The Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 56

Xiao Huaixu stood on the shore for a while, feeling quite cheated, then composed himself and called out with a smile, "Mother?"

Liu Qingtang paused in her paddling motion, reached out to remove the lotus leaf covering her face, sat up, smoothed her hair, and then looked at Xiao Huaixu. "Why did you come so suddenly? You didn't even send someone to inform me beforehand so I could have someone greet you."

Xiao Huaixu smiled with his head down. Even though she had changed back into that green dress, she still looked like the Empress Dowager. This was fine. "How could I trouble Mother?" he said, taking a step towards the ferry where the small boat was moored, and then climbing down the ladder to get off the boat.

The small boat rocked slightly, creating ripples. Xiao Huaixu sat opposite Liu Qingtang, a naive and gentle smile on his face, and said, "Mother, are you enjoying yourself here? There are still many matters in the court awaiting your decision. When does Mother plan to return?"

Liu Qingtang rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands in the water. Looking at the rosy sunset reflected on the water, she smiled and said, "That's the emperor's business. The emperor is not young anymore. Why does he still ask his mother for everything like he did when he was a child?" Her words were affectionate, but Liu Qingtang didn't seem to feel any emotion when she spoke.

"Huai Xu can't do without his mother." Compared to Liu Qingtang's undisguised aloofness, the affection and admiration on Xiao Huai Xu's face seemed much more genuine. Whether it was real or not, he had always done this very well.

Liu Qingtang simply smiled at these words and remained silent. Couldn't they do without her? They wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Huaixu said again, "Mother, when I came here I heard that Prince Chun... my elder brother was staying at Physician Yang's residence. Although my elder brother is somewhat... special, this is still against etiquette."

So that's what it was about. Liu Qingtang immediately understood. She thought he could really sit back and do nothing, so she couldn't help but test him. While she thought this to herself, Liu Qingtang naturally wouldn't show it on her face. When she didn't want others to see her thoughts, no one would know what she was really thinking. It's just that nowadays, she often didn't care about such things.

"With Prince Chun in such a state, how could the servants properly take care of him? Before the Empress Dowager passed away, she asked me to arrange someone to take care of Prince Chun. It just so happens that Physician Yang treated the Empress Dowager for a period of time and spent some time with Prince Chun. I feel that there is no one more suitable than him to take care of Prince Chun. As for whether it is in accordance with etiquette, etiquette is something that is made by people, so there will always be oversights. How can we generalize about Prince Chun's situation? Moreover, Physician Yang is familiar with me, and I trust his character. Entrusting Prince Chun to him is the most appropriate thing to do."

Hearing Liu Qingtang's words, Xiao Huaixu understood that she was not prepared to back down. He often wondered why his aunt, who had initially cared for him, was becoming increasingly distant. Both Grand Secretaries Wang and Feng said she was unwilling to hand over the court she had cultivated for so many years to him, and didn't want to be separated from him by the emperor; she wanted to truly hold all the power in her own hands, which was why she began to distance herself from him and express her dissatisfaction.

Xiao Huaixu guessed that perhaps Liu Qingtang had sensed his intentions towards the Liu family. If that were the case, it wouldn't be surprising if she suddenly changed her attitude, since she cared most about her family, and the only reason she took care of him was because he was her sister's child.

He didn't want to believe what Wang and Feng said. After so many years together, Xiao Huaixu believed he knew Liu Qingtang very well and that she wouldn't have such ambitions.

But his father had taught him one thing: nothing is absolute, and people's hearts are fickle. Could old friends change so easily? Would Liu Qingtang be the same? Xiao Huaixu wasn't sure.

Seeing that Xiao Huaixu remained silent, Liu Qingtang ignored him and continued, "The younger sister of Physician Yang has been brought back from her hometown of Luyang. She and her brother were childhood sweethearts, but Yang Sujin went back to her hometown to recuperate in her early years, and we haven't seen each other since. Now she's back in Yujing awaiting marriage, and Physician Yang came to me last time to request permission to marry his sister to Prince Chun. Although Prince Chun is a prince of noble status, given his circumstances, it's not appropriate to casually assign him a princess. As for Yang Sujin, although she is a bit weak, the Yang family has strict family traditions, and Physician Yang is handsome, humble, and polite. I imagine his sister has grown into a well-educated and virtuous young lady, and I think this would be a good match."

Xiao Huaixu was initially concerned about whether Liu Qingtang truly intended to replace him with Xiao Huai and that fool. However, upon hearing her speak of Yang Sushu in a familiar tone, her words filled with praise and admiration, he couldn't help but feel a little strange, and his thoughts immediately turned to Yang Sushu.

Was Yang Sushu really that good? Xiao Huaixu had met the imperial physician Yang Sushu before. Although she was very handsome, she was far too effeminate. Moreover, officials from outside the palace had to avoid suspicion with the imperial harem, and Liu Qingtang had never spoken much about Yang Sushu to him. Therefore, he only remembered that Yang Sushu was indeed Liu Qingtang's childhood sweetheart, and didn't think much more about it.

With the matter of Prince Chun in the news, Yang Sushu, a man of low profile, was repeatedly brought up, and rumors in Yujing City that Yang Sushu was the Empress Dowager's male favorite were spreading like wildfire among the officials. The more intense the rumors, the more likely they were to have some basis in reality, and Xiao Huaixu, hearing them, began to have his own doubts.

He used to think that Liu Qingtang was someone whose heart and soul were devoted to her family and the people, and that no one else mattered to her, so she would never fall in love with anyone. But now he suddenly sensed something was amiss. Liu Qingtang's current changes might be due to something, or rather, someone.

Could that person be Yang Sushu?

If Liu Qingtang truly loved Yang Sushu, then he would find a chance to get rid of him. He was just a lowly physician in the Imperial Medical Academy; how could Liu Qingtang possibly like someone like that? Xiao Huaixu thought this matter-of-factly, then, realizing what he was thinking, he was startled by this sudden thought. Why should he care what kind of person Liu Qingtang liked? After all, she was just his aunt; who she liked was none of his business.

Xiao Huaixu was momentarily bewildered. In the end, he could only attribute it to his recent anxiety and mental fog. But then he remembered that his anxiety seemed to stem from Liu Qingtang's less affectionate treatment of him than before.

Why did he care so much about Liu Qingtang? He wanted her to care about him, to see only her, to treat him the same as before, and for her… not to treat him like a nephew. Following his thoughts, Xiao Huaixu arrived at these conclusions. This almost instantly reminded him of his father's morbid possessiveness towards his mother, and his face suddenly turned extremely grim.

Liu Qingtang had been watching Xiao Huaixu's expression closely. Seeing his somber face, she assumed he had a problem with what she had said about Prince Chun, Yang Sujin, so she said, "What is Your Majesty's opinion?"

Xiao Huaixu was startled, then managed a weak smile, "If Mother thinks it's good, then it's good. I have no objections."

"Then let's decide on that." Liu Qingtang said, standing up to go ashore. Seeing him like that, she suddenly felt a sense of annoyance. Perhaps only on the day Xiao Huaixu died would her feelings about this emperor nephew be resolved.

After taking only two steps, Liu Qingtang lost her footing and tumbled towards the lake. Xiao Huaixu, a few steps behind her, saw her falling and rushed over without thinking to grab her. Unfortunately, the small boat rocked violently, and Xiao Huaixu himself lost his balance, so they both fell into the lake.

Liu Qingtang could swim, but Xiao Huaixu couldn't; he was even somewhat afraid of water. When Liu Qingtang first entered the palace, she teased him by rowing him to the middle of the lake and threatening to throw him overboard if he disobeyed her. Xiao Huaixu was terrified.

Now, Xiao Huaixu was struggling wildly in the water, waving his hands haphazardly, but he couldn't hold on for long. Liu Qingtang paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly. Before Xiao Huaixu could faint, she grabbed him and pulled him out of the water.

Sometimes, she herself didn't understand whether she wanted him to die or not.

When Qin Shu rushed over after hearing the news that the Empress Dowager had fallen into the water, Liu Qingtang had already changed her clothes and was sitting in front of the mirror having someone dry her hair.

This was the first time Qin Shu had lost his temper in front of Liu Qingtang, but it wasn't directed at her. His face was cold and stern, and his words carried an icy edge as he swept his gaze over the palace servants below, asking, "Who's on duty around there today?"

A palace maid and two eunuchs stepped forward tremblingly, their faces ashen. They were all palace servants who had been stationed at the Imperial Water Manor. They had heard of Qin Shu's infamous reputation but had never seen him in person, as he hadn't seemed particularly fierce these past few days, except for his quiet demeanor. But now, after being swept across by his gaze, and recalling what the other palace servants from Yujing City had said, they were so frightened that they could hardly stand.

When Qin Shu saw that the three people who stepped forward were clean and obviously had not been in the water, his face became even more unpleasant. Did these people want the Empress Dowager to come ashore by herself?

Where were you when your master fell into the water?

The three men knelt there, kowtowing repeatedly, unable to utter a word, only sobbing and begging for forgiveness. These past few days, the Empress Dowager had been resting on the small boat every day without incident, so the three men had occasionally slacked off. They never expected something like this to happen today. By the time they noticed the commotion and ran over, the Empress Dowager had already pulled the Emperor ashore. Knowing they were doomed, the three men kowtowed and wept.

Qin Shu didn't care about anything else. After figuring things out, he ordered his men to drag them away and deal with them. The punishment was self-evident; such things were commonplace in the palace. An ordinary servant could lose their life if they didn't serve their master well. Few people cared about the lives of such lowly servants. Even Liu Qingtang, who had once been kind enough to care for an injured eunuch on the roadside, was now used to these things and wouldn't say a word about Qin Shu's actions.

If Qin Shu had met Liu Qingtang back then, the situation would likely have been completely different. However, they were fortunate enough to meet at the right time and have the chance to start over.

After everyone else had left, Qin Shu stepped forward and hugged Liu Qingtang tightly, letting out a deep breath.

Liu Qingtang leaned on his shoulder and patted his back comfortingly. Suddenly, she whispered, "Qin Shu, one day, I might not be able to resist killing Xiao Huaixu."

"I'll help you." Qin Shu simply tightened his grip on her arms, saying this without hesitation.

Author's Note: _______A dream threw a landmine in a deep alley.

Boss Jia threw a landmine x4

Butterfly Loves Flower threw a landmine

Seaweed threw a landmine x16

Dreamy Silver Crystal threw a landmine

Xiaoxi threw a landmine

[Thanks for the grenade... (500 words of thanks omitted) _(:3∠)_ (Hey (`o′)) I'm just trying to express my gratitude to you girls, I'm too reserved to say it (actually, I don't know how to express my thanks =.=)]