The carriage rolled through the palace gates, and Qi Yue remained seated, unmoving. Mrs.

Chen raised her hand to draw back the curtain, and the outside view burst into sight. Qi Yue flashed a grin, and Mrs.

Chen offered a slight smile in return; neither spoke. Only then did Qi Yue officially begin her tour of the Imperial Palace from the carriage.

The scenery was not much different from the palaces of later generations, only more exquisite and vibrant. The meticulously arranged architectural clusters she saw, the Nine Dragon glazed screen, the white marble and azure brick paving—it was clean, dignified, and solemn, with eunuchs in varying colors passing by.

“We are taking the route I told you about; over there is the Kunning Palace,” Mrs. Chen said, pointing out a courtyard.

Qi Yue made an "oh" sound and looked intently. “However, you can see Kunning Palace if you wish,” Mrs.

Chen added. Qi Yue drew a sharp breath.

Although she desperately wanted to see a living Empress, wasn't it said that they were not to be seen? “The Empress doesn't reside here,” Mrs.

Chen explained. “She is recuperating with the Empress Dowager in the Western Garden.” Palace secrets?

Mrs. Chen was revealing them so casually?

Qi Yue couldn't help glancing around. The eunuch driving the carriage was as deaf and mute as stone.

Passing through a covered walkway, the carriage halted. Two sedan chairs were brought forward.

“Oh, Madam, you have arrived,” a portly eunuch dressed in a red python robe greeted them with a smile. Mrs.

Chen had already alighted, pausing slightly as she looked at him. “You don't recognize this servant anymore?” the eunuch chuckled.

“Are you Huang Chuan?” Mrs. Chen inquired.

“Miss, you still remember little Chuanzi,” the eunuch said, his eyes reddening. He raised a hand to wipe away a tear.

“It has been thirty years since we last met…” Indeed, decades passed in the blink of an eye, Mrs. Chen sighed softly.

“You were so thin and small back then; now you’ve filled out,” she smiled again. “I’m old, old, and when you get old, you get fat,” Huang Chuan laughed, extending his hand.

Mrs. Chen placed her hand in his and walked toward the sedan chairs.

“With your physique filling out, your position must be prosperous too, right?” Mrs. Chen teased.

The status of eunuchs was discernible by their attire: drab yellow robes, azure, purple, red… “Thanks to the Miss’s fortune, I now assist in the Directorate of Ceremonial,” Huang Chuan replied with a smile. The Directorate of Ceremonial was the chief office for eunuchs.

Mrs. Chen offered a slight smile.

“What fortune do I possess? That’s all due to your own blessings,” she said, settling into her sedan chair.

Meanwhile, Qi Yue was attended by a junior eunuch into the sedan chair positioned behind. From start to finish, the eunuch so familiar with Mrs.

Chen never glanced at Qi Yue, nor did he ask anything of her. “Miss, since you have made this rare visit, little Chuanzi shall be your guide,” Huang Chuan offered.

“Just like the old days, when we were together.” Mrs. Chen looked at him and smiled.

Changing to the sedan chairs and passing through another palace gate, the scenery shifted again. Compared to the solemnity upfront, this area felt softer.

There were more people here; the ones moving about were predominantly palace maids. A beauty emerged from a palace building, dressed in a beige cross-front top, with a matching embroidered beige bustier underneath.

She appeared to be twenty-six or twenty-seven, with delicate features, followed by four similarly dressed maids. “Your Highness, where shall we go?” one maid asked.

The beauty let out a breath, clearly bored. “It’s too stuffy inside.

Let’s go to the Azure Wave Pond; we’ve recently acquired some fine koi carp,” she declared. The maid smiled and glanced back toward the palace building.

“It’s a good time to feed the fish with the refreshments Concubine Sun sent,” she murmured quietly. The beautiful Empress shot her a half-smile.

“I’m afraid the fish might choke to death,” she quipped. The maid laughed too, and the two proceeded along the path, stopping suddenly.

“Who is that over there?” the beautiful Empress asked, narrowing her eyes at the two sedan chairs moving along the left flank. The maid hurried to look as well.

“I don’t recognize them; why, Grand Eunuch Huang is escorting them,” she exclaimed in surprise. “Perhaps an Imperial Consort’s family member?” another maid guessed.

“Going to see the Empress Dowager?” “This direction isn't toward the Empress Dowager’s residence,” the beautiful Empress countered, watching the sedan chairs. The chairs turned a corner, drawing closer.

Since the sun wasn't shining directly, the chairs were uncovered, allowing everyone a clear view of the occupants. “Which Imperial Consort’s family member gets the personal escort of Grand Eunuch Huang when entering the palace?” the beautiful Empress murmured, noting that both women inside were strikingly beautiful.

The older, beautiful one in front was less surprising, given her age, but the fact that Grand Eunuch Huang was accompanying her... then there was the one behind...

The beautiful Empress’s gaze settled on the rear sedan chair. Her expression was utterly captivating… Everyone paused to watch the two chairs pass.

“Your Highness, shall we still go to the Azure Wave Pond?” the maid asked cautiously when the beautiful Empress remained stationary. The appearance of any woman in the inner court, especially one beautiful and of unusual standing, was a momentous event.

“No, go and inquire which palace received visitors today,” she commanded softly. The maids dispersed, understanding the task.

Regrettably, after a thorough search, they returned without the desired answer. “We asked everywhere, even at the Empress Dowager’s residence; no one reported a visitor,” the maid whispered.

The beautiful Empress leaned back against the Luohan couch, her curiosity deepening. “The Empress is out of the question; her family hasn’t been allowed visits for ages,” she mused, analyzing every person in the palace one by one.

“…What about Consort Dong?” “None,” the maid shook her head. “Consort Dong is with the Empress Dowager, playing cards with the Empress.” The beautiful Empress snorted, then something else struck her.

“Could they be visiting the Emperor?” she suddenly sat up, her face registering astonishment. “Surely not,” the maid quickly countered.

“The Emperor is attending to the court; he’s been extremely busy and hasn't returned to the inner apartments for several days, staying only at the Hall of Diligent Governance.” Only then did the beautiful Empress slowly lean back again. “Then that’s strange.

Aren’t these two people here to visit someone?” she pondered, finding it rather amusing. She was, in fact, entirely correct; these two were not visiting anyone.

“The palace where Empress Xiaoci of the Taizu resides doesn't look particularly luxurious,” Qi Yue observed while surveying the surroundings. By now, she had followed Mrs.

Chen through the inspection of the complex. “The Empress Xiaoci of the Taizu was still the Empress at that time,” Mrs.

Chen explained, lightly brushing a door with her hand and walking along the corridor pillars. “Did they live here back then?” Qi Yue asked curiously.

The vast palace room now held only the two of them; the Chief Eunuch Huang had excused himself immediately upon their entry, and the sedan bearers waited outside. “Yes, both the Emperor and the Empress lived here,” Mrs.

Chen replied, stopping by a window. “It was right here.” Qi Yue hurried over to look.

The window was tightly closed, so little could be seen, yet this felt much like touring the Emperor’s residence in modern times. Qi Yue couldn’t help but smile at the sensation.

“Don’t emperors usually reside separately?” she asked. Mrs.

Chen smiled faintly. “But this Emperor was different,” she chuckled.

“The officials in the previous court even submitted memorials about it. Then, guess what the Emperor said?” “What did he say?” Qi Yue pressed.

“‘None of your damn business,’” Mrs. Chen replied bluntly.

Qi Yue froze for a moment, then quickly recovered, unable to suppress a laugh. “Really?” she asked.

Mrs. Chen nodded, smiling herself.

She walked further. “Here, I lived here,” she announced, pointing to a small side room.

Qi Yue followed her gaze. She had assumed living in the palace meant occupying a grand suite, but to live alongside the Son of Heaven and the Empress—even princes and princesses weren't afforded that proximity.

“I was only four years old then,” she said, looking through the window lattice, where she could almost see a small child stepping over the high threshold, closely attended by young eunuchs and maids. “Madam, Madam…” a soft, childish voice called out, as the child rushed toward the amiable woman inside and was swept into her arms.

At that time, that embrace was the warmest comfort she desperately craved after losing her mother… Mrs. Chen’s eyes welled up.

It was only now she realized that this place was the very root of all her future loss. “Let’s go,” she suddenly said, her interest waning, turning away.

Qi Yue pulled her gaze from the window lattice with an understanding nod. Nostalgia, looking at relics of the past, was always poignant; she understood.

Mrs. Chen and she stepped out, and the young eunuchs rushed forward to attend them.

“Madam, Master Huang sent this; it’s Xuejin Dan, which you love. You seem tearful; this will moisten your throat,” a junior eunuch in a purple robe said, respectfully holding out a small porcelain vial.

Mrs. Chen was amused again.

“That little Chuanzi,” she murmured, taking it, dropping one pill into her palm and consuming it. She then offered one to Qi Yue.

“You try some too.” Qi Yue reached out and accepted it. “Madam, shall we proceed to another location?” the junior eunuch inquired respectfully.

Mrs. Chen settled into her sedan chair and shook her head.

“No, I’m returning now.” Upon hearing this, the junior eunuch said no more, made a gesture, and the bearers quickly lifted the sedan chairs, proceeding back along the original route. Qi Yue resumed enjoying the scenery, savoring the sweet pellet in her mouth; it felt quite pleasant.

In the distance, they saw a procession approaching; it too involved sedan chairs, but these were imperial yellow, adorned with elaborate canopies. Everyone involuntarily halted.

“Is that the Emperor?” Mrs. Chen asked.

Qi Yue, startled in the rear, swallowed the candy whole, coughing and hurriedly patting her chest. Could it be?

Was she about to meet the living Emperor? Three kowtows and nine bows… The junior eunuchs offered no reply; indeed, none was needed, as such rigid protocol belonged only to the Emperor.

They stopped and set down the chairs. Though still some distance away, they were already preparing for the audience.

Mrs. Chen also stepped down, her expression seemingly complex.

Qi Yue felt it inappropriate to remain seated and stood up to move beside Mrs. Chen.

The Emperor’s carriage drew nearer. Everyone kept their gazes lowered.

Qi Yue dared not look around recklessly, only stealing quick glances past Mrs. Chen’s shoulder.

She saw the carriage, carried by four purple-robed eunuchs and attended by seven or eight red-robed eunuchs. A man in an imperial yellow robe was lounging inside, resting his head on his hand.

The drooping canopy obscured his face, but his posture alone conveyed absolute ease and leisure. This air of nonchalance seemed strangely at odds with the solemn atmosphere here.

The carriage approached closer. The junior eunuchs knelt down, and Mrs.

Chen prepared for the full prostration. Qi Yue dared not look further.

Just then, the Emperor’s carriage abruptly turned, veering into a narrow pathway and disappearing from view. Everyone stood stunned, unable to regain their composure for a long moment.