Upon hearing the news about Xiaosuisui, Empress Dowager Xiao became agitated. She abruptly stood up from her phoenix seat, rushed up to Zhu Xiuxiu, snatched the envelope from her hand, and immediately began to read.
Although the letter was addressed to the Emperor, since it concerned Suisui, Zhu Xiuxiu thought that as the Emperor’s mother, the reigning Empress Dowager, and Xiaosuisui’s grandmother, she had every right to read it.
The reason Zhu Xiuxiu did not go to the Emperor directly was that he was buried under a mountain of official duties. Even now, he was still in the minor Imperial Court discussing disaster relief and immigration matters with the ministers of the Royal Palace.
"What on earth do those damned old bald donkeys want?!"
Having read the letter, Empress Dowager Xiao was livid.
Zhu Xiuxiu hurriedly explained, "Monk Liao Kong is the foremost figure in Buddhism in the Central Plains. It is said that his Buddhist Dharma has reached the pinnacle of grand completion.
I speculate that he must have recognized the great fortune Suisui carries. Buddhism is powerful, but that is primarily in the Western Regions. Here in the Central Plains, it’s not just Buddhism; there’s also Daoism, and even the authority of the Crown.
Consider this, that old bald donkey Liao Kong is the foremost figure of Buddhism in the Central Plains. Could he truly harbor no ambition to expand and glorify Central Plains Buddhism?
Empress Dowager, Suisui is the Eldest Princess of the Imperial Family. Her destiny is intrinsically linked to the Imperial Family.
But if she were truly taken by that old bald donkey from the Buddhist sect to convert to Buddhism, then that destiny would shift to Buddhism!"
Much of what Zhu Xiuxiu told Empress Dowager Xiao was, in fact, largely her own speculation, as she herself didn’t know many details. But to save Suisui, she had no choice but to portray the situation as direly as possible.
"Audacious! The Buddhists are truly shameless, bullying others to such an extent!"
Seething with anger, Empress Dowager Xiao urgently commanded, "Nanny Xiao, go quickly to Prince Yi’s Mansion! Inform Prince Yi of this matter and have someone summon His Majesty here at once!"
Nanny Xiao acknowledged the order and departed swiftly.
At this time, the Emperor was still seated on his high throne, listening to the ministers below argue vehemently. Some advocated for relocating the residents near Yunhang due to the recent natural disaster. However, ministers with prior disaster relief experience strongly disagreed, pointing out that the locals in that region were exceedingly stubborn and would absolutely refuse to move. The two factions remained deadlocked, and the clamor gave the Emperor a headache.
What intensified his headache was Chancellor Song, responsible for disaster relief, demanding, "Enough arguing! The silver, the silver! I am to leave for disaster relief tomorrow, but where are the silver taels for it now? Lord Lu, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, what about the tax revenues from all these years? The budget for disaster relief silver is still short by more than half!"
Once Chancellor Song posed his question, the Imperial Court instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned to Minister Lu.
Minister Lu, several strands of whose hair seemed to have turned white overnight, said with utter helplessness, "Don’t blame me for the lack of silver! The Ministry of Revenue truly has no more. I’ve already disbursed everything I possibly could. Esteemed colleagues, perhaps we could all contribute something, make some donations to help us overcome this crisis?"
The moment Minister Lu suggested donations, the courtiers became silent.
Sitting on the Dragon Throne, the Emperor, who had been nursing a headache, suddenly found it easing. He sat up straight and was just about to speak when Eunuch Ling rushed in, flouting all decorum, exclaiming, "Your Majesty! This is terrible, a major incident has occurred! The Empress Dowager urgently requests your presence at Cining Palace!"
The Emperor was startled and inwardly annoyed. However, since the summons came from his own mother, he felt utterly helpless. With a wave of his hand, he descended from the Dragon Throne and asked urgently, "What has happened at Mother’s palace? What could be so critical that you’d come rushing to find Us in such a state!"