Baili Mingshen was silent for a moment.
"So what do you intend by saying this?"
"Ye Zi'an cannot stay!" The Empress Dowager had always acted decisively; otherwise, Baili Yan would not have chosen her as Princess Consort Zhuang years ago. Yet people change, and though she remains decisive, her heart is no longer as pure as before.
"Mother Empress, you!" Baili Mingshen was furious. "Mother Empress, do you know what you're saying? Father Emperor just passed, and you want your son to do this, defying Father Emperor's wishes. How do you expect me to explain this to the ministers?"
"Fool!" said the Empress Dowager. "Do it discreetly, and who would know? Or do you wish to live in constant anxiety?"
"Mother Empress, why should I be anxious?" Baili Mingshen stared at her. "Though I'm not as wise as Father Emperor, I know that as long as I conduct myself rightly, he cannot find a reason to depose me."
