Then he saw the Empress Dowager’s expression, as if she had just eaten something distasteful.

He was close to the Empress Dowager and didn’t miss this fleeting moment of brilliance.

General Lu Huai was immediately relieved.

Qian Shicheng, the leader of the Imperial Guards, spoke frankly, “The Regent was unaware that His Majesty was among the theater troupe. Upon learning that His Majesty had left the palace, he immediately dispatched people to search and interrogated all the members of the theater troupe. It was found that the troupe did not perform ‘Ma Gu’s Birthday Celebration’ that day.”

It was clear that they had actually performed ‘The Drunken Concubine’ that day.

Chu Zhaoyou’s daily activities were not a secret, as both the Empress Dowager and the Regent had their own sources of information. They were well aware of the songs the emperor had heard.

What ‘Ma Gu’s Birthday Celebration’? Was there such a piece in the palace?

General Lu Huai, who had not attended the morning court for decades, had focused on military training. For the first time, he felt the undercurrents in the court. It seemed that the Empress Dowager and the emperor were at odds, and with the Regent in the mix, the three parties were each doing their own thing, undermining each other. The morning court was more like a theater performance.

In this three-party dynamic, the young emperor’s influence was the weakest, almost non-existent. He lacked the confidence to even speak up. General Lu Huai’s heart leaned slightly toward the young emperor.

Chu Zhaoyou looked at Qian Shicheng with a cold gaze. It was this leader who had blocked all his exits.

As a professional opera singer, Chu Zhaoyou had never been upstaged in his many years in the industry.

“I have been secluded in the palace, and information is scarce. It took a long time to find out… Was I being deceived?” Chu Zhaoyou’s eyes drooped at the corners, as if feeling a bit sad, but then he raised the corners of his mouth. “However, while I was outside the palace, I encountered an elderly actor who had left the capital. I had to accompany him to seek his advice, which delayed my return to the palace and caused my mother to worry.”

The Empress Dowager wanted to portray a deep mother-son bond, and Chu Zhaoyou played along. However, the more he spoke, the more rigid the Empress Dowager’s smile became. “My son is considerate.”

Chu Zhaoyou’s words implied a sense of grievance, revealing to General Lu Huai that he, as an emperor, had no access to information from outside the palace.

General Lu Huai was indeed moved by Chu Zhaoyou’s filial piety. He was a dutiful child and not up to any mischief.

Qian Shicheng felt that he might as well keep quiet. The Regent was right. If he spoke, it would only mean trouble for him.

He looked at Chu Zhaoyou in surprise. Every word seemed to hit General Lu Huai’s heart. Before today, he had no idea that General Lu Huai valued filial piety so much!

Chu Zhaoyou, escorted back to the palace by the Imperial Guards and Wei Zhuo, immediately attended the morning court. They had thought that Chu Zhaoyou’s presence at the morning court would be beneficial to them, given his illustrious record of falling asleep during morning court. In the past, whenever the Empress Dowager hinted at something, the Regent would counter with a few questions, and they would forget their original purpose.

Who had instructed Chu Zhaoyou to say so much?

Qian Shicheng stared at Chu Zhaoyou intently, even feeling the urge to ask the emperor to sing a few lines.

He had prepared the lines, but surely the emperor wouldn’t know the tune?

However, as the emperor of a nation, the Empress Dowager could casually bring up the matter of singing opera, and as their subjects, they could only advise and not humiliate.

Chu Zhaoyou smiled behind the twelve strings of white jade beads.

Speak up bravely about your thoughts.

Under the heavens, there was no song that he couldn’t sing.

Qian Shicheng silently returned to his position, deciding to follow the Regent’s advice: speak less and do more.

General Lu Huai concluded his speech, “As the emperor takes over the governance, the Regent should return some of the political affairs. If the emperor has no objections, I will announce—”

“The Regent is here—”

Outside the Hall of Governmental Affairs, a dark figure gradually became clear. In just a few steps, the Regent appeared in the hall, standing to the left of General Lu Huai. Although not from a military background, he exuded an imposing presence, standing shoulder to shoulder with General Lu Huai.

He stood there, a figure to be revered and feared by all, towering above everyone else, making the grandeur of the hall pale in comparison.

Xiao Heng stood with his right hand behind his back, his gaze sweeping between the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and General Lu Huai, his expression calm and indifferent.

General Lu Huai glanced at Xiao Heng, feeling a sense of admiration. The rising tide of the Yangtze River pushes the waves before it, and the Regent’s reputation was well-deserved. However, his gaze then turned to Chu Zhaoyou.

The Empress Dowager felt a moment of concern when Xiao Heng suddenly appeared, but seeing General Lu Huai’s expression, her last trace of worry dissipated.

The most significant reaction in the room came from the emperor, who wore the imperial crown, and whose expression was unreadable.

“Xiao—”

Xiao Hei!

Chu Zhaoyou’s eyes widened suddenly, and he almost rose from his seat, his voice barely audible. But there were sharp-eared military officers who were astonished to see the emperor. After three days of absence, the emperor dared to address the Regent by name?

All sound seemed to fade away, leaving the Hall of Governmental Affairs in an eerie silence, making it difficult to breathe.

He saw the imposing figure of the Regent, exuding an unfamiliar coldness and depth in his eyes.

He saw Xiao Hei, who had regained consciousness, and he was certain that there would still be bite marks on the back of his right wrist, where he had vented his frustration.

Suddenly, he realized something and sat back on the dragon throne, his expression blank.

Was Xiao Hei the Regent who had lost his memory and become foolish?

Unexpectedly, a tear soaked his eyes. When General Lu Huai asked him if he should revoke half of the Regent’s military authority, Chu Zhaoyou was at a loss for words, his teeth clenched tightly.

General Lu Huai continued, “Today, I announce the invalidation of the other half of the seal of authority—”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes narrowed, a hint of wild joy flashing through them. With the other half invalidated, the half held by the emperor would now be in her possession, and the Dragon’s Might Army would be under her control.

Xiao Heng looked directly at Chu Zhaoyou on the dragon throne, his gaze cold, almost hostile. He listened as General Lu Huai announced a decision that was extremely unfavorable to him, but he did not intervene.

But Chu Zhaoyou knew very well that Xiao Hei was not pleased.

He was helping the Empress Dowager take away Xiao Hei’s possessions… The imperial crown separated their intersecting gazes, and Chu Zhaoyou suddenly interrupted General Lu Huai, “I do not agree.”

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His emotions were too overwhelming, rendering him speechless. Chu Zhaoyou became agitated and stood up abruptly, causing the twelve strings of white jade beads in front of him to produce a crisp sound as they collided.

“I do not agree.”

The unexpected turn of events caused a commotion in the court!

The smile that the Empress Dowager had prepared froze, and her delicate features contorted for a moment.