CH 69

A few young maids lifted the curtains and showed them into the hall. After Su Yi had paid his respects, he stood to the side and said calmly: “To send for Su Yi today, I wonder what instructions the Empress Dowager has for me.” With his unyielding-to-the-death character, naturally he would refuse to refer to himself as a slave. The Empress Dowager did not quibble over this, instead she looked him up and down, sizing him up. In her heart she could not help but to feel some grudging respect for him, thinking: no wonder Imperial Son is still obsessed with him to this day, and even Shuo Er is no exception. Indeed, he has an exceptionally distinguished bearing. Just from looking at him here and now, even with his present status, he is still neither servile nor overbearing; not resentful or combative. Doubtlessly, these concubines cannot compare with him in terms of character.