Perhaps it was Zhizhi's shrill voice that startled Shen Anyu, who couldn't help but shrink back and timidly approach Shen Yunxi, feeling safe only by his sister's side.

Shen Yunxi frowned. Zhizhi's strong reaction was probably not a good thing.

"What happened?" Shen Yunxi asked in a deep voice.

Zhizhi quickly replied to Shen Yunxi, "Miss, someone from the Empress Dowager's palace just came and is waiting in the front hall. They said they want you to pack a few changes of clothes to accompany her to the palace. According to the Empress Dowager, she originally wanted you to enter the palace tomorrow, but for some reason she changed her mind and wants you to enter the palace immediately."

Shen Yunxi's expression changed. She hadn't expected that even though she had avoided her original destiny of entering the palace, the Empress Dowager would actually send her into the palace at this time.

In that case, Junxuan has probably already received the news, and he may not be feeling too comfortable about it.

Originally, Yanshan Tang and Xiaoyao Wangfu had already made things clear to Junxuan, but the Empress Dowager's sudden move would inevitably make Junxuan misunderstand that she was putting on an act.

Given Junxuan's personality, even if she were to present him with the late emperor's decree of marriage, he wouldn't believe it.

For a moment, Shen Yunxi felt a headache coming on.

It was her own oversight that she had thought of her two personal maids and Jiang Weiran earlier, but she hadn't considered the Empress Dowager's actions. Now, the Empress Dowager must want to help her get closer to Junxuan.

Shen Yunxi was truly grateful to the Empress Dowager. She had indeed been very kind to Shen Yunxi and had thought of her in many ways. However, her current decision left Shen Yunxi at a loss.

"Zhizhi, go pack my things. The Empress Dowager has summoned me to the palace to accompany her. You and Cai'er will stay in the mansion. I will send a message to the palace when my father and mother return, and then I will find a reason to come back," Shen Yunxi instructed softly.

"Yes, Miss," Zhizhi replied.

Shen An couldn't understand the conversation between Shen Yunxi and Zhizhi. The only thing she understood was that Shen Yunxi was leaving and asked Zhizhi to pack her things.

Upon realizing this, Shen An immediately became anxious, "Sister, don't go, don't go!"

Shen Yunxi sighed. She didn't want to leave either, but she couldn't disobey the imperial decree.

"Brother, don't worry, I'll be back soon. Don't go out during this time. Listen to Xiaoyu, okay? I'll buy you candied hawthorns and other delicious things when I get back, okay?" Shen Yunxi coaxed Shen Anyu.

"No, I don't want candied hawthorns, I want my little sister." Shen Anyu said, and then started to cry.

Seeing him like this, Shen Yunxi felt bad too, so she hardened her heart and said, "Someone, take the young master back to his courtyard and have Xiaoyu take good care of him."

The maidservant guarding outside the courtyard immediately went inside and replied, "Yes, Miss."

"Ah! Don't go, sister, sister!" Shen Anyu shouted loudly, but Shen Yunxi could only turn around, close her eyes, and hold back her tears.

Since it was fate, she went with the flow. But when it came to matters of the heart, even God couldn't control her!

After getting ready, Shen Yunxi entered the palace.

Just in case, she did not bring the imperial decree of marriage bestowed by the late emperor. This thing could not be taken away casually; it even had to be placed in the ancestral hall for worship, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the entire royal family.

If it were lost by accident, it would be a capital offense, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

Upon entering the palace, Shen Yunxi was immediately sent to the Empress Dowager's presence.

The Empress Dowager looked at Shen Yunxi with a smile, "Yunxi has become more and more beautiful in the past few years. With such beauty, I believe few people could resist her."

These words were loaded with meaning, and Shen Yunxi could only pretend not to understand, not realizing that the Empress Dowager was implying that Jun Xuan would also become her devoted subject.

In fact, Shen Yunxi really wanted to tell the Empress Dowager that the man only felt disgust for her and had no feelings for her.

However, in her previous life, she never knew why Junxuan harbored resentment towards the Empress Dowager until her death. He couldn't stand anyone around the Empress Dowager either. Perhaps only by knowing the reason could she resolve Junxuan's aversion to the Empress Dowager.

In any case, the Empress Dowager helped her a lot. Even when she was wronged by those concubines in her previous life, the Empress Dowager stood firmly by her side and shielded her from many disasters. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been able to stay in the palace peacefully for two years.

Never mind, regardless of Junxuan's thoughts, now that he's in the palace, this is a good opportunity to investigate.

If everything is truly investigated thoroughly, I believe Junxuan would be willing to annul the engagement with her, and from now on, men and women should have no connection in marriage, and it would be best if they never saw each other again.

Shen Yunxi composed herself before smiling and replying, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. Beauty fades with time; appearance is merely a shell. I don't consider myself a peerless beauty capable of captivating a nation, so Your Majesty is truly overestimating me. Your Majesty sent Eunuch An to fetch me to the palace today, and on the way, I heard from him that Your Majesty hasn't been resting well lately. Since I happen to know some massage techniques, why don't I give Your Majesty a few massages? Perhaps it will have some effect?"

"Very well, you're very thoughtful, girl. I've never tried massaging before, but you should give it a try. If it really works, I will reward you handsomely and help you achieve your wish," the Empress Dowager said with a slightly reserved smile.

As for the Empress Dowager's statement about Shen Yunxi's heart's desire, it clearly refers to her entering Junxuan's harem.

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Shen Yunxi smiled and stepped forward to massage the Empress Dowager's head. "Your Majesty has already treated Yunxi very well, so there is no need to reward Yunxi with any more gifts. As for other matters, Yunxi will not be too demanding."

At this moment, Shen Yunxi had already expressed her thoughts, but unfortunately, the Empress Dowager never thought that Shen Yunxi had given up on Junxuan. She still felt that Shen Yunxi's heart was with Junxuan and that she wanted to enter the harem to accompany him.

Shen Yunxi also knew that even if she said it now, the Empress Dowager would not believe her, so she could only let the Empress Dowager see for herself.

"Yunxi's technique is truly excellent. When did you learn it?" The Empress Dowager closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation, finding that Shen Yunxi's massage was very comfortable and made her feel sleepy.

Shen Yunxi paused, "Isn't that something I've learned before?"

Back then, Junxuan often worked late into the night dealing with state affairs. Outsiders only saw his iron-fisted approach as the new emperor, but they didn't know how much he had sacrificed for it, and he even developed insomnia.

Knowing the reason, Shen Yunxi tried every means to seek advice from many people who knew medicine. She went to the Imperial Hospital countless times and finally found a set of massage techniques from a folk doctor. She studied them carefully in order to relieve Junxuan's discomfort.

It had an effect, but unfortunately, it didn't move him. He still wouldn't hold back when he was about to lose his temper, and he never spoke a kind word to her, acting as if she were his enemy.

Ironically, the fact that it could be used on the Empress Dowager today was the result of numerous trials conducted with Junxuan.

So, does that mean she should thank Junxuan for teaching her a good skill?