The magnificent palace burning down was undoubtedly a tragedy, but to Jiang Yunshu, human lives mattered far more.
Xie Lin chuckled softly, “If that’s the case, I cannot speak for it.”
Jiang Yunshu’s eyes dimmed, thinking Xie Lin was refusing her. Then, she heard him say, “Since it’s the Empress’s wish, the Empress should say it herself.”
Jiang Yunshu froze. Was Xie Lin leaving the chance to grant mercy to her?
No, it wasn’t just about the chance to show mercy. She could directly order the guards herself, and the deeper meaning behind this was far more significant.
Jiang Yunshu met Xie Lin’s gaze. His eyes were as deep and calm as ever, as if he had only spoken an ordinary sentence.
But Jiang Yunshu understood—and Xie Lin understood—that this meant...
Power.
Jiang Yunshu didn’t hesitate. She directly gave the order to the head of the guards.
The guard commander was momentarily stunned, his face full of gratitude, and he responded loudly.
He passed Jiang Yunshu’s order to the guards, who were all equally surprised.
The expressions on those guards’ faces told Jiang Yunshu that if this were a game, she would now see countless “Loyalty +1 +1 +1 +1...” icons popping up above their heads.
The fire in the Fengyi Palace hadn’t spread outside.
Not even the entire palace was engulfed—only one corner was destroyed.
Jiang Yunshu and Xie Lin, along with their close attendants and their two horses, circled around the palace gate. After the fire inside was extinguished, they returned.
Xie Lin’s horse, Benxiao, was spirited. The distant flames and thick smoke made it nervous, causing it to stomp its hooves anxiously. Jiang Yunshu fed it two sugar cubes and gently stroked its coat, calming it down somewhat.
Zaoren knew nothing, its innocent eyes full of excitement. It was thrilled to see the tall palace gate, thinking Jiang Yunshu would take it outside to run freely. But before it could run, it was pulled back into the palace.
Zaoren shook its head unhappily, refusing to return.
Jiang Yunshu had no choice but to reason kindly with Zaoren. In the end, she fed it two sugar cubes as well, and only then did Zaoren reluctantly comply.
To Jiang Yunshu, the three-year-old Yuancheng was no different from the two horses. How smart could a horse be? A clever horse might have the intelligence of a three-year-old child!
Patiently, Jiang Yunshu explained to Yuancheng, “We’re not going out to play, but to avoid danger. Now that the fire is out, we won’t be going out.”
Fearing he might cry, she also stuffed two sugar cubes meant for the horses into Yuancheng’s hands.
Yuancheng hesitated, glancing at Jiang Yunshu, then at Xie Lin.
Finally, he whispered a thank you and ate the sugary treats.
Seeing that he neither cried nor fussed, Jiang Yunshu patted his head gently. “Go back with your wet nurse. Do whatever you need to do.”
Yuancheng obediently bowed and took his leave. The Empress thought he was a child who understood nothing, but Yuancheng already knew a great deal—he understood that the Empress feared the fire would claim lives and was preparing to flee the palace.
At this moment, the Empress was willing to keep him by her side...
Yuancheng sucked on the half-melted sugar cube in his mouth—it was so sweet.
Clenching his tiny fist, Yuancheng made a silent vow: since the Empress treated him so well, he would repay her as if she were his own mother.
No, as if she were his own grandmother.
No... Yuancheng felt it still wasn’t enough. What do you call someone whose generation is even older than your own grandmother’s? Yuancheng blinked his eyes repeatedly, but his little head just couldn’t remember.
All he could recall was that very old people were called “ancestors,” so from now on, he would treat the Empress as an ancestor to be respectfully cared for!
“Ah-choo—” Jiang Yunshu suddenly sneezed twice in quick succession.
Xie Lin turned his head to look at her.
Jiang Yunshu pinched her nose. “It’s nothing, maybe the smoke just irritated me a bit.”
Xie Lin took a deep breath, but he didn’t smell any smoke at all.
As soon as they returned to Weiyang Palace, Xie Lin immediately summoned the imperial physician for Jiang Yunshu.
Jiang Yunshu hurriedly tried to refuse, “No, no need. I’m not sick…”
She already knew the tricks of the palace doctors. When Xie Lin called for a doctor to check on her, even if she wasn’t actually ill, the doctor would definitely find one or two minor issues and prescribe a bitter herbal remedy.
Sure enough, after taking her pulse, the doctor prescribed a preventative formula for colds.
Jiang Yunshu looked at Xie Lin with a pout, “Can I not take it?”
She had only sneezed twice, and Xie Lin was making such a fuss!
Xie Lin looked at Jiang Yunshu. “Why isn’t the Empress as sensible as a child yet?”
“The physician said this medicine not only prevents colds but also helps regulate the Empress’s constitution. Every winter, your hands and feet get cold; it really needs some care.”
Jiang Yunshu glared at Xie Lin. She didn’t feel her hands and feet were cold at all. In fact, Xie Lin’s hands and feet were far too warm!
He was like a furnace all over. Sleeping beside him on winter nights, Jiang Yunshu found she could cover herself with much lighter blankets.
“The Imperial Steward really should take better care of himself,” Xie Lin said leisurely. “The physician took my pulse and never once mentioned that I needed any treatment.”
Jiang Yunshu thought to herself silently: The doctor must be terrified of Xie Lin, and wouldn’t dare prescribe him any bitter medicine for such trivial complaints.
“At such a critical time, why is the Imperial Steward obsessing over my two sneezes?” Jiang Yunshu complained.
She glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, lowered her voice to ask, “What about Empress Dowager Wu’s side...?”
Xie Lin sneered, “Empress Dowager Wu has successfully escaped the palace.”
Of course, it was Xie Lin who had secretly ordered the guards to give her a chance to flee.
Xie Lin had sent highly skilled spies to follow Empress Dowager Wu closely.
Where Empress Dowager Wu planned to escape to, and who she intended to meet—soon it would all become clear.
