Chapter 315: Mother

The Empress’s expression turned cold. The Empress Dowager stood in opposition to her—why would she suddenly come to visit Gu Jingyun?

Everything the Empress Dowager had done had already been disclosed to her by Tingyuan and Su Wan.

Blinded by greed and desire, the Empress Dowager regarded familial bonds and blood ties as nothing more than worthless weeds.

“What now? The Empress doesn’t welcome me?” The Empress Dowager entered without permission, her gaze falling on Gu Jingyun with indifference and a critical eye, as if trying to spot something undesirable.

He was dressed in a plain blue robe made of fine silk, with a small jade crown on his head that gave off a soft luster. The translucent quality of the jade complemented the fair and delicate child, lending him a faint air of nobility.

At this moment, his small face was taut, but in his bright black eyes, there was no sign of unease or panic. On the contrary, he appeared remarkably calm, leaving no flaw for anyone to find.

The Empress Dowager had originally intended to say that a child raised by a common household would be unpresentable, and that she would take him back to be raised properly.

Now that she saw him in person, it was clear that Gu Jingyun had been well raised by the Gu family. He showed none of the childish airs common to those of humble birth. The Empress surely would not agree to hand him over.

“This is Jingyun?” The Empress Dowager collected her thoughts and affectionately beckoned him. “Good child, come here to Grandmother.”

“Your Majesty, Jing’er is shy with strangers.” The Empress was on full alert. She gently touched Gu Jingyun’s little face and said warmly, “Didn’t you say you ate too much at breakfast and needed to relieve yourself? Don’t hold it in—go quickly!”

The Empress summoned a palace maid to escort Gu Jingyun to the lavatory.

Gu Jingyun gave the Empress Dowager a proper bow, then turned to leave with the palace maid.

“Wait,” the Empress Dowager said, taking a carved wooden box with winding floral patterns from the hands of a senior maid and handing it to Gu Jingyun. “This is a meeting gift from your Imperial Grandmother.”

“Thank you,” Gu Jingyun replied as he received the wooden box.

A palace maid beside him took the box for him and led him toward the side hall.

Only the Empress and the Empress Dowager remained in the outer hall.

The Empress dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, calming her emotions as she spoke. “Mother, now that Jing’er is still alive, my greatest wish has been fulfilled. The Crown Prince committed a grave error and has already been deposed. Throughout history, the heir has always been chosen from the legitimate line, not merely the eldest. Jing’er was born of the principal wife—his appointment as Crown Prince is right and proper.”

The Empress Dowager’s gaze turned cold and shadowed. Gu Jingyun’s fortune and fate were strong. Every time she had made a move, he had managed to escape unharmed.

If he managed to avoid danger again this time, she would have no choice but to resort to her final and most desperate measure.

If Gu Jingyun ascended the throne and granted amnesty across the realm, the deposed Crown Prince would be released, but he would no longer have any chance to turn things around.

“Of course, everything must follow the proper rules. Jingyun is the legitimate son—he shall inherit the throne,” the Empress said firmly. The Empress Dowager paused, then frowned and said, “However, as a member of the imperial bloodline, he should have been instructed by the Grand Mentor from birth. He…”

“There is no need for concern, Mother,” the Empress interrupted gently. “For the past half year, Jing’er has been personally taught by Grand Master Jiang.”

The Empress’s brows lifted with pride, clearly proud of Gu Jingyun. “Grand Master Jiang said he is the most intelligent and perceptive child he’s ever taught. Everything passed on to him, he can grasp and build upon with ease. Give it another year or so, and he’ll have nothing left to teach him. He’s even more outstanding than Yier.”

Yier was the Empress’s eldest son, who had died young.

The Empress Dowager, however, showed little concern. Her smile did not reach her eyes as she said, “This is a blessing for Great Zhou. Let’s just hope he lives longer than Yier did.”

Without drawing a blade, she struck straight at the Empress’s heart.

The Empress’s expression shifted slightly. She took a deep breath, then slowly smiled and said, “Though Yier passed away young, his father cherished him deeply. For his sake, His Majesty devoted himself to the Dao, seeking the path of immortality. That way, Yier can rest peacefully and be reborn into a better life.”

The smile on the Empress Dowager’s lips froze.

The Emperor, fearing the power of maternal relatives, had allowed the eldest prince to die young. Not long after, he became obsessed with alchemy in pursuit of immortality—this had been the Empress and the Regent’s act of revenge.

These words were a warning.

The undercurrents of conflict surged just beneath the surface, nearly laid bare for all to see.

The Empress Dowager cast the Empress a dark, unreadable glance and said coolly, “You’d better hold on tightly to what’s in your hands.”

“What is meant to be mine,” the Empress replied calmly, “will come to me even without fighting or scheming. Even if I once misjudged someone and gave it away wrongly, the heavens have eyes and let me recover what was lost. As for what does not belong to me—no matter how many schemes one plots—it will still amount to nothing.”

The Empress spoke gently, “Mother should understand that better than anyone.”

The fury in the Empress Dowager’s eyes nearly burst forth, but in the end, a final shred of reason forced her to suppress the anger boiling inside her.

At that moment, a eunuch entered and reported to the Empress, “Your Majesty, something has happened. Last night, Lord Cao sent men to break into a civilian residence without permission and slaughtered innocent people. Fortunately, General Zhao discovered it in time. When he attempted to arrest those causing trouble, Lord Cao’s men resisted, which escalated the conflict. General Zhao’s forces mistook them for thieves and executed them on the spot. It was only during the cleanup that they realized the men belonged to Lord Cao.

Furthermore, while he was serving as Governor in the provinces, Lord Cao committed several crimes, which have now all been uncovered. The evidence is solid, and the entire Cabinet has unanimously decided on his punishment—exile,” the eunuch continued.

A glint flickered in the Empress’s eyes. She understood perfectly well what had truly happened last night. The Empress Dowager had sent people to infiltrate the Gu residence, aiming to capture Gu Jingyun. They were slain by the Qi Family Army. Those so-called “commoners” were in fact the Empress Dowager’s deathsworn guards, who had simply changed into civilian clothes and been assigned random identities.

Having the Qi Family army directly engage and kill people was not ideal, so Zhao Wei was deliberately pushed forward to take responsibility and handle the aftermath.

Cao Guangyi understood perfectly well what was going on, yet he gritted his teeth and accepted the blame. He absolutely could not expose the Empress Dowager—if the matter were pursued further, and it was revealed that they had acted against the young prince, the consequences would be even more disastrous.

He was counting on the Empress Dowager to make a comeback, so he tacitly accepted Censor Meng’s one-sided accusations and chose to shield her.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was shocked and dismayed. Cao Guangyi was her right-hand man—if he were exiled, she would lose a critical source of power.

And yet, faced with such a ridiculous accusation, she had no way to refute it, no strength to step forward and defend Cao Guangyi’s innocence.

Gu Jingyun was not in their hands, and the weapons and dragon robe were never found. No matter how they tried to reverse the accusation, the outcome would only grow worse.

The Empress Dowager left in grand, imposing fashion with her entourage.

The Empress’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. She waved the eunuchs away and rose to head toward the side hall.

Gu Jingyun was sitting on a reed mat, flipping through a yellowed book.

The book in Gu Jingyun’s hands looked as though it had been read many times. Its edges were frayed. The calligraphy inside flowed like drifting clouds and running water—strong and bold in style—yet it lacked a certain strength. With more practice to build wrist power, this handwriting would no doubt be even more remarkable.

At the end of every passage, the margins were filled with densely written notes and reflections.

“This was your elder brother’s book,” the Empress said softly. “He wasn’t in good health and often fell ill. Winters were especially hard on him, so he rarely went outside. He liked to stay here reading and practicing calligraphy.”

The Empress knelt beside him. On the table was a stack of books, and on the brush rack were several used calligraphy brushes. Among them, one brand-new brush stood out distinctly. “These all belonged to your elder brother. I kept them.”

She reached out, took the new brush, and placed it in Gu Jingyun’s hand. “Newborn hair is usually cut after a month or a hundred days. But yours was cut right after you were born. I kept it to remember you by.”

Gu Jingyun gripped the brush tightly. A mist of tears rose in his eyes, blurring his vision.

She truly liked him.

“I won’t let you down,” Gu Jingyun forced out the words, his voice tight.

The Empress’s eyes shimmered with gentle warmth as she gazed at him quietly. “To a mother, her child is always the most outstanding one. Every part of you, I love. Just be yourself. There’s no need to wrong yourself just to please me.”

“I understand.” Looking at her graceful, gentle face now glowing with vitality—like he was her light, illuminating her life—Gu Jingyun’s nose turned sour. He lowered his voice and softly said, “Mother.”