Volume 1, Chapter 10: The Empress Dowager’s Influence, Mature Beauties of the Imperial Court

As the minister’s voice echoed, the entire court of civil and military officials fell into a sudden, stifling silence.

The late Emperor’s last decree stated: before the new Emperor reached the age of maturity, the Empress Dowager would preside over the court from behind the silk screen, assisted by eight regent ministers who would jointly deliberate on state affairs.

Yet, in just two and a half years, of the original eight regents, only four remained. The others had either been exiled, forced into retirement, or thrown into the imperial dungeon. Certainly, this was not the new Emperor’s doing. Those four regents had been loyal to the late Emperor and were devoted to the new sovereign; the new Emperor would never cut off her own limbs. Any person with a discerning eye could see that someone was unwilling to return power to the throne. Over time, for the sake of self-preservation, the officials had conveniently forgotten the latter half of the decree—which mandated that once the new Emperor performed the coming-of-age ceremony and married the Empress chosen by the late Emperor, she would assume full control of the government.

But now... who had the nerve to challenge the Empress Dowager so brazenly in her presence? The officials turned their gazes toward the speaker.

Ah, it was Su Mingxuan, the Third Grand Secretary, one of the remaining cabinet regents and the father of Empress Su Luojin. That explained it. Among the surviving regents, he alone remained loyal to the new Emperor. Because the Empress had been chosen by the late Emperor, the Empress Dowager had been unable to take drastic action against his father, allowing him to remain unscathed thus far.

But now, the rest of the court looked on with cold indifference. Even if his daughter was the Empress, how could he possibly contend with the Empress Dowager, who had long since entrenched herself in the court and held absolute power?

"Minister Su’s words have reminded me of something," a lazy voice drifted from behind the silk screen and the phoenix throne. The Empress Dowager rested her chin on her hand, her long jade-tipped nails tapping gently. "Since the Emperor married the Empress yesterday, I hope never to hear those rumors again about the Emperor being a woman."

"Yes, we would not dare..." The officials understood the implication perfectly. To speak of the Emperor as a woman in the court was clearly a way to mock her.

"As for the Emperor assuming personal rule..." The Empress Dowager smiled, her tone casual. "I am getting old and my memory is failing; I had almost forgotten the late Emperor’s decree. I have overstepped, and I offer my apologies to the Emperor."

The Empress replied in a cold, indifferent tone, "The Empress Dowager worries for the state; I would never dare to blame you."

"Tsk..."

"I always said you were a filial child who understands my difficulties," the Empress Dowager chuckled. "Since such was the late Emperor’s will, let the Emperor begin to rule personally from today. I, for one, would welcome the leisure."

The Empress hesitated for a moment, surprised that the Empress Dowager was so easily willing to relinquish power. But before she could respond, a minister stepped forward, declaring righteously, "The Empress Dowager is mistaken. Although the Emperor has come of age, she is still young and may not handle state affairs properly. The Empress Dowager must continue to assist from the side!"

As this minister finished, several others stepped forward in succession. "I agree. Our Great Zhou is in a precarious state; we hope the Empress Dowager will continue to exert herself to help the Emperor stabilize the nation!"

"I second the motion, please recall your decree!"

In an instant, more than half of the officials were bowing and pleading.

The Empress’s expression turned icy. She knew it—the Empress Dowager was not so kind; this was clearly a deliberate attempt to humiliate her.

"This..." The Empress Dowager appeared troubled. "But Minister Su just said that according to the late Emperor’s decree, the Emperor should rule personally..."

"The late Emperor’s decree exists, but one must adapt to the circumstances!" a minister argued.

"Absurd!" As the Third Grand Secretary moved to speak, the Empress Dowager cut him off, feigning anger. "How can the late Emperor’s decree be altered at will? Are you trying to cast me in an unjust light?"

"We would not dare! We only have the nation’s interests at heart!" the ministers kowtowed. "We implore the Empress Dowager to continue to labor for the sake of the empire!"

"What does the Emperor think?" the Empress Dowager suddenly asked.

The Empress remained calm. "The ministers speak with reason. I ask the Empress Dowager to continue to assist me in state affairs."

"Very well," the Empress Dowager said lightly. "Since both the Emperor and the court believe so, I shall reluctantly do my part for the Great Zhou. However, the late Emperor’s decree cannot be ignored. Let us do this: the Emperor shall begin to rule, and if she truly cannot handle the affairs of state, I shall provide guidance from the side."

The officials chimed in, "We shall follow the Empress Dowager’s instruction!"

The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction and turned to the Empress. "And what does the Emperor think?"

The Empress understood the game perfectly. While more than half of the court were the Empress Dowager's people, the remaining three regents—the Grand General, the First Grand Secretary, and the Grand Princess—were not people the Empress Dowager could easily move against. They were currently waiting on the sidelines. If the Empress Dowager dared to defy the late Emperor’s decree, it would give these three a chance to unite against her. One controlled the military, one the government, and one the treasury; if they joined forces, even the Empress Dowager would struggle to contain them.

This "retreat to advance" tactic was merely to force the Empress into a bloody conflict with these three. But the Empress needed this opportunity. If she could seize the power held by those three, then even if the Empress Dowager still wanted to rule from behind the screen, she would no longer be able to.

With this thought, the Empress nodded faintly. "The Empress Dowager is thoughtful. I shall certainly not disappoint the expectations of the late Emperor or yourself."

"I have always believed in the Emperor," the Empress Dowager said with a soft laugh, then looked at the Third Grand Secretary. "Minister Su, do you find this arrangement appropriate?"

"I am terrified," Su Mingxuan bowed. The Empress Dowager had asked the court, then the Emperor, and only finally him. She was clearly putting him on the spot. Did she mean to imply that he thought himself more important than the entire court and the Emperor? Yet, as long as the Emperor could assume power, it was a sacrifice worth making.

"Rise," the Empress Dowager said, her smile enigmatic. "Ministers as loyal and patriotic as you are rare in this court." She had no intention of punishing him yet; she needed the Empress to clash with the Grand General and the others, so she would not break the Empress’s wings just yet.

Beside the dragon throne, Cao Mo had been observing the situation in the court. He noticed that besides the Empress Dowager, there was another woman in the court—a stunningly beautiful, mature woman whose appearance and temperament were truly exceptional, in no way inferior to the Empress Dowager herself.