The night was deep, and the lanterns in the Imperial City had dimmed somewhat compared to earlier, but the place was far from quiet, especially near the front hall.
Imperial guards patrolled, officials who had finished their duties stood under the corridors whispering, and eunuchs bustled about carrying tea and snacks. When a procession approached slowly, everyone stopped.
"Empress," they greeted with bowed heads.
Chu Zhao nodded. "You have all worked hard."
The officials responded in unison, "It is our duty."
Chu Zhao glanced toward a palace hall. "Is the Grand Tutor present?"
The officials hurriedly replied, "The Grand Tutor is inside."
Chu Zhao then turned to the attending eunuchs. "The autumn night is damp and heavy. Take good care of the officials."
The eunuchs acknowledged in unison.
Chu Zhao passed by them and headed toward where the Grand Tutor was.
The officials noticed that among the Empress's entourage were eunuchs carrying food boxes, enough to set out an entire banquet—had she come to deliver a late-night meal to the Grand Tutor?
The Grand Tutor's daily meals were already specially prepared by the imperial kitchens of the inner palace, and now the Empress herself was delivering a late-night meal—
The Regent Grand Tutor was truly exceptional.
However—
"I heard that after the banquet, the Empress and the Grand Tutor had an argument."
"I heard that too. The Grand Tutor was furious."
"Young Master Xie the Third was also present at the time."
"I wonder what outrageous demand the Empress made again."
"Was the Empress instigated by Young Master Xie the Third—"
"Shh, watch your words, watch your words."Many people entered the hall, their footsteps chaotic, turning the originally quiet room into a noisy one."
Deng Yi sat at his desk without even rising, as if the person who had entered were not the Empress, let alone offering a salute.
The officials originally in the hall quickly bowed their heads and retreated, pretending not to see this scene—this Grand Tutor came from humble origins and rose to power suddenly, but his temper was exceptionally overbearing.
What could be done? The Little Emperor and the Little Empress still had many years to endure under his control.
Chu Zhao also seemed to ignore Deng Yi's disrespect. She instructed the eunuchs to lay out the dishes across the table, after which the eunuchs and palace maids withdrew, leaving only Xiao Man behind.
Xiao Man was usually as if she didn't exist, but this time, she glanced at Deng Yi a few more times, slightly wary. She could sense that this man was somewhat hostile—
Though it was clear at a glance that Deng Yi was not a skilled fighter, unlike Xie Yanfang, who appeared to be a frail young master but was actually capable of killing.
However, these officials, even if they lacked martial skills, had killed more people than those who did.
They killed without blades.
"Grand Tutor," Chu Zhao said with a smile. "I personally selected these dishes. Please try them."
Deng Yi replied indifferently, "I am not hungry."
Chu Zhao curtsied and said with a smile, "Grand Tutor, please do not be angry with me."
Deng Yi responded, "Since Your Majesty has already made a decision, why would you listen to others? Whether I am angry or not is useless, so I am not angry."
He spoke the truth. At this moment, he felt no anger, his expression calm and his demeanor cold.
He was neither angry nor concerned.
Chu Zhao sighed softly and stepped forward. "Lord Deng." She bowed again. "A Zhao thanks you."
No longer using the formal titles of "Your Majesty" and "Grand Tutor," she reverted to their former form of address. Deng Yi looked at her and said coolly, "It is my duty as a subject. I dare not accept Your Majesty's gratitude."
Chu Zhao said, "Lord Deng, your earlier furious reprimand of me was your duty as a subject to protect your sovereign. My departure from the Imperial City and the capital—your dissatisfaction with me is, in fact, a good thing for me."
Deng Yi looked at her but said nothing.The girl smiled calmly. "If both the Grand Tutor and the Third Young Master were eager to have me leave, I wouldn't dare to go."
She spoke quite frankly.
Only when two parties disagreed could a three-way balance be maintained.
Deng Yi said, "Your Majesty jests. What would Miss Azhao not dare to do? Whether you agree or not, Miss Azhao's luggage is already packed, waiting only for you to climb over the wall tonight, isn't it?"
Chu Zhao laughed and looked at Xiao Man, asking, "Xiao Man, is our luggage packed?"
What nonsense was this? She didn't understand these capital city people. Xiao Man turned her head away and muttered, "I don't know. I'm not in charge of packing. Ask A Le."
Chu Zhao wasn't really asking, of course. She smiled and looked at Deng Yi.
Deng Yi was silent for a moment, then reached for the fruit tea on the table. He was about to drink it all in one gulp but paused, saying, "I truly don't care whether you go or not—"
Chu Zhao's presence wasn't necessary to him; on the contrary, perhaps her absence would be better. In his plans, this girl had never existed from the beginning.
But since she was here—
He paused, still needing to think more carefully for her sake.
"I don't understand."
What difference would it make to see him just once?
Chu Zhao sat down opposite him, poured herself a cup of fruit tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then said, "He is my father, and I am his daughter. I must see him one last time before he passes."
Deng Yi said, "What good will seeing him do? You know very well what condition your father is in. Seeing him won't bring him back to life."
This left Chu Zhao at a loss for words. She sighed helplessly, "Lord Deng, that's not how we should look at it, is it?"
Deng Yi said indifferently, "Your Majesty must excuse me, but this is simply the kind of person I am." He finished his fruit tea in one gulp and added, "That day in the palace, I already bowed from afar to pay my respects to my mother."
Even though he had obtained the imperial seal and the tiger tally bestowed by the Emperor, he had never entertained the thought of fighting his way out of the palace to see if his mother was safe.
"This is a futile endeavor," he said. "What good does it do, aside from giving your heart some comfort?"
It seemed there really was no benefit. Chu Zhao fell silent.
"From the moment we are born, we begin to lose things in this life. What we must do is hold onto what we can, not cling greedily to what cannot be kept," Deng Yi said. "Especially for people like you and me, who have reached the positions we hold today. If we become trapped by greed, anger, and obsession, not only will we suffer, but those around us will meet no good end either."
Chu Zhao was silent for a moment. "In all my years, no one has ever spoken to me like this." She then raised her cup of fruit tea and bowed solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
She had addressed him as "sir."
Deng Yi neither objected to nor cared about her form of address. "That's only because you hadn't reached this position before. There was no need to tell you these things."
Chu Zhao thought to herself that she had indeed been in a similar position before, but then shook her head. No, it was different. In that lifetime, when she was Empress, it wasn't the same as the current Empress. In that lifetime, the Empress was dependent on Xiao Xun. In this lifetime, she had come here of her own volition.
Indeed, the positions were different.
Chu Zhao drank her fruit tea in one gulp again and said, "I came today to thank you, sir. With you here, A Zhao can go with peace of mind."
With that, she stood and walked out.
Xiao Man followed closely behind.
Peace of mind? Did she trust him so completely? Deng Yi remained seated at the table, not rising, and picked up his chopsticks to slowly eat his food.
...
...
Chu Zhao walked through the palace, the eunuchs around her dispersing until only she and Xiao Man remained. They stepped into the narrow path between the high palace walls, and darkness swallowed them.In the darkness, Chu Zhao removed the vermilion hairpin from her head, unfastened the jade pendants, and shed the resplendent ceremonial robes, revealing the practical attire beneath.
She knew full well that seeing her father one last time could not bring him back to life—it was a futile endeavor, offering nothing but solace to the soul.
Yet, what Deng Yi did not know was that this seemingly pointless act was something she had traded for with a life already lost.
If she could fulfill her wish, dying once more would be worth it.
In this brief and arduous journey of life, the greatest fortune lies in being able to achieve one's heart's desire.
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