Chapter 1566: Coaxing the Emperor Like One Coaxes a Little Son

Before Emperor Yuan Ding, Chen Chen Guanfu was respectful and loyal, fulfilling every duty of a minister.

Only the exceptionally sharp-eyed could faintly detect that he looked down on Emperor Yuan Ding, despising him from the bottom of his heart.

Back then, when sending his daughter into the palace for the selection of consorts, he had no intention at first of forming a marriage alliance with Empress Dowager Sun. Later, circumstances changed, the situation forced his hand, and Emperor Jian Shi personally arranged the match — only then did this marriage come about.

Now, his daughter was honored as the Empress, his grandson honored as the legitimate eldest son, yet he had absolutely no intention of supporting Emperor Yuan Ding in his showdown with the Zhengshitang. He even faintly stood on the Zhengshitang's side, only short of personally stepping in to add insult to injury and make things worse.

Empress Chen was clever — without needing to meet face-to-face to confirm, she could tell the Hou Fu's attitude simply by watching how they acted. Therefore, she did not summon Chen Chen Guanfu, did not try to persuade the Hou Fu to support Emperor Yuan Ding.

On this point, Emperor Yuan Ding was especially furious, especially full of hatred!

"Husband and wife are one body. The Empress sits by watching my predicament without asking or lifting a finger, and does not even try to help share my burdens. What does she intend?" Emperor Yuan Ding demanded in great rage.

"The whole court, civil and military alike, are all learned scholars, all brimming with knowledge. Your Majesty does not go to consult proper court officials, yet comes to rely on me, a mere woman — what sense does that make? On ordinary days you despise women for being long-haired and short-sighted, yet at the crucial moment you rely on me, a woman, to pull you out of danger. Where would I get such great ability?"

Empress Chen spoke with perfect justification.

Emperor Yuan Ding, beside himself with fury: "I was not relying on you — I was relying on the Hou Fu. Why do you not share my burdens, why do you not help me build bridges and make connections?"

"If it would work, I would have taken action long ago without Your Majesty needing to say so. The key is, my words cannot sway the Hou Fu's decisions at all. The Hou Fu is my grandfather's and father's Yiyantang — I am a daughter married out, and even though I am honored as Empress, I am still just a daughter married out."

"Does the Hou Fu not fear that I will cold-shoulder you, punish you?" Emperor Yuan Ding gnashed his teeth, wishing he could swallow the Empress alive.

"On what grounds would Your Majesty punish me? Simply because I am powerless? The consorts in the harem are every one of them powerless, none able to share Your Majesty's burdens — why does Your Majesty not punish them? I do not ask for perfect fairness, but Your Majesty should at least put on a show of it. Do not let the world laugh."

Empress Chen was thoroughly annoyed.

They were all the Emperor's women, had all done the same thing, every one powerless, unable to provide the slightest assistance. Just because she was the Empress, was she supposed to be questioned and punished? What injustice!

In the final analysis, it was still the men who were incompetent!

The Hou Fu was no small, insignificant household — it would not, just because its daughter had 'climbed up' to a high branch and become Empress, stake the entire clan on the Emperor's conscience and support him wholeheartedly in his struggle against the Zhengshitang.

Only small, insignificant households would do such a thing; any family with a bit of foundation would never do it.

Without Emperor Yuan Ding, the Hou Fu would still be the Hou Fu, with its connections spread throughout the court and beyond.

The daughter becoming Empress was nothing more than icing on the cake. The Hou Fu relied on the foundations laid by several generations, on its own depth, and on the network of connections built up over generations.

Emperor Yuan Ding?

He had not even secured his throne firmly — not worth a second glance.

The Hou Fu's attitude amounted to a clean break with Empress Chen.

As for the future, once Empress Chen's son grew up, they would take a look at his aptitude; if it was passable, the Hou Fu might offer reserved support.

Did the Hou Fu not fear offending Emperor Yuan Ding, and that once Emperor Yuan Ding's wings were full he would wipe out the Hou Fu?

That would be the greatest joke under heaven.

Emperor Emperor Taixing, Emperor Jian Shi — two generations of emperors had wanted to wipe out the Hou Fu and failed. Where did Emperor Yuan Ding get the confidence that he could wipe out the Hou Fu? Did he truly take the Hou Fu for a soft persimmon that could be squeezed at will?

The Hou Fu's not raising troops in rebellion at present was the greatest loyalty it could show to the Great Qian dynasty!

The Hou Fu did not raise wastrels!

The Hou Fu's succession was orderly, with many descendants. It had its own set of proven rules, with a very high rate of producing capable heirs, ensuring that the one who inherited the family business was no fool.

Empress Chen's elder brother, the Hou Fu's burden-bearing grandson and future heir Chen Chen Mengzhao, had already been secretly sent to the northwest for training, personally educated by Marquis Pingjiang, to ensure the heir grew up strong.

Unlike the imperial family — Emperor Jian Shi feared his sons growing wings and contending with him for power, and suppressed them at every turn. As a result, after Emperor Yuan Ding ascended the throne, he was hampered at every point, with not a single capable person by his side to counsel him and help break the deadlock.

"You are the Empress, your maiden family is the Marquis Pingjiang's Hou Fu. How could they compare with them?" Emperor Yuan Ding's fury surged.

Empress Chen smiled contemptuously. "This palace has family background, but they have Your Majesty's favor. Surely Your Majesty knows that for the women of the harem, Your Majesty's favor is everything. Your Majesty is brilliantly gifted, incomparably clever — I trust that even without outside support, you can still fight Xie Changling and the others to a standstill."

She had originally wanted to have a proper debate with Emperor Yuan Ding, to thrash the matter out clearly.

Then she recalled Chen Chen Guanlou's admonition — do not try to reason with the Emperor, do not try to test his patience.

Coax him!

Coax him as if coaxing a little son!

Her son loved being praised as clever and capable. Barely out of diapers, he could not bear the slightest criticism or denial.

Presumably the Emperor was the same.

She decisively transformed into the Empress of Praise, praising him to death, feeding the Emperor chicken soup for the soul.

Emperor Yuan Ding had originally been seething with rage, wishing he could tear the Empress apart with his bare hands. But the moment the other party changed her confrontational attitude and began praising him — and not repeating the same flattery twice —

his mood gradually improved, anger turning to joy, and he even began to consider things from her perspective.

"I too know your difficulties. Father-in-law is truly unreasonable, showing not the slightest consideration for you and me. This is not your fault — it is mine!"

"How could it be Your Majesty's fault? Your Majesty is not at fault! All the fault lies with those old ministers like Xie Changling. One and all, they throw their seniority around, relying on the late Emperor's favor to pressure Your Majesty in every way. It is truly going too far! This concubine feels sorrow and anger on Your Majesty's behalf."

"Do not be sad! I am still young, I have plenty of time to wear them down."

"Your Majesty is wise! A new emperor brings new ministers — this much even I understand, and I do not believe Xie Changling and the others do not understand it. They are doing it on purpose! If I had the ability, I would wipe them out for Your Majesty. What a pity I am but a woman and cannot share Your Majesty's burdens. Your Majesty will not blame me for that, will you?"

"Of course not! Zitong, do not overthink!"

The two had just been arguing as if wishing each other dead, and now they were all over each other again, with no room for anyone else to get a word in.

The palace attendants kept their eyes lowered, all thinking to themselves: the Empress is truly formidable, truly knows how to coax people! With a few words she had coaxed the Emperor into good humor — no worse than the other consorts, in fact even better.

The other consorts were quite skilled at acting coy and cute, but when it came to coaxing straight to the Emperor's heart, they still fell a little short — could not quite hit the mark.

It still had to be the Empress — with her insight, her ability, her understanding of court affairs and the big picture, she could hit the mark.

Emperor Yuan Ding was pleased, so he stayed at Fengzao Palace for the meal. He even held his eldest son.

Empress Chen did not mention the matter of establishing the Crown Prince at all — anyone could raise the topic, but she alone could not.

Moreover, the child was still young; putting off the matter of establishing the Crown Prince by a few more years was not too late.

Establishing the Crown Prince too early would easily make him a target, opposed at every turn.