Xijing.

Xuanguang Hall.

The Empress Dowager looked at the Young Emperor, who was sleeping behind the bright yellow curtains, his face as pale as paper, filled with the numb sickness. Palace maids were coming and going outside, but she seemed totally unaware.

She had never given birth, and when the little prince had first been brought to the palace, she had been at a loss, having no idea what to do.

At that time, she didn’t like children, who were both spoiled and delicate, not right to hold or to cradle, and who weren’t born of her own flesh, always creating a barrier.

Yet this little creature, who had lost his birth mother right after coming into the world, had been with her for six years, from the moment he first opened his eyes to look at her, to when he began to babble and then learned to call her "mother." Somehow, she had grown accustomed to having this child by her side...

She didn’t love him that much.

She just needed this child.

That had always been her thought.

But it was only when she truly saw his life hanging by a thread that she realized this need was not just because this child could give her the noble title of Empress Dowager, but also because she had already come to think of him as her own...

The Empress Dowager gazed mournfully at the child for a good while before she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes.

"Let them take him away."

The Princess of Yonghuai, who was far away in Huaxi, had written her a letter.

She had never even met her, yet she knew her intimately, every single detail striking her heart.

Gently stroking the Young Emperor’s blanket, the Empress Dowager murmured, "Let’s do it this way, let’s do it this way."

Xu Yong advised, "Your Highness, we still do not know the situation in Huaxi. How can we be so rash as to entrust His Majesty’s life to a woman?"

The Empress Dowager regarded him coldly, suddenly recalling the secret letter from the Princess of Yonghuai.

With the Young Emperor gone, all that would remain, despite her high status, would be a cold posthumous title.

"Empress Dowager, those who comply with your wishes must have ulterior motives. The one who most hopes for His Majesty’s mishap is Li Zongxun. The ones who least want it to happen are you and I."

You and I.

Two words tied them together.

A woman, seemingly with no one to rely on, could hardly lean on many.

In this moment, the Empress Dowager felt understood by Feng Yun; their interests were aligned, both needing to preserve the life of the Young Emperor to survive.

She slowly stood up, her eyes pitch black.

"Without proper treatment soon, His Majesty won’t last much longer. What does it matter if it is a man or a woman? Whomever can cure His Majesty is whom I will trust..."

Xu Yong said, "What if this Doctor Yao is just a charlatan seeking fame?"

The Empress Dowager’s gaze slowly shifted to the ornately carved dragon bed, and she smiled coldly.

"That’s still better than doing nothing."

Today, the Empress Dowager spoke more fiercely than usual, her expression extraordinarily icy and eerie, her words resolute as if she suddenly had a backbone, both assertive and argumentative.

Cold sweat broke out on Xu Yong’s back.

"Empress Dowager..."

"Shut your mouth." The Empress Dowager’s voice was hoarse as she approached him.

"Your repeated objections—are you hoping His Majesty doesn’t recover?"

Frightened, Xu Yong knelt on the ground, "This servant wouldn’t dare, but..."

Xu Yong wanted to continue persuading her, but the Empress Dowager’s face had already darkened, "It’s decided."

-

Ye Chuang was quietly waiting outside the Qianqiu Gate.

Wei Zheng, grasping his blade, walked over, "Is the imperial carriage ready?"

Ye Chuang answered, "It’s ready." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Wei Zheng gave a faint nod, "Follow me into the palace."

Looking at the heavy and solid walls of the palace from afar, Ye Chuang felt a hefty weight in his heart. Coming to Xijing this time, he had also made thorough preparations—if anything changed, he would not be able to return.

He had brought the specialties of Huaxi to visit General Pei in Xijing and then went to the Beiyong Army camp in Xijing to meet Helian Qian, delivering the Princess’s secret letter.

Helian Qian’s eyes reddened immediately.

"Tomorrow, I will lead the troops to wait at the West City Gate to escort His Majesty."

Ye Chuang didn’t know the content of the letter or how Feng Yun had convinced this stubborn old brute, but having Helian Qian’s word partially eased his worries.

But now, as he approached the solemn palace, thinking of the sovereign he was about to take away, he couldn’t help but sweat in his palms.

The Princess, truly audacious.

-

Today, the Empress Dowager did not preside over the court, and the ministers gathered in the side hall to discuss matters, creating an incessant uproar.

With delayed news from the northwestern front and no determination of Pei Jue’s whereabouts, some chose silence, while only the new and old factions represented by Ao Zheng and Ruan Pu kept arguing over the Emperor’s medical treatment from morning until now, without coming to a conclusion.

Ao Zheng, with the authority of the Prime Minister, declared in front of everyone that Doctor Yao was indeed a miracle worker, but had a peculiar temper, having sworn not to leave Andu, not even the emperor himself could persuade him.

It was not unusual for talented people to have quirks.