Because the livestream was still on, someone immediately remarked—
【Chat Gives a Spring Branch: Whoa, she actually came asking for your advice.】
【Chang’an Flower: Is Ping’an about to start teaching now too?】
Fu Ping’an also found it a bit peculiar. She thought for a moment, then spoke: “From your position, stepping down or not stepping down both come with risks. If you step down, you’re naturally offending Chen Wenyi—although it was Chen Hu who sent the gift, and Chen Wenyi disciplined Chen Hu afterwards, no one really knows what truly happened. Chen Wenyi is a veteran official and the head of the Chen Clan; she represents a large faction of meritorious officials and the great clan alliance. If she holds a grudge against you, you’ll have to be even more careful not to make any missteps in the future…”
Fu Ping’an didn’t continue, wanting to gauge Luo Qionghua’s reaction. However, Luo Qionghua didn’t react much; she simply moved her fingers from her temples up into her hair, gently circling.
It felt slightly swollen, yet itchy.
Fu Ping’an suddenly found herself unsure how to continue, so she said, “As for not stepping down… well, nothing much would really happen.”
【Ah Hua’s Mommy Fan: Exactly, she’s the Empress. What’s wrong with receiving a little gift?】
【bk0717: That’s not how it works. You’ll feel indebted if you accept favors. Once you start, there’s no stopping.】
【Go Home for Dinner: Not necessarily, is it? Didn’t Commandery Princess Yunping keep accepting gifts under Ping’an’s hints? And nothing happened with her.】
【Chat Gives a Spring Branch: Silly child, it’s different. One is a powerless Commandery Princess; the other is an Empress who still holds great power in this era. Corruption is actually a method of consolidating power.】
【Go Home for Dinner: Who are you calling silly?】
【Chang’an Flower: Any more arguing and you’re both getting thrown into the little dark room.】
Fu Ping’an’s gaze drifted past the danmaku comments, looking out the carriage window at the tassels hanging from the canopy. She wondered if she should teach Luo Qionghua these things. Should Luo Qionghua know?
The chaos caused by the Empress Dowager’s maternal relatives was still fresh in everyone’s memory. If one blamed it on Emperor Wen’s early death, then why had he already summoned Fu Lingxian back before his passing?
Clearly, even while serving as Empress, the Empress Dowager had already amassed significant power.
Although these days, Fu Ping’an had developed a considerable liking for Luo Qionghua, she still sometimes found herself looking at her with a critical eye—what kind of person would this woman, whom the danmaku claimed would fall for someone else in the future, eventually become?
Whether it was the impression from childhood or her conduct since their marriage, Luo Qionghua had been flawless. But… what if?
Fu Ping’an couldn’t deny it. Even though she now knew that a nation’s ruin can never be blamed on a single person—not solely herself, nor Fu Lingxian, much less Luo Qionghua—and even though she told herself not to be overly influenced by the so-called “original novel,” which now seemed increasingly detached from the world she lived in, she still occasionally felt a shadow of her own self lurking in the persona of that tyrannical, mad monarch.
She couldn’t help caring.
Just as she couldn’t help being wary of Fu Lingxian, she was also faintly wary of Luo Qionghua.
On nights alone in the carriage, she had asked the danmaku what kind of person Luo Qionghua was in the original novel. The danmaku replied—【Empress Luo was compassionate, unpretentious, and well-loved by the common people.】
That sounded about right.
But others said—【Just a character with the female lead halo, very delicate yet also very stubborn.】
Now that didn’t match at all.
Where was the delicateness?
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, she heard Luo Qionghua behind her murmur, “Surely not? Ping’an, are you tricking me?”
“I’m not,” Fu Ping’an said. There truly wasn’t a trick. As Empress, Luo Qionghua could accept gifts from her subjects perfectly well—as long as she handed them all over to Fu Ping’an afterwards. Then, the one receiving the gifts would simply be herself.
But even she found this thought a bit too absurd and couldn’t help letting out a laugh.
Luo Qionghua pressed a hand on her shoulder and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Fu Ping’an turned around. Suddenly curious about how Luo Qionghua would react to this idea, she spoke up: “In the future, if you ever receive gifts, give every single one to Zhen without exception. Zhen will handle it.”
Luo Qionghua’s eyes widened. “That works?”
【Ping’an, Mommy Loves You: Ping’an, how can you fool a kid like that!】
Fu Ping’an nodded.
Luo Qionghua pondered for a moment, then said, “Alright, from now on, I’ll accept them all and give them to you.”
【Ah Hua’s Mommy Fan: How could my Hua just believe that!】
She nodded slightly, as if convincing herself. “Right, this is a good solution. We are supposed to share everything anyway. If I give it to Your Majesty, surely no one can find fault with that… Then by the same logic, is it okay if I hand over Sister Yunping’s matter to you to handle?”
Fu Ping’an’s heart suddenly softened. For some reason, she thought of herself in the past. There was a time when she had deeply hoped the Empress Dowager would offer her some genuine familial affection, teach her some truly important principles. But she never did.
If she were to act the same way now, what difference would there be between her and the Empress Dowager back then?
Carefully choosing her words, Fu Ping’an finally spoke: “Actually, there’s a principle—very simple, very crude—but once you understand it, many things become crystal clear. In your opinion, what is the most important thing that binds relationships between people?”
“Shared memories?” Luo Qionghua ventured.
“It’s shared interests.”
Luo Qionghua: “…Ah.”
“As long as a decision serves the interests of the majority, even if it damages the interests of a minority, it can be pushed through.”
Luo Qionghua’s eyes widened, looking quite shaken. Just as she was about to speak, Qin He’s voice came from outside the carriage: “Your Majesty, Your Highness, we are nearing Qianliang Mountain. Please allow this servant to help you change your attire.”
Fu Ping’an said, “That’s enough for now. You’ll gradually come to understand as time goes on.”
Having said this, she raised her voice: “Come in.”
…
They had finally arrived at Qianliang Mountain.
When they disembarked from the carriage, it was exactly noon. The sun shone bright and clear, hanging high in the sky, and the autumn breeze was mild, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
The local Commandery Governor was in charge of the reception. She had long since set up the ceremonial guard at the foot of the mountain and prepared sedan chairs. The Emperor and Empress each boarded one. Halfway up the mountainside, they reached their destination: a recently renovated temporary palace, though its plaque was still blank. The Commandery Governor fawned obsequiously, “We await only Her Majesty’s bestowed name.”
Fu Ping’an frowned inwardly, thinking this person was truly patting the horse’s leg. Everyone close to her knew she had the least patience for such things.
Besides, she still had her frail constitution setting to maintain, so she lazily said, “Command that be passed to our beloved ministers to devise one instead. Whoever’s proposed name is chosen shall receive a reward from Zhen. Cough, cough.”
As she finished, she deliberately coughed twice.
Luo Qionghua, snapping out of her daze, looked at Fu Ping’an with some worry. She felt that Her Majesty had seemed perfectly well in the carriage, yet the moment they stepped off, their condition suddenly worsened. It surely must have been from the cold wind.
She couldn’t help glaring at the time-wasting Commandery Governor, who nearly fell to her knees in fright—utterly baffled as to what offense she had committed.
The group ate lunch at the temporary palace, and in the afternoon, they began discussing the details of the blessing ceremony. Her Majesty then spoke: “Zhen needs to survey the mountain personally to choose the most suitable location for placing the altar.”
The moment these words were uttered, all the ministers fell silent, looking at each other in confusion.
In truth, Fu Ping’an needed to pinpoint the exact location for “receiving the delivery.”
The System had provided coordinates—but heaven knows what specific location those coordinates corresponded to here.
Fortunately, it had also given a map cursor marker, so once they reached Qianliang Mountain, Fu Ping’an confirmed that the target location was now only a few hundred meters away.
But to the ministers, Her Majesty’s words completely defied common sense. Ordinarily, how could the Child of Heaven personally search for a blessing location? That was the Ministry of Ceremonies’ duty, to be determined through divination.
Her Majesty spoke as if she could divine it herself.
However… there had indeed been persistent rumors about Her Majesty regarding such matters.
Ignoring the strange atmosphere among the crowd, Fu Ping’an rested briefly, then headed up the mountain. Initially, they could take the sedan chairs, but as the path narrowed, they had to dismount and walk. Luo Qionghua carefully supported her. Turning back at a bend, Fu Ping’an saw a massive crowd following behind them.
A thought involuntarily crossed her mind: Even if I fell, I probably wouldn’t roll downhill; the people would block me.
After walking a while longer along a small path, the view suddenly opened up. Before them lay a gentle slope densely covered in bamboo forest. A bamboo fence bordered a narrow path paved with crushed stones, ending at a small courtyard. The gate of the courtyard was thatched with straw, which hung low, partially obscuring the plaque above the door. Three characters were written on it: “Following the Heart Abbey.”
Fu Ping’an stopped and asked, “Why is there a courtyard here?”
Simultaneously, she looked at the System panel before her eyes. The delivery location cursor indicated by the System overlapped perfectly with this courtyard.
The Commandery Governor’s legs trembled. “This is the cultivation residence of the Hermit Daoist.”
Detecting something off in the other’s eyes, Fu Ping’an asked, “What are you afraid of? Who is this Hermit Daoist?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the Commandery Governor dropped to her knees. From the side, a long sigh sounded, and Fu Lingxian stepped forward. “The Hermit Daoist is the former Crown Prince of Jin, Fu Li.”
【Ao: Who’s that?】
【I Cover a Hundred Li Radius: With that surname… it’s obviously an imperial clan member.】
【Chang’an Flower: Sounds very familiar, but I can’t recall.】
Fu Ping’an, however, did recall. Wasn’t this the person ultimately exposed as the so-called “mastermind” behind the Poisoned Wine Case that occurred during her ascension to the throne?
He was also the one who had been appointed Crown Prince before her, only to be deposed later.
At the time, Fu Ping’an felt the real culprit was either the Empress Dowager or Fu Lingxian. She had tasked Fu Lingxian with investigating the matter, and the culprit Fu Lingxian produced was precisely Fu Li.
Thinking back now, there was simply no alternative. Back then, the Empress Dowager held absolute power in court. If Fu Lingxian had traced it to the Empress Dowager, she surely couldn’t have done anything. Tracing it to herself would have been even more impossible. Pushing out a patsy was the most natural course of action.
Indeed, Fu Ping’an recalled the final outcome: he had been banished to Qianliang Mountain, forbidden from ever leaving.
Fu Ping’an’s expression remained unchanged, but she still couldn’t help glancing at this little courtyard. She felt that Fu Li was the scapegoat pushed out to take the blame—especially since her poisoning symptoms had worsened this year. She couldn’t help feeling a certain empathy, being in similar straits. So she spoke: “Is the Hermit in? Could we visit him today?”
Wang Ji quickly stepped forward. “Allow me to inquire.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the courtyard gate opened and a young Daoist child, appearing barely ten years old, came out. With pure and innocent curiosity, the child looked at them and asked, “Why have so many people suddenly arrived?”
The Commandery Governor hastily said, “Yu Heng, quickly go fetch your master. This is the Child of Heaven.”
The child named Yu Heng, startled, hurriedly pushed the gate open fully. Behind it appeared a tall, slender figure, straight as a bamboo stalk.
It was a young man, around twenty years of age, wearing a black Daoist robe, his long hair draped over his shoulders, not even tied up.
In this day and age, any adult was expected to don the guan cap and meticulously bind their hair within it. Even commoners, the so-called black-headed people, had to wrap their hair in a headscarf; otherwise, they were considered barbarians.
Seeing this former Crown Prince of Jin so disheveled, a buzz of murmuring arose. Fu Ping’an couldn’t help frowning. Wang Ji, observing her expression, understood immediately and sternly commanded, “Silence.”
In an instant, quiet fell, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the continuous chirping of birds.
Fu Ping’an stepped forward with a smile. “Is that you, Imperial Brother Fu Li?”
Fu Li said, “This poor Daoist does not know whom Your Majesty speaks of. This poor Daoist’s Daoist name is Daoyin.”
Fu Ping’an said, “The Way is hidden and nameless. Has Imperial Brother abandoned his very name in devotion to the Great Way?”
Fu Li said, “The Great Way is formless and cannot be forcibly named. This poor Daoist is already nameless and family-less.”
“Then may Zhen be a guest in the Celestial Master’s abbey and discuss certain principles with the Celestial Master?”
Hearing this, Fu Li suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground and said, “This poor Daoist is already intoxicated by cultivation and wishes no involvement in worldly affairs. Your Majesty, please leave.”
【I Cover a Hundred Li Radius: This guy is so pretentious.】
【Go Home for Dinner: I inexplicably really hate this guy = =】
【Chang’an Flower: No directing hate. Anyone who does goes to the little dark room.】
Fu Ping’an looked at him, wanting very much to say, You’re overthinking it. I didn’t come to genuinely discuss philosophy with you. She simply wanted to build a bit of rapport and then have him vacate the Following the Heart Abbey without too much awkwardness.
But now, it seemed avoiding awkwardness was impossible.
Even without the danmaku’s reminders, Fu Ping’an faintly sensed that Fu Li disliked her.
And what was to follow was bound to make him dislike her even more.
Fu Ping’an coughed twice and addressed the surrounding ministers: “Zhen has found the most suitable place for the blessings. It is this very Following the Heart Abbey.”
