The young eunuch could only carry the little emperor to the imperial study.
Inside the imperial study.
The Empress Dowager dismissed everyone and knelt before Shen Yunyun, kowtowing.
Shen Yunyun quickly lifted her up. "No need for such formalities. You..."
She had so many questions she wanted to ask.
She wanted to know what exactly had happened.
How had she become the Empress Dowager in just a few short months?
But the answer was obvious—the late emperor had died, Little Tangyuan had ascended the throne, the young lord was still a child, and the Empress Dowager was ruling from behind the curtain.
The Empress Dowager invited her to sit down, as if she knew the questions in Shen Yunyun's mind, and began to explain everything in detail.
After Shen Yunyun had left last time, the Empress changed her approach with the emperor. Instead of opposing him, she went along with his every wish and actively expanded his harem.
Unfortunately, the emperor's fortune with women was short-lived. Before he could enjoy all the beauties brought into the palace, he died on the belly of a young concubine.
The emperor's death from a sudden stroke during intimacy was a court scandal. The Empress stepped forward at the critical moment to take charge.
The变故 came too suddenly, catching everyone off guard.
Who could have imagined that the young and vigorous emperor would die so abruptly, leaving not even a single word behind?
Many suspected the Empress had orchestrated it, but they had no evidence.
A kingdom cannot be without a ruler for even a day. The most urgent matter was to establish a new emperor to stabilize the court and reassure the people.
But the emperor had only this one child, and the child was born of the legitimate empress, making his succession to the throne perfectly logical.
However, the young prince was still an infant, so a regent was necessary. Everyone began debating who should take on this role, sparking another power struggle.
One faction, led by the Imperial Tutor, supported him as regent.
Another, led by the Duke of Zhen, backed him as Prince Regent.
Yet another, led by the Empress Dowager, advocated for her to rule from behind the curtain.
The three sides refused to yield. Eventually, the Imperial Tutor and the Duke of Zhen reached a private agreement to join forces, rallying their supporters to push Prince Jin forward as the Prince Regent.
The Empress Dowager held out for several days before "reluctantly" agreeing to this demand.
But the very next day after she nodded, news arrived from Prince Jin's fiefdom that he had met with an accident while suppressing bandits.
Thus, Little Tangyuan smoothly ascended the throne.
Shen Yunyun listened as the Empress Dowager spoke calmly and lightly about the shift in power, knowing full well how difficult the process must have been.
"So, you took out Prince Jin?" Shen Yunyun asked curiously.
The Empress Dowager smiled. "He met with an accident while suppressing bandits."
Shen Yunyun: "..."
She was almost certain that Prince Jin's death was the Empress Dowager's doing.
She gained a whole new appreciation for the Empress Dowager's ability to plan ahead.
At the same time, she also suspected that the late emperor's death was connected to her.
A man who could break her wings and trap her in the harem, crush her spirit and trample her pride, even harm her during childbirth and later poison his own flesh and blood—what reason was there to keep him alive?
To fatten him up for slaughter during the New Year?
She felt the Empress Dowager had done the right thing. After all, when choosing between your own death and someone else's, even a fool knows which to pick.
As they were still talking, a young eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the emperor insists on coming to the imperial study."
"Bring him in." The Empress Dowager raised her hand.
Little Tangyuan was soon carried in.
The little one was barely a year old, dressed in a bright yellow little dragon robe, utterly adorable.
The moment he saw Shen Yunyun, he stretched out his arms toward her, his little expression making it clear what he wanted.
He was asking for a hug.