Seven years ago, Su Xing was just an ordinary doctor who hadn't yet reported to the Imperial Hospital. But that year, the Empress Dowager contracted smallpox.

Smallpox is highly contagious, and once infected, the chances of survival are slim.

So the imperial physicians set their sights on Su Xing.

Su Xing was promoted ahead of schedule to become a formal imperial physician, but just as he was about to enter the palace to report for duty, he accidentally twisted his ankle.

Although it was an accident, in the eyes of those clever people, they would only think that Su Xing deliberately twisted his ankle to avoid treating the Empress Dowager.

In order to avoid being punished by the emperor, the thirteen-year-old Su Muxi entered the palace in place of her father with just one sentence.

"Although the Empress Dowager is of noble birth, she is still a woman. My father, being a man, finds it inconvenient to take care of her, so he specially sent me here."

Smallpox was a disease that terrified people, and even many of the elderly people around the Empress Dowager dared not get close to serve her. However, Su Muxi took care of the Empress Dowager personally and meticulously.

Having met many people in the palace, the Empress Dowager could naturally see that Su Muxi was kind-hearted. After recovering from her serious illness, she even considered keeping Su Muxi in the palace.

But Su Muxi was unwilling, so she didn't insist any further.

However, from then on, the Empress Dowager treated Su Muxi as her own granddaughter and even proposed to marry her to the eldest prince as a concubine after Su Muxi came of age.

The daughter of a royal physician was fortunate enough to marry a prince, a blessing many could only dream of. Yet Su Muxi refused and soon after married into the Marquis of Anyang's household.

This action was tantamount to humiliating the Empress Dowager, and from then on, the Empress Dowager never summoned Su Muxi again.

Granny Gao glanced at the Empress Dowager's furrowed brows, then at the doorway, and hesitated before saying, "Your Majesty, Miss Su has been kneeling outside for over an hour. Although it is springtime, it is still cold outside. If she continues to kneel like this, even if Miss Su is in good health, she may fall ill."

Granny Gao also liked Su Muxi very much.

Since the Empress Dowager sent someone into the palace, it means she still wants to see him, but she still harbors resentment about what happened back then.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with pity. She twirled the prayer beads in her hand. "You know how good Xi'er was when she listened to me. Although Yu'er is a bit cold-hearted, he is a thoughtful child, a hundred times better than that Qiao Zimo! Now look what's happened. She finally managed to heal someone else's leg, but it's all for someone else's benefit! It was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, what can I do? I can't possibly ask the Emperor to rescind the decree! It was her own choice, begging me is useless."

Granny Gao advised, "This old servant knows that the Empress Dowager still cares for Miss Su. Why don't we let Miss Su in first? As I know Miss Su, she is not the kind of person who likes to force things. Perhaps she has come to see the Empress Dowager for something else. Miss Su is very understanding and would not want to put the Empress Dowager in a difficult position. Now that she has come to see the Empress Dowager, she must have really encountered some insurmountable obstacle."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager looked toward the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly said, "In that case, let them in."

Su Muxi walked slowly into the Empress Dowager's palace and immediately saw the Empress Dowager sitting in the main seat.

"This humble woman greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Having said that, he was about to kneel down to pay his respects, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "That's enough. You've been kneeling for over an hour. Haven't you knelt enough yet?"

Upon hearing this, Su Muxi's eyes reddened, but she still knelt down and kowtowed three times to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager sighed, "Alas! When will you ever listen to me, my child?"

Su Muxi remained stubbornly kneeling on the ground, looked up at the Empress Dowager, and said with a firm gaze, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an imperial decree to allow me to divorce the Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Anyang!"

"What? Divorce?"

The Empress Dowager frowned, but her brows relaxed after a moment.

"Have you thought this through? Are you really willing to hand over the husband you've cared for for three years to someone else?"

But then Su Muxi said, "I married into the Marquis of Anyang's household because of the Marquis's life-saving grace to my father. Now that the debt of gratitude has been repaid, it is time for me to leave."

The Empress Dowager's three years of pent-up frustration vanished at this moment.

It turns out that Su Muxi married Qiao Ziming not because she loved him, but to repay a debt of gratitude.

"Silly child, who would sacrifice their entire happiness to repay a debt of gratitude! I've agreed to the divorce! Get up now, come to my side, let me take a good look at you!"

Su Muxi sat down next to the Empress Dowager as instructed.

The Empress Dowager held Su Muxi's hand with a loving expression, her gaze gradually softening with concern.

"You've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot these past three years at the Marquis of Anyang's residence."

Su Muxi smiled and shook her head, "No, that's not true. Marquis Anyang treats me very well. Xi'er has just grown taller and looks thinner."

Su Muxi sat to the left of the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager could only see Su Muxi's right cheek, which did not have a red birthmark.

A wrinkled hand gently stroked Su Muxi's left cheek, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Alas! If Xi'er didn't have this birthmark, how beautiful she would be! Otherwise, Qiao Zimo wouldn't have been so heartless and unfaithful!"

Su Muxi smiled indifferently, "Your Majesty, the heir of the Marquis of Anyang is not a suitable match for my daughter, so let's not mention it."

"Xi'er's goodness doesn't lie in her appearance. Qiao Ziming will regret it sooner or later!"

The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh.

Why did the emperor's horse suddenly go mad during the hunt? And why did the eunuch who was feeding the horse afterwards commit suicide by banging his head against the ground?

Like her aunt, the Empress, Chang Le was a scheming girl from a young age.

It's likely that she orchestrated the whole thing, all for the sake of marrying Qiao Ziming.

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