After the banquet, the Empress Dowager returned to Cixi Palace. As for the others... it was New Year's Eve, and everyone had the custom of staying up all night to welcome the new year.

"Anxin, prepare water, I need to take a bath." The Empress Dowager's voice was somewhat weary.

An Xin prepared hot water, and the Empress Dowager dismissed everyone else, leaving only herself. She slowly walked into the bath and let the hot water soak her body. She had been feeling tired and weak all over these past few days.

When Gu Yin arrived, the Empress Dowager had not yet come out.

"Where is the Empress Dowager?" Gu Yin asked An Xin.

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is currently bathing and has not allowed us servants to attend to her. It is probably inconvenient for her to see Lord Gu at this time," An Xin replied.

Gu Yin frowned: "How long has it been?"

“A little over half an hour. The Empress Dowager usually needs to stay for a full hour,” An Xin replied.

"Have you been inside?" Gu Yin's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

"The Empress Dowager won't let anyone in," An Xin said.

"How did you serve her? An Xin, you've been serving the Empress Dowager for so long, and you still can't react to this?!" Gu Yin suddenly became angry, and before An Xin could react, Gu Yin had already gone inside.

"Lord Gu..." An Xin didn't even have a chance to stop him.

When Gu Yin entered, he saw the Empress Dowager leaning against the bathtub with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Gu Yin's breath caught in his throat, and he slowly walked over.

“Lord Gu, this is against the rules. Please leave.” An Xin said hurriedly.

"Get out of the way!" Gu Yin walked directly to the Empress Dowager's side without any hesitation; the water had already gone cold.

"Is this how you serve us?" Gu Yin looked at An Xin, who was speechless for a moment. It was indeed their oversight. In the past, the Empress Dowager stayed for so long because she and the palace servants would heat water for her. But today, the Empress Dowager wouldn't let anyone in, and with the weather so cold, no one even thought of the water getting cold.

Gu Yin ignored them and immediately lifted the Empress Dowager out of the water. An Xin quickly took a long towel and covered the Empress Dowager with it.

The Empress Dowager still hadn't woken up, and An Xin was getting anxious. She also blamed herself for making such a basic mistake. She slapped herself.

Gu Yin placed the person on the bed, pulled the blanket over them, and An Xin knelt down beside the bed. If anything happened to the Empress Dowager because of her, she would be held responsible.

Gu Yin pulled the Empress Dowager's arm out from under the covers, then took her pulse, his brows furrowed the entire time. He had someone bring him paper and pen and wrote down a prescription: "Send someone to my residence to fetch the medicine."

“Yes,” An Xin replied without delay, taking the prescription and heading off to find someone.

Gu Yin then took out a white porcelain bottle from his person, poured out a pill, and fed it to the Empress Dowager. He then held the Empress Dowager's hand tightly, the veins on her hand bulging faintly, showing his fear and worry.

After a short while, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes, and Gu Yin's tense expression eased slightly.

"Awake?" Gu Yin asked gently.

"Gu Yin..." The Empress Dowager hadn't reacted yet.

"You just fell asleep," Gu Yin said casually.

"Hmm..." The Empress Dowager tried to sit up.

Gu Yin helped the person up, but... the Empress Dowager's expression was not very good.

"Gu Yin..." The Empress Dowager grabbed Gu Yin's arm.

"I know, it's alright." Gu Yin patted the Empress Dowager's hand reassuringly.

But the Empress Dowager didn't think that way. She looked around, seemingly searching for something.

"What's wrong?" Gu Yin asked.

The Empress Dowager looked at him, then reached out and took the hairpin from Gu Yin's hair. Gu Yin was caught off guard, and the next moment, the Empress Dowager slashed the hairpin across her own arm.

"Nanyin!" Gu Yin hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to do such a thing. He immediately grasped Nanyin's hand and removed the hairpin.

"Are you crazy?!" Gu Yin rarely got angry with her.

"What are you all standing there for? Bring the tools!" Gu Yin roared at the palace servants.

"Everyone else, get out!" Gu Yin couldn't control his emotions this time.

"It doesn't hurt anymore... Gu Yin, I can't feel any pain anymore..." The Empress Dowager looked at Gu Yin.

"So what? You just can't feel it anymore. Is it worth trying like this?" Gu Yin was really angry. Without the hairpin that held his hair back, his hair was all loose and draped down his back.

"Gu Yin, there's no time..." Perhaps because she had lost her makeup, the Empress Dowager looked much more haggard, and she appeared fragile.

The palace maid brought over the medicine box, and Gu Yin then dismissed her. He opened the medicine box and took out the medicine and bandages inside. Even though the Empress Dowager could no longer feel the pain, his movements were still careful and gentle.

After the bandage was finished, he looked at the Empress Dowager again and then embraced her: "Nanyin, with me here, nothing will happen. Believe me, there is still a long, long time to go..." Gu Yin's voice was a little hoarse.

The Empress Dowager looked at his hair falling over his shoulders. Gu Yin used to have a full head of black hair, and his face had no trace of the years. He said he could stay young forever and live to be a hundred years old.

Now……

"Gu Yin, you have gray hair," the Empress Dowager said.

“When you get old, you’ll naturally have gray hair,” Gu Yin said.

"You said you would never grow old..." the Empress Dowager said.

"I was just kidding. Haven't I told you all this before? I'm not a monster, I'm a human. No one can stay young forever," Gu Yin replied.

"I'm getting old too," the Empress Dowager said again.

"Yes, I'll be with you. We'll grow old together. No matter what, I'll always be there for you. I won't break my promise," Gu Yin told her.

"I've already lost my sense of smell and taste, and now I've lost my sense of touch. What's next? Will I be unable to see or hear?" the Empress Dowager asked him.

"No matter what it is, just know that I'm here for you, Yin'er, don't be afraid." Gu Yin called her Yin'er.

"I'm just afraid there won't be enough time... I still have so many things to do," the Empress Dowager said.

“There’s enough time. After you finish what you need to do, we still need to go to Jiangcheng. You haven’t agreed before, but please say yes this time, okay? After we’re done here, we’ll go to Jiangcheng, okay?” Gu Yin said to her.

"...Alright," the Empress Dowager agreed this time.

Gu Yin smiled: "Once you've promised, you can't go back on your word. I knew you'd go; I'd already figured it out." Gu Yin hugged her tightly.

The Empress Dowager fell silent.

The last time she left the palace, she went to Gu Yin's residence. That day, she said to Gu Yin, "Gu Yin, I can't smell anything anymore."

On the day Nan Su returned to the capital, he brewed her a cup of tea. She liked Junshan Yinzhen tea, but unfortunately, it wasn't available anywhere. And... she couldn't seem to taste it anymore.

He asked her, "Do you regret it?"

She said, "I don't regret it."

But... Yin'er, I regret it...