In the third year of Taikang's reign, the imperial palace was renovated and became magnificent.

Miss Jun looked up at the palace in front of her. The road was still very familiar. She turned right after passing the Meridian Gate.

There were many people at the palace gate, including the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of a family, relatives and friends who knew each other, and people talking and laughing. Miss Jun, who was walking alone without any high-end makeup, looked particularly eye-catching.

Although there were many eyes looking at them, these noble ladies were proud of their status and did not point fingers.

Miss Jun ignored these people and walked inside with the team.

Someone coughed beside me.

Miss Jun looked over and saw Zhu Zan approaching her without her noticing.

At first glance, he looked a little unfamiliar in his crown prince's formal attire.

"You can come to see me even though you are guilty of a crime?" Miss Jun said with a smile.

Zhu Zan laughed dryly twice and walked past her without saying anything. A few young people behind him also walked past Miss Jun laughing and chatting, as if they were just passing by and not talking to each other.

Is this considered a greeting? He just laughed twice and didn't even say Happy New Year.

Miss Jun smiled.

The noise here was quickly stopped by officials on both sides, and the area in front of the palace became quiet again. After passing the Meridian Gate, men and women walked in different directions.

"Miss Jun."

Someone called out.

Miss Jun looked up and saw that it was the old lady of Marquis Dingyuan waving at her.

Not only the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of Marquis Dingyuan knew Miss Jun, but two wives of Marquis Bo also greeted her. They had all dealt with her before, either seeing a doctor or getting medicine from her.

As the two families greeted each other, the identity of Miss Jun spread. More people looked at her, and more people came to say hello or look at her curiously.

"There are so many people you don't know. Aren't you nervous?" Lady Dingyuan Marquis said to her with a low smile.

Miss Jun smiled and shook her head.

In fact, there weren't many people I didn't know, so there was nothing to be nervous about.

Soon, they arrived at the Queen Mother's place, chatting and laughing.

But they could not enter the palace yet and had to wait outside the palace. The Empress Dowager and the Empress were now in the front hall accepting wine offered by the court officials, and then they would come back to accept congratulations from the concubines, followed by the princesses, and finally the ladies of honor from the inner and outer courts would enter the palace.

Miss Jun looked ahead towards where the princesses were.

The old aunts are all gone, and the only ones left are the aunts and a few cousins.

Of course, my sister is not among them.

Since they were granted the title of princess and moved to Prince Huai's palace, the sisters have never appeared to attend the court celebrations again.

Miss Jun lowered her eyes and heard the laughter in front of her.

Their grief is theirs alone and no one else's.

Accompanied by the music, the women filed into the Empress Dowager's palace according to their rank. Miss Jun naturally stood at the end, looking at the Empress Dowager sitting on the throne at the deepest part of the hall, and the Empress beside her.

Because it was too far away, Miss Jun felt that she could not see clearly.

The Empress had always lived in Shandong and only came to the capital after the Prince of Qi ascended the throne, so she had almost no dealings with him and was not familiar with him. But it was different for the Empress Dowager.

She grew up in the Queen Mother's care.

Empress Dowager Liu is fifty-six years old this year and is not her biological grandmother.

His father was born to the late Empress Wu. The prince's life was saved due to a difficult birth, but Empress Wu herself did not survive. It was also because of this that the prince fell and has been in poor health ever since.

At that time, no one dared to guarantee that they could raise the prince, and the concubines were trying to avoid him for fear of being implicated. Liu was just a Zhaoyi at the time, with a gentle personality and always behaved in a low-key manner, but she took the initiative to ask to take care of the prince at this time.

This was not a good opportunity. Perhaps she would gain the emperor's favor, but raising a prince would be exhausting and laborious. If she failed to do so, he would be doomed.

This is too risky.

But Liu Zhaoyi succeeded. The prince was raised alive, and three years later she gave birth to a prince. Five years later she was named empress.

Many people envied Liu Zhaoyi's good luck, and some people secretly said that Liu Zhaoyi was so cunning, but his father said that Empress Liu was really good to him.

When he was a child, he was naughty and didn't want to study, so Empress Liu punished him by making him kneel down and having his hands spanked. Other children would have been punished, but the prince had always been in poor health, so no one dared to punish him so severely. The emperor also came to plead for him, but Empress Liu just wouldn't allow it. In the end, his father was punished, and from then on he never dared to be naughty or lazy again, and he became more and more respectful to Empress Liu.

Only one who truly treats the crown prince as his own child would be so strict, especially when one already has a son. Some people even hope that the crown prince will be deposed.

Everyone said that the queen was very strict, but Miss Jun did not feel that way. When she was a child, she often came to Empress Liu's harem to play. Empress Liu even cooked venison for her personally and allowed her to lie on the bed and eat melon seeds, unlike her mother and sister who always controlled her.

When she first left the palace, Empress Liu was reluctant to let her go, but she also praised her for being a good child. Every time she came back for the New Year, she would stay in Empress Liu's palace for a night and eat her favorite snacks that Empress Liu specially prepared for her.

She didn’t think much of it when she was in the palace before, but after following her master outside, she saw it more often and realized that this kind of interaction was the same kind of affection between grandparents and grandchildren among the people.

She had always considered her her biological grandmother.

I don't know how Empress Liu felt when she learned of her father's death, or if it was all as she wished. Did she have any feelings for her father and her family? Even a cat or a dog will have feelings, not to mention a human.

Or maybe it's just because we are human beings, people are always more ruthless to each other.

A palace maid brought a wine glass, and Miss Jun took it. As the master of ceremonies sang the etiquette, she raised the wine glass and bowed once, twice, and three times.

In the hall, there were cheers of congratulations and the sound of drums and music.

After the ceremony, the atmosphere in the hall became much more joyful and relaxed. First, the princesses came forward and surrounded the Queen Mother, calling her "Royal Grandmother" in a sweet voice and asking for red envelopes. The Queen Mother smiled and really took out red envelopes and gave them to them, which attracted the ladies inside and outside the palace to join in the fun.

Miss Jun stood at the very end of the hall, laughing along with the people around her.

A eunuch approached the empress dowager and whispered a few words in her ear. The empress dowager seemed to think of something and looked inside the hall.

The laughter stopped immediately and the hall returned to silence.

"Where is Miss Jun, the miracle doctor?" The Queen Mother's voice sounded steady.

All eyes in the hall suddenly looked over. Miss Jun lowered her head, stepped out a few steps, stood in the middle, knelt down and kowtowed to the Queen Mother.

"I'm here," she said.

All eyes were on her.

"No need to be polite." The Queen Mother's voice came from a distance, "Come here and let me have a look."

Miss Jun responded with yes, and bowed her head again before standing up. She held her hands and walked forward with her eyes slightly lowered. Countless eyes on both sides were focused on her, looking at her hair, her face, her posture and gait.

The distance from the front door of the palace to the empress dowager's throne seemed too far to many ladies in the palace and the inner court. They even felt suffocated at the thought of walking there under the gaze of the public.

But this fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl walked steadily, and her face not only did not show the slightest bit of restraint, but became even more relaxed.

She stood a few steps in front of the Queen Mother, her movements graceful and elegant, as if she had done this many times before.

She raised her head and looked at the Queen Mother, who also looked at her.

The Queen Mother looked even more dignified and solemn in her court dress and makeup.

She hadn't seen the Queen Mother for a long time. Ever since their father passed away, she and her sister moved into Prince Huai's Palace. Even when she got married, the Queen Mother didn't see her. It was as if she had suddenly disappeared from their lives.

A thing can be thrown away just like that, and it turns out that feelings can be thrown away like that too.

Miss Jun bowed her head and knelt in greeting.

"You are indeed a miracle doctor." The Queen Mother's voice fell, "I heard that you are very strict in your treatment. Then take a look at me, do you see any ominous signs?"

This is a bit impolite to ask.

Your rules are great, but how great can they be? Can they be greater than those of the royal family?

If it is not a big deal, then the so-called rules for seeing a doctor are nothing more than treating patients differently based on their medical conditions. Are they looking down on these princes and nobles?

Besides, will you treat the Empress Dowager?

It is unrealistic to say that the Queen Mother is not ill. After all, older people all feel somewhat unwell.

But if you say you are sick, do you really have to tell the Queen Mother on New Year's Day that you have a bad omen?

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat stagnant and quieter.