Chapter 9: A Filial Son

The night grew heavy.

While Ning Chen lay on his bed lost in thought, Xiao Anzi was once again summoned to the Fengyi Palace, where the Empress Dowager resided. He was only permitted to leave after providing a detailed account of everything he had witnessed outside the palace that day.

Watching Xiao Anzi depart, the Empress Dowager wore a satisfied smile. "This Xiao Anzi is quite capable. We should promote him in the future."

The matron replied, "Indeed, Your Majesty. Though the boy is mute, he is diligent. He has never faltered in monitoring the young Emperor." She continued, "The reports he brought today match perfectly with those from the guards, Zhao Siwen, and our other informants. In my view, Your Majesty can rest easy and stop keeping your guard up against him."

The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile. "Not just him. Judging by the performance of that little good-for-nothing Ning Chen all day, there is no longer any need for such strict surveillance. I never expected the little fool to put so much effort into my birthday celebration. He not only had the Governor of the Capital, Wang Zhongliang, organize folk festivities in my honor, but he even went as far as to pressure Fan Dayou to convince the Sage Confucius to emerge from seclusion to celebrate my birthday." She sighed wistfully. "Confucius was my own mentor; I have quite missed him."

The matron added, "Indeed, the young Emperor has gone to great lengths. It seems he has truly changed his ways; he is acting like a model of filial piety now."

For the first time, the Empress Dowager wore a gentle expression when mentioning Ning Chen. "Yes. If only that little wretch had been this filial earlier, I wouldn't have had to..." She trailed off, her expression darkening as her eyes turned cold. "No matter, it is too late."

"If he is to be blamed, he should blame his own ill fate. The throne is no longer his. Once my birthday passes, leaving him a whole corpse will be the greatest mercy I can offer."

The matron sighed. "Indeed, he can only blame his poor destiny."

The Empress Dowager stood and walked toward the bed. "It doesn't matter if we loosen the surveillance a little, but it must continue. Who knows if the little fool is merely pretending?"

The matron chuckled. "Your Majesty, you are always so cautious."

The Empress Dowager replied sternly, "If I were not cautious, could I have reached this point today?"

In the following days, Ning Chen left the palace early every morning with Xiao Anzi. Although the guards still followed, they were no longer as inseparable as before. Through this subtle change, Ning Chen knew his plan was working.

He brought Xiao Anzi to the largest temple near the capital to pray for the Empress Dowager. During the prayers, only Xiao Anzi accompanied him, while the guards remained outside. Kneeling before the Buddha, Ning Chen closed his eyes in a show of devotion, but whispered, "Xiao Anzi, the opportunity has come. Proceed as planned. Remember, you must find out exactly what the Empress Dowager is doing in the imperial villa."

Xiao Anzi nodded and immediately clutched his stomach, feigning a sudden illness before rushing out of the hall.

Though Ning Chen remained as still as a mountain on the surface, his heart was turbulent. The Empress Dowager’s birthday was drawing near. Although he had placed his hopes on Fan Dayou and the Sage Confucius, he could not state his true intentions openly, and thus, he did not have absolute certainty.

He could not rely entirely on them, so he had to prepare a backup plan. The danger of this secondary plan, however, was immense. He thought to himself, "Fan Dayou, oh Fan Dayou, do not let me down."

At that moment, Fan Dayou was waiting at the home of his mentor, Confucius, hoping for an audience. In recent days, he had curiously noted that the number of disaster victims seeking relief grain had dwindled, as if many had found new ways to make money. He had no time to investigate, however, as the young Emperor was pressuring him to invite the Sage out of seclusion. He had been waiting at the master's home for three full days.

Finally, the Sage agreed to see him. Soon, the white-haired, ethereal-looking scholar appeared before him. Fan Dayou eagerly explained the situation in detail, pleading for the master to emerge from his retreat.

Confucius did not answer directly. Instead, based on Fan Dayou’s description, he became deeply interested in the young Emperor, Ning Chen. He questioned him at length about the political situation and the affairs of the world, particularly regarding the Emperor.

Fan Dayou poured out everything he knew, including all his grievances and anger toward the young ruler. He concluded by saying, "This scoundrel should have been deposed long ago. If he remains on the throne, our Great Ning will surely be destroyed by his hands."

Before he could finish, the old master suddenly barked, "I think you are the scoundrel!"

Fan Dayou was stunned and quickly knelt before his mentor. "Master, have I done something wrong? Please, enlighten me!"

Confucius looked into the distance, stroked his beard, and said slowly, "You have done nothing wrong; you are simply too foolish, too trapped in the pedantry of a scholar. Your eyes are fixed only on books and moral platitudes, yet you cannot open them to see the real world."

Fan Dayou was completely bewildered. "Master, what do you mean? I truly do not understand."

Confucius sighed, rose slowly, and stared straight at Fan Dayou. "Let me ask you: is everything you said about the young Emperor true?"

Fan Dayou patted his chest. "Absolutely true. I would stake my life on it. This Emperor only knows how to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, entirely disregarding the people. The Prime Minister and others have already listed over a thousand crimes against him."

As he spoke, Confucius interrupted, "A thousand crimes? A fine list of a thousand crimes! Dayou, you call the Emperor an ignorant child, but in my eyes, you are the one who is ignorant."

"Do you realize that if what you said is true, this young Emperor Ning Chen is the makings of an eternal monarch?"

Boom!

Fan Dayou’s mind went blank. He never expected his mentor to say such a thing. An eternal monarch? That was the highest praise a ruler could receive! How could a nine-year-old child be such a figure?

He stared at his mentor in disbelief. "Ma-master, he is only nine, and he is clearly a dim-witted..."

Confucius interrupted him again, his tone filled with frustration. "It is precisely because he is only nine that I say he is the makings of an eternal monarch!"

"But why? I truly do not understand," Fan Dayou stammered.

Confucius let out a long breath and explained, "Dayou, have you ever considered what would happen if the young Emperor were deposed?"

Fan Dayou replied, "He would naturally be demoted to a fiefdom to continue as a prince."

"Foolish!" Confucius shouted in disappointment. "You have read books only to become rigid. All these years of study have been in vain; how can you still be so naive at fifty? The young Emperor’s maternal grandfather failed in a coup, and now the Empress Dowager seeks to depose the Emperor. Do you really believe she would leave him alive?"

"The Empress Dowager was also my student. I know her nature; she has been someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals since she was a child. Once the Emperor is deposed, he will surely die."

Fan Dayou froze. The master's words hit him like a wake-up call. He knew no one understood the Empress Dowager better than his mentor. If he said so, she would never let the boy live.

Confucius continued, "Dayou, let me ask you: if you were this young Emperor, knowing that the day you are deposed is the day of your death, what would you do?"

"I... I..." Fan Dayou thought hard. "If it were me, I would have been diligent and loved the people from the day I ascended the throne, studying the way of governance. I would never have been as incompetent as he, leading to this current situation."

"Nonsense!" Confucius interrupted again. "The young Emperor is merely a puppet. If I am not mistaken, while the Empress Dowager appears kind to him on the surface, she must have been persecuting him behind the scenes! You cannot be a diligent ruler if you aren't even given the chance!"

Confucius looked at the confused Fan Dayou and sighed again. "You still do not grasp the situation at court. In truth, from the very beginning, the Empress Dowager never intended for Ning Chen to remain on the throne. This is a dead end for the young Emperor! A dead end that almost no one could escape!"

Fan Dayou was completely stunned, struggling to process his master's words.

Confucius continued, "Why do I say he is the makings of an eternal monarch? Because when faced with such a dead end, this young Emperor found a solution. Moreover, he has placed all his hope in you and me. He is calling for our help, do you understand?"