Ashes to Crown

Chapter 194: Chapter 24: The Entrustment

When Deng Yi arrived at the Emperor’s study, Chu Zhao was discussing matters of the court with Xiao Yu.

They were reviewing who had spoken in court that day and what had been said.

They were debating whether the proposed actions were correct—

”I don’t know about that either.” Chu Zhao smiled as she said this.

The child, sitting properly behind the desk, was at a loss—not because he didn’t understand, but because he didn’t know how to comfort Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao paid no mind to what the child was thinking, her eyes fixed on the approaching Deng Yi.

”It’s all right. The Grand Tutor is here,” Chu Zhao said with a smile. ”Let the Grand Tutor explain it to us, and then we’ll know.”

Deng Yi stopped and bowed. ”Your Majesty. Empress.”

Xiao Yu nodded for him to rise. After Xiao Yu had spoken, Chu Zhao then ordered a seat to be brought.

Eunuch Qi personally brought over a round stool.

Deng Yi sat down without ceremony. He glanced at the official records on the desk, where the proceedings of the court session were documented. ”I can’t say for certain if this is the right or wrong course of action,” he said. ”For now, it is all just talk. We will only know once it is done. We should be able to report back to Your Majesty in about half a month.”

Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment and looked at Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao said to him, ”Yu, say whatever you’re thinking. You can say anything in front of the Grand Tutor.”

Xiao Yu then looked at Deng Yi and asked curiously, ”What if it’s wrong?”

Deng Yi said, ”Then we will punish the officials and compensate the common people.”

Xiao Yu let out an ”oh” and murmured, ”So there will still be losses.”

Deng Yi said, ”Your Majesty shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes. Nothing in this world is foolproof.”

’Yes, that’s true,’ Xiao Yu understood this point. It was just like the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort—despite having so many guards, favored as they were by the heavens, they still met with an unexpected death. He fell silent.

”However, the court will make preparations to handle any unforeseen circumstances and will do its utmost to avoid a bad outcome,” Deng Yi added. He rose and bowed. ”Please rest assured, Your Majesty. We, your subjects, will do everything in our power to protect Your Majesty’s people.”

Xiao Yu glanced at Chu Zhao, who gestured for him to stand up.

Xiao Yu then stood up from behind the desk and walked over to Deng Yi. He placed his small hands on Deng Yi’s arms to help him rise. In a child’s innocent voice, he said, ”With the Grand Tutor here, We have nothing to worry about.”

Deng Yi expressed his gratitude once more and stood up straight.

Chu Zhao smiled. ”All right, we’re done with court business. Yu, it’s time for your lessons.”

As the Emperor, he had to be familiar with the court; as a six-year-old child, it was even more important for him to study.

Xiao Yu could neglect neither.

Deng Yi bowed and took his leave. Eunuch Qi went to summon the waiting tutors. Chu Zhao reminded Xiao Yu to study hard, then followed Deng Yi out.

”What did you say to Third Young Master Xie?” Deng Yi stopped, allowing Chu Zhao to take a step ahead before he followed and asked.

Chu Zhao smiled. ”For His Majesty’s sake, naturally.”

Deng Yi looked at her. The court session now over, the girl had changed out of her formal Empress’s robes and was wearing a simple dress. She still had a hint of childishness about her.

However, from the very first day he met this girl, he knew that ”childishness” had nothing to do with her.

Before the Emperor’s first court session, she had summoned him to discuss a matter.

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When Deng Yi arrived, Chu Zhao was in the middle of a meal. Seeing him, her eyes sparkled as she smiled.

”Ah Le! Ah Le!” she called out. ”Quick, bring a bowl and chopsticks for the Grand Tutor.”

The familiar maid happily fetched a bowl and chopsticks.

”Lord Deng,” she added, ”hurry and try some. The food from the Imperial Kitchen is much better than Yaqug Pavilion’s.”

Deng Yi almost laughed. Her words were rather unsophisticated, comparing food from an outside restaurant with an imperial banquet. But he glanced around. The palace maids standing in attendance all had placid expressions, without a hint of mockery, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Chu Zhao, her maid, and another fierce, stern-faced girl all carried an air that was completely out of place in the court. But strangely, they didn’t seem like outsiders. Instead, they were unrestrained and completely at ease.

’She is the master of this court.’

Deng Yi didn’t refuse. He sat down, took the bowl and chopsticks, ate a few bites, and said, ”The imperial food in the Inner Palace is better than in the outer halls.”

As the Regent, and having successively presided over the funerals for the late Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess Consort, Deng Yi was practically living in the outer halls, taking all his meals in the palace.

Hearing him say this, Chu Zhao laughed. ”How dare those people neglect the Lord Grand Tutor!”

Deng Yi said, ”It’s not just me they neglect. It’s the same for all the court officials.”

The meals the Imperial Kitchen supplied for the officials naturally couldn’t compare to those of the Inner Palace.

Chu Zhao smiled. She didn’t speak of investigating the Imperial Kitchen, but simply turned to Ah Le and said, ”From now on, we’ll have the Grand Tutor’s meals sent from our kitchens.”

Ah Le answered, ”Yes.”

There was a distinction between the inner and outer courts. Officials could not eat the Emperor’s imperial meals, but trusted ministers could be bestowed them as a gift.

This distinction wasn’t a bad thing. It was a matter of rules, but also of imperial favor and face.

’Was this girl born to be royalty? She understands so much at such a young age.’ Deng Yi was a little curious. ’How did Chu Ling raise his daughter? Surely he didn’t raise her to be an empress.’

He didn’t refuse her offer, just offered his thanks. Dispensing with further pleasantries, he asked directly, ”Your Highness, what orders did you summon me for?”

Chu Zhao said, ”It’s about His Majesty attending court.”

After saying this, she signaled to Ah Le. Ah Le led the palace maids out. Xiao Man, however, remained standing motionless. Even when Ah Le shot her a look, she ignored it, so Ah Le didn’t insist.

Deng Yi didn’t care whether there was one person more or less in the hall. He guessed that Chu Zhao had called him over because she was worried about the young Emperor’s first time attending court and wanted to ask him to look after the boy.

”I, your subject—” he began.

But Chu Zhao spoke first. ”Grand Tutor, I want to accompany His Majesty to the court sessions.”

Deng Yi was thankful he had only taken a few bites of food and had already swallowed them all, otherwise he feared he might have spat everything out.

She was indeed worried about the young Emperor, but not in a way that involved him looking after the boy—

’What an audacious request.’

”How many times does My Lady plan to accompany him?” he asked lightly.

”For the enthronement ceremony, you could say His Majesty is young, so you could accompany him. For the first day of court, you could also say His Majesty is timid, so you could accompany him. But he can’t be scared every single day, can he? No matter how frightening something is, once you get used to it, the fear goes away.”

Chu Zhao smiled. ”I will accompany him until he can rule in his own right.”

Deng Yi chuckled, put down his chopsticks, and said, ”Miss Ah Zhao is getting bolder and bolder.”

’So what if she’s the Empress? He, Deng Yi, still dared to call her Miss Ah Zhao.’

’The status of an Empress isn’t something one is born with; it is bestowed by the Emperor. And since it is given by someone else, it can also be taken away. It can be revoked.’

Chu Zhao showed no fear in the face of Deng Yi’s attitude. So what if he said something disrespectful to her? She had seen Deng Yi slap an emperor’s face.

”Grand Tutor,” she called, not addressing his last comment. She reached out to place some food in his bowl. ”You should try this.”

’What is this? An attempt to curry favor?’ Deng Yi gave a faint, noncommittal smile.

”Lord Deng,” Chu Zhao said, looking at him with a frank expression, ”I must accompany His Majesty as he grows up. The Xie family cannot be his only close relatives.”

Deng Yi understood the meaning behind that last sentence.

’She’s making a fuss about attending court because of the Xie family.’

’She wants to compete with the Xie family for the young Emperor.’

’That’s right. She fought tooth and nail to protect the young highness and storm the Imperial City, then demanded the position of Empress from the Emperor. Of course she didn’t do it all just to preserve a relative and an emperor for the Xie family.’

’From the very beginning, she was doing it for herself. And since it was for herself, she needed the Emperor to rely on her more. But she is a woman, and the Emperor ultimately belongs to the court. To be a good emperor, he must rely on those who can support him in court—for example, his maternal uncles, who are both his relatives and court officials.’

Deng Yi reached out again and picked up the piece of food Chu Zhao had given him.

Seeing his action, Chu Zhao quickly bowed. ”I ask for the Grand Tutor’s help.”

She bowed, then lifted her eyes to look at him, her large eyes blinking.

Deng Yi looked at the food held in his chopsticks. ”Perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten this meal?”

Chu Zhao laughed out loud. She sat up straight in an instant and called out loudly to Ah Le, ”Have the Imperial Kitchen send more dishes!”

Deng Yi didn’t eat any more of the food. Although he could still call her ”Miss Ah Zhao,” the Miss Ah Zhao of today was more than just Miss Ah Zhao.

”For this matter, I am not the one Your Highness needs to convince,” he said. ”His Majesty and I will always have the relationship of ruler and subject. He is my sovereign, and I am his minister. It’s simple and clear. Having you, the Empress, sitting in on court sessions is of no consequence to me.”

He recognized only the Emperor.

Even if she, the Empress, sat on the dais in the court, she would not be his sovereign.

His words were extremely blunt.

Chu Zhao showed not the slightest bit of shame or anger, listening intently.

”But to the Xie family, having the Empress seated next to the Emperor is very important,” Deng Yi said. ”So, the ones you need to convince are the Xie family.”

Chu Zhao gave him a solemn bow. ”Thank you for your instruction, Grand Tutor.”

Deng Yi said coolly, ”I can help you attend court, but I will not help you persuade the Xie family.”

The girl lifted her head and smiled. ”Lord Deng only accepted one meal from me, so of course he cannot be expected to help me with two matters. This one, I will handle myself.”

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Deng Yi retracted his gaze. ’She really did it.’

For His Majesty’s sake.

’Of course, for His Majesty’s sake, Xie Yanfang would do anything.’

Deng Yi asked no more questions. He bowed to take his leave and strode past her.

In truth, he didn’t care how she had convinced Xie Yanfang.

Her asking for his help earlier hadn’t been because she truly needed it. She was just telling him that she did not trust Xie Yanfang.

Her distrust of Xie Yanfang—who did that benefit? Him, of course.

And how could he, Deng Yi, not agree to something that benefited him?

’It’s just that—’

Deng Yi stopped and glanced back. The girl’s figure was still standing before the great hall, seemingly seeing him off, yet also seemingly surveying the Imperial City.

’Does she trust *him*?’