But Jian Yang couldn't quite put her finger on what was bothering her; only a voice inside her kept reminding her—

"Run! It'll be too late if you don't run now!"

So, when her health had improved significantly, she finally decided to resign from her post.

That evening, the emperor, as usual, came over for a meal.

Jian Yang thought this was probably the last meal they would have together, so she cooked a table full of her signature dishes herself.

Consider it a way of thanking the emperor for taking care of her during this time.

The emperor looked at the table full of dishes, his eyes darkening slightly, but he smiled without changing his expression, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work at all!" Jian Yang smiled broadly at the thought of being able to escape happily soon. "Your Majesty, I have something I would like to discuss with you."

The emperor said softly, "It just so happens that I also have something to tell you."

In this situation, the emperor should naturally speak first.

"Your Majesty, please speak." Jian Yang thoughtfully poured him a cup of wine.

"This morning at court, I deposed Consort Yu from her position as Empress. From now on, you will still be Empress. After tonight, I will have someone bring you back to Weiyang Palace tomorrow."

Jian Yang was completely flustered!

What the hell is going on?!

Just as she was about to refuse, she heard a eunuch outside the door announce her arrival.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

The two quickly got up to greet them.

"Your Majesty, have you fully recovered?"

As soon as the Empress Dowager saw Jian Yang, she immediately took her hand affectionately.

Upon seeing the delicious food on the table, he smiled even more broadly.

"I have long heard the Emperor praise your culinary skills. I wonder if I will have the pleasure of tasting your cooking today?"

When Jian Yang heard the Empress Dowager call her "Empress", she was completely stunned.

But she still forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. Your son will have someone prepare a set of bowls and chopsticks for you."

Accompanying the Empress Dowager were numerous gold, silver, jewels, silks, and satins.

This immediately made her simple and elegant Jiaolan Palace appear extremely noble.

"Your Majesty, you have made a great contribution to the matter of the Prince of Dingbian. These are all rewards from me, and you must accept them."

She could accept money, of course, but she didn't want to stay in the harem for even a day longer!

Jian Yang took a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point and explain things to the two of them.

But the emperor spoke first.

"Mother, I have been thinking about this a lot lately and have decided to raise Kun'er under the Empress's care. What do you think?"

Jian Yang was taken aback.

Who is Kun'er?

Why raise a child under her care?

The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Kun'er is young and needs his mother's guidance. I think this suggestion is excellent. Let's do it this way. We will send Kun'er to Weiyang Palace tomorrow."

Jian Yang's eyes widened immediately.

She remembered!

Don't be fooled by the emperor's current impotence; he must have been quite virile in his younger days, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to father a six-year-old child.

His only son was named Zhou Kun.

But she had lived two lives and had never had any experience raising children.

What if it dies?

No, she absolutely cannot do this job!

But then, the mother and son didn't give her a chance to speak at all.

The two acted like a double act, sometimes expressing gratitude for her contributions to the royal family, and other times telling her about Zhou Kun's hardships without a mother.

Jian Yang was stunned by what she heard until she saw the Empress Dowager off after dinner, when the cold wind outside the palace blew her back to her senses.

Damn, she feels like she's been tricked!

But she had already nodded in agreement when the Empress Dowager, wiping away her tears, begged her to take good care of her eldest grandson.

If we change our minds now, we'll probably completely enrage the old lady.

Jian Yang was at her wit's end and furious, and even her gaze toward the emperor was filled with resentment.

Seeing this, the Emperor smiled and said, "Empress, there is no need to worry. Kun'er has been calm and sensible since childhood and will not cause you too much trouble."

Jian Yang held her head, looking very tired. "Your Majesty, I have a bit of a headache today. I'll go and rest now."

"Alright, I'll come see you later."

Jian Yang said "okay" but what she really wanted to say was, "Please, don't come again!"

After the emperor left, Jian Yang summoned Lian Xia and asked with a worried expression, "You have excellent connections in the palace, do you know who the little prince's birth mother is? Why don't the emperor and empress dowager have the little prince raised by her?"

Lianxia looked surprised. "Your Majesty, didn't you know? The little prince's birth mother passed away less than half a month after giving birth to the prince."

Jian Yang was startled and continued to press for the reason.

It turns out that Zhou Kun's birth mother was just a maidservant to the emperor at the time.

He, who had never been interested in beautiful women, suddenly slept with a young maid one night.

Just when everyone thought the maid was about to rise to a high position, they discovered that from that day on, Zhou Jingzhi, who was then a prince, never let her serve him in bed again.

In her despair, the maid unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant and gave birth to the child!

She had hoped to achieve upward social mobility by having a child, but in the end, she died less than half a month after giving birth.

After listening, Jian Yang expressed two sentiments.

My first thought is that childbirth is truly a brush with death for women; those who survive can enjoy chicken soup, while those who don't meet their maker.

My second thought is that children who grow up without a mother must have very peculiar personalities.

She probably couldn't handle a child like that!

That damned emperor, all he knows is how to screw her over!

At this moment, Eunuch Zhang was accompanying the emperor toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Seeing the emperor's beaming face, Eunuch Zhang finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, I noticed earlier that the Empress didn't look too well. Was it because she didn't want to take care of the young prince?"

The emperor smiled mysteriously without saying a word.

That night, Jian Yang dreamed that she had become a donkey in the production team, and that she would pull the millstone all her life without stopping until she died.

The dream terrified her so much that she sat up straight in bed!

My emotions are still unsettled.

No way, no way, is she really going to be like that donkey in the dream, unable to retire until she dies?

The next day.

Back at Weiyang Palace, all the furnishings that Consort Yu had altered were restored to their original state, as if she had never lived there.

Jian Yang hadn't even settled into her seat when someone came to report that the young prince had come to pay his respects.

She immediately clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand.

She wasn't this nervous when she first met the Empress Dowager; she didn't know why she was acting this way now.

A moment later, a cute little girl in ancient costume, led by her nanny, came to Jian Yang.

It instantly dispelled her anxiety and brightened her eyes!

This is so cute!

He's a miniature version of the emperor!!

The emperor was already extremely handsome, and now these features, scaled down proportionally and placed on this child's face, have lost their coldness and seriousness, but gained a bit more cuteness and obedience.

It seems that his nanny must have taught him manners beforehand, which is why Zhou Kun immediately knelt down in front of Jian Yang and performed a grand salute upon seeing her.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"