The palace maid ran excitedly into Shoukang Palace with the letter. The empress dowager, who was arranging flowers, heard it and put the last flower in her hand into the vase, then looked up at the palace maid who ran in from outside the palace.

"Empress Dowager, a letter from Jiangnan!"

A palace maid came running in from outside the hall holding a letter in both hands, while the empress dowager sat on the armchair with a kind look and looked over in the direction of the voice.

After the palace maid arrived in the hall, the nanny beside her took two steps forward, took the letter from her hand, bowed and handed it to the empress dowager.

After seeing the handwriting on the envelope, the wrinkles at the corners of the Empress Dowager's eyes deepened a little.

There has been nothing going on in the palace recently. Since Shen Tingsi went on an incognito tour to Jiangnan, he has only exchanged letters with the empress dowager once. The empress dowager just received a reply from Shen Tingsi half a month ago and was very surprised by this sudden letter.

The Queen Mother opened the letter in her hand with surprise. Every letter sent by Shen Tingsi was short and concise, picking out the important content and always glossing over the rest.

But this time it was different. This time the letter was filled to the brim with words.

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows and calmed down to read the contents of the letter. Shen Tingsi rarely told the Queen Mother about the interesting things that happened to him after he arrived in Jiangnan. The Queen Mother read it with great interest, as if she was involved in it herself.

Shen Tingsi told the empress dowager about the current situation in Jiangnan. Based on the content of the letter, the empress dowager imagined the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan at that time.

At first, the Queen Mother's mouth corners slightly raised, and then when she saw the next line, her eyes suddenly widened!

There was only one sentence written on the letter:

I met a woman. I was shocked and delighted at the first sight, and I was also moved after being together for a long time. If I was lucky enough to win her heart, I would only choose her as my love for the rest of my life.

The Queen Mother read it word by word over and over again, staring at the old nanny beside her with wide eyes in disbelief.

"Madam Gui, please take a look at what's written here!"

The Queen Mother rubbed her eyes. She was always calm and composed, but this was the first time she lost her composure in front of the palace maids.

Upon hearing this, Nanny Gui, who was standing nearby, quickly bent down and approached the letter, glancing at the line of words that the empress dowager was pointing at.

"Your Majesty, he, he, he, he!"

After seeing the contents of the letter, the shock on Gui Mama's face was exactly the same as that of the Queen Mother! Gui Mama stared wide-eyed for a long time, and under the Queen Mother's gaze, she said excitedly: "Your Majesty, His Majesty, His Majesty has a favorite girl!"

"real?"

Although the Queen Mother had read the contents of the letter several times, she could not help but show surprise when she heard Nanny Gui say it herself, and asked again.

Nanny Gui smiled and nodded: "It's absolutely true! Your Majesty, His Majesty has a favorite girl!"

"Okay, okay! Okay!"

The Queen Mother nodded heavily and laughed till her eyes disappeared.

The Queen Mother continued to look down at the letter in her hand, reading that sentence over and over again, her eyes turning red as she smiled.

Seeing this, Aunt Gui quickly handed the Queen Mother a plain handkerchief and said, "Your Majesty, this is a great thing. Why are you still crying?"

"Happy, I am happy!"

The Queen Mother took the handkerchief with a smile and wiped the moisture from her eyes.

Shen Tingsi suffers from misogyny and does not allow any woman except the empress dowager to get close to him. No matter if they are palace maids or young ladies from aristocratic families, he will feel disgusted and annoyed if they appear in front of him.

Shen Tingsi has had this problem since he was a child, but the symptoms have become more and more obvious as he grows older.

Because he hated women, Shen Tingsi's harem was still empty five years after he came to power. He didn't even have concubines, let alone offspring.

Both the imperial physician and the divine doctor Su were at a loss as to what to do about Shen Tingsi's misogyny, but they had no choice but to do it. Although the empress dowager did not say it, this matter had always been a big concern in her heart.

Since medical treatment didn't work, the empress dowager had to place her hope on gods and Buddhas. She has been fasting and chanting Buddhist scriptures over the years, praying that Shen Tingsi's strange illness would recover soon.

But after so many years, Shen Tingsi's symptoms of aversion to women had not improved at all. Gradually, the Queen Mother no longer held out much hope for this matter. She thought of waiting until the time was right to discuss with Shen Tingsi about adopting a child from a side branch to cultivate as the crown prince.

But at this moment, Shen Tingsi received a letter saying that he had found the woman he loved. How could the Queen Mother not be excited? How could she not be moved? The Queen Mother wiped her wet eyes and continued to look at the letter in her hand.

Shen Tingsi wrote this letter the moment he was sure of his feelings. In the letter, he explained his feelings for Jiang Li and her identity clearly without hiding anything.

After learning that Jiang Li was originally Zhou Qingyuan's wife, the empress dowager was stunned for a moment, but she recovered after just a moment.

The Queen Mother's expression remained kind, and did not change at all because of Jiang Li's identity.

As long as Ah Si and the girl are in love with each other, she has no objection.

After reading the letter in her hand, the Queen Mother held the letter in both hands and placed it on her chest. She said with gratitude, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your grace. Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your grace!"

"Madame Gui, quickly go to the ancestral hall and burn three sticks of incense to the Buddha and the Bodhisattva!"

"Hey! I'll go right away!"

Nanny Gui agreed with a smile and was about to turn around and go to the ancestral hall when the empress dowager suddenly called her.

"Forget it, forget it. I'll go there myself!"

The Queen Mother said as she stood up from her seat. Seeing this, the palace maids hurried forward to support her: "Queen Mother, please go slowly."

"For something like fulfilling a vow, I have to come in person."

The Queen Mother stood up from her seat with a smile, the letter still tightly held in her hand.

Nanny Gui stepped aside and held her arm, then said with a smile: "Now that your majesty has a girl he likes, the Queen Mother has finally fulfilled her wish!"

"Yes, this matter has weighed on my mind for so many years, and now I can finally let it go."

The Empress Dowager sighed with a kind look in her eyes, and suddenly stopped where she was, as if she remembered something. She clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand with an anxious look on her face.

"Si'er is really something. He only said he liked someone, but he didn't even tell me the girl's name. When they came back, I couldn't even call out the girl's name. How rude!"

The more the Queen Mother thought about it, the more troubled she became. She wished she could send a letter back for Shen Tingsi right away to ask him the girl's name.

Nanny Gui comforted her, "Don't worry, Empress Dowager. That girl won't bother you about this. Since His Majesty didn't mention it in the letter, can't you just ask them in person when they come?"

Seeing that the Queen Mother was still hesitant, Nanny Gui said, "Besides, the letter was delivered to the Queen today. Maybe His Majesty is already on his way back with the girl. Besides, it only takes more than a month to get from Jiangnan to the Imperial City. There is no need to rush."

After hearing what Nanny Gui said, the Queen Mother nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, look at my brain, it's getting muddled as I get older!"

"Oh, by the way, this is the first time I'm meeting that girl, so I have to prepare some gifts for her. What do you think I should prepare?"