Published: January 4, 2026
Leaving the office, I headed straight to Mother—Her Majesty the Empress Dowager’s chambers.
The palace corridors showed minor damage from the earthquake, with furnishings toppled here and there. Female attendants were busy tidying up.
When the attendants saw me, they hurriedly stopped what they were doing, bowed their heads, and made way for me.
Damage was widespread, and if I stopped to tell everyone “No need,” it would never end. So I just passed through and went straight to Mother’s chambers.
Mother’s quarters were in a detached building within the palace—a smaller structure.
Though smaller in scale, it was a place used by successive empress dowagers, designed and decorated splendidly to uphold the dignity befitting an empress dowager.
At the grand front gate stood a woman in formal attire.
She appeared to be in her mid-forties, calm and composed in appearance and expression.
Her name was Vivian.
She was the chief female attendant who took care of the Empress Dowager’s daily needs.
Though she had no real power, in terms of status, the chief attendant was comparable to a governor of a province.
Vivian bowed quietly the moment she saw me.
“We have been expecting Your Majesty.”
“Vivian, is Mother well?”
“Yes, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is safe.”
“Did any roof tiles fall?”
Roof tiles had fallen even in the Emperor’s office.
If it happened there, it was very likely something similar occurred where Mother was.
“They did fall, but a young attendant instinctively shielded Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, so Your Majesty sustained no injuries at all.”
“What happened to that attendant?”
“She hit her head and bled, but it seems she will recover without any serious harm.”
“Assign a court physician to her. Also, give her a reward—500, no, 1000 Lien.”
“Understood.”
I talked with Vivian to learn more about Mother’s quarters.
The scale of the damage was not much different from my office, and the attendant’s injury was the most serious damage reported.
Relieved that it was nothing major, I arrived in front of Mother’s room.
With a glance, Vivian opened her mouth and spoke inside.
“This is Vivian speaking. Your Majesty has arrived.”
“Please enter.”
Hearing the reply from inside, Vivian politely opened the door.
Inside, the room was arranged like a parlor, with a bamboo blind hanging from the ceiling in the center.
Beyond the blind, I could faintly see a lady sitting, dignified as befits a noblewoman.
I approached the blind and quickly knelt on one knee.
“Sorry for the delay, Mother.”
“Please raise your face, Your Majesty. Above all, are you unharmed?”
“Thank you for your concern.”
I stood up and faced the lady behind the blind—Mother.
Though the blind blurred the view, I was sure our eyes met.
“There are no injuries whatsoever.”
“That is most fortunate. I apologize for troubling you during such busy times, Your Majesty.”
“Not at all. It is precisely at times like this that I feel relieved to see you safe with my own eyes.”
Mother and I spoke somewhat formally.
The attendants like Vivian around us showed no surprise; their expressions were calm.
Though mother and child, we were also emperor and empress dowager.
We could not behave like an ordinary mother and child.
“By the way, Your Majesty?”
“Yes?”
“What is the extent of the damage among the people?”
“According to the first report via wired telegraphy, there are areas where a thousand homes have collapsed.”
“Wired telegraphy—that is the thread telegraph you invented, isn’t it?”
“I improved upon it.”
“I see... a thousand homes. That’s quite a lot of damage.”
“Yes. We are urgently gathering details and issuing instructions for rescue and reconstruction.”
“I don’t mind if you cut into my budget.”
“Mother?”
I was a little surprised at her sudden words.
“Knowing Your Majesty, I suppose you intend to draw funds from the internal treasury as well after using the national treasury.”
“...”
The internal treasury is a colloquial term.