"Mother!"
"Why have you come to see me in such a hurry, Your Majesty?"
"Is there some urgent matter?"
Faced with Cao Mao's enthusiasm, Empress Dowager Guo remained exceedingly cold.
Yet only a few days earlier, she had solemnly promised to protect Cao Mao as a real mother would.
Cao Mao frowned, glanced around, and strode to the Empress Dowager's side. Empress Dowager Guo was somewhat surprised. In her recollection, Cao Mao had always been reserved and well-mannered, not someone who would act so rashly.
Cao Mao sat down right beside the Empress Dowager and took her hand, his eyes filled with worry.
"Mother, I heard that Lord Guo was taken hostage by bandits. Is that true?"
Empress Dowager Guo coldly withdrew her hand. "Yes, that did happen. But you need not worry, Your Majesty. The rebels have already been arrested, and Guo Ze will soon be rescued."
"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"
Cao Mao caught the Empress Dowager's hand again. "Mother! What are we going to do?"
Empress Dowager Guo grew even more displeased. Suppressing the urge to drive the emperor out, she asked coldly, "What are you worried about, Your Majesty?"
"Empress Dowager, we both know perfectly well whether Lord Guo was taken hostage. After something like this happened, the Sima Family actually hasn't moved against our Guo Family?"
"Heh. What, are you disappointed? Are you so eager for Sima Zhao to move against us?!"
"Mother, how can you say that!"
"You're my mother. We share in each other's glory and ruin. We are one family to begin with. How could I wish harm upon my own family?"
Looking at Cao Mao's utterly sincere face, Empress Dowager Guo did not pursue the issue. She asked impatiently, "What exactly are you trying to say, Your Majesty?"
"Mother, you