When Guan Zhiyue opened her eyes again, it was already the next day.

Bilian didn't know how much silver she had bribed the eunuchs in the Cold Palace to get some medicinal herbs for treating colds, and she was squatting in the courtyard full of fallen leaves, brewing the medicine.

Looking at the still dilapidated courtyard before her, Guan Zhiyue couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. It seemed she truly could never go back.

I wonder if my family has withdrawn the money I worked so hard to save.

How heartbroken would one's parents be to hear of their own death?

In old age, one has to bury their child!

"Your Majesty, why are you up?"

"Quickly, quickly, lie down first. I'm brewing your medicine now. It'll be ready soon. Please wait a moment."

As soon as Bilian entered the room, she saw Guan Zhiyue sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the leaves fall outside the window.

Bilian's voice pulled Guan Zhiyue back from her reverie. Guan Zhiyue looked up at Bilian, her eyes filled with pity and sorrow.

The girl in front of her was unaware that her mistress had passed away the previous night, and that what stood before her now was a soul from another time and space.

"It's alright, I've been lying down for a while now, let me get up and sit up first."

"Where did you get the medicinal herbs?"

After hearing Guan Zhiyue's words, Bilian started complaining again, saying to Guan Zhiyue: "Your Majesty, you have no idea how hateful the eunuchs in the Cold Palace are."

He actually demanded a full ten taels of silver from me just to give Your Highness one dose of medicine. That's outrageous! And his food has been halved too.

Upon hearing Bilian's words, Guan Zhiyue couldn't help but scoff, "Even a tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. These days, it seems like any Tom, Dick, or Harry can bully us."

"Who says otherwise? Your Majesty, how could the Emperor be so heartless? He imprisoned you here and ignored you completely. You are, after all, the Empress of the nation. How could he..."

Guan Zhiyue smiled gently after hearing Bilian's words and said, "Bilian, your mother has a piece of advice for you."

Bilian stared at her mistress with some curiosity and asked, "Your Highness, what are you saying?"

Guan Zhiyue said softly, "If men are reliable, pigs can fly."

Bilian asked innocently, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? How could a pig possibly climb a tree?"

"That's right, you said pigs can't climb trees, so naturally men can't be relied on."

"But you married the king of a nation!"

Guan Zhiyue sneered, "Isn't the Emperor a man???"

Bilian was rendered speechless by Guan Zhiyue's words!

Looking at Guan Zhiyue with some curiosity, she asked in disbelief, "Your Majesty, this is your favorite emperor. Why do you seem so strange?"

Guan Zhiyue felt a little uncomfortable under Bi Lian's gaze, so she lay down again, turned over, and said to Bi Lian with her back to her, "Alright, your mistress is tired. Go and brew the medicine!"

"oh...."

Bilian left with a puzzled look on her face. Guan Zhiyue lay on the bed and patted her chest. "I was so scared. I almost thought I was going to be exposed."

"Oh! Original owner, your body is really unsightly. It seems that the most urgent thing is to lose weight first."

"Sigh, think about my enviable golden ratio figure in my past life, and then look at how I look now?"

Guan Zhiyue lay on the bed, muttering to herself, thinking about what she could do to lose weight as quickly as possible.

Cining Palace.

"Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress in the Cold Palace seems to be ill. What do you think?"

Fan, the old nanny beside the Empress Dowager, helped Empress Dowager Xin up from the prayer mat and said to her.

"Zhiyue, I watched this child grow up. The reason I agreed to let her marry the Emperor is because I saw that she truly loves Qi Ji."

"Which of those concubines in the harem truly loves our Qi Ji? They're just after wealth and status."

"Ah, who can argue with that? Your Majesty, you still hope that the Empress can soon produce an heir for the royal family, but the Emperor seems to have little interest in this newly appointed Empress..."

Empress Dowager Xin shook her head and said, "Alright, send someone to deliver some bed sheets, blankets, and medicine to that girl, but avoid the Emperor's spies."

"Yes, this old servant obeys!"

After giving instructions to Granny Fan, Empress Dowager Xin couldn't help but sigh. Her eldest son was good in every way, except that he was too domineering and competitive.

Xin Peilin, the current Empress Dowager, is Li Qiji's mother. She was formerly an Imperial Noble Consort and gave birth to two princes, Li Qiji and Li Qishang.

After Li Qiji killed his father and seized the throne, she was made Empress Dowager and lived in the inner palace.

She no longer concern herself with the affairs of the inner palace or the front hall, and devotes all her attention to worshipping Buddha inside the palace gates, praying for Buddha's forgiveness for her child's crime of murdering his father.

Guan Zhiyue was her favorite child. Just as she said, this child genuinely liked Li Qiji and was not the kind of person who coveted wealth and status.

Therefore, she was genuinely happy that Guan Zhiyue could become her daughter-in-law.

Unfortunately, this incident happened on the day of the wedding, and as the Empress Dowager, she couldn't refuse the Emperor's request, so she could only secretly help the poor child in private.

Here in the Cold Palace.

In the middle of the night, a cat meowed in the yard. Upon hearing the noise, Bilian quickly got up in the dark.

Having found the oil lamp, he mustered his courage, opened the door, and walked into the courtyard. Just as he reached the doorway, he saw a large bundle.

Extremely nervous, he extinguished the oil lamp in his hand and walked cautiously to the bundle.

He kicked it a few times and, seeing nothing amiss, boldly opened the bundle. Inside were bed sheets and blankets, which reassured him.

They carried the bedding into the house and covered Guan Zhiyue with it.

After tidying up the rest of the things, she excitedly went to rest, thinking about telling Guan Zhiyue about what happened tonight the next day.

Late at night in the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has sent something to the Cold Palace."

The man sitting at the desk was dressed in a yellow brocade robe, his head bowed as he reviewed memorials. Beside him, the eunuch was holding a whisk and pretending to be asleep.

The kneeling guards, not receiving a response from the emperor for a long time, looked up in confusion.

Unexpectedly, the man in front of the desk looked up from the memorial and said indifferently, "Send it then, is the person alright?"

"As it stands, there are no problems."

"That's fine then. We'll just have to make do with her staying inside for now." After saying that, the man lowered his head again and continued looking at the mountain of memorials on his desk.

The guards also got up and left towards the door.

After hearing the guard leave the room, Li Qiji raised his head with some annoyance. Looking at Hua Quan, who was pretending to be asleep, he casually threw a memorial at Hua Quan, who was pretending to be asleep.

Hua Quan quickly raised his head, looking at the Emperor with a fawning expression, and said in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Do you wish to have a meal?"

Li Qiji glared at Hua Quan, then picked up the memorial in his hand and continued reading.

Seeing that his emperor had stopped speaking, Hua Quan carefully moved his feet and gently placed the memorial he was still holding on the desk.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "What's going on now? What's wrong?"