Upon hearing what the Empress Dowager said, Su An breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at her, and asked curiously.
"Why does the Empress Dowager, who now holds a high position, seem unhappy?"
Although the Empress Dowager appeared to be living a life of great prestige, behind her smile, there was an unyielding melancholy in her eyes that seemed impossible to dispel, making one feel inexplicably sorry for her.
It turns out even she noticed.
The Empress Dowager paused slightly, then shook her head and gave a bitter smile, her thoughts drifting into the distance.
"When my aunt died of a serious illness, the late emperor, in order to weigh the pros and cons, chose me to enter the palace to replace my aunt and take care of the crown prince. That year, I was only fifteen years old. Counting the time, it has been more than ten years since then."
"For the past ten years, on the surface I have been the Empress Dowager, a figure of great prestige, but in reality only I know how lonely I have been in these days that I can see the end of in the blink of an eye."
No wonder Chu Yi and the Empress Dowager looked to be close in age; it turned out she was his stepmother.
However, at fifteen, a time when one should love to play, the Empress Dowager had to give up her freedom and enter the palace to become Empress, living in constant fear and anxiety.
That's really too cruel.
A hint of sympathy flickered in Su An's eyes as she continued to press, "But why didn't the Empress Dowager take the opportunity to have a child or two during her decades in the palace? That way, she could have had someone to keep her company during those boring years."
Did she give birth to a son or daughter?
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes showed even greater pain, and she gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Do you think I didn't want to? But when I entered the palace, my family made me take a medicine called 'cold medicine.' Once a woman takes it, she will never be able to have children. They cut off my escape route the moment I entered the palace."
He was imprisoned in the palace for life, forced to raise other people's children, and even forbidden from having his own offspring.
It seems the scheming within the palace is far more serious than she imagined.
Su An couldn't help but gasp, her eyes filled with pity.
"I see. In that case, the Empress Dowager is indeed a person with a tragic fate."
After saying all this, although she still had some unresolved questions, she turned her head, closed her eyes, and didn't ask any more questions.
She was a bit gossipy, but she didn't want others to repeatedly expose her scars to her.
There's no need to rush to find out the answers to some questions; as time goes by, the truth will naturally emerge.
In an instant, the room became so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.
A few breaths passed, and the Empress Dowager suddenly turned her head, her eyes filled with excitement, and her red lips parted slightly.
"From the moment I saw you, I knew you were different from them. I've only ever told you about the old stories. Miss Su, would you be willing to help me?"
Su An was startled by her words and immediately became wary, looking towards the Empress Dowager.
If even the Empress Dowager couldn't accomplish this, what could she possibly do?
She gave a forced laugh, her expression somewhat distant, and said modestly to the Empress Dowager:
"Your Majesty's words are too kind. To be frank, I am but a merchant's daughter, powerless and without influence. How could I possibly help Your Majesty?"
The refusal in her words was quite obvious.
But the Empress Dowager seemed not to understand, chuckled lightly, raised her eyebrows and sighed.
"Don't worry, you'll find out later."
She'll find out later. Find out what?
The Empress Dowager had even planned for her future; indeed, there were few simple-minded people in the palace.
A series of questions tangled together in her mind, becoming increasingly chaotic.
It felt as if an invisible hand was controlling her future, which gave her a chill down her spine.
After dismissing the palace maids, the Empress Dowager yawned and prepared to retire for the night.
The bright moonlight shone through the window and onto the floor, adding a touch of light to the originally dim room. The curtains beside the bed swayed gently in the breeze.
The environment should have been peaceful and conducive to sleep, but Su An tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
She turned her head and glanced quietly at the Empress Dowager beside her.
The Empress Dowager was dressed in a pure white undergarment, lying upright with her eyes closed and even breathing coming from her nostrils, indicating that she was fast asleep.
She closed her eyes and waited quietly for about half an hour before she finally drifted off to sleep.
Around midnight, a sudden urge to urinate struck.
Su An woke up with a start, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and got up to go to the toilet.
Little did she know that no sooner had she left the palace than a figure slipped into it under the cover of night.
The bed curtains swayed gently, making the person on the bed appear even more graceful.
The newcomer gently lifted the bed curtains, lay down, lightly stroked the Empress Dowager's face, and then, with great flirtatious intent, pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.
The commotion startled the Empress Dowager awake.
She suddenly opened her eyes, instinctively raised her hand, and slapped the person across the face.
"How dare you be so disrespectful to me! How insolent!"
"Mother? It's you?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi was startled and quickly released the person in his arms, covering his face and taking a few steps back.
It should have been Su An, so how did she become the Empress Dowager?
Just then, Su An returned from the restroom and immediately saw the scene inside.
She wasn't in a hurry to go in; instead, she stood at the door with great interest, arms crossed, watching the show unfold.
She knew all along that the emperor had no good intentions in keeping her here.
It turns out he harbored such despicable thoughts.
How despicable and shameless!
Inside the room, the Empress Dowager straightened her clothes and sat up from the bed.
At this moment, by the light of the moon, Chu Yi could see her face clearly. He looked a little embarrassed and quickly lowered his head, cupping his hands to apologize to the Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, I did not mean to offend you. Please forgive me!"
The Empress Dowager gave him a disapproving sidelong glance and snorted, "As a dignified monarch, Your Majesty should be more concerned with state affairs and less likely to waste your energy on such meaningless matters!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi paused, feeling quite surprised.
The Empress Dowager clearly didn't say that before, so why has she changed her mind now?
But he was feeling guilty and didn't bother to ask any more questions. He quickly gave a reply and turned to leave the room.
"Your Majesty's teachings are correct; I will certainly keep them in mind from now on."
As he approached the room door, he bumped right into Su An, who was watching the show.
Judging from her expression, she must have been watching for quite a while.
The thought that she had witnessed everything made his unease even more pronounced.
"His Majesty is truly a good son, coming to check on the Empress Dowager in the middle of the night to see if she is sleeping soundly." Su An scoffed lightly, raising an eyebrow in a sarcastic tone.
Chu Yi pressed his teeth together with a cold glint in his eyes, then suddenly stepped closer to Su An's neck, lowered his voice, and sneered:
"Instead of laughing at me, Miss Su, you should go and worry about your fiancé. I imagine he's already rekindling his old flame with someone he used to love!"
"Do you think Uncle will choose either the new bride or the old bride as his queen when they get married?"
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