Long Xiang and the Crown Prince Long Xiao were both being punished in Changming Hall. This matter couldn’t be concealed, and when Long Xuan’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Liu1, heard the news, she hurriedly led her attendants to Changming Hall.
At this time, Long Xuan happened to be leaving the hall. Since he had told Xie Yu that he would visit Lord Luo tonight, he would definitely go.
“Your Majesty!” When Empress Dowager Liu arrived, she saw Long Xuan about to ascend the steps, so she hurriedly shouted, “Where are you going?”
Seeing Empress Dowager Liu, Long Xuan just bowed and said, “This is Changming Hall. Why has the Empress Dowager come?”
Empress Dowager Liu said, “Why did you punish Xiang and Xiao? What have they done wrong?”
Long Xuan’s face, which had originally shown some smile to his birth mother, suddenly turned cold again. He said, “How did the Empress Dowager know about this?”
Empress Dowager Liu said, “How could I not know about such a big matter? Your Majesty, please tell me, what mistakes have they made? Xiang has a bad temper and may make mistakes, I know, but Xiao is still young. What big mistake could he have made?”
Long Xuan was about to speak when he saw Empress Chang, accompanied by her attendants, hurrying over, making his expression even uglier.
“Imperial Mother,” Empress Chang saw Empress Dowager Liu arrive before her and felt a little relieved. With Empress Dowager Liu present, it would be easier to intercede. Long Xuan had always been filial to Empress Dowager Liu.
“Who are you calling ‘Imperial Mother’2?” Long Xuan asked Empress Chang.
Both Empress Chang and Empress Dowager Liu were startled, but Empress Chang was afraid, while Empress Dowager Liu was sad. She had thought that once her son became Emperor, she would be able to enjoy a better life. However, she hadn’t expected that while Long Xuan had still call her ‘Mother’ before, now, Luo Zhiyi was being called ‘Imperial Mother’ by Long Xuan every day, and she could only be called ‘Imperial Concubine Mother’3.
“I know my mistake,” Empress Chang quickly bowed her head and said to Long Xuan, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
“You really are mother and son,” Long Xuan said to Empress Chang. “When you make mistakes or say the wrong things, you always have the same one sentence to say.”
How could Empress Chang still stand? She knelt down on the road, confessing her sins to Long Xuan, “This humble servant deserves to die.”
“You’re not smart to begin with, so how smart can your son be?” Long Xuan said self-mockingly. “I’ve wasted my efforts on you two!”
“Your Majesty,” Empress Dowager Liu walked up to Long Xuan and tried to take his hand.
Long Xuan backed away and said, “What does the Empress Dowager command?”
Empress Dowager Liu withdrew her hand awkwardly and said to Long Xuan, “As the Empress Dowager, I’m begging you to spare them. Xiao is too young. What if you really hurt him?”
Seeing Empress Chang wiping her tears again, Long Xuan snorted coldly and said, “Do I have only one son? I’d rather have never raised such a useless thing!”
“Your Majesty!” Empress Dowager Liu suspected there was something wrong with her ears. Was this still the son she had raised? “How can you say such things!” Empress Dowager Liu shouted at Long Xuan, “Xiao is your legitimate eldest son!”
“Is Empress Dowager reminding me that I am not born of the legitimate line?”
“Your Majesty,” Empress Dowager Liu’s lips quivered, unable to speak.
“The legitimate eldest son, after all, is just a son,” Long Xuan said. “I will have more imperial sons in the future. Empress Dowager doesn’t need to worry about me. I have other matters to attend to. Imperial Concubine Mother should go back and rest.”
Seeing Long Xuan about to leave, but her son’s cries went from being clearly audible just now to being inaudible, so Empress Chang gathered her courage, knelt down and blocked Long Xuan’s path, saying, “Your Majesty, even if Xiao cannot satisfy Your Majesty, he is still the son I bore for ten months. I beg Your Majesty to let Xiao’er go, in consideration of the years I have served you without daring to make mistakes!”
“So I still owe you something?” Long Xuan glanced at Empress Chang. “Empress, if you want to kneel, just kneel here. When you’re tired, you can go back on your own.”
“Your Majesty!” Empress Chang, truly strong for the sake of her son, raised her head and shouted at Long Xuan, “Xiao’er is my life!”
Long Xuan walked around Empress Chang and was about to ascend the steps.
“My elder brother, for Your Majesty, has fought battles far and wide,” Empress Chang, in her urgency, pleaded behind Long Xuan, “Considering the contributions my elder brother has made over the years, can’t Your Majesty spare Xiao’er this time?!”
Empress Chang’s words, to Long Xuan’s ears, sounded like she was threatening him with Chang Ling. “You mentioned Chang Ling?” he turned back to Empress Chang. “What relation does he have with Xiao’er? As an uncle, does he still want to discipline my son?”
“Your Majesty,” Empress Dowager Liu had been in the palace for many years and knew that Empress Chang had spoken in error, causing Long Xuan to become suspicious of the Chang family. She hurriedly said to Long Xuan, “The Empress was just anxious. What does this matter have to do with Uncle Chang from the Chang family?” Empress Dowager Liu stood in front of Empress Chang to prevent her from speaking further.
Long Xuan ascended the steps and said to the eunuch escorting him out of the palace, “After Long Xiao receives twenty strokes of the board, send him to Yannian Hall to be educated by the Empress Dowager for a period of time.”
“This slave will obey,” the eunuch hastily replied.
“After Long Xiang receives eighty strokes of the board, throw him out of the palace. In the future, he will not be allowed to step into this palace without my permission,” Long Xuan added.
“The slave will obey,” the eunuch replied without daring to raise his head.
Long Xuan stepped on the platform of the sedan chair, and the four sedan bearers lifted the sedan chair steadily and moved forward.
“Imperial Concubine Mother!” Watching Long Xuan walk away, Empress Chang cried to Empress Dowager Liu.
“Get up,” Empress Dowager Liu pulled Empress Chang up from the ground.
“Mother, I want to see Xiao’er! Please grant my request,” Empress Chang pleaded.
“You should go back and talk with me.”
“What about Xiao’er?”
“Twenty strokes won’t kill anyone,” Empress Dowager Liu said. “If you stay here, it will only make Xiao’er more displeasing to his father. For Xiao’er’s sake, you must endure.”
Empress Chang glanced at the guards standing at the gate of Changming Hall, each of them ignoring her presence, standing there as if they were more insurmountable than the palace walls.
“Let’s go,” Empress Dowager Liu pulled Empress Chang and said, “We women cannot enter there.”
Empress Chang was dragged away by Empress Dowager Liu in tears.
Empress Dowager Liu now resided in the Yannian Hall, one of the halls where the imperial concubines lived. Long Xuan allowed Empress Dowager Liu to live here, affirming her status in the palace once again as a concubine, forever under the authority of Empress Dowager Luo Zhiyi.
As soon as Empress Chang entered Yannian Hall, she cried to Empress Dowager Liu, “Imperial Mother, will I be able to see Xiao’er again?”
“You child,” Empress Dowager Liu sat down and said to the Empress, “No wonder you don’t have His Majesty’s favor. You still call me Imperial Mother, making His Majesty hear it. Are you asking him to silence you?”
- There are 3 Empress Dowagers now, the old mother of the late Emperor, his wife Luo Zhiyi, and his concubine, the mother of LX. I don’t find good titles in english to differentiate them, so I will go with Empress Dowager + their names. ↩︎
- 母后 – mǔ hòu: lit. mother empress ↩︎
- 母妃 – mǔ fēi: lit. mother imperial concubine ↩︎
Boundless Dao 
Leave a comment