"Your Majesty need not worry about this matter. Once I have settled Miss Su in, I will naturally go to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager."

Fu Zhun looked down at Su An with concern and gave a soft snort.

But clearly, Chu Yi had no intention of letting Su An go back so easily, and continued to persuade her with a smile:

"Hey, that's not how it works. The Empress Dowager has been thinking about the Imperial Uncle for a long time. Now that the Imperial Uncle already has a fiancée, why not bring her into the palace to let the Empress Dowager see her? That way, she can rest assured about the Imperial Uncle's marriage."

Upon hearing this, Fu Zhun pursed his lips and remained silent, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Su An couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Judging from Fu Zhun's expression, he didn't seem to want her to see the Empress Dowager.

He had never mentioned the Empress Dowager before. Could she be some kind of wicked old witch?

Just as she was lost in thought, Chu Yi spoke up again to provoke her.

"Could it be that Imperial Uncle is afraid that I will make improper advances towards Miss Su? She is currently in Imperial Uncle's hands. Does Imperial Uncle lack confidence in himself and fear that he cannot protect Miss Su?"

"If that's the case, then Your Majesty might as well hand over Miss Su to me sooner rather than later. I don't mind her past, and I can reluctantly take her into the harem."

Chu Yi waved the folding fan in his hand, a hint of sarcasm surfacing in his eyes.

Meeting his provocative gaze, Fu Zhun scoffed disdainfully, narrowing his eyes and threateningly saying, "Dream on. I advise you to give up on her, or I won't hesitate to fight you."

As he spoke, he glanced down at Su An, lowered his voice, and asked for her opinion.

"Would you be willing to come with me to meet the Empress Dowager?"

Su An hesitated, furrowing his brow as he pondered to himself.

Given the current situation, if she doesn't go to the palace, who knows what kind of heinous things that dog emperor might do.

She wanted to see what he really wanted after going to such lengths to bring her to the capital.

Thinking of this, she calmed herself down and nodded emphatically.

"Of course I'm willing. After all, since we're already engaged, it's only a matter of time before we go to the palace to meet the Empress Dowager. It's better to pay our respects sooner rather than later, so as to avoid any unforeseen complications later."

As she said this, she deliberately raised her voice and stared at Chu Yi meaningfully.

Chu Yi's eyes darkened for a moment, then he chuckled and raised an eyebrow to meet her gaze.

Upon hearing this, Fu Zhun felt a surge of joy.

He was initially worried that Chu Yi's outburst might harm Su An, but now it seems he has done something good.

Fu Zhun gently took her hand and chuckled, "Alright, let's go to the palace together."

Watching the two figures walk away hand in hand, Chu Yi's brows furrowed with increasing coldness.

Inside the Cining Palace.

A young woman dressed in a purple gown with gold thread lay on her side on a chaise longue, propping her head up with one hand, closing her eyes to rest, while the palace maids behind her massaged her shoulders and legs.

Her face was exquisite, her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and her beautiful figure surpassed that of countless women in the world.

Upon seeing this, Su An's face showed surprise, and even his breathing faltered slightly.

She thought that to reach the position of Empress Dowager, she would have to be at least a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties. She never expected that the Empress Dowager, who was rumored to be the mother of the nation, would be so young.

"Your Majesty, I, along with my fiancée Su An, pay our respects to Your Majesty

Before Su An could react, Fu Zhun spoke first, respectfully bowing and clasping his hands.

The palace was different from the outside world, so Su An quickly followed suit and bowed.

"This humble woman, Su An, greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Upon hearing the sound, the Empress Dowager opened her eyes and looked over.

At the same time, she gently raised her hand, signaling the palace maid beside her to step back.

A pair of bright, starry eyes fixed on Su An.

Su An subconsciously looked up and met her gaze.

"Get up, all of you!"

"So you are the fiancée of the Prince of Zhenbei? I thought the Prince of Zhenbei was cold by nature and that I would never find a soulmate in this life. I never expected that we would be so fortunate to have such a match. Come closer and let me take a good look at you."

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager propped herself up and sat up, beckoning to her with a smile and patting the bed beside her.

Seeing how kind she was, Su An relaxed her guard a little and got up to go over to her.

A pair of delicate, white hands brushed against her cheek. The Empress Dowager chuckled softly, her eyes filled with envy, and sighed sincerely, "What a beauty! The Prince of Zhenbei is so lucky."

Su An blushed, lowered her head, and looked slightly shy.

"Your Majesty flatters me. Your Majesty is so young and beautiful, you look like a fairy descended from the heavens. Compared to Your Majesty, I am but a fraction of your beauty."

No woman in the world dislikes hearing praise, and the Empress Dowager was no exception.

Hearing what Su An said, she covered her lips and chuckled softly.

"You're quite the charmer, girl, but I like it. It's been a long time since we've had someone as interesting as Miss Su in this palace. Why don't you stay here tonight and keep me company?"

As soon as Chu Yi stepped into Cining Palace, he heard that the Empress Dowager wanted Su An to stay overnight.

His face grew increasingly pleased, and he echoed his sentiments.

"Yes! There are plenty of places to stay in this huge palace. It must be quite lonely for Mother to be alone in the harem. It's rare to find someone who gets along with Mother. Why don't you stay in the palace and keep Mother company?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Fu Zhun frowned and refused, "No need. I have already had the Prince's mansion prepared. Miss Su is used to being free and doesn't like being restrained. We will stay at the Prince's mansion today."

Su An was about to wave his hand in refusal when he noticed the Empress Dowager's smile fade.

She glanced at Fu Zhun and sighed, "I've misunderstood. The Prince of Zhenbei and Miss Su are deeply in love and surely do not wish to be apart."

"However, I truly like Miss Su. Since the Prince of Zhenbei is still worried about her, why don't you stay in the palace with him as well?"

Watching the group pulling at each other, Su An was a little confused.

The Empress Dowager is Fu Zhun's sister-in-law, and Fu Zhun is Chu Yi's uncle. They should be a close family, but for some reason, the scene looks strange.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange about it.

Fu Zhun glanced at Su An, noticing her silence and close relationship with the Empress Dowager, and could only reluctantly agree.

"Very well, then I'll have to trouble Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Soon, night fell, and the Empress Dowager suggested that Su An stay with her.

Su An was naturally happy to be able to get close to a beautiful woman.

In addition, ever since she entered the palace, she had a lot of questions she wanted to ask the Empress Dowager. Now that the Empress Dowager had given her the opportunity, she gladly agreed.

After washing up, the two lay down on the chaise lounge.

They were accompanied by palace maids who were very attentive, massaging their heads and feet to help them relax their muscles and bones, which made them feel very comfortable.

"I have a question, but I don't know if I should say it."

"We're not that far apart in age, so there's no need to be so formal. If you have something to say, just say it."

"I am surrounded by people who only know how to lie, and I do not want you to be like them."