ASTRP -Chapter 144 The Empress Dowager Is Furious Enough to Be Driven Mad

In the end, things turned out like this.

Xu Shu glanced sideways at Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu kept his head lowered, as if lost in thought.

But Xu Shu could tell that Xiao Yu didn’t really want to continue the topic.

So Xu Shu, being sensible for once, didn’t ask further. Instead, he said, “Going to bed?”

Xiao Yu looked up at him, studied him for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

“Then let’s go~”

Xu Shu wrapped an arm around Xiao Yu and led him toward the bed. However, before they could take more than a few steps—

Bang!

The palace doors were suddenly shoved open with force.

A figure rushed in urgently, crying out, “Yu’er! Yu’er! My Yu’er!”

Eunuch Chen chased after her from behind. “Your Majesty, please slow down!”

The Empress Dowager rushed straight toward Xiao Yu. Halfway there, she saw Xu Shu in the room—still holding Xiao Yu.

Her expression darkened visibly at once, and she snapped in anger.

“Xu Shu! What are you doing?!”

“How dare you put your hand on the Emperor’s shoulder?!”

Xu Shu frowned the moment he saw her.

Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away from Xiao Yu’s shoulder and stepped back.

Then, equally reluctantly, he bowed. “Xu Shu greets the Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager was furious beyond measure. She strode up to him, pointing at his nose, then turned to Eunuch Chen.

“Why is he here?!”

“Why wasn’t he sent out of the palace?!”

“Why is he staying overnight in Yu’er’s chamber?!”

She fired three questions in a row, making Xu Shu frown in displeasure.

“Empress Dowager…” Eunuch Chen tried to explain carefully, but she immediately cut him off again.

“I don’t want your explanation! What status does he have, and what status does Yu’er have?!”

“The difference between them is so vast—how can they possibly lie on the same bed?!”

Everything she said sounded reasonable in terms of court etiquette.

But for a child, status didn’t matter that much.

What mattered was whether they could get along, whether the person was interesting—nothing about emperor or subject.

Xu Shu was unhappy and directly shot back.

“Empress Dowager, don’t put it so harshly.”

“If Xiao Yu didn’t keep me here for the night, do you think I would—”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened instantly when she heard him directly call Xiao Yu by name.

“Impudent!” she shouted angrily.

In the same instant, she raised her hand and slapped toward Xu Shu.

Eunuch Chen’s expression changed. He tried to intervene, but it was already too late.

Xiao Yu sensed the danger and immediately yanked Xu Shu backward, stepping forward himself.

Smack!

A sharp slap echoed through the sleeping chamber.

“Your Majesty!” Eunuch Chen cried out.

The Empress Dowager froze. She stared blankly at her own hand.

She couldn’t understand it.

She had clearly aimed for that brat Xu Shu—how did the slap land on Yu’er’s face?!

Eunuch Chen quickly pulled Xu Shu aside and used his body to shield him.

But Xu Shu wasn’t someone to be protected so easily. The anger in him had already been stirred, and this only made it worse.

He stepped out from behind Eunuch Chen and said coldly:

“So because you’re the Empress Dowager, you can hit people whenever you want?”

“Impudent!” the Empress Dowager roared again, raising her hand once more toward Xu Shu.

Eunuch Chen felt his head splitting apart.

This young master of the Xu family truly was a little devil!

At a time like this, he still refused to behave!

Was he trying to get himself killed?!

“Enough!”

Xiao Yu suddenly shouted.

The sharp voice froze everyone.

Even the Empress Dowager’s hand stopped mid-air.

Xiao Yu looked straight at her and asked word by word: “Late at night with heavy dew, Mother, did you come in such haste because you were here to see your son—or specifically to find trouble with Xu Shu?”

His voice carried a cold edge.

The Empress Dowager snapped back to reality. She glared at Xu Shu again, then forced her hand down.

She replied, “Yu’er, Mother naturally came to see you.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Yu asked. “Then why, the moment you entered, did you immediately go after Xu Shu?”

“I even thought you came here specifically to trouble him.”

The Empress Dowager looked slightly uncomfortable, her expression stiffening.

“I… I was just too worried about you and acted impulsively.”

Xiao Yu said calmly, “Xu Shu stayed overnight in the palace because I said so. It has nothing to do with him.”

“To be precise, I forced him to stay and sleep here with me. It has nothing to do with him.”

“If you must hold someone accountable, then blame me.”

The Empress Dowager’s face immediately darkened.

Yesterday, she had finally managed to open his heart and draw him closer to her side.

And now, all of that was being overturned because of Xu Shu.

At first, he simply didn’t listen to her.

Now he was openly siding against her.

It seemed she really needed to keep him away from Xu Shu and the others.

But on the surface, she still smiled gently.

“So it was Yu’er who asked Xu Shu to stay?”

“Then it seems Mother misunderstood.”

“What Yu’er chooses to do, Mother naturally supports.”

A sneer came from behind Eunuch Chen.

“Heh. Hypocritical.”

The Empress Dowager’s smile stiffened slightly as her gaze swept toward Eunuch Chen.

Eunuch Chen internally cursed a thousand times.

Ancestors, little ancestors—please behave!!

Xu Shu, however, had no intention of holding back. He had always been unruly and said whatever he wanted.

“I was allowed to stay here overnight because Xiao Yu said so. Do you think anyone else in this palace dares to let me stay?”

“A child under nine understands this. Surely someone your age understands it too?”

“Yet you still pretend you don’t know anything. Isn’t that hypocrisy?”

The Empress Dowager’s face turned ashen.

“Someone your age…”

This brat was clearly mocking her for being old!

He really dared to be so arrogant just because Xiao Yu was protecting him!

Her eyes blazed with fury, as if she wanted to tear Xu Shu apart.

Eunuch Chen trembled in fear, inwardly screaming.

He had warned the Emperor earlier not to let Xu Shu stay overnight—but now it was too late!

Xu Shu had completely offended the Empress Dowager.

Tonight, this kid was definitely in trouble…

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and said coldly:

“If you truly have courage, stand out and speak to me face to face instead of hiding behind Eunuch Chen—”

Before she could finish, Xu Shu walked out from behind Eunuch Chen.

The Empress Dowager paused mid-sentence, then changed her tone instead.

“It seems your parents never taught you what respect and hierarchy mean.”