Whether Emperor Mingde was willing or not, Zhihai entered the palace. He and Hongxia arrived at Cining Palace and saw Zhao Shu kneeling on the ground. He bowed and said, "This old servant greets the princess."

Liang Yunsi called over the eunuch Xiao Liangzi to hold an umbrella for Zhao Shu. Even with someone holding an umbrella for her, she was still sweating profusely from the heat. Tears streamed into her eyes, making them burn painfully. She glanced at Zhihai, whose eyes were completely red.

She forced a smile. "Eunuch Hai is back?" She was somewhat surprised that Zhihai could return to the inner palace.

Zhihai sighed and bowed towards the direction of Cining Palace, saying, "The Empress Dowager has kindly allowed this old servant to return. This old servant will go to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. Although the princess was punished by kneeling, this old servant has said something extra. The Empress Dowager's punishment of you is a sign of her affection for you. The princess should not take it too seriously."

Zhao Shu shook her head slightly, but she had no strength left. She felt that she had already shaken her head, but in fact she still did not move. "A-Jun knows that Grandmother is doing this for my own good. It is right for Grandmother to punish me. A-Jun will not think too much about it."

"The princess is sensible; the Empress Dowager will surely be very pleased to know this." Zhihai bowed again and entered Cining Palace.

Hongxia and Jiyun exchanged a glance but did not speak. They then parted ways, with Hongxia following behind Zhihai into the palace.

Liang Yunsi and Zhang Chu stood guard in front of the main hall, preventing anyone from entering. When they saw the two of them coming, Zhang Chu sighed softly, while Liang Yunsi's pupils widened in surprise. However, his surprise quickly turned into understanding. This senior whom he had once greatly admired had finally returned.

Back when the emperor was still the crown prince, this senior saved the crown prince from danger many times and also helped the empress dowager escape danger many times. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he thought several times that this person would probably never be able to step into the palace again in this life.

Perhaps due to the influence of previous years, Liang Yunsi, the top eunuch of Dayong, actually bowed slightly and said, "Eunuch Hai."

With eyes like those of a vengeful ghost, Zhihai looked at Liang Yunsi, then at Zhang Chu, and finally at the tightly closed door. She tossed her coarse cloth skirt and knelt before the door.

"This humble servant, Zhihai, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager." His voice was not as high-pitched as that of a typical eunuch; it was loud and clear. Upon hearing this, the mother and son, who were still arguing with each other in the hall, each had their own thoughts.

Emperor Mingde gazed at the Jun ware vase depicting mountains, rivers, and surging clouds in the distance, awaiting the Empress Dowager's reply. It had been many years since he had spoken to his mother in such a manner.

Back then, his father and mother had a falling out, and he was forced to be separated from his mother for five years. These five years were not something that could be easily made up for. He was grateful to Zhihai, afraid of Zhihai, and hated Zhihai, but he did not intend to get rid of him.

During those five years, without Zhihai, I would not be alive today.

Upon hearing Zhihai's voice, the Empress Dowager put down her teacup. She had only taken a small sip of the fine Biluochun tea, and it was already cold.

She took off the emerald thumb ring from her hand, held it up to her eyes and looked at it. "This thumb ring is green with a hint of blue, clear and bright in color, crystal clear and pure. It was given to me by the late Empress Dowager before her death. Now I will bestow it upon the Empress."

"Empress Dowager." Emperor Mingde knew that this ring was a gift from his grandmother, who had passed it down to him before her death. Now that his mother was still in her prime, she wanted to give it to the Empress, which made him feel flustered.

"Do not say that slander is as deep as the waves, nor that exiled officials are as sinking as sand. Though the process of sifting and filtering is arduous, only by blowing away the wild sand can gold be found. I have always thought that poets merely play with words, but now I find that playing with words can be extremely enjoyable. What does Your Majesty think?"

She simply wanted to say it; she didn't expect Emperor Mingde to answer her. Regardless of whether he answered or not, Emperor Mingde did just that.

"The orchid grows deep in the mountains, exuding a delicate fragrance. Occasionally, it is appreciated by the world, and then placed in a high hall. What does Your Majesty think of these two lines? I think they are quite good. The state is like a high hall, and the noble family is like the fragrance of the orchid. I have always believed that my son will be a wise ruler. Your Majesty, please do not worry. I have not been to Guanzhou for many years. Before I die, I want to go and see it. I will take Ajun with me on this trip. Although the Empress is a bit capricious, she is still a good Empress. Please do not treat her too harshly."

Emperor Mingde was speechless. He had thought of many possibilities, but he never expected that the final outcome would be that his mother would go to Guanzhou and take Ajun with her. He didn't care too much about the Empress. Now, he had no mood to care about the Empress. The emperors of Dayong had been preparing for so long. Now that the critical moment had arrived, he could not afford to be distracted.

However, if the Empress Dowager were to go to Guanzhou, he feared the court officials would speculate maliciously. "Empress Dowager, how long do you plan to stay?" He did not intend to stop her; perhaps Guanzhou was a good place to go.

The Empress Dowager sighed and announced loudly, "Summon Zhihai in."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager did not want to talk to him any further, Emperor Mingde said, "Mother, I will come to fetch you back to the palace after I have finished dealing with the affairs of state."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhihai entered. He lowered his head, knelt down in front of the Empress Dowager, and performed a devout kowtow, saying, "This servant greets the Empress Dowager and pays respects to the Emperor."

Emperor Mingde looked at the much older servant, frowned slightly, and was extremely reluctant to see him. He turned his head away and asked, "When will the Empress Dowager depart?" Now he suddenly didn't care what the ministers speculated about, nor did he care whether the historians would distort the facts. Perhaps unofficial histories would still record a few scandalous rumors.

However, he didn't care about any of that. Zhihai still came back. Although he was old and ugly, he could still see the old chief steward in him at a glance. He was like a war god who commanded thousands of troops and descended from the sky, saving him from danger many times. He was not like a eunuch at all.

It was because Zhihai back then was not like a eunuch at all, so he felt a great debt of gratitude towards him turned into a great enmity.

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