This morning, the emperor summoned Zhao Kuangyin and Guo Shao to the palace. Empress Fu knew about this, and she was always worried and waiting for the result to be revealed every moment, but she did not show any concern.
In the Zide Hall, she was listening to the nonsense of a bunch of concubines and palace ladies, and enduring the nurse holding a child less than three years old, Chai Zongxun, to teach him to say, "My mother is well." The child didn't understand anything and spoke in a baby voice, which made Fu Shi upset, but she had to pretend to be loving.
Chai Zongxun was born to a concubine before Chai Rong ascended the throne. The woman died after giving birth. In addition, all of Chai Rong's previous children were killed, so Chai Zongxun was the first male born and was extra favored. He was adopted by Chai Rong's wife, Fu, in order to give Chai Zongxun a higher status.
But Fu Shi actually disliked children the most. It seemed that after a woman had given birth to her teenage years, her entire being and mind should be focused on a child who knew nothing yet, and she would have to go back to her old age and become an idiot to be able to play with a child all day long; many women were like this, but Fu Shi got upset the moment she saw a child. Besides, Chai Zongxun was not her own, so this child was just a thing to her, something that could secure her position as queen; she couldn't throw him away, but she didn't feel anything either.
Especially today, she was in a state of anxiety. The nurse kept correcting the child's pronunciation of "mother queen", repeating it over and over again without getting tired of it, which made Fu furious. The concubines and palace ladies around her were also laughing and teasing Chai Zongxun, treating him like a rare treasure.
Fu thought to herself: He is not your son, do you really like him that much
But she did not show her anger and irritability. She just said to the wet nurse calmly: Take him away, he is still young and don't rush.
Fu spoke very slowly, without any expression. But when she was calm, her curved eyebrows seemed to have a faint smile, a smile that was hard to understand, especially her tone, which was even more difficult to figure out. At first glance, that faint smile was like a spring breeze, beautiful and gentle; but if someone dared to look closely at her eyes, they could see a trace of fatigue and anxiety.
The wet nurse finally took the child away, and Fu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as there was finally one less thing to bother her.
Outside the palace, the sun was shining brightly, but she was too lazy to move and could only sit on the couch, listening to the meaningless nonsense of the palace ladies. In public, they were quite polite in their speech, and at least they would not make mistakes when saying boring things.
Fu knew that everyone would secretly discuss who the emperor favored and why. The competition for favor was fierce, but Fu did not participate in it, so she was not interested in these topics. She could accept Chai Rong before, thinking that he was a very capable monarch, and his courage, ability and magnanimity could make up for a lot. But since Huainan fell seriously ill, Fu's heart has changed completely.
She probably listened to the conversations of the concubines in the palace and said, "It's okay, do as you please."
The women bowed and left the Zide Hall tactfully. In their eyes, the queen did not compete with them for favor and was kind and fair to others, so they still supported Fu as the head of the harem.
Soon after the concubines left, the eunuch Cao Tai came in, walked straight to the upper couch, and whispered to Fu: "Early this morning, I ran into Jing Niang in the East Market. She said something Guo Shao said: Zhao San's death was not caused by me, and I would not kill Zhao San even if I wanted to."
Fu was silent when she heard the first half of the sentence, because she never thought that Zhao San's death had anything to do with Guo Shao. After all, Fu had watched him grow from a young general in the imperial guards to a senior general. She knew his actions very well and trusted that he would not make such a mistake.
But when she heard the last sentence that she would not kill Zhao San, Fu's curved eyebrows suddenly raised slightly, as if a little surprised, but soon an elusive smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Cao Tai said this and then stood aside in silence. At this time, Fu slightly tilted her head, and Cao Tai hurriedly leaned over to her ear, and heard her whisper: Tell me the result of the meeting between Guo and Zhao today.
Cao Tai didn't ask the reason, but just replied: Yes.
Fu slowly stood up and said: I want to go back to the palace to rest.
She has been staying at home recently, and apart from meeting with the concubines and palace ladies, she has been almost indifferent to everything, and she has shown herself to be pure and indifferent. She has never persuaded the emperor to take care of military and political affairs again. It seems that she has entered a hibernation period of keeping a low profile.
After the emperor returned to Beijing from Huainan at the end of last year, she observed carefully and felt that Chai Rong's health was even worse after his return. She had to take precautions to prevent the emperor from becoming wary of her if something unexpected happened.
The current situation made her feel uneasy. If Chai Rong died too early, according to the experience and lessons of the past dynasties, it would be difficult for anyone to control the situation under the old pattern. Especially if there were no soldiers in the imperial guards, it would definitely be out of control; Fu felt that the only reliable and trustworthy imperial guard general was Guo Shao.
If she lost Guo Shao, she would not only be very sad, but also lose the ability to control the situation, and her situation would be worrying. Fu couldn't help but think of the horrific experience in the chaos of war in Hezhong Prefecture.
And Zhao San actually wanted to assassinate Guo Shao. Damn it. And Zhao Kuangyin, what on earth did he want to do
There was a hint of coldness in Fu's eyes. Those people from the Zhao family were not only targeting Guo Shao, but also wanted to put me in a position where they could be bullied by others. They wanted me to end up like the countless women who were robbed and humiliated by the warriors.
Fu Shi saw clearly that once Chai Rong was gone, the court would not be able to maintain checks and balances. Only a strong ruler could maintain balance. In a situation without control, there would always be a winner. If that day came, Fu Shi only hoped that this person would be Guo Shao, rather than setting up checks and balances against him; if those tricks failed, she would have to pay with everything she had. Fu Shi's trust in Guo Shao was not taken for granted, she had verified Guo Shao's heart many times; if this person could not be trusted, she did not think she could find a second person she could rely on.
What kind of righteousness and loyalty are only things that people who are full and comfortable care about. Fu Shi knows how it feels to be the meat on someone else's chopping block in such a critical moment. If you can't even guarantee your basic survival and dignity, why would I care what your country's name is or who is the emperor
Today, Chai Rong summoned Guo Shao and Zhao Shao, and Fu Shi has been waiting for the result. She only hopes that Guo Shao can get through this smoothly and stabilize his position first. When there is an opportunity in the future, Fu Shi will slowly settle the old accounts with the Zhao family.