In the Taiji Palace, the emperor swallowed a pill and felt a warm sensation in his dantian, as if his whole body felt comfortable.

But after feeling comfortable, he was still not satisfied: "Taoist Master, why can't I command the wind and rain like you?"

"Your Majesty is cultivating the path to immortality, which is different from what we learn in this path. Your Majesty, your mind is in turmoil. One must be careful not to have an unstable mind when cultivating the Dao."

"But must I continue to live a life of asceticism and abstinence as before? Eight years have passed, and I've had enough of this kind of life. Can't I even do whatever I want after eight years of cultivation?"

"Your Majesty, once you reach a certain level of cultivation, you will be able to do whatever you want like an immortal. Please persevere a little longer."

The emperor stood up with a sinister look on his face: "But I don't want to wait any longer. The Taoist priest has always said that I am exceptionally talented. I suppose these eight years of cultivation are enough for me to enjoy myself for decades. It won't be too late for me to continue my cultivation after these decades."

"Your Majesty...this is a critical moment, Your Majesty cannot let all our previous efforts go to waste!"

"The Daoist Master said the same thing before, but I feel perfectly fine now! There's no need for the Daoist Master to say anything more. If you're worried that all my previous efforts will be in vain, it would be better if you went to the Immortal Sect and asked for a few more pills. The Daoist Master often says that one should cultivate one's mind in accordance with one's heart. Now that I've emerged from seclusion, it is exactly what I wanted."

Knowing he could no longer dissuade His Majesty, and not wanting His Majesty to become suspicious again, Master Qingfeng bowed respectfully and said, "If Your Majesty insists on this, I can only obey. In that case, I will do my best to refine elixirs for Your Majesty to prevent the turbid qi from entering your body."

Upon hearing this, the emperor relaxed his brows and smiled: "Daoist Master should have done this long ago."

That very evening, Song Xia heard the news, and along with the various palaces and the imperial court, everyone was filled with worry.

"Your Majesty, why do you seem unhappy?"

Consort Li couldn't sleep, so she simply got up and asked, "What is there for me to be happy about?"

"His Majesty dotes on the Empress the most. Now that His Majesty has come out of seclusion, the Empress's wish to be made a concubine may finally come true."

"When did I..." Consort Li began to dress, "That was in the past. I don't think there's anything wrong with it now."

She was even annoyed. If His Majesty came to her palace, wouldn't she have to serve him carefully again? After so many years in the palace, she found that these eight years were the most relaxed, even more comfortable than when she was at her parents' home.

Although they were initially unconvinced, they had to admit that the Queen was a very fair and magnanimous person. She never took their provocations to heart and even made them many novel gadgets to keep them from getting bored.

Even her son was well-educated. After the last victory, her son had a high reputation among the military officers in the court. Now he was being personally taught by General Zhuang. She never thought that her son would one day infiltrate the border army, which was led by Consort Zhuang's father!

Now that things have come to this, she no longer has any desire to contend for supremacy, because even her mother's land, Cui Di, is now prosperous and thriving, no longer relying solely on tribute gems for a living. Although it is called a vassal state, her brother said that the vast majority of people in Cui Di now have the will to submit and want to become a complete part of Xuan Kingdom.

This doesn't seem so bad, since the Empress has already agreed that if Cui Di completely submits, then Cui Di will still be governed by her brother, and the right to govern will be passed down for three generations.

If His Majesty continues to rule, the people of Cui Di will certainly not be living as well as they are now. During the last drought, if it weren't for the Empress sending people to deliver food, the people of Cui Di might not have been able to survive and would have been left to wait to be swallowed up.

"Your Majesty... since you can't sleep, why don't you think about what to wear tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow isn't a special day, why bother thinking about these things?" Consort Li said with a disdainful purse.

The palace maid was stunned. This was the last time His Majesty had left Taiji Palace. In the past, the Empress wished His Majesty would come every night.

"Zi Die, remember my words. From now on, the Empress will be the most respected person in the harem. I am getting old, and His Majesty may not be willing to come to our Chang Le Palace. If His Majesty does not come, we should not expect it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After speaking, Consort Li thought with even more disdain, "His Majesty has been so celibate for so many years, it's not even certain whether he can stand up again. Why bother with all this trouble? My son is already grown up and has a place in the court. Why bother scheming for that elusive position? Besides, even if he schemes, he might not win."

After all, the Empress and the First Prince already have several ministers firmly behind them, and Consort Shu and Consort Zhen have long since defected. Now, even Consort Zhuang and Consort Xian may have lost interest. If everyone were to try and climb the ranks, she and her son might still have a chance. But she dares not gamble now.

What's the point of all this fighting? Were the old days any better than the present? Even the prince is much happier than before. Instead of wasting your energy on this, you should do what Consort Zhuang did and start looking for a princess for the prince.

The eldest prince is eighteen now. I wonder when the Empress will choose a princess for him. If the eldest prince doesn't get married, it's not good for the younger princes to get married first.

However, even the imperial physician said that it was too early for both men and women. They suggested that they start looking for a suitable partner first and wait two years before getting married. Now, she was just hoping that His Majesty would come out of seclusion and not arrange marriages for the children indiscriminately. She had no choice in the matter back then, and now she only wanted her son to find a soulmate.

Outside the palace, upon learning that His Majesty would be leaving the palace the next day, the Prime Minister's residence, which had already been darkened, was brightly lit again in less than a quarter of an hour. Ministers coming and going discussed how to erase the traces of the Empress's comments and how to guard against those wavering and disloyal officials who would offer advice to His Majesty.

These eight years can be said to be the most comfortable eight years since they became ministers. They no longer had to live in fear and could focus on using their abilities to govern. They witnessed firsthand how the lives of the people improved, and all of this can be attributed to the Empress.

If the Empress hadn't provided new grain varieties, the people in the disaster-stricken areas wouldn't have been able to recover and rebuild so quickly. If the Empress hadn't reformed the official promotion system, the court and the country wouldn't have been cleansed of their scourges and gradually become more enlightened. If the Empress hadn't allowed women to participate in social production, the economic conditions of their Xuan Kingdom wouldn't be as prosperous and strong as they are now. Furthermore, local regimes such as those in the southern border regions have all become increasingly stable under the Empress's influence.

It can be said that the Empress's rise to power is entirely in line with the will of the people, but all of this is being done behind His Majesty's back. If His Majesty finds out, wouldn't it cause an uproar?

After all, although they were on the side of the Empress, her achievements were not publicized for the sake of convenience. All the orders were carried out in secret, and many troops were still loyal to His Majesty. If His Majesty were to investigate, things would become difficult.

Why is His Majesty suddenly deciding to leave the pass?

Having not managed state affairs for eight years, if he were still suspicious by nature, wouldn't he have to use someone as an example to restore his former prestige? After all, given his previous temperament, he was perfectly capable of doing so.

At this time, the emperor was unaware that, whether in the court or the harem, very few people actually wanted him to regain power.