[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Pretend to be asleep.]
Because of this single line, Fu Ping’an leaned against the daybed and pretended she’d dozed off while eating.
The sounds from the main hall still drifted over intermittently, but they were muffled. Fu Ping’an kept her eyes closed, clutching a pastry. For a long while, no one came to tidy her up. The palace hall was utterly silent, so instead, she heard the rustling sound of leaves stirred by the wind in the courtyard.
Fu Ping’an was very good at pretending to be asleep, and she understood quite well why she should do so now. Back at the Spirit Pavilion, whenever she’d angered the Nanny, she’d pretend to be asleep. Seeing her asleep, the Nanny wouldn’t scold her further, at most mumbling a few more words before letting it go.
She steadied her breathing, thinking in her heart of Baby Ping’an is So Cute, of Chief Clerk Bo, of the Empress Dowager, of the Prince Regent. Suddenly, a sharp voice outside cried in a drawn-out tone: “The Prince Regent—takes their leave.”
With the sound of doors opening and closing, it was as if the world suddenly came alive again. Footsteps approached. A palace maid softly called to her, but she didn’t respond. The pastry in her hand was taken away. After a while, someone wiped her hands and face and brought a soft cushion and blanket for her to lie down properly.
The Empress Dowager came over, saw her lying down, and asked in a lowered voice, “When did she fall asleep?”
The maid’s voice was strained: “She fell asleep not long after arriving.”
The Empress Dowager asked further, “Did she hear anything?”
The maid’s voice dropped even lower, likely because she was now kneeling and prostrating herself: “This servant does not know… Perhaps… perhaps she did not hear.”
In truth, the maid must have known she hadn’t been asleep at that moment. But fearing something, the maid had actually lied for her.
Perhaps, for the maid, it wasn’t so much helping Fu Ping’an as being forced to tell a lie herself.
Was the Empress Dowager truly terrifying to this degree?
Thinking about this, Fu Ping’an unknowingly actually fell asleep. When she woke, it was already lunchtime.
She went to the main hall to eat with the Empress Dowager. As expected, the Empress Dowager looked displeased, with an air of not wanting to speak.
The surrounding palace servants were also extremely cautious, making not a single sound even when carrying the dishes.
But toward Fu Ping’an, the Empress Dowager maintained a fairly pleasant tone and expression, asking if the food was good and if her accommodations were to her liking.
Fu Ping’an acted innocently carefree, as if nothing had happened. She praised the delicious food and the beautiful palace furnishings. When she exclaimed theatrically, “I’ve never seen such a beautiful room before,” the Empress Dowager revealed a satisfied smile.
Indeed, she didn’t need to leave the palace after all. The Empress Dowager arranged for her to stay in the adjacent Jingui Palace and assigned her dozens of new servants. She even, with benevolent affection, told Fu Ping’an to pick two of the palace servants beside her to take along. Fu Ping’an hesitated for a moment, then, on the danmaku’s advice, chose the two maids who had been attending her in the side hall that morning.
When she’d come in the morning, she’d been a nervous little pitiable thing. Now, she was leading a huge entourage in a grand procession to move into a newly renovated palace. In the main courtyard of the palace grew an enormous osmanthus tree, now at the height of its lush, leafy prime.
Yet Fu Ping’an’s mood was rather bleak. Suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar place, with the only person she could rely on seeming somewhat terrifying, she was full of uncertainty about the future.
While washing up before bed, she secretly said to Ah Zhi, “Chief Clerk Bo was whipped because she let Zhang Ling stop our carriage.”
She stared at Ah Zhi, but Ah Zhi only lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Fu Ping’an felt that the people around her were like mutes and deaf people; beyond their assigned tasks, no one liked to speak.
This palace was broad, tall, and grand, yet it was as cold and silent as a tomb. If Fu Ping’an had entered the palace alone without the system, she would certainly have felt terribly lonely and helpless.
But thankfully, she wasn’t lonely at all now, because the danmaku was incredibly lively.
First and foremost, Baby Ping’an is So Cute had finally returned. They quickly caught up on the events of the past month through others’ explanations, then explained their own month-long absence—
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Final exams. The requirements suddenly got super strict. It was a hellish month.]
[Chang’an Flower: Oh, oh, indeed. Exams are really terrifying.]
[Sleepless Days: Why talk about irrelevant stuff? If you normally study hard, you don’t need to cram at the last minute.]
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: But I sent a private message. Didn’t Baby see it?]
Private message? What’s a private message?
But Fu Ping’an already recognized those two characters. That night, after sending everyone out of the room when going to sleep, she began investigating the system further. Very quickly, she found the private messages on the panel. The private message icon even had a red dot, making it quite conspicuous.
Fu Ping’an opened it, and inside was a row of text with red dots, each piece of text tappable for more details.
She’d just learned to read and couldn’t help but read aloud at this moment: “What joy… main… streamer, level eight what… open… what…”
“Sincerely… er… user… er… tap me?”
[Sleepless Days: Are you reading something? That stuttering is giving me a headache.]
[Chang’an Flower: The kid just learned to read; let her read more.]
[Regardless of Wei and Jin: Right, right. My niece just started elementary school and loved reading words on billboards.]
She quickly spotted the name “Baby Ping’an is So Cute”: “Little… Ping’an, I what a little something this month maybe all can’t come anymore, you yourself also must good good… er, what power?”
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: ‘Effort’ is the word. It’s ‘work hard.’]
[Chang’an Flower: Wow, you really recognize so many words now. Ping’an is amazing.]
Fu Ping’an revealed a slightly shy expression.
[Sleepless Days: Stop chatting idly. Quickly analyze the current situation. Why do I feel like things aren’t looking too optimistic? Could it be that just ascending the throne will be difficult for Ping’an?]
[Off-Key Diva Wang Ami: Speaking of which, why do you call the streamer Ping’an? The Empress Dowager said she’s called A Rong. Which ‘Rong’ anyway?]
[Sleepless Days: Probably a childhood name vs. official name thing. Little Ping’an, can you write your own name?]
Fu Ping’an: “…No.”
Actually, she could. When she was six, her mother had taught her how to write her own name. She’d forgotten, but after starting to learn characters, she somehow remembered again.
She still recalled that day: she’d picked up a stone from the ground that could leave marks, and she was scribbling on the bluestone slab. Her mother came over and asked what she was drawing. She said she was drawing herself.
Her mother looked at her in surprise and asked, “Do you know who you are?”
Fu Ping’an looked up at her mother. “I am Ping’an.”
Her mother pursed her lips in a smile, and Fu Ping’an still remembered the faint fine lines at the corner of her mother’s mouth. “Wrong, you are Fu Duanrong.”
Her mother sat down on the steps, reaching out her hand. Fu Ping’an immediately understood and placed the stone in her hand. Her mother then wrote the three characters “Fu Duanrong” on the ground.
She still remembered the strokes of those characters even now, but for some reason, she didn’t want to mention it.
Although this behavior got her mocked.
[Sleepless Days: …Can’t even write your own name. Seriously, study hard.]
[Chang’an Flower: Hahahahaha]
[Off-Key Diva Wang Ami: hhhhh]
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Baby is so cute.]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Alright, let’s talk about serious matters. Based on what you all observed today, what do you think the situation is like?]
Perhaps the topic shifted too quickly, for no one responded for a while.
It was a good moment before someone said—
[Regardless of Wei and Jin: I feel like the Empress Dowager is a bit scary. The palace maids in the whole palace seem very afraid of her. After those two maids were asked to come over, they looked noticeably happier.]
[Chang’an Flower: The situation isn’t looking good. I’m already getting the feeling of diving into a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den.]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: I think the situation isn’t bad.]
[Regardless of Wei and Jin: Huh?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: If the Empress Dowager and the Prince Regent have a bad relationship, then they can form opposing forces. With multiple factions, a weaker faction has room to develop. If they were a solid bloc, then there’d be no hope at all.]
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Wow, that sounds so logical.]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Secondly, the Empress Dowager appears austere and loving, but in reality, she likes luxury and flattery, is autocratic, and her ambition is glaringly obvious. This means we can very easily cater to her preferences.]
[Off-Key Diva Wang Ami: How?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Play dumb, act cute, flatter her, say nice things whenever possible, and absolutely do not anger her.]
Fu Ping’an suddenly spoke up: “I’m not very good at that.”
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: You did very well this morning. How did you think of pretending to be hungry to get closer?]
Fu Ping’an murmured: “…Because I really was hungry.”
But there did seem to be a slightly intentional element to it; she couldn’t quite tell them apart.
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Aaaahhhhh so so cute.]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: You did very well, then. In the future, if you’re afraid of making mistakes, just speak less and wait for us slightly. We’ll give you ideas.]
[Regardless of Wei and Jin: I feel like only you can give ideas. I’m completely lost TAT]
[Sleepless Days: The current situation is, can she still ascend the throne? Based on this morning’s situation, the Prince Regent actually seemed very eager for Ping’an to ascend, while the Empress Dowager seems to be dragging her feet. Why?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: That depends on the specifics of the court situation. There are many possibilities.]
[Sleepless Days: For example?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: For example? For instance, the Empress Dowager might want to be emperor herself, though from my observation, she doesn’t seem to have that kind of caliber. Or it could be that the Prince Regent wants to usurp the throne.]
[Sleepless Days: Huh? If he wants to usurp, why push to install a new emperor?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Because without a new emperor, much of the current decision-making power rests with the late emperor’s mother, the Empress Dowager. Clearly, her relationship with the Empress Dowager isn’t great. Also, having an emperor gives an excuse to make other arrangements. Even for rebellion, you need a pretext like ‘clearing the court of evil ministers,’ right? Now that the Empress Dowager forced her into becoming Prince Regent, she no longer has a reason to rebel.]
[Sleepless Days: The more you think about it, the more terrifying it gets.]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Sigh, we actually have too little information right now. If only there were someone who understands the court situation to give me some intel.]
Chief Clerk Bo immediately surfaced in Fu Ping’an’s mind.
[Sleepless Days: Chief Clerk Bo?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Chief Clerk Bo may not necessarily tell the truth. Judging by the post you made, throughout this journey, she seemed to talk a lot but didn’t say a single thing about the court’s situation. She didn’t even mention the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Prince Regent.]
[Sleepless Days: Ah Zhi?]
[Taro Boba Milk Tea: Right now, Ah Zhi’s political acumen doesn’t seem high, though of course, it could be a pretense.]
Fu Ping’an felt dizzy and blurry-eyed reading this. Some of the translated terms, she still didn’t understand. She couldn’t help closing her eyes and muttered, “I’m so sleepy.”
It was already deep into the night. All the lights in the palace hall had been extinguished. Inside, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.
The window panes, lit by moonlight streaming through, seemed all the brighter. Tree shadows swayed restlessly across the panes like ghosts and demons. Fu Ping’an suddenly felt afraid. Recalling the Nanny’s stories of spirits and monsters, she instantly regretted sending all the palace servants away.
Though opening her eyes meant a lively danmaku, in reality, she was still all alone.
She opened her mouth to call for someone, but then saw several dots of orange-yellow lamplight suddenly ignite outside the window. The lights formed a row, swaying unsteadily from afar, drifting closer like will-o’-the-wisps. Fu Ping’an shrank into a ball under the covers and saw the danmaku say—
[Sleepless Days: Looks like someone’s coming.]
Fu Ping’an: Oh? Those were people?
She wasn’t afraid anymore and poked her head out.
Sure enough, before long, a commotion rose outside. She faintly heard someone say: “…Her Highness the Empress Dowager…”
The main door must have been pushed open; the “creak” sound echoed out in a drawn-out manner. Wrapped in the blanket, Fu Ping’an only revealed her head, her hair sticking up in a messy daze as she blankly stared toward the doorway screen.
[Baby Ping’an is So Cute: Oh my god, being like this right now is way too cute, mommy kiss kiss.]
[Sleepless Days: Hmm, I guess she’s a little bit cute.]
The screen blocked her view, allowing her only to see overlapping, swaying lamplight. The lights suddenly stopped at the entrance’s drapery. Then one lamp separated from the group, winding its way out from behind the screen.
The exquisite palace lantern emitted a dim yellow glow. The halo of light spilled out, illuminating a slender, long-fingered hand and robes with faintly swirling patterns. By the time the light reached the face, it was too dim, blurring the features. She could only vaguely make out a pale, refined, well-maintained face that nonetheless showed some signs of age.
It was the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager slowly approached, her footsteps utterly silent. Only the rustle of fabric brushing against itself could be heard. Reaching the bedside, she placed the lamp on the nightstand, then sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and smoothed Fu Ping’an’s hair, murmuring softly, “So late, and still not asleep?”
Her tone could be called infinitely gentle.
[Sleepless Days: Here to play the kind mother?]
[Regardless of Wei and Jin: At this late hour of the night, I can’t see the ‘kind mother’ act. It’s more like something out of a horror story.]
