Inside the Anqing Palace of the Nanyang Imperial Family, the palace was resplendent with gold and bustling with activity.

Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday. The Emperor of Nanyang is kneeling at the Empress Dowager's feet, with eight princes kneeling behind him, followed by the grandsons of the emperor, and then a large group of civil and military officials kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I wish Your Majesty boundless happiness and longevity!" the Emperor of Nanyang shouted.

"May Your Majesty the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" The ministers behind her kowtowed in unison.

The Empress Dowager was surrounded by piles of gold, silver, jewels, and all sorts of rare and exotic objects. Below her, the most honored people in Nanyang were kneeling and bowing to her, but the old woman sitting in the main seat could not feel happy at all.

She sat upright on the most prestigious sandalwood chair in Anqing Hall, holding a tiger-skin whip in her hand, looking at the group of boys kneeling below—her son, grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson—and shook her head helplessly.

Why doesn't the royal family have a sweet and caring daughter? Is it really because she's not destined to have a granddaughter?

The royal family has not had any children since the birth of her eighth grandson five years ago.

She's getting older and older, and in a few years she'll be going to report to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I wonder if she'll be able to hold a soft, cuddly baby girl in her lifetime.

She held a tiger-skin whip in one hand and Buddhist prayer beads in the other, closed her eyes, and sighed, wishing she could have a granddaughter.

"Never mind," she murmured to herself.

"I'm tired, everyone may leave." The Empress Dowager raised her voice and waved her hand wearily.

The Emperor of Nanyang was taken aback for a moment, then, seeing the displeasure on his mother's face, he dismissed his ministers.

...

The Empress Dowager left Anqing Palace, accompanied by Zhang Mama and followed by a group of palace maids.

Seeing her struggling to breathe, Zhang Mama, who was serving her, felt a pang of heartache.

"Your Majesty, shall I help you to the back garden for a walk and some fresh air?"

The Empress Dowager nodded and, with the help of Zhang Mama, walked towards the back garden. She looked up at the sky and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Despite her excellent skills, no one could inherit her mantle.

Is the Dragon Tiger Whip technique that her master taught her going to be wasted in her hands?

Empress Dowager Nangong Rui was the legitimate daughter of a military family from the previous dynasty. She had a volatile temper and was a woman of her word. No one in the palace was afraid of her, and even the emperor did whatever his mother said.

Before she married, Nangong Rui had accompanied her father on military campaigns. She was skilled with a long whip, especially the Dragon Tiger Whip Technique, which was feared by many. She was highly skilled in martial arts and had a great reputation. She was also extremely sensitive to blood.

Near the back garden, there are several palaces, each named after a type of flower. Because the back garden is far from the Zichen Palace where the emperor worked, it was inhabited by concubines who were not favored.

When the Empress Dowager walked near the Hibiscus Palace, she smelled a strong stench of blood and seemed to hear the cries of an infant.

The Empress Dowager stopped in her tracks, frowning. "Mochou, did you hear anything?" The Empress Dowager listened intently, her face serious, and asked Zhang Mochou, the old woman beside her, in a low voice.

Zhang Mama shook her head. "No, Your Majesty, are you tired? Shall I help you back to the palace?"

The Empress Dowager frowned, rubbing her temples wearily and disappointedly. Was she hallucinating?

The group continued walking, and when they reached the vicinity of the Hibiscus Palace, the Empress Dowager's senses suddenly became acute. "What's that smell? Why is there such a strong smell of blood?"

There was a strong smell of blood at the palace gate, but outside the palace it was quiet and there was no movement at all. She suddenly realized something.

Granny Zhang also noticed something was amiss.

"Does Bai Jieyu live here?"

"Yes, the Hibiscus Palace is Consort Bai's bedroom."

For the past few months, the Empress Dowager had been worshipping Buddha at the Imperial Academy. She only recently returned to the palace and remembered that there had been rumors that Consort Bai in the palace was pregnant.

Could it be that I was born today?!

The Empress Dowager's heart tightened, and she turned to instruct the palace maid, "You, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician; you, go and call the Emperor!"

"Go quickly!"

The palace maid nodded and bowed, then hurried off to call for someone.

No sooner had she finished speaking than the Empress Dowager, holding a long whip, kicked open the gate of the Hibiscus Palace.

She heard a low, anxious growl coming from behind the bedchamber; it was the voice of a eunuch.

"Waaah!" It was the baby's heart-wrenching cry!

Following the direction of the sound, the group quickly walked to the backyard of the Hibiscus Palace.

"What are you doing?!" Granny Zhang saw a palace maid and a eunuch standing by the dry well, holding an infant in their arms. Her eyes widened in anger, and she rushed forward, grabbed the palace maid, and snatched the child from her arms.

"Waaah, waaah!" Yun Duoduo kept crying and screaming. At this moment, she felt her head buzzing and the world spinning.

She felt a warmth, and she looked wearily at the person holding her, an elderly woman who was holding her tightly in her arms.

Yun Duoduo felt reassured and stopped crying, knowing that this nanny would protect her.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..." The eunuchs and palace maids were so frightened that they fell to the ground, trembling and unable to speak.

"It's a princess," Zhang Mama whispered in the Empress Dowager's ear. The Empress Dowager's expression showed a slight surprise, but she quickly recovered.

Looking at the baby girl shivering in her arms, her little face ashen, her lips purple, and her face covered in snot and tears, Zhang Mama felt a pang of heartache.

She glanced at the Empress Dowager, who nodded. Zhang Mama hugged Yun Duoduo tightly and hurried into the bedroom.

Once inside the bedroom, Yun Duoduo immediately felt the warmth of the charcoal fire. She comfortably closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Granny Zhang.

Inside the bedchamber, the imperial physician was taking Bai Jieyu's pulse and diagnosing her. After a moment, the physician sighed and shook his head regretfully.

"My lord, how is my lady?!" Ah Xiang asked the imperial physician anxiously, her eyes filled with tension.

"Alas, your lady's illness has dragged on for too long, and with today's childbirth, her vital energy has been completely depleted! I am powerless to save her." The imperial physician put away his silver needles and medicine box.

"My lord, my lord, what do you mean? My lady has always been healthy!" Ah Xiang was very surprised and grabbed the imperial physician to prevent him from leaving. Although Consort Bai was in the cold palace and was not favored, she had never been sick.

"Sigh, prepare for the worst." The imperial physician said nothing more and pushed away Ah Xiang's hand that was grabbing his arm.

Hearing their conversation, Yun Duoduo's heart sank. Had she lost her mother right after birth?! How could things be so tragic?

She suddenly felt like crying, but she had been crying for so long that she couldn't cry at all. She just felt a sour and aching feeling in her heart.

She looked at the imperial physician with pleading in her eyes, her mouth agape as she murmured, hoping he would save her mother again.

The imperial physician, hearing the commotion, noticed Granny Zhang and the baby girl in her arms. He was surprised to see the infant's pleading expression; how could a newborn have such an expression?