Chapter 2230: Chapter 1920: Looks Like He Thinks He Can Do It Again

Ji Yunmeng came back to her senses and quickly took the Holy Decree from the Imperial Eunuch’s hands.

The eunuch was about forty years old, his face pale and smooth, with the particular cautiousness and submissiveness unique to eunuchs of the palace between his brows and eyes, as he stood to the side with his head lowered.

The eunuch then continued, "Princess, if there is nothing else, this servant will take his leave."

Ji Yunmeng suddenly thought of something and immediately asked, "Was this Holy Decree given to you by Your Majesty, or did the Empress Dowager have you deliver it?"

At present, there were hardly any trusted eunuchs beside Emperor Zhou. The eunuchs by his side had been replaced batch after batch; every so often, the eunuchs around him would inexplicably die or disappear. This left him in a state of utter isolation in the Imperial Palace, so Ji Yunmeng had no way of telling whether the eunuchs coming from the palace were Emperor Zhou’s people or the Empress Dowager’s.

Hearing Ji Yunmeng’s question, the eunuch seemed to understand what she wanted to know. After all, they all survived by reading faces in the palace; this Imperial Eunuch was no fool. He said directly, "In reply to the Princess, this Holy Decree was received by this servant from Your Majesty’s own hand."

When he spoke, he bent slightly at the waist, his tone respectful, yet his gaze swept quickly around the surroundings, as if guarding against something.

Once she confirmed that this Holy Decree came from Emperor Zhou, Ji Yunmeng essentially confirmed that her father truly supported her standing on the side of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor.

Which meant that her father and the Empress Dowager did not share the same stance—at least for now they did not. It seemed that last time’s Holy Decree had been forced out of her father by the Empress Dowager.

So now her father intended to use the Zhen Nan Prince Manor to counterbalance the Empress Dowager’s faction?

It was just that...

Her father could not possibly be unaware that the Zhen Nan Prince Manor itself was like a clay idol wading through a river, barely able to protect itself. The manor had only one heir; if Lu Chen died, then the Zhen Nan Prince Manor would fall apart. After that, the Empress Dowager’s faction would surely try every possible means to eliminate Lu Chen.

Once Lu Chen died and the Zhen Nan Prince Manor vanished, wouldn’t her father’s situation become even worse?

While Ji Yunmeng was momentarily lost in these thoughts, the voice of the Imperial Eunuch delivering the decree sounded again, "Princess, may I ask if you have any other orders?"

His hands were still lowered, an appropriate smile on his face, though that smile carried a trace of wariness.

Ji Yunmeng came back to herself and said, "Nothing else, you may go back."

The Imperial Eunuch then said, "This servant takes his leave."

As his words fell, the Imperial Eunuch turned directly and left the Princess Mansion.

Ji Yunmeng lowered her head slightly and glanced at the Holy Decree in her hand. The Empress Dowager’s order to confine her had been only verbal, whereas her father had deliberately issued a formal Holy Decree to lift her confinement. This was clearly done to cross the Empress Dowager.

After all, this was a Holy Decree issued by Emperor Zhou; the Empress Dowager could not very well ignore it and continue to keep Ji Yunmeng confined. Of course, the most important point was that this Holy Decree also declared Emperor Zhou’s stance—that he, too, stood on the side of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor.

To be honest, Ji Yunmeng truly had not expected Emperor Zhou to support her at this moment. He had been trapped in the Imperial Palace, in a very poor situation, yet even so, he had issued a Holy Decree to lift her confinement. This was already openly crossing swords with the Empress Dowager.

Next, the Empress Dowager would definitely retaliate; likely, quite a few more people in the Imperial Palace would die.

...

Although Emperor Zhou was already a Puppet Emperor, there were still many people in the palace watching his every move.

Not even two hours after Emperor Zhou issued the Holy Decree to lift Ji Yunmeng’s confinement, the news had already reached the ears of those ministers in court—including, of course, the Empress Dowager Pei Shuhua.

The Empress Dowager’s bedchamber.

Soothing aloeswood incense was burning in the hall; wisps of blue smoke curled slowly up from the gilded boshan censer, swirling in the dim light.

Pei Shuhua sat on a soft couch, her expression dark. She wore a wide-sleeved palace gown of deep red; at the collar and cuffs intricate winding patterns were embroidered with gold thread. At this moment, there was not the slightest smile on her stunning jade-like face; cold sharpness gleamed between her brows and eyes.

She had not expected Emperor Zhou to step forward at this time, even going so far as to issue a Holy Decree to Ji Yunmeng, lifting Ji Yunmeng’s confinement.

Emperor Zhou lifting Ji Yunmeng’s confinement meant that he supported Ji Yunmeng. In other words, Ji Yunmeng’s initial actions had indeed been carried out under Emperor Zhou’s instructions.

Thinking of it this way, Emperor Zhou truly did intend to borrow the strength of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor to counter the Empress Dowager’s faction.

Pei Shuhua let out a cold laugh, then glanced in the direction of the Long Life Hall and muttered to herself, "It seems he thinks he’s capable again."

Her voice was not loud, yet in the silence of the great hall it sounded especially clear. The candle flame at her side was stirred gently by the night breeze, making the shadow cast on the screen behind her waver slightly.

At this point, Pei Shuhua looked at the eunuch kneeling in the hall and said, "Your Majesty could not possibly commit such an act of defying the Aijia. Go and investigate whether some petty villain has been saying things that should not be said before His Majesty. Find them and deal with them."

The eunuch prostrated on the floor, his forehead pressed to the cold gilt bricks, his body trembling slightly, daring only to answer with a single "Yes."

Emperor Zhou had been silent for a long time. Whether it was his personal strength or his influence in the court, he was far inferior to Pei Shuhua, so Pei Shuhua didn’t think he would suddenly act so impulsively.

She still remembered that the last time Emperor Zhou wanted to take the reins of government himself, he only made a move after he had made what he believed to be foolproof preparations.

This time, Emperor Zhou jumped out directly. Either it meant he had lost his head and believed that by relying on the Zhen Nan Prince Manor he could topple the Empress Dowager’s faction, or someone had said something in front of him that made him think the time was ripe, so he stepped forward and set himself in direct opposition to her.

In Pei Shuhua’s view, the reason Emperor Zhou dared to jump out was more likely because he had gained the support of certain people, which made him feel he could do it again, so it had to be thoroughly investigated.

...

Prince’s Mansion of Zhen Nan.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, the chilly glow casting a faint whiteness over the bluestone floor. The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the night wind, throwing down patches of flickering light and shadow.

Lu Chen was striding toward his own room when, at that moment, a female Hidden Guard appeared behind him. She wore a tight-fitted outfit in dark colors, her face thin, eyes sharp. She silently dropped to one knee in the shadows and said in a low voice, "Princely Heir, there is a piece of news you may find interesting."

Hearing this, Lu Chen stopped. He turned his head to look at the female Hidden Guard and said, "Oh? What news?"

The moonlight fell on his young face, a hint of contemplation between his brows and eyes.

The female Hidden Guard said directly, "Emperor Zhou has issued a Holy Decree, lifting the confinement order on Princess Yun’an."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was slightly taken aback.

Emperor Zhou lifted Ji Yunmeng’s confinement order?

It had only been a short while since she’d been confined, and it was already lifted?

The Empress Dowager had confined Ji Yunmeng clearly because she didn’t want Ji Yunmeng to help the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, yet after only a few days Emperor Zhou lifted it. Didn’t this mean that Emperor Zhou was actually standing on Ji Yunmeng’s side?

It seemed the Royal Family was not of one mind either.

Just as Lu Chen was pondering why Emperor Zhou would do this, another female Hidden Guard appeared in the courtyard. She was likewise dressed in a fitted martial outfit, her expression stern. She dropped to one knee and said, "Princely Heir, the Prince asks that you go to his room."

Lu Chen said, "All right."

Lu Chen then headed to Prince Zhen Nan’s room. At this moment, more than a dozen people had already gathered inside.

Several thick candles were burning on the square table in the center of the room. The orange-yellow flames lit up the faces of those seated around the table; they were several strategists and Tributors of the mansion, each with a solemn expression.

When they saw Lu Chen arrive, everyone made way, allowing Lu Chen to come before Prince Zhen Nan.

Prince Zhen Nan was leaning against the headboard, a thin quilt over his body. His face was so pale it was almost bloodless, his lips somewhat dry, eye sockets sunken, yet those eyes still retained a measure of their former sharpness.

Lu Chen asked directly, "Father, you called for me—has something important happened?"

Prince Zhen Nan coughed heavily a few times. In the quiet room, the coughing sounded particularly harsh. He coughed until his body bent slightly. A servant at his side hurriedly handed him a handkerchief; he took it and covered his mouth for a moment before speaking, "You should already know the news that Emperor Zhou has lifted Princess Yun’an’s confinement order, yes?"

His voice was hoarse, tinged with the weakness of illness, yet he still did his best to keep it steady.

Lu Chen said, "I just heard it from the Hidden Guards."

Prince Zhen Nan asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Chen said, "Emperor Zhou may want to borrow the strength of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor to counterbalance the Empress Dowager’s faction. He wants to return to the court."

Prince Zhen Nan said, "According to the intelligence the Hidden Guards have gathered, Emperor Zhou had someone carry a message to Princess Yun’an, saying that Princess Yun’an doing something because she is fond of you is not wrong. This proves he does not oppose Princess Yun’an being with you." After saying this, he couldn’t help but cough again.

Lu Chen’s mind stalled for a moment.

There was such a good thing?

Though Ji Yunmeng was not actually fond of him; she merely wanted the strength of the Zhen Nan Prince Manor.

At this moment, an Earth Realm Strong Person in the room spoke, "This Holy Decree from Emperor Zhou will likely put the Zhen Nan Prince Manor at an even greater disadvantage."

The man was around fifty, with a short beard and dressed in a gray long robe. His face was thin; right now his brows were knitted as he said in a deep voice, "The Empress Dowager’s faction definitely doesn’t want to see the Zhen Nan Prince Manor join hands with Emperor Zhou, so next they will certainly act against the Zhen Nan Prince Manor, especially against the Princely Heir."