Chapter 136: The Alliance of He and Yu

The morning air was thin and frigid, but the hearts of men were colder still.

Following the incident with Eunuch Liu, Liu Li and the Empress Dowager had fallen into a state of mutual suspicion and uncompromising tension, igniting yet another conflict.

He Yu braved the biting morning mist to reach the Empress Dowager’s bedchamber. It was a propitious time and season, perfect for her routine medical consultations and her innovative beauty treatments. Upon entering, she found the Empress Dowager sitting alone on her couch, consumed by grief, with not a soul around to keep her company.

Seeing this, He Yu offered an inward smile and stepped forward to pay her respects.

It took a long while for the Empress Dowager to collect her thoughts. She looked at He Yu and asked in a listless, motionless tone, "Why have you come?"

"Has the Empress Dowager forgotten? This is the best time of early autumn for beauty and rejuvenation!"

"What use is the best of times? I have no heart for such things. You may leave."

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, her face a mask of sorrow; she wished to see no one.

He Yu smiled, showing no sign of retreat. She walked straight to the Empress Dowager’s side. "I have come, and there is no reason for me to leave without finishing my task. If the Empress Dowager is troubled by something, then I shall resolve it, so that you may attend to your beauty without a care in the world!"

The Empress Dowager cast a dissatisfied glance at He Yu and gave a cold laugh. "Heh, and what could you possibly do?"

"In truth, I was the one who sent the assassins last night."

The Empress Dowager started, rising to face He Yu, staring at her in disbelief. "You?"

He Yu nodded with a smile. "Indeed. Did the Empress Dowager not notice that those men were from the Xihai Prefecture?"

The Empress Dowager looked at her with growing suspicion and shock. "You? You mobilized men from the Xihai Prefecture into the palace and used the opportunity to stage that event. Does this mean you have been plotting this for a long time?"

He Yu remained unnervingly calm. "I had long anticipated such an occurrence, so I made my preparations in advance."

"You—"

"Oh, shouldn't you be thanking me?" He Yu lowered her gaze and smiled. "If I hadn't lured Feng Xing away and suppressed the matter of Eunuch Liu, do you think you would still hold such power? I have the capability to give, and the power to take away!"

"What exactly are you trying to do?" The Empress Dowager stood up, enraged, and leaned close to He Yu, asking through gritted teeth, "You dare to disrupt my plans right before my eyes? Do you not wish to live?"

"Before, I wanted to uncover the relationship between you and the Main Hall, but I no longer care to. I have my own reasons for what I do. However, is it not inappropriate for you to be so angry? Everything I have done is for your sake!"

"For my sake?" The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh. "Is it for me, or for yourself?"

"Empress Dowager, had I not followed the Emperor to the Pavilion of Inner Reflection, Eunuch Liu would likely have revealed things that should never be spoken! Do you still think that my sending those assassins was unreasonable or unnecessary?"

The Empress Dowager froze, her mind flooded with chaotic thoughts. "You... are you saying that Eunuch Liu said nothing?"

"Exactly! But if the assassins had not interrupted, things would not be as they are now! Do you think that if the Emperor had learned the truth, he would be as calm as he is today?"

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and sat back down on the couch. "Since it was a good deed, and you have made your intentions clear, then speak. What do you want?"

"The Empress Dowager is truly direct!" He Yu gave her a long look, then composed herself and turned away. "You once treated me as a thorn in your side, but you were wrong. I could be just as useful to you as the Main Hall! And what I want is quite simple."

"Very well. Such cunning and such methods match my own standards for choosing people. Tell me, are you seeking a decree of marriage?"

He Yu was stunned, then laughed aloud. "A marriage decree? Matters of marriage require the commands of parents and the words of matchmakers; how could the Empress Dowager decide that alone? Although I desire to be the Emperor's consort, it is clearly not the right time."

"Then what is it you want?"

He Yu glanced at her, her eyes suddenly reddening. She swallowed the words in her heart, an inexplicable surge of emotion causing her a sharp, stinging pain.

"I want you to protect the Emperor. Until you can provide him with a safe path, do not target him!"

The Empress Dowager smiled, her tone icy. "It seems you are very well-informed about my affairs. Why, then, do you not go and persuade the Emperor yourself?"

"Do not test me. I will not speak to him. He would not listen to an outsider anyway. Are you not aware of his filial piety toward you? Do you think I would do something so foolish as to create a rift between him and me?"

"Heh, truly a woman of deep passion. To have such a person, I am truly happy for the Emperor! But why should I trust you? Do you think that by helping me silence someone, you have earned the right to bargain with me?"

He Yu smiled and looked at her. "I came here fully prepared. I can resolve this matter for you, ensuring the Emperor never learns the truth, so that he may always remain dutiful toward you. How does that sound?"

"That is all well and good, but can you actually do it?"

He Yu endured the moment, sighing, "Besides me, there is no one else who can accomplish this."

"Why?" the Empress Dowager asked, watching her. "Why help me and help the Emperor at the same time? What is it that you truly want?"

"What do I want?" He Yu gave a faint, bitter smile. *Your heart is filled only with transactions,* she thought. *Having lived deep in the palace for so many years, have you even forgotten the taste of genuine affection?*

Seeing that He Yu did not answer, the Empress Dowager pondered the benefits. She could not afford to lose He Yu now.

"You say only you can help me! Thinking it over, it is indeed the truth. The Emperor trusts you, and you are willing to deal with me; that is not bad at all! But how do you intend to proceed?"

"I will kill Eunuch Liu for you, quietly and without a trace. How is that?"

The Empress Dowager felt a surge of horror, followed by a lingering sense of reluctance.

He Yu observed all of this. Her expression softened slightly as she asked coldly, "Well? Yes or no?"

"Why must you do this?"

He Yu smiled coldly, feeling a glimmer of joy: *You still hesitate; he still carries weight in your heart. You are not entirely heartless! But he should not be your tool, nor a sacrifice for your power struggles, nor should he have to endure such suffering.*

"He is in my hands now. It would be simple and easy, and no one would suspect a thing. You can use the opportunity to blame the Emperor, and he will never know the truth. As long as you guarantee you will not harm the Emperor, I will keep this secret forever!"

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows, her anger rising once more. "Are you not afraid that once this is done, I will kill you, and then kill the Emperor?"

He Yu smiled and shook her head. "Do you think I would leave myself without a bargaining chip? Who among those capable of dealing with you is a mere mediocrity? Those you think are easy to bully or use are not so simple after all!"

"Is that a reminder, or a warning?"

He Yu felt a tightness in her chest and took a few steps away. "Think what you will. I have spoken my piece! I can take life, and I can save it. The choice is yours."

He Yu walked out the door and looked at the sky, feeling a profound sense of exhaustion.

She had often pondered such things, but she had never imagined how it would feel to experience them firsthand. It was not beautiful, nor was it exhilarating; there was only an endless expanse of helplessness and heartbreak.

The Empress Dowager also feared making the choice; she still clung to lingering feelings. Although she had been walking a path of no return for twenty years, remnants of past attachments still remained.

"If only I could forget everything from the past," the Empress Dowager sighed, producing the Xuanxin Mirror.

She recited an incantation, and the face of a man appeared on the surface—a face she was loath to see, especially now.

"What is it? You come to me for help? I thought you were handling everything yourself."

"Thanks to your guidance, I have used some extraordinary means to resolve the many puzzles before me. However, I am now faced with a choice, and so I have come to ask you."

"Oh? A choice that leaves you so troubled? Is it that the conflict of interests is not enough?"

"He Yu of the Xihai Prefecture wants to make a deal with me." The Empress Dowager recounted the entire affair.

Zuo laughed heartily upon hearing it. "Since when have you become so hesitant? Do not worry about He Yu. So, you still cannot let go of that man, can you?"

"No matter what he has done, he has never changed toward me. I truly cannot bear to kill him!"

"You have protected him for so many years, and he has done so much for you; it is indeed a bond difficult to sever. But what is so good about him? Compared to me, is he not far inferior?"

The Empress Dowager smiled. "You? Him? There is a world of difference. In this palace, he is the only one who gives me peace of mind!"

"And so what? You must know that on the path you have chosen, there is no place for true sentiment; everything is driven by interest. To achieve great things, one cannot be indecisive. You must summon your true resolve!"

"Are you suggesting I form an alliance with He Yu?"

"One can never have too many helpers."

"But her condition is that I do not harm the Emperor!"

"The Emperor is merely a small obstacle! Whether he lives or dies matters little! Besides, my Blood Moon Divine Pearl seems to be in his possession."

"As far as I know, he seems to have lost it."