He swept his gaze across the assembled officials.
“Our Da Xia is currently unstable as a nation, with endless outrageous incidents. If Empress Chu could personally kill bandits to protect His Majesty, naturally she can personally go to the border to defend our territory.”
“That our Da Xia has such an Empress is great fortune within misfortune. What do you all have to question!”
“Now that you’ve heard the news, you call it outrageous and say you want to go kill enemies—why didn’t you say so before?”
“Of course, it’s not too late to say so now—”
Deng Yi’s gaze fell on that old lord.
“If you want to go to battle and defend the territory like the Empress, then please proceed immediately to the border.”
The entire court was in an uproar. This was a threat!
That old lord was both angry and anxious. “You, Deng Yi! This official will remove his official robes right now and go to the border to kill enemies.” He rallied the others. “Let us all go. We will die for Da Xia. This court can be left to the Grand Tutor alone.”
In the great hall, quite a few officials immediately removed their official hats. Some were indignant, some wept for the Late Emperor—chaos reigned.
This was the first time since ascending to court that Xiao Yu had witnessed such a scene. He sat high on the dragon throne, looking past these officials, seemingly seeing that night—that night had seemed this chaotic too. No, that night wasn’t chaotic. That night had only darkness, weapons, firelight.
Xiao Yu wanted to hold tight the bamboo tube in his arms, but reaching out found nothing—the bamboo tube had been left in the sleeping chamber.
What to do? The bamboo tube wasn’t here, Sister wasn’t here either—
“A’Yu,” a voice came.
This voice seemed like Mother’s, yet different. He was almost forgetting Mother’s voice.
Xiao Yu looked toward the sound and met a pair of bright, warm eyes.
“A’Yu,” Xie Yanfang said. “Do you still remember what Uncle told you?”
……
……
Before court, Xiao Yu walked out of the sleeping chamber and saw Xie Yanfang standing at the door—this uncle whom he never summoned, and who never came before him of his own accord.
As if he didn’t exist.
But he did exist after all. In the court hall, he would see him, just like those officials and ministers.
That’s right, just a court minister and official.
Xiao Yu didn’t speak, waiting for him to bow in courtesy.
“A’Yu,” Xie Yanfang didn’t bow but instead crouched down, looking at him. “I know you don’t trust me, don’t like me, but this time you must listen to what I say. This is to protect your Sister Chu.”
Was this uncle going to persuade him to bring Sister Chu back? This uncle was very clever—he must have guessed his and that other uncle’s true intentions. Xiao Yu moved his lips. “Sister won’t be in danger. I trust Sister. Those Xi Liang soldiers can’t harm her. Lord Xie need not worry.”
Xie Yanfang looked at him. “I know those Xi Liang soldiers can’t harm her. But these people in court can harm her. Harm isn’t necessarily physical—there’s also reputation. A’Yu, you must protect her reputation, just as she went to see her father to ease his worries, you must ease her worries from behind.”
“I failed to protect your parents, and failed to protect you. I’m incompetent, unable to protect those I want to protect. But A’Yu is different.”
“A’Yu can now protect those you want to protect.”
……
……
Xiao Yu looked at Xie Yanfang standing below. The court was noisy, but his voice reached clearly into his ears.
He withdrew his gaze and stood up.
“Silence!” he said.
The child’s voice was immature, not particularly loud in the noisy hall.
But he was the Emperor.
The Emperor had spoken. Eunuch Qi immediately called loudly, “Silence!” Then the Imperial Guards on duty in the hall shouted in unison, “Silence!” while striking their weapons simultaneously, like rolling thunder.
The officials’ clamor instantly stopped, and only then did they see the Emperor standing.
The young Emperor was speaking?
The young Emperor rarely spoke. Aside from the opening “rise from courtesy” and the final “court is dismissed,” he only listened during court deliberations.
Seeing this chaotic dispute, was the child frightened? Displeased?
“Your Majesty,” everyone bowed. Some asked His Majesty to calm his anger, some wept mournfully.
“Ministers, please hear what I have to say,” Xiao Yu said.
The small child’s voice was immature, but not one official present laughed. All raised their heads to look at him.
“The Empress is to lead the Six Palaces and should practice the virtues of maternal instruction and moral transformation,” Xiao Yu said. “But my Empress is different from all who came before. I survived the chaos thanks to the Empress’s rescue. Empress Chu is the daughter of Guardian General Chu Ling. Though she is a woman, she is brave and skilled in battle. Therefore, Imperial Grandfather made her Empress so she could continue to protect my safety. The people of Da Xia and I are one body. The safety of Da Xia’s people relates to my safety. I, of supreme honor, sit in the Imperial City and cannot personally go to the border to save the nation and protect the people. Therefore, I asked the Empress to go to the border to ease my worries. This is not an outrageous matter—it was the Late Emperor’s dying command.”
The officials stared dumbly at this child Emperor, their first thought being: who taught him this? The Grand Tutor? Xie Yanfang? Or Empress Chu?
“Officials need not speculate wildly. The Empress leaving the palace was my command. I persuaded the Grand Tutor and Lord Xie,” Xiao Yu said clearly. “But my ordering the Empress to the border commandery is not because I distrust you ministers. National stability cannot be achieved by one person alone. The Empress inspects the border commandery on my behalf, while you ministers stabilize the nation for me. Both are fundamental to my peace of mind.”
At this point, the Emperor straightened his small face and surveyed the hall.
“I ascended the throne young and hastily. I uphold the Late Emperor’s governance by culture and suppression of chaos by force. Civil ministers and military officers are all pillars of the court. All my ministers should serve the nation loyally and not provoke divisions or disrupt our court discipline.”
Though the last sentence was spoken in a childish voice, when it fell on the ministers’ ears, they instinctively bowed. “We dare not! We are at fault!”