Even together with the Empress, Consort Yin was unable to stop the Empress Dowager from taking her back to Cixi Palace.

It seems that the Empress Dowager's resources are far more than what they took last time;

The place that Wuhen and Xique copied was definitely not the Empress Dowager's real stronghold.

Ji Fengyao immediately became interested.

The Empress Dowager has many secrets. If we can raid her hideout, we might discover many useful things, or even some answers to mysteries.

It seems that he needs to get closer to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager led Ji Fengyao back to Cixi Palace with a smile and kindness. She served tea, fruit, and pastries, and even had several bolts of newly presented Shu silk brocade given to Ji Fengyao to make summer clothes.

Even the three maids around Ji Fengyao received a lot of jewelry as a reward, saying that they served their mistress attentively.

The Empress Dowager thought that she had given the bandits the best of things this time, so the bandits should be happy and satisfied.

Who knew?

Seeing that the maids had all received rewards, the young bandit girl quickly leaned closer and said with a bitter expression, "Empress Dowager, you've given me and my maids so many rewards. Are you trying to get me to treat your leg? If so, you should take them back. Your leg bones are necrotic; even a god couldn't save you."

Empress Dowager: "..."

She did have such an idea, but she didn't plan to bring it up now. Instead, she wanted Shang Xize to marry the little bandit girl, and then have the little bandit girl, under the guise of being a grandson's wife, humbly serve her and "repay her kindness"!

Little did anyone know, the little female bandit had already sentenced her legs to death!

The sudden bucket of cold water dampened the Empress Dowager's scheming enthusiasm considerably: "I know my own body; I'm only giving you gifts because I felt guilty for neglecting you in the past and wanted to make amends."

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said to the palace maids and servants in the room, "You may all leave and wait outside at the door. You don't need to serve us inside for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the palace maids bowed and took their leave.

After Ji Fengyao nodded in agreement, the three maids also left through the door.

Only the Empress Dowager and Ji Fengyao remained in the room.

The Empress Dowager then patted Ji Fengyao's little hand affectionately and said, "Good child, I know that with your lively and fiery nature, it's indeed difficult for you to be tied together with that cold, wooden-like Ninth Prince. It's my fault for not considering things carefully back then, only thinking about the fact that Ninth Prince has no children and no wife; the Emperor also considered recruiting your Vulture Village, and wanted to give a respectable reward to show the royal family's sincerity. In haste, I came up with this inferior plan, alas..."

We are truly grateful for your thoughtfulness!

Ji Fengyao rolled her eyes silently beneath her lowered eyelids.

However, her submissive and silent demeanor led the Empress Dowager to mistakenly believe that the young female bandit was also wronged.

The Empress Dowager was immediately filled with confidence and spoke more bluntly: "It was precisely because I felt that you and the Ninth Prince were not very compatible that I married Zhaoping, who has a gentler temperament, to the Ninth Prince's mansion; I thought that if you were really dissatisfied with this marriage, there would be room for reconciliation. Right now, the Ninth Prince's mansion has two Ninth Prince's consorts, so it won't matter if one is lost in the future."

"Empress Dowager, what are you saying? I don't understand at all." Ji Fengyao looked bewildered: "There will be one less Ninth Prince's Consort in the future? Could it be that Princess Zhaoping has contracted some incurable disease and is going to die? I noticed that Princess Zhaoping's blood and energy are somewhat deficient, but it shouldn't be the case that she will die within three or five years."