After sending away the officials, Sang Qien, and Sisi, the empress dowager dismissed the maids and eunuchs in the room with a wave of her hand. This should have been highly inappropriate, but no one questioned her order. The empress dowager had gained absolute control over the people around her, and her closest eunuchs and maids were aware of her affair with the regent. Sometimes, they'd even had to cover for her.
Once the maids closed the door behind them, the empress dowager rushed into Zu An’s arms.
Zu An embraced her mature body as he asked with a smile, “Ning’er, what do you need to discuss with me?”
The empress dowager raised her head, resting her lower jaw on his chest as she said with a pout, “You only call me that in private. Why didn’t you call me Ning’er earlier?”
Zu An burst into laughter. “You’re the empress dowager. We need to pay heed to your reputation in public.”
“What about Sang Qien and Sisi? You held their hands in public,” the empress dowager complained.
Zu An realized that she was jealous. Instead of explaining himself, he leaned in and kissed her. Only a fool would debate about right and wrong at a time like this. What she needs is emotional affirmation.
The empress dowager moaned. Her lover’s sweet nothings quelled the anger bubbling inside her, and her body gradually relaxed.
Some time later, the two of them began talking about the kings’ rebellion and the imperial court’s initial defeat.
“A skilled housewife can’t prepare a meal without rice.” The empress dowager explained the circumstances then. “Rumors of your death in the other world caused hearts to waver. With those under us thinking about who to side with, it’s no wonder our army suffered defeat after defeat. Linglong and I may be capable, but we've reliant on our subordinates to execute our orders. The situation only stabilized when Linglong joined the frontlines while I held fort in the capital.”
“You've worked hard,” Zu An said, grabbing her hand.
The empress dowager burst into laughter, lighting up the solemn imperial library. “Regent, do you want to know what happened in this time?”
“Of course.” Zu An figured that it wouldn’t hurt to know more about his enemies. With the rebellion having built up so much momentum, it was important for him to draw a clear line between friends and foes.
“Regent, please have a seat. Allow me to slowly explain things to you.” The empress dowager pushed Zu An toward the throne.
Zu An was initially perplexed as to why he had to sit on the throne for them to talk. Where’s Liu Ning going to sit then?
The empress dowager chuckled. She tied her hair up before ducking under the table. Everything immediately made sense to Zu An then.
The empress dowager had a skilled mouth. She shared the details slowly, but in detail.
Zu An could finally make sense of the major events that had happened while he was gone. Some time later, the empress dowager leaned toward Zu An’s ear and whispered, “Ah Zu, I want a child.”
“But you’re the empress dowager.” Zu An was put in a tight spot.
“I don’t care. I want to have your child.” The empress dowager also felt as if something had come over her. She had been the empress for many years, but she'd never been concerned about her lack of offspring. And yet, seeing Zu An carry a girl into the palace struck something deep in her.
Her repressed emotions suddenly burst out at that instant. She realized that she was fond of children all along too; it was just that she hadn’t been willing to bear Zhao Han’s babies.
Besides, Zhao Han wouldn’t have let it happen either. The Liu clan had two empresses. If both were to give birth to sons, the Liu clan’s influence would have grown to an extent where it would be hard to keep them in check. Thus, she'd had no choice but to live with it.
However, her desire to become a mother suddenly became ridiculously intense.
Zu An fell silent.
Liu Ning’s identity was simply too special. The empress dowager bearing a child would be a massive scandal, even when taking humankind’s long history into consideration. It would be impossible to predict what would happen.
The empress dowager’s expression sank, but she soon revealed a seductive smile and said, “I’m joking with you. I am still young and haven’t had enough fun yet. Children are a hassle to deal with.”
Zu An could tell she didn’t mean those words, and that she was merely finding an excuse to end the topic. All he had to do was to play along with her.
And yet, he gently caressed her cheeks and nodded solemnly. “All right.”
“All right?” The empress dowager’s voice quivered in disbelief.
“Let’s have a child,” Zu An said with a smile.
The empress dowager was stunned. She never expected him to accept her request. For a moment there, she felt that she hadn’t lived in vain.
Back when they first started, she had still been the lofty empress, whereas he was a lowly Embroidered Envoy. Taking that first step had left her incredibly nervous and conflicted. She had also wondered if he merely coveted her wealth and standing, or maybe just her beauty.
As she grew closer to him, she'd discarded the first possibility. But as for the second possibility, while Zu An had many young, beautiful lovers, she was the only more mature lover she had, even though she could hardly be considered old at all.
Sometimes, in the dead of the night, she'd wondered if Zu An truly loved her. But she swiftly extinguished this thought whenever it surfaced, as she dared not think deeply into it. She was a mature woman. Her rational mind told her that there was no need to get to the bottom of that; it was enough that they had fun whenever they were together.
But at this moment, she realized that she had a place in his heart. He cared about her feelings and would think on her behalf. This was enough for her.
Her mind suddenly cleared up, and she said, “Ah Zu, my identity is sensitive. It’ll bring too much trouble if I have a child. I’m already satisfied enough to hear you say those words. Thank you.”
Zu An pulled her into his embrace. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with whatever trouble that arises.”
The empress dowager wanted to say more, but he was too domineering. There was also no way she would reject him after three years of separation. She glanced at the throne, and her face turned bright red. This fellow seems to get more excited whenever he sits on this chair. And for some reason, he doesn’t allow me to take off my phoenix gown...
...
In the rebel army’s commander tent at the distant Phoenix Pass, King Yan looked at the tightly guarded wall and remarked, “Bi Linglong is a capable one. If she had come a day later, I would have already breached Phoenix Pass. The world would have belonged to our Zhao clan.”
Zhao Yuan replied, “No matter how capable she is, she is but a woman. Many in the imperial court refuse to submit to her. You need not worry, King Yan. This standstill is to our advantage. More people will be swayed toward our side. Even those guarding Phoenix Pass aren’t united as one; quite a few people have secretly reached out to us. It’s only a matter of time before we breach the pass.”
King Yan frowned. “A mere Bi Linglong doesn’t worry me. But the longer we stall, the more uneasy I feel. Is it possible that Zu An is still alive?”
That name made Zhao Yuan frown, but he replied, “There’s nothing to worry about, King Yan. Years have passed. He would have long since returned if he was alive. Besides, we've rallied over a million soldiers to our cause. He can’t stop us single-handedly.”
King Yan was still worried. “But that fellow wields terrifying prowess. He might not be no match for our million-troop-strong army in a direct confrontation, but what if he chooses to act against us in the shadows?”
“Don’t worry. I have the means to deal with him even if he returns,” Zhao Yuan replied with a mysterious smile.