Realistic governance games for both male and female audiences

Chapter 11 Huo Zhong, Huo Zhong, engaging in political intrigue and scheming... is really not for yo

"I acted impulsively!"

Huo Zhong walked out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom with slightly heavy steps.

He instinctively gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The afternoon sun was a bit too bright, shining on his face, which was covered with deep wrinkles, but it couldn't dispel the deep frustration between his brows.

He sighed inwardly, cursing himself for being too impatient.

"This is really wrong!"

As Huo Zhong slowly descended the white marble steps, he mentally reviewed the conversation he had just had.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his move of "threatening the son" in the Empress Dowager's bedroom was the worst move of all!

Who is the Empress Dowager?

She was the late emperor's principal wife, the current emperor's birth mother, and a ruthless woman who held the Phoenix Seal and controlled the harem for decades!

How could I be so stupid as to threaten her, especially her most beloved son, when she is someone with connections, money, and power?

How could a nephew so easily touch a mother's sore spot?

My actions today were like a pig rushing headlong down the road to making enemies!

Although Huo Zhong now holds military power, if this provokes the Empress Dowager to completely break ties with him, or even forces her to retaliate against him... then this would truly be a losing proposition!

"It's all that old hag's fault!"

A shadow crossed Huo Zhong's eyes.

Just now in the hall, the way she casually teased the crickets and her contemptuous attitude as if she didn't exist were just too infuriating!

It was precisely because of her pretentious arrogance that I couldn't help but blurt out those threatening words.

"Should I go back and mend my relationship with my aunt?"

Huo Zhong hesitated for a moment.

a long time……

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now!"

"I imagine my aunt is in a bad mood right now, and if I go back to apologize, I'll probably just be asking for trouble!"

"In that case, I'll find another opportunity to apologize to my aunt later!"

…………

After sighing again, Huo Zhong walked straight out of the palace.

However, what Huo Zhong didn't know was that the atmosphere inside the Empress Dowager's bedroom behind him was completely different from what he had imagined.

At this moment, in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, there was no scene of the Empress Dowager smashing cups and bowls as Huo Zhong had expected, nor were there any angry curses from the Empress Dowager.

Compared to the Empress Dowager's furious and angered state when Huo Zhong was present, the bedchamber was unusually quiet at this moment.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager, still sitting upright on the phoenix throne, casually pushed the bamboo cage containing the crickets aside, as if the woman who had been engrossed in cricket fighting was just someone else's illusion.

"Someone come here!"

The Empress Dowager's voice was calm and even, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Soon, a slightly aged-looking head eunuch emerged from a corner of the sleeping quarters.

"This servant is here."

The moment this person appeared, he immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Go to His Majesty and convey a message to him for me."

The Empress Dowager spoke in a detached tone, giving her orders.

"Wait a moment, go to His Majesty and tell him that Huo Zhong asked me to invite Prince Su back to the capital, and I have agreed!"

"In addition, Your Majesty, please assign a few imperial chefs to me, as I need them for the welcoming banquet for Prince Su."

…………

The head eunuch paused slightly, then bowed his head and replied, "Yes, this servant will take care of it immediately! But..."

"But what?" the Empress Dowager asked, turning her head to the side.

"But what will be the scale of this welcoming banquet?" the head eunuch asked in a low voice, somewhat unsure.

Upon hearing this, a beautiful smile involuntarily appeared at the corners of the Empress Dowager's lips:

"Scale? The bigger the better, of course!"

"Oh, right, your words have reminded me!"

"Since the banquet is going to be large-scale, let's just invite all the royal family members, both inside and outside the palace, who are able to attend!"

"I am getting old, and I don't know when my eyes will close and my legs will kick the bucket. Therefore, while my eyes can still open, let them gather around me as much as possible, so that I can enjoy the happiness of family life!"

…………

"Yes, I understand."

The head eunuch accepted the order and was about to leave when the Empress Dowager spoke again.

"Furthermore, after Prince Su returns to the capital, there's no need to arrange special accommodations for him; he can simply sleep in my palace!"

"As a mother, I have so much to say to my youngest son!"

…………

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the head eunuch was immediately terrified.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

He quickly kowtowed, his voice tinged with fear.

"Should His Highness Prince Su reside in the palace?"

"This...isn't it against etiquette?"

"Since ancient times, even when adult princes returned to the capital to visit their families, they usually stayed in their own residences or guesthouses. There's no reason for them to stay in the Empress Dowager's palace."

"If the Censorate finds out, they'll probably impeach us for not knowing the proper etiquette!"

…………

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression immediately turned cold, and then an aura of authority from someone who had long held a high position instantly enveloped the entire hall.

"There's no need for such formalities here with me!" the Empress Dowager said coldly, her voice carrying an undeniable authority. "What? Do I no longer even have the right to see my son, or let him stay with me for one night?"

The head eunuch trembled with fear and hurriedly kowtowed, "This servant wouldn't dare! This servant only... this servant only worried about how to explain it to His Majesty!"

"That's enough!"

The Empress Dowager interrupted him sternly.

"Prince Su is my son, and Your Majesty is also my son!"

"Between brothers, blood relatives, is it necessary to be so concerned with these mundane formalities?"

"If Your Majesty cannot even tolerate this much filial piety, then I, as the mother, will have to take charge of this great empire!"

…………

The Empress Dowager's words were undeniably powerful and domineering!

The head eunuch who overheard the Empress Dowager's words was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. He immediately dared not utter another word and kowtowed, saying, "Yes! It was my fault for being so talkative! I will arrange it immediately and will not dare to be negligent in the slightest!"

"Go," the Empress Dowager waved her hand, as if shooing away flies.

The head eunuch felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and quickly got up and carefully withdrew.

And so, the Empress Dowager's bedchamber returned to silence.

"Huo Zhong, oh Huo Zhong..." After an unknown amount of time, the Empress Dowager's soft murmur suddenly echoed in her bedchamber, "You are good at charging into battle, but when it comes to political intrigue... it really is not your forte!"

At this moment, a sharp, cold glint flashed in the Empress Dowager's otherwise indifferent eyes: "How do you know that I didn't intend to use you as a pretext to bring my youngest son back to the capital in a way that wouldn't arouse His Majesty's suspicion?"