Empress Zheng beckoned to Consort Yu with her finger, and Consort Yu obediently squatted down, resting her chin on her hands: "Your Majesty, don't I look very imposing? Zhou Qiyue was scared silly by me."

After saying that, she pointed at the stunned Gu Nanjiao and laughed so hard she could hardly breathe.

"Good girl!" Empress Zheng handed a grilled fish to Consort Yu: "Eat up, but be careful of the bones!"

Seeing the harmonious scene of the concubines getting along, Gu Nanjiao forced a smile and bowed to the smiling woman at the head of the table: "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"

After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Gu Nanjiao got up on her own.

He discovered that Empress Zheng wasn't even looking at him; she was handing out grilled meat skewers to the concubines in the Cold Palace around her.

After distributing the gifts, Empress Zheng wiped her hands, met Gu Nanjiao's eyes, and said calmly, "You must be the princess newly appointed by the Emperor. Zhou Qiyue's daughter?"

"Empress, though confined to the Cold Palace, is surprisingly well-informed."

"The news has spread throughout the entire palace, and with your face, it's not hard to guess."

Empress Zheng picked up the last grilled fish and handed it to Gu Nanjiao: "This is the last skewer. If you don't mind, please try it."

"It tastes good!" Gu Nanjiao didn't stand on ceremony, reached out and took a bite, and couldn't help but praise it.

Shouldn't an empress who has been banished to the cold palace for many years be destitute and defeated?

She was completely unaffected by her surroundings and contentedly fend for herself in the cold palace.

Thinking of what Lu Yanzhao had said, she suddenly felt a mixture of solemnity and fear towards the woman in front of her.

Suddenly finding the fish in her hand less appealing, Gu Nanjiao got up to leave.

She had already become a pawn on the chessboard of the person in front of her, and she didn't want to foolishly trap herself and get herself killed.

Empress Zheng smiled gently: "Sit down and let's talk."

"You..." Gu Nanjiao didn't know what to say, and stammered for a long time.

"Are you curious how someone like me, who was confined to the Cold Palace, can live such a carefree life?" Empress Zheng broke the awkward silence first.

Looking at the similar face, Empress Zheng couldn't help but think of Consort Yue, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes.

However, the woman in front of him was different from Consort Yue. Her eyes held no ambition or scheming, only an infinite longing and pursuit of life.

The purity in her eyes was so profound that Empress Zheng couldn't bear to harm her in the slightest.

Empress Zheng's scrutiny made Gu Nanjiao feel uneasy. She looked down at her toes, not daring to look directly at Empress Zheng: "Your Majesty is no ordinary person. Everything you do is extraordinary."

If Lu Yanzhao hadn't told Gu Nanjiao the truth, she might have thought Empress Zheng was a kind and beautiful woman.

She suddenly understood why Lu Yanzhao didn't tell her the truth.

Some people are born cunning and calculating, natural at manipulating the game. Gu Nanjiao, however, is always straightforward and has no talent for such scheming.

"Are you a little afraid of me?" Empress Zheng suddenly spoke. Gu Nanjiao couldn't help but look up and found that the other party still had a smile on her lips and her eyes were full of tenderness.

"Your Majesty's virtue and majesty remain undiminished!" Gu Nanjiao said jokingly, though she was actually tormented inside.

Good heavens, it's better to confront Consort Yue directly than Empress Zheng.

"Hmph!" Empress Zheng's expression changed slightly, no longer displaying a gentle smile.

"How can someone confined to the cold palace speak of being an empress and ruling the world with dignity?"

Looking up at the pitch-black night sky, Empress Zheng stretched out her five fingers and peered through them at the scattered stars in the sky, murmuring, "However, it won't be long."

...

After leaving the Cold Palace, Gu Nanjiao felt weak all over and a little dizzy.

Lately, I don't know why, I've been feeling anxious and have lost my appetite.

Just then, the head maid of Mingzhu Palace led a group of palace maids and eunuchs to look for her.

"Your Highness, where have you gone?" The head maid looked in the direction behind Gu Nanjiao and couldn't help but frown.

Why does it look like the direction to the Cold Palace?

Gu Nanjiao clenched the sachet in her sleeve. It was given to her by Empress Zheng before she left, who told her to give it to Lu Yanzhao.

As expected, Empress Zheng knew everything, even her husband's surname and given name.

Although she was curious about what was inside the sachet, she wouldn't open it to see.

She feels a lot of pressure lately, and even the smallest things are magnified in her mind. She doesn't know if she's sick.

I'll find a doctor to take a look at it another day.

"There are so many palaces, I accidentally got lost, and I'm a little tired and my feet hurt." Gu Nanjiao reached out her hand to the head maid, who quickly helped her up.

Suddenly, Gu Nanjiao clutched her lower abdomen, feeling a dull, aching pain, somewhat like a premonition that her period was about to start.

Thinking of that surging feeling, Gu Nanjiao ignored the pain in her feet and quickened her pace, almost causing the head aunt to fall behind.

Back at Mingzhu Palace, she discovered it was a false alarm; her period hadn't come at all. Just to be on the safe side, Gu Nanjiao still wore her menstrual belt.

The next morning, she went to visit the Empress Dowager, as she wanted to return home.

Living in the palace made me feel very uncomfortable; I felt uneasy everywhere.

But the Empress Dowager insisted that she have lunch before leaving, and seeing that she couldn't refuse, Gu Nanjiao had no choice but to stay.

The lunch at the palace was truly sumptuous, with dishes like cherry meat, crispy pork with yam, bird's nest with shredded duck, and shredded chicken and deer tendon—the abundance was astonishing.

However, Gu Nanjiao had no appetite at all. Seeing the meat made her feel disgusted, especially by the aroma, which made her feel nauseous.

Not wanting to be disrespectful in front of the Empress Dowager, Gu Nanjiao forced herself to eat the dishes that the palace maid had served her, despite feeling uncomfortable.

She felt that the grilled fish she ate in the cold palace might not have been cooked properly, which caused her stomach problems.

Such a large table of delicious food would be a joy to eat under normal circumstances, but now, just looking at it makes me nauseous.

Perhaps the palace was too oppressive, and returning home would be much better. Gu Nanjiao didn't think much of it, bid farewell to the Empress Dowager, and returned to the Lu family.

Gu Nanjiao didn't vomit after eating so much, and she didn't vomit even though the carriage bumped along the way. But as soon as they arrived at the Lu residence, she vomited everything up in one go.

Hearing the commotion, Lu's mother rushed out: "What's going on?"

After helping Gu Nanjiao to sit down, Madam Lu instructed Cui'er and Guo'er: "Cui'er, pour a cup of water, Guo'er, go and fetch the doctor!"

"Mom, no need, I just get carsick..." Gu Nanjiao waved her hand, took a few deep breaths, and felt much better.

Home is definitely the best place; even the most magnificent palaces feel incredibly oppressive.

Where is Lu Yanzhao?

Gu Nanjiao glanced at the sky. Lu Yanzhao should have finished his work by now. She deliberately came back early, hoping to see him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Mrs. Lu sighed, "I don't know what he's busy with. He's been disappearing every day. Lately, he's been showing up like a ghost."

Lu Yanzhao returned at dusk, his luxurious robes and skirts slightly wrinkled.