Vampire Sovereign (The Chronicles of the Immortal Council Book 3) by D.C. Young

Author:D.C. Young [Young, D.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

March 1875.

The Forbidden City, Beijing, China.

“Di Xiang ought to be returning soon,” Tzu-Hsi said, pacing nervously.

“Relax,” Hsi-An reassured her. “I’m sure that all went well and there is nothing to worry about.”

“I only fear that it will get back to me somehow,” Tzu-Hsi replied.

“Di Xiang is careful,” Hsi-An responded. “He would never expose you.”

“If Tung Chih would only have listened to me and followed my direction,” Tzu-Hsi replied. “We wouldn’t be in this position.”

Tung Chih, who had been named emperor upon his father Hsien Feng’s death, had been too young to rule. He’d also been too young to care about ruling and had never been forced to actually focus his efforts upon doing so. With his mother Tzu-Hsi already manipulating the process of administering his rule, Tung Chih had found plenty of time to do whatever pleased him. Though he could have any woman he desired added to his concubines, Tung Chih had been more interested in the sport of conquest over whatever woman he desired rather than the boring process of selecting those most desirable by his mother. Because of his indiscretion where sexual satisfaction was concerned, Tung Chih had contracted a venereal disease. He had ruled less than three years before he joined Hsien Feng in death.

With the death of her son, Tzu-Hsi had returned to her position of Empress Dowager and had made plans to bring her three-year-old nephew, Kuang Hsu, to the Forbidden City to replace him. However, when she learned that a concubine of Tung Chih was pregnant and if allowed to give birth, she had to take action or lose her position. If the concubine of her son produced a male heir, then the concubine would become Empress Dowager and both she and Kuang Hsu would no longer be of high enough status to continue to rule. That, of course, was not acceptable to Tzu-Hsi.

“You might not have needed to do anything, Tzu-Hsi,” Hsi-An reminded her. “The concubine might have given birth to a girl.”

“I will not place my fate, the fate of Kuang Hsu and your fate, I might add, in the hands of chance,” Tzu-Hsi asserted.

“But you’ve taken a horrible risk. Certainly your enemies will spread rumors that you had all rivals to your power removed,” Hsi-An pointed out. It was the first time that Hsi-An had actually pointed out what she’d always known; Tzu-Hsi wanted to rule China and she would do whatever was necessary to do so.

“It would be worse to have to kill a child after it was born,” Tzu-Hsi, said with a sinister twinkle in her eyes. “Besides, once the child was born, there would be no chance for me to do anything about it. I have to act before my position is compromised.”

Hsi-An accepted her argument without either refuting or denying it.

“It’s what is best for China,” Tzu-Hsi added. “Change in leadership at this critical time might be devastating to our country’s future.”

They fell silent for a few moments; each considering the future of China and their role in keeping their country on course.

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