The Empress Mother's implication was not lost on Ye An.
"Please excuse me. I have other engagements that I need to attend to." It was one of those rare days where Ye An didn't have anything planned but she needed to get out before she suffocated in this suddenly stuffy room. Ye An thought that she would burst out brashly again if she stayed any longer. It was better to leave while she was still able to do so and stood up to leave without waiting for an answer.
When she was at the door, Ye An turned back to face the Empress Mother and added, "I do hope that I don't see you again at the court meeting tomorrow, Your Majesty. I appreciate your gesture at the previous meeting but I, your humble grandchild, would like to take care of matters myself. Your understanding would be highly appreciated."
She then opened the doors forcefully which startled the servants who were positioned just outside of the Empress Mother's doors. Xi Chen however was undeterred and quickly followed the emperor's footsteps until they were back at the East Palace.
"You can dismiss yourself. I don't have anything scheduled for today. I just needed an excuse to get away from her." Ye An waved her hand to dismiss the lieutenant once they arrived at the main courtyard of the East Palace.
Xi Chen gave the young emperor a suspicious look which wasn't missed by Ye An.
"Don't worry. I promise I won't get you into trouble. I'll only be in my chambers for the rest of the day. And rest assured that making empty promises is not something that I have a habit of doing." Ye An sighed. "Go back and rest, Lieutenant Yun."
"Alright, Your Imperial Majesty." Xi Chen obliged. Truthfully, he would like nothing better than to finally have a proper rest.
Ye An expected the young lieutenant to head straight back to his residence after that but he was still following behind her. "Why are you still following me, Lieutenant Yun?"
"I'll return to my chambers once I've escorted you to your door." Xi Chen said lightly.
Ye An sighed again and just replied "Fine."
She had more stuff to worry about than arguing with the lieutenant. Especially considering that she had already made the decision to have him as her ally. Besides, it was only a few more steps before she'll be rid of him.
*******
As Ye An promised, she stayed in her chambers for the rest of the day until the next morning when the court meeting was scheduled to be held. She went through her morning routine as usual but omitted her morning greeting with the Empress Mother. After yesterday's encounter, Ye An decided that enough was enough and it was time for her to do away with the routine of having unpleasant conversations at such early hours in the morning. When she was ready, Ye An headed to the Throne Hall with a small procession of servants and the young lieutenant by her side.
Once everyone had settled down, Xi Chen's clear deep voice rang throughout the hall. "His Imperial Majesty would like to thank all of you for attending this meeting today. As was mentioned in the previous meeting, Minister Sze would be presenting the terms of agreement for the peace treaty with the Northerners."
YOU ARE READING
THE NIGHT EMPEROR: 夜安王 【The Night Emperor Book 1】| ✔️
Historical Fiction☑ COMPLETED "There are enough bad things in life, hold on to whatever it is that gives you joy." For the past 22 years, the Empress Mother has held onto the Dragon Throne that was rightfully Ye An's. Now, Ye An has finally ascended to the throne. Bu...
