Since the birthday banquet, the Empress Dowager has felt leg pain, which was particularly severe yesterday. She couldn't even sleep last night after drinking a calming soup.

The imperial physician was summoned overnight to perform acupuncture, but instead of relieving the pain, it made it even worse.

Even though the Empress Dowager was usually very composed, she couldn't help but scream in agony in the middle of the night. In her fury, she ordered the imperial physician Gao to be dragged out and beaten with twenty strokes of the cane.

The imperial physician, Gao, was beaten until he screamed and howled, feeling extremely aggrieved: he had followed the Ninth Princess's acupuncture sequence and technique exactly, without the slightest error, so how could it be ineffective?!

Ji Fengyao entered the palace, but did not go directly to Cixi Palace;

Instead, he directed two teams of guards to carry more than a dozen boxes to the imperial study to wait for the emperor to finish his morning court session.

The Empress Dowager's knees were swollen like two steamed buns. She lay on the bed, sweating profusely from the pain, repeatedly asking, "Where is that damned bandit? Why hasn't he arrived yet!"

"This old servant will send someone to check at the palace gate. They should have arrived by now. I wonder if they've gotten lost," Aunt Sun said anxiously.

Eunuch Li personally led two junior eunuchs to the palace gate. Upon seeing the carriage of the Ninth Prince's residence, he inquired around before learning that Ji Fengyao was currently at the entrance of the Imperial Study. He was speechless for a long time.

She was summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager, not the Emperor. Why was she rushing to the entrance of the Imperial Study?

Eunuch Li rushed to the Imperial Study and, sure enough, saw Ji Fengyao sitting in a chair with a large red wooden box under her feet. Her right elbow was propped up on her knee, her chubby face resting on her hand, and she was peacefully dozing off with her eyes half-closed.

The two maids, Xique and Linshuang, were sitting face to face on two wooden boxes, playing with bracelets with great interest.

This peaceful scene, in stark contrast to the dire straits at Cixi Palace, made Eunuch Li feel suffocated.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager didn't see this scene, otherwise she would have been so angry that she would have died.

"Oh dear, Ninth Princess Consort, we've finally found you..." Eunuch Li, with an exaggerated sobbing voice, rushed up to get closer to Ji Fengyao.

Xique strode forward and blocked his way, saying fiercely, "Keep your voice down. Can't you see our young lady didn't sleep well and is catching up on sleep?"

Eunuch Li: "..."

Girl, you shout louder than I do, okay?

Looking at Ji Fengyao next to her, she was still supporting her pretty little chubby face with her small hands, her little head nodding rhythmically, seemingly sleeping soundly and undisturbed.

Eunuch Li and the two eunuchs who came with him were dumbfounded. What kind of magical operation was this? Even the bandits' sleeping postures were so unique.

“But the Empress Dowager…” Eunuch Li was on the verge of tears.

“If you’re in a hurry to find our young lady, then go and call her yourself,” Xique stepped aside, looking down at Eunuch Li and the two eunuchs. “But I must warn you, our young lady has a terrible temper when she wakes up. The two maids who tried to wake her up early are old enough to weave mats from the grass on their graves. Even our son-in-law got two bumps on his head after waking our young lady up twice.”

Eunuch Li: "!"

The two young eunuchs were trembling with fear.

Even the two Imperial Guards outside the Imperial Study couldn't help but glance at him: Good heavens, just for waking up early, even the Ninth Prince got beaten up.

It seems that this bandit's wife is not someone an ordinary person can marry.

"Then...when will the Ninth Princess wake up? The Empress Dowager is waiting for her to come and treat her illness." Eunuch Li looked at Xi Que with a pitiful and helpless expression.

"She might wake up soon," Xique said casually, lifting her skirt as she sat down opposite Lin Shuang.