Chapter 1 The Empress Dowager Who Has Reigned for a Long Time

Joseon Dynasty,

Lee Se-min was the new emperor of the Joseon Dynasty, and Nak Hee was his biological mother and the reigning queen dowager.

The day was sunny and breezy, the weather was lovely.

Cining Palace.

Luo Xi glanced at Consort Chen, who was bowing respectfully to her, put down her teacup, and said with a half-smile, "Should I call you Consort Chen, or Princess Ning Wan of the previous dynasty?"

Consort Chen: !!!

She hadn't expected that the Empress Dowager already knew she was a princess from the previous dynasty. However, she wasn't afraid. She raised her chin, looked at the beautiful and dignified Luo Xi, and smiled faintly, saying confidently, "Empress Dowager, so what if you know I'm a princess from the previous dynasty? You can't do anything to me."

"Empress Dowager, do you think the Emperor doesn't know that I am a princess of the previous dynasty? He does know. But he kept it from you for my sake. Now, the Emperor is deeply in love with me, and he won't let me die."

"Empress Dowager, the Emperor is your son, you should know his temperament and disposition."

Consort Chen threatened inwardly, "If you harm me now, your mother-son relationship with him will end here..."

With the Emperor around, she'll be safe for the time being.

The Empress Dowager only has one son, the Emperor, and she wouldn't want to create a rift between them.

In fact, Consort Chen never expected that such a ruthless person as the Empress Dowager would give birth to a son who was a romantic.

However, the Emperor's personality seems to have followed that of the late Emperor, who doted on the Empress Dowager, granting her every wish and having her as the sole empress in the harem. Even after his death, he issued an imperial edict beforehand, placing the Empress Dowager in power.

Upon hearing this, Luo Xi paused for a moment, then tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her eyes sharply fixed on the fearless Song Ningwan.

Did Consort Chen threaten her?

Ha! She doesn't dare? What is there for her not to dare?

Luo Xi: "Guards, drag her away and execute her."

"Yes, Empress Dowager." Immediately, two people stepped forward and grabbed Consort Chen's hands.

Consort Chen: !!!

The Empress Dowager... how dare she? She touched her, isn't she afraid the Emperor will turn against her?

Why hasn't the Emperor arrived yet? Oh right, the Emperor isn't in the palace today; he went to Huatian Temple…

Consort Chen looked at Luo Xi with a face full of fear, her heart filled with despair.

The Empress Dowager deliberately sent the Emperor away.

Extreme punishment? She didn't want to die; she was afraid of the pain.

Consort Chen struggled, opened her mouth, and was about to shout when Zhuzhu frowned and quickly stuffed a piece of cloth into her mouth to prevent her from disturbing the Empress Dowager.

Finally, Consort Chen was dragged away. Her limbs were severed, and her body was covered in blood; one could only imagine the extreme torture she had endured. Her head was also cut off and hung on the city gate at the west end of the street.

Meanwhile, the emperor at Huatian Temple was unaware of what was happening in the palace.

The Emperor only learned upon returning to the palace that his beloved concubine, Consort Chen, had died tragically, her head hanging on the city gate at the west end of the street.

His hands were clenched into fists, his eyes were red, and his eyes were filled with hatred.

Knowing full well that he rarely loved someone so much, why did the Empress Dowager order such cruel treatment of Consort Chen? Even if the Empress Dowager knew Consort Chen was a princess from the previous dynasty, so what? Consort Chen was just a princess from the previous dynasty, not a prince. Moreover, he and Consort Chen truly loved each other; why couldn't the Empress Dowager think of him? She only cared about herself.

He headed straight for the Cining Palace...