EMHTC -Chapter 74 Dou Xi

“It was me who refused.”

When Empress Dou uttered these words, her tone was calm and collected, while Princess Xiangyang fidgeted with her icy fingers, her nose stinging with a hint of sourness.

“Why…”

“Your father was sincere, I know,” Empress Dou smiled faintly. There wasn’t a trace of mockery in her expression. “But if I had agreed, it might have been fine for a day or two. Over time, our relationship as ruler and subject would have outweighed that of husband and wife.”

“Is being ruler and subject… not good?”

Empress Dou shook her head. “Your father is stubborn, headstrong, and domineering. He may not always submit to softness, but he certainly never yields to force. As his wife, he would respect and love you. But if he sees you as a subordinate, he will suppress you, never tolerating defiance.”

Princess Xiangyang bit her chopsticks lightly. While children were not supposed to judge their parents, in her heart, she was already waving a flag of agreement.

Empress Dou explained to her daughter, “That’s why, at that time, returning to the inner palace was the best choice for me.”

In the 33 years that followed, Dou Xi often wondered what would have happened if she had chosen to step into the court. Soon after, she would overturn that thought herself.

At that time, entering the court would not have been her own achievement but rather a result of her husband’s fleeting pity, the emperor’s temporary passion. The ministers would not have respected her for herself but for the title of “Empress.” They might not have actively sabotaged her, but neither would they have regarded her official robes as a symbol of capability.

To them, her position would have been nothing more than a whimsical indulgence by the emperor after seizing power to please his empress.

Retreating to the inner palace to act as the final lock and shield between the emperor and the ministers, or stepping into the court only to slowly become a figurehead stripped of real power—

In truth, she had no other path to choose.

And her experiences over the years validated her initial prediction—advice from a wife and remonstration from a subordinate carried entirely different weights in the eyes of an emperor.

Empress Dou saw it all very clearly:

“This world has never needed two sharp swords clashing head-on. What is overly rigid is prone to breaking. What it needs is—”

“A scabbard.”

Xu Yanmiao left the capital with the Imperial Sword of Authority.

Unskilled in horseback riding, he still traveled in a bamboo carriage, moving under stormy skies.

Liang Rui couldn’t help but look up at the dark, thundercloud-filled sky where streaks of lightning darted about. Then he turned to glance at Xu Yanmiao in the bamboo carriage, filled with emotion.

Truly worthy of being a Bai Ze… even his travels are accompanied by wind and thunder.

The “Bai Ze” was also gazing up at the sky.

【What a massive thunderstorm…】

Xu Yanmiao clutched the metallic Imperial Sword of Authority in his arms, full of anxiety.

Wouldn’t it be just his luck if a bolt of lightning came down and struck him dead?

“Liang—Chief—Manager—”

Xu Yanmiao yelled at the top of his lungs.

Amid the rumbling thunder, Liang Rui had to raise his voice to respond, “What—is—it—”

“Are we swapping horses but not people again this time?”

Earlier, they had managed to arrive in time by taking the emergency courier route—600 miles in urgent haste, switching horses but not riders. However, doing so had nearly killed them along the way. By the time they reached the capital, their legs were trembling, their chests felt like they were on fire and about to explode, and every breath was filled with the taste of blood and dust.

If they were to repeat the journey, Xu Yanmiao wasn’t sure Liang Rui’s body could endure it again.

Fortunately, Liang Rui pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s act within our means. This time, we’ll ride fast horses but without the urgency. Before we left, the princess was already close to Fujian; she should arrive within the next couple of days.”

Fast horses involved using just one horse rather than running them to exhaustion and switching mounts as in the urgent courier method. It was significantly slower but still faster than traveling by carriage.

In just twenty days, Xu Yanmiao and Liang Rui arrived in Fujian.

By now, it had been roughly two months since the disaster was reported. While it couldn’t be said that the people had fully returned to their normal lives, the two of them observed that while the villagers still showed signs of malnourishment, they were at least intact—no one had resorted to hacking off limbs due to famine.

Xu Yanmiao let out a sigh of relief. “Previously, when I saw that even withered foxtail grass was gone from the wilderness, I thought…”

Liang Rui’s expression softened as well. “It seems the princess and the Minister have managed to stabilize the situation.”

If it had been left to that provincial governor, who knew what kind of hell Fujian would have turned into?

That said, if the court had implemented the strategy of printing paper currency to fund disaster relief, the current peace would likely have been impossible.

Liang Rui glanced at Xu Yanmiao, who also thought of the paper currency. His feelings grew complicated.

Since transmigrating here, he had always been cautious, living one day at a time. Now… could it be that he had truly contributed something to this era?

“Lord Liang! Young Master Xu!”

The voice of Princess Wanshou called out.

Xu Yanmiao looked up to see the princess approaching, her face marked with fatigue. It was clear she hadn’t spared herself any effort over the past few days.

Yet her expression was far more resolute than before, and even her soft voice carried a commanding tone. “What of the paper currency issue? What did His Majesty say?”

Xu Yanmiao recounted the events from his perspective and added his thoughts. “Thankfully, we arrived in time, and His Majesty’s open-mindedness helped to put a stop to it.”

Princess Wanshou let out a small sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

Liang Rui noticed an official with one blind eye standing beside the princess. “And this is…?”

The official saluted politely, speaking in a soft tone: “I am the Prefect of Xinghua, Gao Wanhe, styled Changsheng.”

—Xinghua Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Fujian.

Xu Yanmiao instinctively remarked upon hearing the name, “What an auspicious name.”

【I feel like if the old emperor heard this, he’d like it enough to promote him.】

In the Capital

“Achoo!” The old emperor sneezed violently.

Empress Dou looked surprised. “Have you caught a cold?” She quickly called for a court physician.

The emperor waved his hand. “It’s nothing, just an itch in my nose.”

He calculated the time and said, “That brat should have arrived in Fujian by now. I wonder what he’s doing. He’s never handled disaster relief before, so he must be running around like a headless chicken.”

Empress Dou couldn’t help but laugh.

What kind of emperor delights in his subjects’ misfortune?

Princess Wanshou thought Xu Yanmiao was excellent in every way, except that he always seemed to say what he really thought about others.

—He wasn’t aware that his innermost thoughts could be overheard.

Princess Wanshou’s smile grew slightly awkward but she couldn’t immediately walk away. Otherwise, it would appear as if she were giving the two of them a cold shoulder.

Liang Rui cleared his throat. “So, you are Prefect Gao?”

He introduced himself and Xu Yanmiao in turn.

When the Prefect of Xinghua heard that Liang Rui was a Principal Officer of the Ministry of Justice, his smile faded somewhat. “A pleasure to meet you, Principal Officer Liang.”

Upon learning that Xu Yanmiao was a ninth-rank clerk from the Ministry of Personnel, his attitude cooled further. “Ah, so you are Clerk Xu.”

As a fourth-rank official, the Prefect held a rank significantly higher than a sixth-rank principal officer, let alone a ninth-rank clerk.

It was likely that this Prefect was inwardly wondering why the court had sent only a Minister of high rank, while the rest were such low-ranking officials.

—The Princess didn’t count, of course. Her title alone overshadowed everything. Thus, the Prefect remained extremely enthusiastic toward her.

Liang Rui was fully aware of the Prefect’s lukewarm attitude toward them, but he didn’t feel insulted. After all, who didn’t want to climb the ladder? The man hadn’t committed any wrongdoing; he was simply reserved. Returning the courtesy, Liang Rui asked about the disaster relief efforts. Prefect Gao responded in a methodical manner, clearly demonstrating his hands-on involvement.

Liang Rui’s impression of him improved.

After a brief conversation, the Prefect excused himself, explaining that he needed to make preparations for relief efforts. Once he had departed, Liang Rui couldn’t help but express some admiration in his tone. “There are still people willing to do real work these days.”

Princess Wanshou nodded. “Indeed. Do you know how this Prefect Gao lost his eye?”

Liang Rui’s interest was piqued. “How?”

The princess sighed, seemingly moved. “He was once an Assistant Minister. Years ago, during a drought, the emperor banned alcohol production in the affected area. A certain prefect then began to harass the locals, even finding brewing equipment in one household and attempting to impose harsh penalties, including the death sentence, to make an example of them. Prefect Gao argued with the prefect, insisting that simply possessing brewing tools didn’t prove guilt. The prefect, losing the argument, invoked the emperor’s authority and asked, ‘Are you defying the imperial will? And who will guarantee that this family never intended to brew alcohol?’”

【Wait, what? Is this even true? Let me check!】

Liang Rui’s eyebrows twitched. “And then?”

Princess Wanshou spoke with admiration. “Our Prefect Gao suddenly gouged out one of his own eyes, declaring, ‘I offer this eye as a guarantee for them.’ Later, an investigation revealed that the equipment had been stored in the cellar for over three years, the lock covered in dust. They hadn’t brewed alcohol for ages but had simply neglected to clear out the cellar. It is said that an imperial censor, upon learning of this act, was deeply moved and recommended him for the position of Prefect of Xinghua.”

Liang Rui was visibly moved. “What an indomitable spirit this man has…”

【Bullshit! That’s just the story he spread to boost his reputation! He gouged out his eye to curry favor with his superior!】

Liang Rui’s words got stuck in his throat, unable to finish his sentence. He nearly choked from the shock, his expression turning stiff, and his pupils trembling slightly.

Curry favor with a superior? What does that even mean?

Xu Yanmiao had never been one to keep things to himself.

The young man’s gaze drifted, appearing vacant to the others, but in truth, he was staring at something invisible to them, his eyes widening in astonishment.

【He, he, he—】

【Because his superior had an injured eye, and he was known for his exceptionally sharp eyesight, nicknamed “Eagle Eye,” he gouged out his own eye to make medicinal wine and gifted it to his superior on the latter’s sixtieth birthday?!】

【What kind of madness is this?!】

【And that superior actually accepted it with gratitude and was deeply moved?!?】

Princess Wanshou’s hand, hidden within her sleeve, trembled slightly.

She desperately wanted to ask: What on earth is going on in Fujian?! One provincial governor carves erotic images onto his household dishes, and another gouges out his own eye for a promotion?!

And that superior—whoever they are—shouldn’t their first reaction to being gifted a human eyeball be sheer horror?

Xu Yanmiao isn’t wrong. 【You’re all insane, aren’t you?!】

Liang Rui: “…”

Thank you. I have nothing left to say.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence: “Your Highness…”

Princess Wanshou instinctively turned her head, spotting the Prefect of Xinghua returning. Her body jolted, and she reflexively took half a step back.

She knew this man had only harmed himself and had not hurt anyone else. At worst, he was just overly ambitious and willing to go to extreme lengths for a promotion. But still…

Princess Wanshou quietly shuffled back another small step.

The Prefect of Xinghua felt deeply unsettled.

What’s happening? I worked so hard to leave a good impression on Her Highness. She even thought I was devoted to the people and regarded me with favor. So why is she retreating at the sight of me now?

Princess Wanshou steadied herself, forcing a polite smile. “Prefect Gao, what brings you to seek out this official?”

This official?!

Her Highness, who had always treated others with warmth, had never referred to herself so formally before!

The Prefect of Xinghua was beside himself with regret. If only he hadn’t left them for a moment earlier! Could it be that these two officials had said something to the princess?

The Prefect of Xinghua swept his gaze over Xu Yanmiao and Liang Rui, his eyes lingering on Xu Yanmiao for less than a moment.

It can’t be this one—he looks so simple and harmless, like someone who wouldn’t survive long in the bureaucracy!

His gaze finally settled on Liang Rui, his eyes deep with suspicion.

Had he somehow offended this man before?