Da Ni'er and Xiaohaijie managed to sneak into the palace through the side gate. The Grassland King was in charge of knocking on the door, while Hou Xiangxiang was responsible for looking down in her small handbag for the token given to her by the Empress.

"Here, take this plaque from the Empress. I'll go to the palace to check her pulse."

The young eunuch guarding the gate hesitated for a moment, then asked:

Why didn't Physician Hou use the main entrance?

"They're arguing at the main gate, I can't get in, it's something from the previous dynasty."

The entire palace knows that the Empress Dowager dotes on Physician Hou. It's all over the capital. Hou Xiangxiang is the current Empress Dowager's goddaughter, quite a prestigious title.

The young eunuch let the two in; this was the first time he had seen Hou Xiangxiang.

The young lady who could win the favor of the Empress must be well-mannered and know how to behave properly... right?

The moment the two girls stepped over the threshold with their right feet, they started running, skipping and hopping straight towards the Empress's palace.

The young eunuch nodded. See, the Empress's taste is truly unique.

What a special girl!

The affairs of the previous dynasty were so significant that the news also reached the inner palace.

Xiao Lanhua was already sharpening his knife with a series of clicks, and he had already put on his armor.

Those little quail princesses are raising money to have a dog hole dug, just in case things don't work out, they can hide in their own palace.

The Eighth Prince has already arrived at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. Yuwen Sinian has already made up his mind. Since he is a prince, he will have Huanlu kidnap him and take him out of the capital.

The Empress seemed somewhat relaxed amidst the tense atmosphere. She was neither afraid of death nor of the Emperor finding out about her. After all, she had lived long enough in Sifangtian.

The woman was very happy today. She pursed her lips and applied lip rouge to her reflection in the bronze mirror.

She was wearing her favorite color from before she got married, which was a bit out of place for her age, but her older sister said that this color looked best on her.

Wei Shuyi, holding a fan, unusually came out by herself to swing on the swing in the garden.

Through the gap in the fan ribs, the woman looked up to enjoy the sunlight and smell the fragrance of flowers.

It's so beautiful. I wish it weren't in the palace.

It's alright, it's all about today, sister.

The empress's self-justification did not last long, for a familiar voice rang out from afar.

"Your Majesty the Empress!"

The woman turned her head, her face instantly shifting from sweetness to surprise, then to anger; she was so angry she laughed.

What are you two doing here?!

She thought the Prince of Zhenbei would make proper arrangements. With the King of the Grasslands around, he would take the Hou family to the grasslands, and even the Emperor wouldn't dare to stop them.

But now...

The little girl grinned and shouted at the woman.

"We came with the Prince of Zhenbei," Hou Xiangxiang said confidently.

The Empress was so angry she didn't even know how to react. Looking at the two girls before her, her smiling face tinged with incomprehension, she asked:

"The Prince of Zhenbei, have you two been allowed into the palace?"

Wei Shuyi didn't believe it. If the Prince of Zhenbei had asked them to enter the palace, she would have brought them in directly.

“No, we came with her by ourselves.” It was Da Ni’er who spoke.

The dark-skinned grassland king even winked at the Empress, and Wei Shuyi felt her blood rushing to her head.

The woman reached out and pressed down, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word.

"You two are amazing."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty! Hehe!" the little girl replied with a smile.

"I was praising you, Hou Xiangxiang! Don't you want your parents anymore? Don't you want your sister? Don't you know what kind of place the palace is now? Why are you still barging in?"

Wei Shuyi felt a little annoyed with Long'er. "You two are like sisters who grew up together. Don't you know what kind of people they are? Why didn't you just throw some drugs at them to knock them out, or even just knock them out?"

Huo Xiaolong: Your Majesty, they are immune to all poisons. Even knocking them unconscious won't work. Little Sister can break them with just one silver needle.

It was the first time the little girl had been scolded by a woman. She felt a mix of curiosity, fear, and happiness.

The fact that the Empress was able to vent her anger was a good sign, indicating that she was moving outward, stepping out of her closed-off heart.

Hou Xiangxiang could also put on an act. The girl in plain clothes looked pitiful, her eyes like a puppy's as she looked at Wei Shuyi and said:

"My parents are gone, my sister and elders are gone too, I have to stay with Long'er."

The Queen then looked at Da Nier. She was accompanying her sister. You are the Queen of the Grasslands; you must care about the grasslands.

“I’ll stay with Long’er too. The emperor certainly wouldn’t dare to touch my parents.”

"..."

The woman was speechless. She looked at the kite on the stone table in front of her. She had planned to fly it for her sister one last time during the palace coup. The kite was not yet finished, and the wings were not covered with paper.

Wei Shuyi wished she were a kite, at least she could break free of the string in people's hands and fly out of the palace.

Now……

The woman threw the kite to the ground.

What kite? It doesn't fly at all!

The King of Zhenbei must win today!

"Someone come here!"

Shuyi's eldest aunt had never heard her mistress speak with such a strong voice before; she spoke with such vigor.

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

"Go to the kitchen and make some egg yolk pastries to send to the previous dynasty."

When the Empress said this, she pointed to her belly, and the palace maid immediately nodded.

This palace maid also served in the Wei family before, accompanying Consort Wei from her young boudoir to Empress. Lord Wei's favorite food is egg yolk pastry, so Your Majesty is making it impossible for him to attend court.

Xiangxiang and Dani looked at the Empress with clear eyes, then tentatively asked:

"Your Majesty, may we go see Long'er? It should be lunchtime now."

Wei Shuyi stood up and looked at Hou Xiangxiang.

Everyone says that children are a burden, but when she first met this girl, she thought she was adorable.

She has a strong personality, just like I was when I was a child.

Her doting on the Prince of Zhenbei and the Prince of the Grassland was obvious. She acted like a little old woman, following behind them and tidying them up. Therefore, among these girls, the Empress liked the little girl the most.

If you don't have feelings for her, then you don't need to worry.

What might we do?

Wei Shuyi is now very grateful that she doesn't have children.

Children who aren't your own are treated like you're paying off a debt.

Let's just return it, what else can we do?

We already have a child, and now we can't put the child back in.

Besides, even if you managed to put it back, the person's own mother wouldn't agree.

"Hou Xiangxiang," the Empress called out.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

The woman reached out and adjusted the hair ornament on her head, then smiled and said:

"If the Prince of Zhenbei succeeds this time and gets what he wants, I want you to call me Mother."

"Mother! No need to wait for Long'er to get his wish, call her now!"

Hou Xiangxiang smiled brightly, and her cry of "Mother!" was incredibly sincere.

"Mother! I'll give you one too."

Da Ni'er had to join in the fun; she always got a red envelope for doing so. As the "King of the Grasslands," she was determined to take advantage of this opportunity.

"Then I'll call out one more time, and call out for Long'er too."

Wei Shuyi tried to suppress her laughter, but she couldn't quite hold it in.

He took out red envelopes from his sleeve and handed them to the two of them, then said:

"And the Prince of Zhenbei's."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty," the two said, bowing.

"Hmm?" Wei Shuyi snorted coldly.

"Thank you, Mother!"

"That's more like it."