Empress Dowager Sun felt she had never been so wronged in her life.

Yes, she had always favored handsome men. In the past, she had caused a scandal by inviting officers into her palace, only for them to refuse and make a scene, but that was all in the past! Ever since TanEr had been by her side, she hadn’t favored any other man for a whole four months!

So one can imagine how furious she was when Sun Renluan summoned her and began scolding her without mercy.

Sun Renluan was twenty years older than her. Since childhood, she had feared and loathed him, for he was the eldest son from the first wife, and everything in the family belonged to him. As the youngest daughter of the second wife, she had to live under his shadow.

Yet, why should she? She was still a legitimate daughter of the Sun family, and her mother was the granddaughter of a princess! In terms of lineage, she never felt inferior to Sun Renluan. What’s more, if it weren’t for her marrying the late Emperor thanks to her beauty, and becoming his Empress through proper channels, would Sun Renluan have had the status he enjoyed today?

This was a case of both sides believing they were right. Sun Shanlu believed that her status as Empress had elevated Sun Renluan’s power, and it was only because of her that he had so much influence after the court’s migration. On the other hand, Sun Renluan thought that without his high position in court, she would never have become Empress. From his perspective, he had helped her rise, and now she was merely repaying the favor.

Both had valid points, but neither would give an inch, especially Sun Renluan. He constantly feared she would slip from his control and attempt to seize power for herself. This led him to suppress her at every turn, scolding her severely whenever they were alone. Without witnesses, Empress Dowager Sun couldn’t even lift her head under his tirades.

Of course, no one is perfect, and when you’re too close to a situation, it’s hard to see the whole picture. Had they possessed the wisdom of hindsight, their relationship might not have soured so completely. Life wasn’t a history book. They couldn’t predict the future.

…

 

Sun Shanlu defended herself, insisting she had done nothing inappropriate with this man named Xiao Rong. Sun Renluan refused to believe her, trusting the word of an outsider over hers.

Eventually, Sun Shanlu returned to her chambers in a fury. It was too late to summon an outsider into the palace that night, so instead, she spent the night tearfully confiding in her beloved TanEr. By morning, her anger still hadn’t subsided, and she immediately sent for Xiao Rong.

Xiao Rong, anticipating this, had already changed into his formal attire. Ah Shu had even wondered why his Master was fully dressed but had no intention of going out.

The way Sun Shanlu had been scolded yesterday was exactly how she planned to scold Xiao Rong today, and she fully intended to demand why he had ruined her reputation!

The palace staff: “…”

Empress Dowager, it seems you don’t really have much of a reputation left.

 

…

 

By the time Xiao Rong arrived, Sun Shanlu’s rage had reached its peak. She started with a furious, “You insolent Xiao Rong, how dare you slander me!” but Xiao Rong looked up in shock, his face filled with utter confusion.

“What does the Empress Dowager mean by this?”

Sun Shanlu: “…”

He was still pretending!

However, Xiao Rong didn’t seem to be pretending. The moment he asked that question, the Empress Dowager’s momentum faltered. She tried to explain, but Xiao Rong naturally rebutted her. In fact, his emotions seemed even more intense than hers. He vehemently denied the accusations, claiming that every step he took in Jinling was cautious and calculated—why would he ever do something as foolish as tarnish the Empress Dowager’s honor?

The palace staff: “…”

Hmm… Our Empress Dowager doesn’t really have much honor to tarnish either.

At first, Xiao Rong was solely focused on distancing himself from the incident. Yet when Sun Shanlu refused to believe him, he became more anxious. He paused, thinking hard about what could have happened, then suddenly remembered something. He was sensitive to the sun, and during one outing, he had shielded his face from the sunlight. Could the rumors have started from that?

Sun Shanlu angrily pointed out that it wasn’t just that—his wrinkled sleeves had also been suspicious

Xiao Rong froze. This time, he didn’t bother with an explanation. Instead, he swore a solemn oath, saying if there was any truth to these claims, may he be struck by lightning and die without a trace!

Sun Shanlu: “…”

Back then, people took oaths very seriously. Xiao Rong swearing such a severe oath made it clear that the whole thing had been a misunderstanding.

Just as Sun Shanlu was coming to this conclusion, a sudden thought struck her. Wait a moment—hiding his face from the sun could be a misunderstanding, but what about the wrinkled sleeves? If it wasn’t Xiao Rong, then was someone trying to frame her?

Thinking it over, Xiao Rong was associated with the King of the North. If she were accused of an affair with him, it would be an unimaginable scandal for the entire court. The ministers already disapproved of her, accusing her of being unchaste. If they seized this opportunity, they could demand her confinement or even exile to a nunnery.

What a vicious scheme! Who would dare frame her like this?

There was no need to ask—Sun Renluan, of course. He couldn’t wait for her to die and join the late Emperor, leaving her son completely under his control!

When someone convinces themselves of something, even the most irrational thoughts can seem logical. Suddenly, everything clicked into place for Sun Shanlu—the scolding she received yesterday was proof! Sun Renluan had been harsher than usual because it involved Xiao Rong. After all, he was still negotiating with the Duke of the North, and if she really had made a move on Xiao Rong, it would have complicated the talks.

From Sun Shanlu’s perspective, this was all part of Sun Renluan’s plan. He was exploiting the situation to maximize his gains.

Her expression shifted rapidly as she sat behind the curtain, her features hidden from Xiao Rong’s view. However, her favorite eunuch, TanEr, could see everything.

TanEr was no ordinary eunuch. At six feet tall and skilled in the art of seduction, he was no eunuch at all.

No one knew how TanEr came to serve the Empress Dowager, but he was infamous for being a charming troublemaker. Initially posing as a eunuch, he quickly gained her favor, using his influence to meddle in court politics. He even sowed discord between Sun Shanlu and the Emperor’s spiritual advisor, demanding that she cut ties with the monk.

This might explain the rumors about an affair between the Empress Dowager and the monk. Jealous and possessive, TanEr had thrown tantrums, even threatening to hang himself if she didn’t stop seeing the monk. While the gossip portrayed this as a love triangle, in truth, TanEr was using the Empress Dowager to keep the young Emperor under their control.

It appeared to be two men fighting over a woman, but in reality, it was a struggle for control over the young Emperor.

Despite TanEr’s brief foray into politics, the entire court soon collapsed. The Empress Dowager and the young Emperor died, and TanEr’s influence made him many enemies. In the end, he wasn’t killed by the Northern Army but by a fleeing official. The official had gone out of his way to find TanEr, stab him, and then make his escape.

Clearly, TanEr had been despised by many.

As for Xiao Rong, he had no interest in such shallow, manipulative lovers. Just hearing TanEr’s name sent shivers down his spine.

Xiao Rong mused to himself: Ugh, what kind of man calls himself TanEr? The name alone is enough to give me goosebumps.

A certain Rong thought so.

 

…. 

 

However, while Xiao Rong wasn’t interested in him, the eunuch paid more attention to Xiao Rong, especially after seeing Sun Shanlu’s expression.

Xiao Rong shouldn’t have known Sun Shanlu so well, so it likely wasn’t him who orchestrated the entire situation. Then, the eunuch suddenly remembered the rumors about Xiao Rong—people said he was skilled at divination and that his predictions were incredibly accurate.

Could it actually be true?

In just a few words, Xiao Rong managed to ignite Sun Shanlu’s anger, and after that, he was no longer involved. Since Xiao Rong had caused Sun Shanlu such a humiliating situation, even though he was quite good-looking, Sun Shanlu didn’t want to see him anymore. She waved her hand and dismissed him.

Xiao Rong looked visibly relieved and didn’t make any effort to stay. He left without hesitation, which made the eunuch even more suspicious.

If Xiao Rong had planned it all, he should have tried to stay. Could it be that he wasn’t lying and that someone else had framed him?

His mind was in chaos—he was just a favorite, after all, and couldn’t handle such complex thoughts.

 

…

 

As soon as Xiao Rong left, the sound of objects being smashed came from the hall. Xiao Rong paused briefly before continuing to walk forward, as if nothing had happened.

Sun Shanlu, still furious, wasn’t paying attention to anything else. However, this time, a eunuch followed Xiao Rong when he left—not by Sun Shanlu’s order, but by the eunuch’s.

Xiao Rong was too focused on his upcoming plans to notice anything unusual. It wasn’t until they were near the palace gates that he awkwardly asked the eunuch beside him if he could go “change his clothes.”

It was a polite way of asking to use the restroom.

 

…

 

The eunuch, naturally, led him to the restroom but stopped at a distance to avoid any suspicion. Xiao Rong smiled at him before turning and walking toward the restroom.

Instead of entering, Xiao Rong quickly turned and darted toward a different corridor.

He was thinking about the young Emperor, He Fu.

In history, this emperor only lived to the age of ten. If counted by full years, he had already become a skeleton at the age of nine.

However, being an emperor accelerates maturity. Despite his short life, the young Emperor left a notable mark in official records. Many people underestimated him because of his age, but even the youngest Emperor is still an emperor. Moreover, living under constant neglect had taught him many things.

Historical records clearly state that, to better control the young Emperor, Sun Renluan had ordered the remodeling of the palace. He had two walls between the Empress Dowager’s palace and the neighboring hall torn down, connecting the two places. The main gate of the emperor’s residence was then sealed with a large lock, remaining closed all year round. If anyone wanted to meet the Emperor, they had to pass through Sun Shanlu’s side of the palace.

This way, Sun Renluan could know exactly who was visiting the Emperor behind his back.

That had all happened many years ago, though, and Sun Renluan had no reason to be suspicious of an outsider like Xiao Rong, who appeared to have no connection to the Emperor.

Since coming to this era, Xiao Rong had never run so fast in his life. His heart was racing, but this was his one and only chance—he wouldn’t get another.

Xiao Rong had two targets: the Emperor, and if he couldn’t find him, the eunuch with the unusually large ears.

This eunuch, named Heng Shun, was the most loyal servant to the Emperor. He was even willing to resist Sun Renluan for the emperor’s sake, although he was killed immediately after his attempt.

 

…

 

Fortunately, Xiao Rong was in luck. The bored young Emperor was feeding fish by the pond when Xiao Rong spotted the small figure. As soon as he saw the boy, Xiao Rong knew that his plan was going to work.

Relieved, he hid behind a rock to catch his breath before walking out with a bewildered expression. When he approached the Emperor’s group, he called out in surprise, “Your Majesty?”

The Emperor turned around, looking even more surprised than Xiao Rong. The guards immediately became alert, wanting to stop Xiao Rong from getting any closer, but Xiao Rong bowed and said, “Your servant greets Your Majesty. I have just come from the Empress Dowager’s palace and got lost. I did not know Your Majesty was here. May I have the honor of serving you at this time?”

Xiao Rong’s demeanor was humble, and the Emperor instinctively straightened his posture. He agreed to let Xiao Rong stay, and though the guards wanted to refuse, the Emperor shot them a sharp look.

The Emperor mightn’t dare to defy his uncle, but that didn’t mean he was afraid of these servants.

Xiao Rong smiled as he walked over and stood beside the Emperor, bending slightly in deference. He asked the Emperor why the fish weren’t eating, and the Emperor responded that they were already full.

It seemed like an ordinary conversation, but no one noticed that while Xiao Rong was advising the Emperor to try feeding the fish again, he took the opportunity to whisper something into the Emperor’s ear. The Emperor was momentarily stunned and looked at Xiao Rong, but Xiao Rong had already stepped aside, still smiling and watching the Emperor feed the fish.

Soon, a frantic eunuch came running, thinking Xiao Rong had fallen into the pond. When he found Xiao Rong with the Emperor, the eunuch was terrified, and Xiao Rong was promptly escorted away. His intentional contact with the Emperor was immediately noted by everyone involved.

Everyone agreed that Xiao Rong had an agenda. The question was, what exactly was he plotting?

All he had done was stand with the Emperor for a moment and talk about feeding fish. The guards and eunuchs were watching the whole time—Xiao Rong hadn’t done anything unusual.

Sun Renluan, determined to leave no stone unturned, even ordered the Emperor’s clothes from that day to be ripped apart, fearing that Xiao Rong might have hidden something, but nothing was found.

So why had Xiao Rong lied about getting lost just to enter? There was no doubt he was lying—if Sun Renluan couldn’t see through such a flimsy excuse, he wouldn’t deserve his position as Grand Marshal.

The more Sun Renluan failed to uncover anything, the more frustrated he became. He knew something was off, but without any clear evidence, he couldn’t take action against Xiao Rong. Instead, he was forced to watch Xiao Rong carry on as if nothing had happened, even exchanging pleasantries with him.

Sun Renluan’s mood grew more irritable. He had thoroughly searched everywhere Xiao Rong had been that day and found nothing. Finally, he turned his attention to the young Emperor, warning him repeatedly that Xiao Rong wasn’t to be trusted. Xiao Rong was a strategist for the Northern King, and everything he did was for that King’s benefit. Before leaving, Sun Renluan asked the Emperor again if Xiao Rong had done anything.

The Emperor obediently listened to his uncle’s warnings and shook his head each time he was asked.

Once Sun Renluan had left, the Emperor returned to his desk and continued practicing his calligraphy. After finishing one page, he reached for a new piece of paper. The palace maids and eunuchs didn’t notice when the Emperor quietly slipped a letter from his desk into his sleeve.

That night, after everyone had left and only Heng Shun remained by his side, the Emperor asked Heng Shun to bring a lamp. Following Xiao Rong’s instructions, the Emperor slowly heated a letter—the same one Xiao Rong had publicly handed to him on his first day in Jinling as a personal greeting from the Buddhist monk.

As the letter heated, faded words began to appear, and the Emperor and Heng Shun exchanged shocked glances as they read the revealed message.

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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