The Initiative

This was the second time the new emperor had visited Anle Palace late at night.

Following the brief announcement, Anle Palace offered no response.

The Empress Dowager often used to have her spirit wander through Chang'an City at night. Although she was injured and rarely did such spirit wanderings anymore, her lucidity at night did not change.

This is not only because the Empress Dowager's cultivation was special, but also because the older a person gets, the less sleep they need.

The new emperor was certain that the Empress Dowager was not asleep at this time, but was merely giving him a warning and making him reflect on his actions.

"Go and report again," the new emperor ordered.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is resting in peace, and this old servant truly has no way to inform her," the old eunuch guarding the palace said with difficulty.

"Tell me that I've stumbled upon something that might be related to Uncle Liang," the new emperor said. "If you, my dog servant, can't report this and I forget about it after a good night's sleep, that won't be a good thing!"

The new emperor proceeded neither hastily nor slowly.

He felt confident, and for the first time, he even realized that he had gained a little bit of initiative.

Although this was just a setup, the opponent was already pushing their luck, and the new emperor couldn't care less about that at the moment.

Royal power struggles may appear calm and collected, but when a deadly move is made, it can lead to utter ruin.

To prevent potential future problems, we must find the most critical area to focus our efforts on, and this effort must be precise and effective.

"This... this... this..."

As the old eunuch guarding the main hall of Anle Palace stammered and struggled to respond, a voice came from inside the hall.

"His Majesty's arrival at Anle Palace so late at night must be urgent. You dog of a servant, open the door at once!"

Princess Dou's voice rang out, causing the old eunuch to quickly wipe the cold sweat from his forehead before respectfully pushing open the heavy wooden door of the Anle Palace.

The rich scent of ambergris wafted over, and the new emperor inhaled it, instantly feeling refreshed and free from any drowsiness.

He looked energetic, and his mind seemed to be becoming clearer.

"Your subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager and greets Princess Dou!"

The new emperor entered the main hall of Anle Palace and performed the proper rites.

After the ceremony, he chose a prayer mat and sat down.

The new emperor did not speak rashly, but calmly sat down and waited for any possible questions.

"It's been so long since I've heard the title 'Uncle Liang'!"

There was a long silence behind the screen before the Empress Dowager finally spoke.

Parents often find it difficult to treat their children equally. The Empress Dowager did not dislike Emperor Jing, but rather felt that Emperor Jing had gained much while Prince Liang had not.

In handling matters, she will undoubtedly favor the weaker party while criticizing the stronger one.

But life is unpredictable. Emperor Jing, whom the Empress Dowager often scolded, died, as did the Prince of Liang, whom she often worried about.

As time goes by, people forget about Emperor Jing, let alone the Prince of Liang who had been supporting him from behind the scenes.

Upon suddenly hearing the title of Prince Liang from the new emperor, and even hearing about matters related to Prince Liang, the Empress Dowager could not help but put aside her worries first.

"Your subject has received instruction from Uncle Liang, and I have always kept Uncle Liang in my heart," the new emperor replied respectfully.

Taking the initiative means that the topic should be centered on the new emperor, rather than the new emperor passively listening to reprimands or being forced to follow along by being pulled along by the threads.

He pondered for a few seconds, constantly organizing his thoughts.

Compared to direct accusations without empirical evidence, some vague and ambiguous expressions are more effective.

The new emperor couldn't be too explicit, but he also needed to leave room for the Empress Dowager to think.

This coincides with Emperor Jing's teaching of "only speaking three-tenths of what you know to others".

"I overheard you saying outside the palace that you discovered something related to the Prince of Liang?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"I heard that the Empress Dowager is resting in peace, and I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow to report this," the new emperor said.

"He's just a blind old servant," the Empress Dowager said. "If Your Majesty wishes to punish him, you may personally take the board and give him as many lashes as you wish!"

"Enough," the new emperor said. "I was just afraid that if I delayed, I would forget about it and wouldn't remember it later!"

"What exactly did you discover?"

The Empress Dowager and the new emperor talked back and forth. The new emperor was quite calm, but the Empress Dowager was far from at peace.

When matters don't concern oneself, one can offer calm and insightful advice; but once one's own interests are involved, no one can escape the common pitfalls.

Prince Liang was a hurdle in the Empress Dowager's heart.

Compared to her former composure, the Empress Dowager now appeared somewhat anxious.

"The Prince of King of Huainan has commissioned his retainers to compile a book called 'Honglie,' which involves the teachings of Huang-Lao philosophy and the art of destiny, and is a lengthy work of hundreds of thousands of words," the new emperor said.

"I have heard that His Majesty opened it in public during court and allowed the officials to read it. But what does this have to do with Prince Liang?" The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "I heard that His Majesty opened it in public and allowed the officials to read it. But what does this have to do with Prince Liang?"

"The Prince of King of Huainan has many retainers, and the number of great cultivators is no less than that of the imperial court. It would not be surprising if they were to compile some secret manuals for establishing a sect," the new emperor laughed. "But I am very curious about the Prince of King of Huainan's retainers' knowledge of cultivation techniques."

"Those who are truly skilled in manipulation are indeed few and far between," the Empress Dowager nodded in agreement.

"The book 'Honglie' is full of mysteries, even including theories related to 'primordial energy' and 'cosmogony'!"

The new emperor casually flipped through the bamboo slips in his hand, then put his hand down again.

His conversation remained focused on the King of Huainan, without directly mentioning the Prince of Liang, which caused the Empress Dowager to fall into a slight silence.

"The Prince of King of Huainan is a man of great talent!" the new emperor exclaimed. "When it comes to the art of strategy, the Prince of King of Huainan is likely the foremost figure in our Great Han!"

"You speak highly of him," the Empress Dowager said in a deep voice.

"Those who can establish their own schools of thought are far superior to the late emperor's rudimentary skills," the new emperor casually remarked.

"Oh!"

The new emperor relentlessly denigrates his father, but what he says is indeed true.

Emperor Jing was skilled at assassinating assassins, but his actual ability in troop deployment was lacking.

This wasn't something Emperor Jing could conceal simply because he was good at hiding things; rather, it was because the other party only had this much ability in the Huang-Lao philosophy.

The art of movement is one of the most important techniques in Huang-Lao philosophy.

If Emperor Jing's skill in manipulating events was merely proficient, then the Prince of Liang's skill in this area was truly masterful.

The retainers of the King of Huainan could compile all sorts of ingenious techniques, but they found it particularly difficult to compile techniques of cultivation that were only convenient for the royal family and feudal lords to practice.

If the retainers had never even grasped the basics of the art of manipulation, then the main force behind compiling the "Honglie" manual of manipulation was clearly the King of Huainan.

Only a master-level expert can innovate and develop new theories related to sports techniques.

At the same time, the Empress Dowager also had a possible guess in mind.

This could also be the new emperor's speculation about the Prince of Liang.

The new emperor didn't need to speak directly; the Empress Dowager already understood what he wanted to express.

If Emperor Jing was unable to kill the King of Liang, who was thousands of miles away, then the King of Huainan had a real possibility of doing so.

This made her face darken.

Next to the incense burner was a bamboo slip. The writing on the slip was fresh, but the ink had dried and even seeped into the bamboo fibers.

This was written by Princess Dou at the behest of the Empress Dowager, but she felt that the current content was inappropriate.

She reached out and touched it, then casually tossed it into the nearby stove used for warmth.