“Your Majesty, when the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. General Nan also understands this principle.” An Xin sighed inwardly. His Majesty had become the most perfect figure in the Empress Dowager’s heart—cold-blooded, ruthless, and vicious. But… these qualities were not only directed at others but also at his own family.

"Alright... Go to He'an Palace later and tell her that I am ill, so I have Yun'er come to take care of me. Let Yun'er stay here with me for a while." The Empress Dowager seemed much calmer. An Xin had also noticed this change, but she didn't know why.

“Yes,” An Xin agreed.

"Alright, you may all leave now. I'd like to have some peace and quiet by myself." The Empress Dowager dismissed everyone.

“Yes,” An Xin replied.

After everyone had left, the Empress Dowager looked alone at the empty Cining Palace, a strange sense of loneliness rising in her heart. Perhaps it was just old age, that made her yearn for someone close to her. She had no children of her own, and after adopting Yu Jingchen, she had even drunk a potion to prevent future pregnancies. Therefore, apart from Yu Jingchen, the Empress Dowager had no other children.

Nan Zhiyun is Nan Su's only daughter. Her mother passed away when Nan Zhiyun was about three years old while protecting her. Moreover, Nan Su was her father's adopted son, and she always treated Nan Su as her own younger brother. She regarded Nan Zhiyun as her own daughter.

Especially later on, Yu Jingchen gradually distanced himself from her and lost his heart. At that time, only Nan Zhiyun was there to keep her company. So she devoted most of her life to Nan Zhiyun and was willing to give everything for her.

The Empress Dowager believed that she had not wronged anyone, but in the end she had not protected Yun'er. Originally, she had no attachment to anyone except Nan Zhiyun, but... ever since she experienced that lifetime, her mindset seemed to have changed.

That day, Nan Zhiyun told her that she had a dream... The Empress Dowager smiled bitterly. Wasn't she the same? It's just that compared to Nan Zhiyun, she had a few more dreams. What Nan Zhiyun owed... was far too much.

Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager was ill and that Nan Zhiyun was to attend to her, Yu Jingchen sneered. Fortunately, he was also sweating profusely beside her. Why would the Empress Dowager use such a pretext? It was clearly just an excuse.

Xinglai thought to himself, "His Majesty is already dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager, and even more harsh on Consort Shu. Why would the Empress Dowager still think of doing this? I'm afraid His Majesty will be furious again this time."

really……

"Since the Empress Dowager is ill, let Consort Shu go over there," Yu Jingchen said, his tone turning cold.

Huh? You agreed? Luckily, I almost didn't realize what was going on.

“Yes…” Xinglai quickly replied.

Yu Jingchen was indeed very angry, but... let them go if they want. It would save him from seeing them every day, which would be an eyesore. If the two of them were together, he would be free from their sight and annoyance.

Nan Zhiyun was pleased to hear the Empress Dowager's words, but the thought of Yu Jingchen dashed all her hopes. How could His Majesty possibly agree?

When Nan Zhiyun heard that His Majesty had agreed, she felt like she was dreaming. Agreed? How could that be? Even though Nan Zhiyun couldn't believe it, she still packed her things and went to Cixi Palace. After arriving at Cixi Palace, she still felt like she hadn't woken up yet.

On the contrary, Qianxia was overjoyed upon hearing the news. Being in Cining Palace was much better than being in He'an Hall; here, the Empress Dowager was present, and she wouldn't have to face the Emperor every day. Moreover, since it was under the guise of attending to the ailing Empress, she wouldn't have to pay her respects every day. Just thinking about the faces of the other women in the harem she would face every time she went to pay her respects made Qianxia feel sorry for her mistress. Now, she was spared that mistreatment. Therefore, upon hearing the news, Qianxia couldn't wait to summon Nan Zhiyun.

(Author's note: I've been seeing this image a lot lately, used to urge authors to update. It says something like "12,000 words in three consecutive days, and once you get used to this pace, you'll aim for 15,000 words a day..." I have to say, this author is really persistent, haha, I admire them! Your image has gone viral across the entire Tomato website! It's also in my comment section.)

However… my dear readers, let’s do the math. Those who have joined the group should know that I’ve posted screenshots. I write 10,000 words a day, and the rest of the time it’s basically 6,000 to 8,000 words. My highest update record is 17 updates a day, and the most I’ve updated in a day is more than 25,000 words. In the past month, I’ve written nearly 300,000 words.

There haven't been many chapters lately, but each one is packed with content and hasn't missed a single word count. So, compared to three consecutive days of 12,000 words each, is 300,000 words a month better? Hehe, so... that picture urging me to update... well, it's certainly enough to provoke me, but who's afraid of who?!

Hahaha (This is purely for entertainment; I don't mean to attack the picture at all. I just think it's funny, and I'd like to comment on it too, hehehehehe)