ASTRP -Chapter 155 The Empress Dowager Shows Her Power

While showing concern, Eunuch Chen kept making eye signals at Xiao Yu, indicating that he should control his emotions.

Xiao Yu was stunned at first, then quickly understood.

After all, the other party was his mother. He could not lose his temper.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all his emotions deep inside. Only then did he let out a long sigh and slowly said:

“I’m fine.”

After saying those three words, Xiao Yu raised his hand and gently patted Eunuch Chen’s arm, as if to reassure him instead—that he truly was alright.

Then he withdrew his hand and walked toward Xu Shu and Jin Anhao.

He asked whether they were alright and if they needed a royal physician.

Before the two could answer, the Empress Dowager spoke first.

“You three, follow this palace.”

With that single sentence, she turned and left.

The three exchanged glances and then followed after her.

They did not know how she intended to punish them.

But they were certain—she would not let them off easily.

They soon arrived at her residence, the Ci Ning Palace.

As soon as they entered, the Empress Dowager shouted coldly:

“On your knees!”

Yet none of the three knelt. Instead, they stood straight with their backs upright.

Xu Shu was the first to speak:

“If the Empress Dowager wishes for us three to kneel in greeting, we would not hesitate to do so.”

“But judging by your expression, it seems you don’t only want formal courtesy.”

The Empress Dowager let out a cold laugh.

“Xu Shu, I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and you’re already lecturing me?”

“You and Jin Anhao encouraged the Emperor to leave the palace. Just that alone is enough for this palace to severely punish you!”

Xu Shu sneered.

“If the Empress Dowager had allowed His Majesty to leave the palace, would he have had to crawl through that tunnel?”

Eunuch Chen standing nearby was panicking inwardly.

Oh ancestors of the Xu family!

At a time like this, why not just soften a bit?

Right now the Prince is absent, and the Empress Dowager holds full power in the palace.

If she truly gets angry and decides to punish them harshly, no one can stop her!

“Oh?”

The Empress Dowager deliberately drew out the sound, fixing her gaze on Xu Shu.

“So in your opinion, this palace is at fault?”

Xu Shu was straightforward to a fault and failed to catch the hidden meaning in her words.

Without thinking, he replied directly: “Yes!”

The moment the word fell, the Empress Dowager slammed the table and stood up.

Bang!

The sound echoed through the entire hall.

The three young men trembled in shock.

The Empress Dowager stepped down from the throne and walked toward Xu Shu, her eyes icy.

“Xu Shu, you have some nerve—to openly defy this palace!”

“You knew very well that this palace forbids the Emperor from leaving the palace, yet you still encouraged him!”

“Originally I thought you were simply ignorant and intended to scold you lightly and let it go!”

“But instead, you deliberately disobeyed!”

“The reason I forbid the Emperor from leaving the palace is because he is still young.”

“Each time he goes out, a large number of guards must accompany him for safety.”

“And precisely because of that, it attracts criminals’ attention, putting the Emperor’s life in danger!”

“If anything happens to him, I would become the sinner of the Great Jin.”

“How could I face the late Emperor?”

“How could I face the ancestors of Great Jin?”

Her words struck the three deeply. For a moment, they actually began to understand her reasoning.

But then her tone abruptly changed.

She pointed at Xu Shu sharply.

“Xu Shu, this is your second time encouraging the Emperor to leave the palace!”

“Double the offense!”

The three were still processing her earlier words when they were caught off guard by the sudden shift.

Even Eunuch Chen froze.

The Empress Dowager shouted:

“Guards!”

As if prepared in advance, several attendants immediately entered the hall.

She pointed at Xu Shu.

“Take him away!”

“Beat him twenty times with the board!”

The attendants immediately moved forward.

Xiao Yu snapped back to reality first. Seeing the situation turn bad, he stepped in front of Xu Shu and spread his arms, shielding him behind him.

At the same time, he turned to the Empress Dowager and spoke:

“Mother, the idea of leaving the palace was mine. It has nothing to do with Xu Shu.”

“You?”

The Empress Dowager looked at him, her brows furrowing, her gaze turning cold.

“Yu’er, I remember you never used to lie.”

Xiao Yu opened his mouth to refute, but before he could speak, she continued:

“Before you had attendants, you would always listen carefully to what this palace said.”

“But now that you have attendants, not a single word of mine is being obeyed.”

“It seems… you’ve been led astray by certain people.”

Her gaze swept over Xu Shu and Jin Anhao, the meaning obvious.

Jin Anhao’s face turned pale. He was both angry and frustrated, but he knew he could not offend her and could only swallow his grievance.

As for Xu Shu, he still had not fully processed what was happening.

Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have already retorted.

The Empress Dowager added coldly:

“This so-called Idle Prince also doesn’t know how to choose attendants. He brings just anyone to the Emperor.”

Hearing this insult toward his uncle, Xiao Yu immediately became displeased.

He raised his head and met her gaze directly.

“Mother is not dissatisfied with my uncle, nor with the attendants.”

“You are dissatisfied with me.”

“Dissatisfied that I have my own thoughts.”

“Dissatisfied that I have my own judgments and perspectives.”

“Dissatisfied that I no longer obey you unconditionally.”

“Am I right?”

The Empress Dowager sneered.

“You even dare to talk back to your mother, and now you ask if I am right?”

Xiao Yu’s expression turned solemn.

“Then I will make it clear to you.”

“If you insist on punishing Xu Shu, then you will have to step over me first!”

His words made the Empress Dowager feel as though her control was slipping away.

At the same time, she felt her authority being challenged.

Her inner anger ignited. She looked at him like shards of ice, her lips curling into a cold smile.

“Then this palace would like to see how you intend to protect him!”

She pointed at the attendants.

“Drag Xu Shu out! Give him twenty lashes!”

The attendants hesitated, then forced themselves forward.

“Get lost!” Xiao Yu roared again.

They stopped once more.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes narrowed.

“Drag him out! Or I will have your heads chopped off!”

Xiao Yu immediately followed:

“This Emperor pardons you from death!”

The Empress Dowager asked coldly:

“Xiao Yu, must you oppose this palace?”

He opened his mouth to respond—

But in the next moment, the Empress Dowager suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and forcefully dragged him aside.