Chapter 413.1: Jing Wan’s Threat
The acc.u.mulated snow in the imperial gardens were already cleared away cleanly. Although it was winter, it didn’t really appear desolate. Adorning with various lanterns, and also many different kinds of ornaments, it appeared exceptionally beautiful, even having the illusion of stepping into the heavenly realm.
However, although heavenly, there was still a small problem. Heavens, it was too cold! The so called heavenly air, Jing Wan further believed, it was just a certain kind of ambience produced by the cold breath everyone exhaled.
Jing Wan was fully equipped, the cloak draped over her shoulders again, the hood covering the top of her head, her hands holding an exquisite hand furnace, walking alongside Li Hong Yuan, “In the middle of the night, in such cold weather, although it’s still okay for us, for the elderly, if having some shoulder or back pain, even if dressed st.u.r.dily, afraid would still feel that the cold wind was like a blade directly drilling into the cracks of the bones, who knows how unbearable that is. If able to directly return home to nestle in the bed, how comfortable would that be. Ah Yuan, how come imperial father was just born in such a weather? Never mind freezing during the new year festival, there’s even the emperor’s birthday.”
Because they were surrounded by their own people, the surrounding also s.p.a.cious, Jing Wan just lowered her voice slightly, very much unhesitantly complaining.
“There won’t be many left.” Li Hong Yuan calmly responded.
Jing Wan was startled inside. These words were already treasonous. Could it be that her husband was planning on making a move?
Li Hong Yuan turned to look at her, reaching out to caress her face. They’d just came out for a while, yet it was already a bit cold, “I won’t do anything. The impatient one forever won’t be me. The current state of affairs can be said to be both chaotic and stable. Once a certain few can no longer sit still, they naturally will take the extreme. The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole watches from behind. And what I will be is the hunter that hunts the oriole. If switched with me, perhaps can even ensure that he lives for a few more years.”
This ‘him’ clearly referred to Le Cheng Emperor, and Li Hong Yuan probably wasn’t really planning on saving him either. At most it was nothing more than not killing him himself. However, when time comes, even if Le Cheng Emperor survives, he would just be empty with just a t.i.tle, the Retired Emperor with no actual power.
The Retired Emperor, this position, truthfully speaking, in Jing Wan’s eyes, actually was quite miserable, even worse compared to that puppet emperor. After all, a puppet emperor has never wielded actual power before, so don’t know the taste of turning the clouds and calling rain. But for the Retired Emperor, because of having once obtained, it was thus more painful after losing.
Throughout history, there has been a whole line of Empress Dowagers, even having quite a few Grand Empress Dowagers[1] existing, but one has never heard of many Retired Emperors before. As an emperor, if not death, then for the most part, it wasn’t too possible to make them let go of all their power. Even if their body is unwell, having the crown prince or a prince supervise the country, they would still firmly remain in control from behind, just fearing that their son might produce wicked thoughts. And with the slightest rustle of gra.s.s from the wind, they will just immediately become nervous and tense, even making extremely erred judgement. Getting forced to become the Retired Emperor was still possible, but to voluntarily abdicate willingly, was there any?
“On your grandfather and grandmother’s side, don’t worry, I will let someone look after, so won’t have any problems.”
Jing Wan casted him a glance. She knew she didn’t need to worry. Earlier, her grandmother had already used this to tease her once.
In this kind of weather, in Jing Wan’s eyes, the atmosphere most likely won’t liven up. However, Jing Wan still felt she was a bit too narrow-minded.
When leaving Qian Chen Hall, everyone had already learned that Shu Consort Qin’s poison has already been contained. Although still unconscious, there wasn’t any threat to her life. As such, relaxing a little seemingly wasn’t really inexcusable. Although the young masters and young ladies that followed their elders into the palace today weren’t considered many, it wasn’t considered few either. They were still at the age where they were energetic by nature after all, in addition to the pretty good atmosphere as the backdrop, or perhaps having gotten terribly stifled by the tense atmosphere earlier, this while, it actually livened up pretty quickly.
Jing Wan and them still resided in the outer circle currently. After all, she’d leisurely walked over with Li Hong Yuan, and they can be considered to be that last wave. Sigh, it couldn’t be helped, the living Enma truly was a bit too terrifying. Moreover, there was no benefit to be sought from him, so naturally no one was willing to be together with them, and further won’t worm their way into becoming friends. Those that were originally around the same speed as them also used all kinds of excuses to pick up their pace.
Jing Wan glanced at a fake mountain nearby. Behind it, there were two faint shadows, most likely the Imperial Guards. Looks like, in order to avoid another accident, the entire area has already been surrounded. Moving about inside, one won’t be restricted, but once one leaves, afraid one will be intercepted. If truly having something at hand, one will even get ‘closely served’, following closely behind like a tail.
Jing Wan retracted her gaze, standing at the very top of the stone steps, looking down from above at the people below either gossiping, or laughing, or playing, in groups of three or five, or a pile of ten. Never mind being left alone, there were even very few in groups of two. “Ah Yuan, seeing this kind of scene, do you have any thoughts? If not for me being by your side, you’ll be all alone by yourself. Sigh, say, for better or worse, you’re still someone that has lived for twenty some years, so how come you don’t have a friend or two? Even if needing to lower your standards, never mind a best friend, to not even have someone that you can still get along with harmoniously, able to occasionally drink with you, do you not feel particularly defeated?” Jing Wan carried a bit of teasing, but even more was actually the faint heartache hidden in the depth of her heart. For a person to not have a single person to talk to since childhood, it was probably a very painful thing.
Li Hong Yuan somewhat wanted to laugh, stroking Jing Wan’s back, “It’s those people’s thought level that’s too low, so this husband is simply unwilling to put up with them.”
Jing Wan immediately became speechless, unable to feel sorry for more than three seconds. This was like having IQ so high to the point of having no friends? But towards the outside, he seemingly didn’t show it much, so there should still be people coming forward. If it’s in addition to being too handsome to the point of no friend, and too violent to the point of no friends, then seemingly it was able to make sense.
“Wan Wan don’t worry, this husband is perfectly fine.” In this aspect, he really didn’t care that much. In his past life, whether or not he had any drinking buddies, he’d already forgotten. The memory was too distant, and he didn’t have any impression, so can only say that it was completely unimportant.
Jing Wan could tell, he really wasn’t putting up a front in the slightest. Alright, no need to worry then. After all, some people’s inner world, outsiders were unable to understand. On this bit, Jing Wan and Li Hong Yuan really weren’t able to be on the same wavelength. After all, even back in Qi’an Fu, she had quite a few friends. Although there weren’t any that she was particularly close to, but for sightseeing, flower admiring, and going hiking, she all didn’t lack people to link arms with. And after entering the capital, didn’t she also make friends in the fastest speed, and even best friends, even better than those back in Qi’an Fu.
The two of them stood hand in hand, neither quickly nor slowly walking down the stone step. For the sake of accompanying her own husband, Jing Wan also didn’t go join the fun. And as for Li Hong Yuan, this while, he also had his ‘selfish’ nature displayed to the fullest. His wife, at this time, naturally should stay by his side.
Jing Wan saw a colored lantern nearby, lightly expressing her surprise. Walking forward, she reached out to poke that rather brightly colored and child-like lantern, saying with a smile, “These probably came from the hands of the little princes and princesses, right?”
“Who knows.” These things, Li Hong Yuan didn’t have any interest in.
Jing Wan somewhat helplessly sighed. This person really was……………
Shortly after, they had the majority of the area all strolled through. Just, wherever they went, practically everyone all perceptively ‘yielded the way’. Within ten feet of them, there was for the most part no one else. If encountered, the other party would greet them from ten feet away, and afterwards either naturally or unnaturally take a detour. This kind of feeling was like getting shunned and avoided by everyone. Although in reality, it was just that these people feared the living Enma, fearing that if they say something wrong, the living Enma will just lash out. And as the victim, they simply had no place to ask for justice.
At least, in the beginning, Jing Wan indeed felt a bit awkward. However, as time pa.s.sed, Jing Wan also just calmed down. In any case, these people, she for the most part entirely wasn’t familiar with. Her impression towards them also merely stopped at having seen them once or twice, and for the most part, on the level of only remembering their t.i.tle, nothing more than this. Then, towards these people perhaps deliberately ‘uniting’ to create a kind of ‘resistance’ against Jin Qinw.a.n.g, since a certain someone didn’t care, then she naturally didn’t need to mind either.
[1] Grand Empress Dowager – The t.i.tle for the grandmother of an emperor
T/N: Throughout actual history, there really only exist a handful of Retired Emperors, or at least those that were given this t.i.tle. The majority were usually given this t.i.tle posthumously by their sons or grandsons in honor. Many received this t.i.tle after being forced to abdicate the throne, with only a very small minority in recorded history that yielded the throne voluntarily. Even so, for example, Qianlong Emperor of Qing, only abdicated nominally, making himself the Retired Emperor, but still held onto power until his death.