"Master, come down and walk around!" He Xue said to Xing Chi in the carriage.

Xingchi hesitated for a moment, but still got off the carriage. He was already in soreness all over from sitting in the carriage.

"Master, do you feel a sense of trepidation as you approach your hometown?" He Xue asked curiously.

"No!" Xingchi closed his eyes, refusing to look at He Xue. In the past few days, he had witnessed He Xue's ability to argue with people. Every time he was embarrassed, Xuan Ye and the other two would shamelessly laugh at him.

“Master, I think what you should be most worried about is how to face the Empress Dowager.”

Even if the Empress Dowager has some dissatisfaction with you, you are still her son, so she only talks about it.

Prince Yu and Prince Gong won't do anything to you; they're bound by filial piety!

"So the person you'll have the hardest time facing is the Empress Dowager. I think she probably doesn't want you to go back." He Xuewei analyzed.

The Empress Dowager's situation would be every woman's dream in modern times.

My husband is rarely home, my mother-in-law is my great-aunt and won't cause me any trouble, my stepson is filial, and I have a group of people to take care of me. I have no worries about food and clothing. As long as I don't do anything reckless, I can enjoy my old age in peace!

Therefore, she felt that the Empress Dowager was the only one who did not want Xingchi to return to the palace.

“She doesn’t want me to go back, so I won’t go back? The more she doesn’t want me to go back, the more I’ll go back!” Xingchi said with a look of disgust when he mentioned the Empress Dowager.

He disliked the Mongol concubines not only because they were arranged by the Empress Dowager, but also because they were rude and brainless!

Compared to those Han Chinese who were well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics and had a wealth of knowledge, they were worlds apart.

"Master, keep it up! I wonder if the Empress Dowager will chase after you and beat you up!" He Xue asked unkindly, "I heard that you were once beaten to a pulp by Consort Jing?"

"That's because I'm magnanimous and don't hold grudges against petty people. A good man doesn't argue with a woman!" Xingchi hurriedly explained.

"Master, I've noticed that all you're good at is being stubborn!" He Xue teased.

"Hmph!" Xingchi flicked his sleeves and turned to walk towards the carriage. He shouldn't have gotten off. It was better to chant scriptures in the carriage than to have this girl expose his secrets.

"Why did Grandfather go back again?" the Crown Prince asked as he approached.

"Master is tired, so he went back to rest!" He Xue said casually.

"You've really worked hard, chatting with your grandfather every day!" the prince said.

"It's not tiring at all, I really enjoy chatting with the master!"

Xingchi, who was about to board the carriage, almost twisted her ankle when she heard the Crown Prince's words. How could the Crown Prince have realized that this girl was chatting with him? It was unexpected that the Crown Prince, at such a young age, had a problem with his eyesight.

After entering the palace, Emperor Kangxi and his entourage went straight to Cining Palace.

Kangxi had already informed the Empress Dowager of Xingchi's arrival at the palace, and the Empress Dowager had been eagerly awaiting Kangxi and his entourage's return these past few days.

The Empress Dowager, seeing the Grand Empress Dowager's restless state, curled her lip in disdain, thinking to herself, "Honestly, why did she come back after leaving? If she doesn't like being a monk, she should continue! Strive to become a Buddha as soon as possible!"

"Qiqige, Fulin is coming back soon!" the Grand Empress Dowager said to the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, you've said this many times already!" the Empress Dowager said with a smile.

"Isn't this a happy occasion? After Fulin returns, the two of you must get along well. Don't be like before, fighting as soon as you meet!" The Empress Dowager instructed the Empress Dowager with concern.

"Your Majesty, why did Fulin suddenly return to the palace so early? Didn't he cry and beg to become a monk before? Could this Fulin be an imposter? Could His Majesty have been deceived?" The Empress Dowager became more and more convinced of the possibility as she spoke.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Who would dare to deceive the emperor! Besides, who would have the guts to impersonate the deceased emperor and deceive the current emperor!" the Empress Dowager said sternly.

The Empress Dowager actually hoped that this Fulin was an imposter.

"Qiqige, have you remembered what I just said?" the Empress Dowager emphasized.

“Empress Mother, you said this more than thirty years ago! Even if I want to get along well with Fulin, he may not want to get along well with me!”

The Empress Dowager suddenly looked at the Grand Empress Dowager with a shocked expression, "Your Majesty, you wouldn't still be thinking of giving birth to a prince with Mongolian blood, would you?"