Inside and outside Yong'an Palace, all was quiet at this moment.

On a rosewood table in one corner of the hall, there is a lotus-shaped incense burner inlaid with copper and glass, with an exquisite and unique design.

The base is made of bronze, the body of the incense burner is made of glass, and there are two handles on both sides, each with a ring hanging down. Two bronze rims divide the body into upper and lower parts. The surface of the body is decorated with several raised dots. Near the top of the lid, there are small holes with a staggered pattern. Wisps of smoke rise slowly from the incense burner, emitting a unique fragrance.

During the day, noon is when the yang energy is at its peak and the yin energy is at its weakest. It is the time when the body's essence and energy "reunite with yang," so one should take a short rest to nourish the yang energy.

The Empress Dowager placed particular emphasis on controlling the timing of her daily midday nap, not allowing it to be a moment earlier or a moment later.

It was just past noon, and the maids who had been quietly waiting outside the palace to serve her all went in to attend to her as soon as they heard the familiar calling of the matron.

The Empress Dowager stood up straight, spread her arms, and several maids hurriedly stepped forward to help her put on a black robe.

Then, as she sat down in front of the dressing table, she said to the old nanny serving her, "Recently, I have felt very heavy all day long. Even my afternoon nap, an old habit of decades, is no longer under my control. I toss and turn every time, and when I finally fall asleep, I always have one dream after another, and I have to be woken up by someone."

As soon as he finished speaking, he involuntarily opened his mouth and let out a yawn that clearly showed he was still not satisfied.

As the old nanny combed her hair, she recalled, "The imperial physician comes to the palace every day to take her pulse, and he says that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's health is perfectly normal, with nothing wrong. It seems that perhaps the new chef in the imperial kitchen has been quite skilled, and Her Majesty has eaten too much. Perhaps, this old servant should help Her Majesty go for a walk later. The scenery in the Imperial Garden is quite beautiful right now!"

Even if I don't want to admit it, I am, after all, getting on in years.

After listening to the old nanny's words, and then looking at her reflection in the mirror, her face was clearly showing signs of aging and a slight plumpness.

Thinking about it carefully, my situation clearly started with the return of Consort Chun.

Despite all her calculations, she never imagined that the fire back then would not have killed her.

Who saved her from all those flawless arrangements she made back then?

After all these years, what exactly does she want to do now that she's back? It seems that an even fiercer struggle between the two of them is inevitable.

"Everything I have obtained through painstaking effort and sacrifice, no one can take away from me!"

While silently calculating in her mind, she stretched out two fingers and slowly ran them across her face, finally responding with a casual "Mmm."

Just then, a maidservant timidly entered and reported, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Her Majesty the Empress has come to pay her respects."

The Empress Dowager was very pleased to hear this and said, "It is rare for the Empress to come and pay her respects to me every day these past few days. Over the years, she has truly worked hard in the affairs of the inner palace."

The old nanny chimed in, "Who says otherwise? Her Majesty the Empress is virtuous and kind. Not only has she raised the Crown Prince and the Princess exceptionally well, but she has also managed the various departments of the harem with remarkable efficiency over the years. If she were to hear the Empress Dowager praising her like this, she would surely be very moved."

"Go and invite the Empress in."

The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and instructed her maid.

Unexpectedly, the maid did not leave.

The Empress Dowager glanced through the mirror in front of her and noticed that the maid who came in to report seemed to have a troubled look on her face. So she asked, "Why are you still standing here? Is there anything else you want to report?"

The maid suddenly came to her senses, quickly lowered her head slightly, and stammered, "Your Majesty, it is...it is Consort Chun. Consort Chun is also waiting outside the palace to see Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately lost the smile that had been on her face, and said with some puzzlement, "Consort Chun... it's really like speaking of the devil, and he appears. What does she want to see me in the palace today?"

At this moment, the old nanny beside her had finished dressing her up. It seemed that Consort Chun never visited unless she had a reason, so her uninvited appearance this time was quite unexpected.

After a moment's thought, she spoke up: "I recently heard that His Majesty confined Prince Qin to his quarters in court because of the epidemic prevention measures. Could it be that Consort Chun... she has come to plead with Your Majesty the Empress Dowager on behalf of Prince Qin?"

"Because the King of Qin... came to plead with me?" the Empress Dowager said, exchanging a glance with the old nanny.

The old nanny nodded affirmatively at him.

Feeling genuinely surprised, the Empress Dowager hesitated for a moment before instructing her maid, "Then please invite the Empress and Consort Chun in."

"Yes," the maid replied, and finally slowly retreated.

In an instant, scenes from the past flashed before my eyes...

At that time, the late emperor was young, vigorous, and full of youthful energy.

Consort Chun entered the palace two years before her. The two seemed to be extremely close, calling each other "sister" more affectionately than anyone else, but in order to win the emperor's favor, she spared no effort.

Back then, whenever the late emperor had any unusual gadgets, Consort Chun always got them first, and then she herself.

Especially the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting personally drawn by the late emperor, no matter how much she wanted it, it eventually ended up in the hands of Consort Chun.

The favoritism that Consort Chun received from the late Emperor still drives her to madness with jealousy, even years after his death.

If she hadn't been pregnant first and hadn't used some tricks, she probably wouldn't be the Empress Dowager today.

With this thought in mind, the Empress Dowager suddenly roused herself, looked at her reflection in the mirror, and said fiercely, "Since Heaven insists on sparing your life, then I'll see if your fate is harder than mine. Even if we could do it all over again, I still wouldn't let you go. In the end, you will die by my hand; this is your destiny!"

After she finished dressing, the old nanny helped her out of the bedroom.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager slowly emerge.

The Empress and Consort Chun bowed to him.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

After the Empress Dowager took her seat, she said to the two of them, "It's quite a coincidence that you two met today. Please sit down."

The two exchanged a glance and then sat down.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager seemed less enthusiastic about Consort Chun this time, the Empress spoke first, breaking the silence: "Mother, I have heard that you have been feeling sleepy lately, but you are not sleeping well. So I consulted the imperial physician and personally prepared this ginseng soup, which is both nourishing and invigorating. I hope you will try it."

As they were talking, a maidservant stepped forward and presented the ginseng soup to the Empress Dowager, holding the tea tray high above her head with both hands.

The old nanny stepped forward, ladled out the ginseng soup from the tea tray, and handed it to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager seemed to like the soup quite a bit. She took it and drank it all in one gulp. After wiping the soup stains from the corners of her mouth, she said, "This soup is very good. I like it very much. The Empress is very thoughtful."

The Empress smiled with satisfaction and said, "If Mother is pleased, then so be it."

The Empress Dowager then said, "The Empress has to serve the Emperor, manage the affairs of the palaces, and take care of the young Crown Prince. From now on, she doesn't need to do these small things herself; she can delegate them to others. There's no need for her to be so overworked."

The Empress said, "I am not tired. Taking care of the Empress Dowager is also my duty that I cannot slack off on."

After a pause, the Empress Dowager glanced at the silent Consort Chun sitting to the side and asked in a feignedly polite manner, "By the way, what brings you to the palace today, Sister?"

Consort Chun smiled slightly and said, "I remember that the Empress Dowager particularly liked the 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' painting that the late Emperor painted himself. I found it while sorting through old things at the Prince's residence recently, and I brought it here today to present to the Empress Dowager."

"What did you say... 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains'..."

The Empress Dowager was shocked, but she thought to herself, "Hmph, you're so kind."

The empress, who was standing nearby, also looked surprised upon hearing this.

At this moment, a maidservant came forward, carefully took the scroll handed over by Consort Chun, and presented it to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager gave a signal, and two other maids stepped forward and gently unfurled the scroll.

Immediately, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened, and she quickly stood up and walked towards the scroll. After examining it carefully once more, she exclaimed in astonishment, "This...this is truly the 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains' that the late Emperor loved most when he was alive!"

Consort Chun nodded affirmatively.

Even the Empress, who was sitting to the side, was surprised when she caught a glimpse of it: "How could Consort Chun be willing to offer something so precious to the Empress Dowager?"

For a moment, the Empress Dowager was overjoyed. But after a moment of silence, she asked in confusion, "What do you mean by this? Why would you present the 'A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains' to me for no apparent reason?"

Consort Chun thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, the reason I came to the palace to see you today is for the sake of my son..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager said, "You want me to plead with the Emperor on your behalf and lift the Prince of Qin's confinement?"

Consort Chun smiled and said, "Regarding the matter of Xiqin also actively carrying out epidemic prevention, if it is true that the prince is fabricating something out of nothing and intentionally creating panic, and if he is really wrong, he should be confined to his quarters, and confinement would be too lenient for him. However, the late emperor once said that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics. I have never dared to forget the late emperor's admonition. Therefore, I am not here today for this reason."

Seeing the Empress Dowager's puzzled expression, Consort Chun took a deep breath and blurted out, "Today, I have come to discuss my son's marriage."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager suddenly realized what was happening and turned her gaze to the Empress, exchanging a glance with her.

But she got angry whenever the topic came up, so she questioned him, "Is it because of the King of Qin's marriage?"

As she spoke, she slowly sat back down and said, "But didn't you look down on the princess that I and the Emperor chose for the Prince of Qin? And you even disregarded all consequences and expelled Princess Dongning from the Prince's residence. Do you know how much manpower and resources the Emperor spent to appease the anger of the Dongning royal family?"