Chapter 52: Ominous

With that, he walked away on his own.

The Empress Dowager stiffened in her chair, unable to believe what she had just heard.

The Regent truly had ambitious and ruthless intentions.

He wanted to hold onto power and had no intention of allowing the Emperor to take direct control of the government!

“Emperor.” The Empress Dowager coldly looked at her incompetent son, “As the ruler of a nation, will you just let the Regent and his wife trample on your dignity like this?”

“What does Empress Mother think I should do instead?” Ji Jin raised his eyes slightly, his gaze as cold and desolate as snow. “The Qin family was supposed to be my support. I thought they could be relied upon, but only recently have I discovered that the Qin family only holds me back and constantly causes me trouble. Why don’t you tell me, Empress Mother, what I should do?”

Madam Qin’s face turned deathly pale as she knelt on the ground in fear: “Your Majesty…”

“Aunt, please return home.” Ji Jin slowly turned his head, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness. “If Qin Yanshu cannot control his words and actions, and if any further conflicts arise with the Regent’s Estate, please resolve them on your own at the Imperial Uncle’s residence. Do not disturb my peace in the palace anymore.”

With those words, he got up and walked out.

Madam Qin felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave.

Was the Emperor abandoning the Imperial Uncle’s residence?

His throne wasn’t even stable yet, and he was already abandoning his own uncle’s family?

Who did he expect to support him in taking direct control of the government?

“Empress Dowager.” Madam Qin lifted her head, her eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness, “Yanshu has suffered so much at Shen Ning’s hands. Are we just going to let it go like this?”

The Empress Dowager’s face was gloomy as she silently watched the Emperor’s back. The young figure was slender and carried an innate air of nobility.

Yet, no matter how noble, he was only fifteen years old.

He had not yet fully mastered the art of being an emperor when the previous emperor fell gravely ill and passed away. The fifteen-year-old boy had no choice but to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the nation. Externally, there were enemy countries eyeing them covetously, and internally, the Regent was controlling the court.

Moreover, his own imperial brothers were lurking in the shadows, waiting for the emperor and the Regent to both suffer losses.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that the Emperor might also be very tired. Dealing with the Regent and the court officials had already exhausted him, and the Qin family’s messy affairs only added to his irritation.

An irrepressible sense of regret welled up in the Empress Dowager’s heart.

She really shouldn’t have pushed her son any further. She should have given him enough time and provided him with enough support to stand up to the Regent with confidence, rather than provoking the Regent.

The Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and let out a soft sigh before getting up and walking out. “What’s the deal with Yanshu? Shen Ning has already married the Regent. Why is he still provoking her?”

Madam Qin followed behind, her face pale and ashen. “He still can’t let go of Shen Ning…”

“Shen Ning is now the Regent’s Princess Consort. He must let go, whether he wants to or not.” the Empress Dowager snapped. “If something like this happens again in the future, I won’t be able to save him!”

Madam Qin twisted her handkerchief. “So, we’ll let it go this time?”

The Empress Dowager certainly didn’t want to just let it go, but the Regent had caught Qin Yanshu’s weakness. What else could she do?

Continuing to offend the Regent would only make the Emperor’s situation more difficult.

The Empress Dowager’s face was as still as water. Thinking of what the Regent and Shen Ning had said earlier, her eyes turned cold and fierce: “What about those bandits?”

“Bandits?” Madam Qin’s heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surfaced in her mind. “What does the Empress Dowager mean…”

The Empress Dowager stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her: “Those bandits weren’t your idea?”

“No, they weren’t.” Madam Qin replied, looking confused. “I know nothing about this…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a sudden flash of insight struck her, and her face turned pale: “Could what Shen Ning said be true?”

Could these things really be Yanshu’s doing?

The Empress Dowager’s expression was extremely grim: “So, you have no idea what he said at the Regent’s Residence?”

Madam Qin shook her head in a daze: “I… I know nothing about this…”

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and said coldly: “Hurry home and ask Yanshu. If it was really him, tell him to clean up his mess quickly.”

Madam Qin’s expression was slightly panicked: “Yes, I… I’ll go back right away.”