see me,” Yang Ning said, “I didn’t even have lunch before I rushed over here. I was expecting to be rewarded with something. Now it seems I won’t even be able to have dinner.”

“You wish His Majesty to reward you?” Xiao Guang laughed, “His Majesty won’t reward something indiscriminately, unless a great achievement has been made. Troubles can be made if he doesn’t put the shoe on the right foot.”

Yang Ning waved his hand and said, “You don’t understand.”

Xiao Guang said, “His Majesty has just ascended to the throne and attends to numerous tiring affairs every day. Since you got here in the palace, just wait patiently. Can’t you even wait for His Majesty?”

“That’s not true,” Yang Ning said, “But it’s not good to take it too far. His Majesty has just ascended to the throne. He may want to take time on many things. I’m afraid it will be counterproductive if he means to satisfactorily deal with everything.”

Xiao Guang frowned and was about to say something when he heard a voice from outside, “The Empress Dowager has arrived!”

Xiao Guang and Yang Ning were both shocked. Yang Ning doubted why the Empress Dowager would suddenly appear. The Empress Dowager was of course the mother of the new emperor. How could she appear in this place?

Xiao Guang took a sudden big stride forward, grabbed Yang Ning’s arm, and said with some urgency, “Bad news. The Empress Dowager is coming here.”

Yang Ning thought that it was not a big deal, but seeing Xiao Guang frowning, he asked, “What, are you afraid of the Empress Dowager? Is it because of the snacks you had?”

Xiao Guang looked around and locked his eyes on the bookshelf in the corner and pointed over there, saying, “Hide behind the bookshelf first. Since the Empress Dowager is coming, you can’t be seen by her.”

Yang Ning asked, “Are you out of your mind? I am the Marquis of Honor. Now that the Empress Dowager is here, I will go out to pay respects to her. Why should I hide?”

“Do as I told you.” Xiao Guang tugged Yang Ning to the bookshelf, said, “This is… where His Majesty doing some readings. Outsiders are not allowed in. The Empress Dowager must be infuriated seeing you here today.”

“Outsiders are not allowed in?” Yang Ning was confused at this point, thinking that if so, why would Eunuch Fan lead himself here? He had been here for a long time, and no one came to drive him away.

But seeing Xiao Guang’s serious expression, he couldn’t be sure whether what he said was true or not but to hide behind the bookshelf for now, thinking this visit to the palace was really damn bad luck. First, he has been waiting for most of the day, now he even had to hide. Who knew what other strange things would happen later? He’d better leave the palace as soon as possible.

Behind the bookshelves were thick mahogany boards, completely obscuring his view. It was impossible to see what would happen in the room.

Yang Ning heard the footsteps and then the door being pushed open. Hearing someone entering the room, Yang Ning was wondering if the Empress Dowager had already come in when he heard someone saying, “Bowing to Queen Mother!”

Yang Ning’s body shook when he heard the voice.

He heard clearly that the speaker was Xiao Guang, but Xiao Guang addressed the Empress Dowager as “Mother”. Yang Ning was at once shocked.

“Your Majesty, what are you doing?” Yang Ning heard another stern voice, “Why are you wearing this suit?”

He was the emperor?

Xiao Guang was the emperor?

He was the Emperor Longtai who had just ascended the throne?

While Yang Ning was appalled, countless thoughts intertwined in his mind. He instantly came around and longed to slap himself.

He had thought that the reason Xiao Guang spoke boldly was because he recognized himself as the fake Marquis of Honor, but now he realized that he owned this place, so it was only reasonable that he spoke without scruples.

If he weren’t the emperor, how dare he had the snacks?

Yang Ning blamed himself for being an idiot, who didn’t realize it. But the fact that Xiao Guang turned out to be the newly enthroned emperor of Chu still surprised Yang Ning.

Images were already rolling in his mind. With one connected to another, soon he sorted it out.

It had already been said that the imperial prince of Chu personally led a team to attend the crown prince ceremony of Eastern Qi State. At the time when the capital was overcast, many people thought the imperial prince of Chu was still in Eastern Qi State.

Now it seemed that the imperial crown prince had already gotten the news of the late emperor’s critical illness while he was in Eastern Qi State, so he had already secretly departed from Eastern Qi State and rushed back to Jianye day and night.

But the royal prince’s whereabouts apparently had been traced. Ordinary people couldn’t sense much about the change of Chu’s regime. But power struggle played out beneath it. Quite a few people didn’t want the royal prince back to the capital in time who naturally would send assassins along the way to intercept and kill him.

Xiao Guang must have experienced many setbacks the day when Yang Ning met him. The purpose of Xiao Guang was to return to the capital in time before the late emperor’s death.

The late emperor had obviously been prepared, predicting that the crown prince might be hindered halfway, so he had sent the Black Sword Camp to come to his aid.

Otherwise how would the Black Sword Camp come to his aid if he were just a little eunuch?

Yang Ning also clearly remembered Duan Canghai and others’ surprising looks when finding the trail of the Black Sword Camp in the shabby temple. In their view, the Black Sword Camp wouldn’t even show up because of some marquis. They must come out for something huge. Now that he realized, the Black Sword Camp would certainly come to the crown prince’s rescue since he was in distress.

The fragments in Yang Ning’s mind were barely put together. He thought that even if he didn’t get it all right, it should be pretty close.

Xiao Guang’s voice sounded, “I intended to personally try out the suits of palace servers to see if they can be improved.”

Yang Ning thought to himself, “You’re a good liar, saying with a calm voice as if it were true.”

“Improve the clothing?” The Empress Dowager’s voice came over, “Why would you bother about these things? And these suits have been like this for many years. Why should they be improved?”

The Empress Dowager’s voice didn’t sound that of an old person but a woman in her thirties. He thought Xiao Guang was only sixteen to seventeen years old.Since women in this era gave birth young, the Empress Dowager should not be more than forty years old.

The young emperor Longtai said respectfully, “It’s my mistake. I ask for your chastisement.”

The Empress Dowager said less sternly, “You have just ascended to the throne. It’s naturally good for you to want to break the old rules and to encourage the new. But not everything should be pushed over. Chu has been painstakingly managed by three generations of emperors, which just has been passed to you. They were all wise and sensible, who have customized many protocols that shall not be easily changed.”

The young emperor Longtai said, “I see. Everything follows the ancestral system, and I dare not to change it.”

Longtai’s tone, though very respectful, somehow sounded odd to Yang Ning. He thought to himself that this was a mother-son dialogue, and there was no one else in the room. Longtai sounded too respectful, which was unreasonable even if for the royal family.

Being too deferential impaired the affection between mother and son.

“I’m pleased to see you’re able to understand the difficulties of the ancestor’s business,” The Empress Dowager said, “Your Majesty, I want to have someone invite you to my palace, but the thought of you are busy brought me here to discuss something with you.”

Longtai said, “What is your order, Mother Queen?”

“Your Majesty, you have already reached sixteen years old and is long overdue for a marriage.” The Empress Dowager sighed lightly, “But these years there has been a war, the late emperor was busy with his day-to-day business, unable to enjoy sleep and food. Of course he didn’t have the energy to make arrangements for your marriage. Since I had to take care of the late emperor, it was thus delayed.” After a pause, she said, “Now that Your Majesty has ascended to the throne, it’s time to arrange the wedding for you as soon as possible. The world is balanced with Yin and Yang. The harem can’t function without an empress.”

Longtai still respectfully said, “Mother, I’ve just ascended the throne. My biggest priority is to learn to deal with state affairs. In my opinion, it’s not too late to talk about marriage when I’m able to handle political affairs alone, and become more mature.”

“Discipline yourself, manage your family and rule the country.” The Empress Dowager said, “There is an ancient instruction that to manage family before managing family and ruling country. Your Majesty hasn’t yet had a family, how to manage the family then? If you can’t manage a family, how can you rule the country? Your Majesty, the best way for a man to mature is to start a family first, so that he can mature fast.”

Yang Ning hid behind the bookshelf, and by now had already understood the essence of the talk.

It seemed that the Empress Dowager came over today for the marriage of the young emperor Longtai. The Empress Dowager wished His Majesty to get married as soon as possible, but Longtai didn’t sound so willing to do it immediately after ascending the throne.

After a moment of silence, he heard Longtai say, “Mother, do you want me to marry Sima Wanqiong?”

The Empress Dowager sounded unhappy and said, “Wanqiong is Your Majesty’s cousin, smart and clever since childhood, and now she has become a wise and virtuous girl who is literate. Your Majesty should know that before the Qinhuai Battle, the late Emperor had already intended to make Wanqiong Crown Princess, which was only delayed by the war.”

“But Father didn’t mention this to me,” Longtai said.

The Empress Dowager sounded even more unpleasant, “Your Majesty, are you saying I’m lying?”

“I dare not.” Longtai instantly responded, “I know that the establishment of the empress is an important matter for the country, and it’s not the case that whoever I like, I’m allowed to make her my empress. Or whoever I don’t like, I get to prevent her from being my empress.”

“It’s the blessing of Chu that Your Majesty can put the country first,” The Empress Dowager said, “But you mean you don’t like Wanqiong? Whether her appearance, character or status, Wanqiong is already impeccable. I really cannot think of another person who is qualified to become the empress all over the country.”

“Mother, don’t be anxious.” Longtai sounded calm, “I just think should I summon some loyal ministers in the court to discuss about such an important matter together?”

“I don’t think there is a need for that,” The Empress Dowager said with a cold tone, “This is a royal matter. Outsiders may not get involved.”

Hearing this, Yang Ning thought that it seemed they were estranged to each other because of the marriage. The Empress Dowager obviously insisted to make Sima Wanqiong the empress, but Longtai seemed to think another way. Sima Wanqiong was Longtai’s cousin. He wondered which aristocrat’s daughter she was.