The Emperor claimed that the Empress was too busy with court affairs to raise Wēn Yí, which meant she wasn’t suitable for the task.

As for other candidates, the Emperor said they would wait until after Wēn Yí’s first birthday to discuss the matter.

In the Qingliang Hall, Huā Fei, who had died because of Cāo Qín Mò, was plagued by endless nightmares.

In her dreams, blood streamed from Cāo Qín Mò’s head, and she kept repeating, “Give me back my life, give me back my life…”

In addition to this, she also dreamed that she, like Cāo Qín Mò, had a bloody hole in her head, with blood continuously gushing out.

It was terrifying—simply terrifying!

“Ah!” Huā Fei screamed, waking up in tears from the nightmare.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, were you haunted by a nightmare?” Sòng Zhī, in a panic, rushed to the bed and patted Huā Fei’s back in an attempt to calm her.

“Sòng Zhī, I dreamed that Cāo Qín Mò came to take my life! I also dreamed that I met the same end as Cāo Qīn Mò!” Huā Fei grabbed Sòng Zhī’s hand, her entire body trembling with agitation.

“Your Majesty, it was just a dream. You must not have been sleeping well lately, that’s why…” Sòng Zhī tried to comfort her.

“No, no, Sòng Zhī, the dream felt so real. I still feel pain in this area on my forehead!” Huā Fei said, touching her forehead.

Sòng Zhī looked at Huā Fei’s pale face, clearly terrified, and felt a pang of sympathy.

“Your Majesty, think about it. The Emperor dotes on you so much. How could he bear to let you harm yourself?”

“Even if one day the Emperor truly gets angry with you, with General Nian’s reputation, the Emperor would surely forgive you.”

“Is that really true, Sòng Zhī? Tell me that the things in the dream won’t come true!” Huā Fei looked at her with desperate eyes.

“It’s true, Your Majesty. Nothing in a dream will become real.”

After Sòng Zhī’s comforting words, Huā Fei’s mood gradually started to calm down.

Soon, it was time for Wēn Yí’s birthday banquet.

At the Jiǔ Zhōu Qing Yàn Hall, music and dancing filled the air, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

The Empress, with a smile on her face, took Wēn Yí from the wet nurse’s arms, clearly showing the loving manner of a doting mother.

After chatting and laughing for a while, Duān Fei, supported by Jí Xiáng, slowly entered the hall.

Each step she took seemed labored, as if she could barely catch her breath, making her appear extremely weak.

Looking back at her previous life, Duān Fei had always seemed frail and delicate.

Yet, she somehow survived until the very end.

Zhēn Huán reflected that, in her previous life, living to the age of over eighty was considered quite old, but Duān Fei had lived past ninety.

Those concubines who appeared younger and more vibrant than Duān Fei had all passed away before her, which was rather sorrowful.

From Zhēn Huán’s understanding of Duān Fei in her past life, everything Duān Fei showed in front of people now was intentional, a carefully constructed persona.

If she were truly as frail as she appeared, how could she have survived all these years under Huā Fei’s torment?

Duān Fei had truly relied on “endurance” to outlast her rivals.

Zhēn Huán sometimes wondered, if Duān Fei hadn’t sided with her, would she have ever become the Empress Dowager in the end?

Huā Fei immediately became furious when she saw Duān Fei.

From the moment Duān Fei stepped into the hall, Huā Fei’s eyes were wide with rage, as if they were about to pop out and hit Duān Fei on the forehead.

But, no matter who you put in Huā Fei’s position, it would be hard not to hate Duān Fei, right?

Huā Fei and Duān Fei were both daughters of generals, with similar backgrounds, and they had a lot in common, quickly becoming close sisters.

But historically, what a ruler feared most was a general with too much military power, for their influence could grow too large.

Huā Fei’s brother, Nián Gèngyáo, was a great general, while Duān Fei’s father was a Tiger General.

If these two powerful families joined forces, the Emperor would surely feel like a thorn was in his side, unable to sleep in peace.

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager, being as wise as they were, would never sit idly by while the Nián and Qí families grew closer.

After much deliberation, the Emperor had Duān Fei give Huā Fei, who was pregnant, a bowl of “medicine to stabilize the fetus.”

Huā Fei, trusting Duān Fei, drank it down, and soon after, Huā Fei miscarried.

“It was a male fetus that had not fully developed!”

Every time Huā Fei thought of this incident, she felt so much hatred she could hardly bear it.

Zhēn Huán thought to herself, if it were her, she would never let anyone who harmed her child off easily.

Let alone being betrayed by the most trusted sister.

Zhēn Huán had gone through similar experiences in her past life, so she deeply empathized with Huā Fei in this matter.

Duān Fei, though innocent, had been schemed against by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

And Huā Fei lost her child because she trusted Duān Fei.

Because of this, the Nián and Qí families were doomed to never unite.

Thus, the Emperor had solved the two major threats posed by Huā Fei and Duān Fei.

Women—sacrificial pawns in the battle for royal power!

As her thoughts drifted, Duān Fei had already placed the necklace she had brought as a dowry around Wēn Yí’s neck.

Her words, both indirect and direct, expressed her fondness for Wēn Yí.

Duān Fei knew well that “a man’s pity and sympathy are enough to help her secure her place in the harem.”

With just a few words, she had stirred the Emperor’s guilt over her inability to bear children.

However, the moment she saw Zhēn Huán, her gaze froze for a long time.

After saying a few more words, Duān Fei excused herself, citing physical discomfort.

Zhēn Huán had originally thought that, without Cāo Qín Mò’s influence, the “Surprise Dance” would no longer exist.

But to her surprise, the Duke of Dūn Qīn, who had been constantly provoking the Emperor, mentioned that he had heard the Emperor had acquired a new concubine, Wǎn Guìrén, who was both beautiful and talented in every aspect—singing, dancing, playing the guqin, poetry, and painting. He suggested she perform a “Surprise Dance.”

Zhēn Huán declined, only to be mocked by the Duke, who said even his own dancers were better than her.

He also insinuated that Zhēn Huán only served the Emperor with her looks, implying that the Emperor judged by appearance.

In his words, there was clear disrespect for the Emperor.

The Emperor’s face darkened, and he reluctantly allowed Zhēn Huán to dance as she pleased.

The Duke of Dūn Qīn’s insistence was likely because he thought Zhēn Huán couldn’t dance. He wanted to embarrass the Emperor on purpose.

Zhēn Huán had known from the beginning that as long as the Duke of Dūn Qīn proposed it, she would never be able to refuse.

She declined to make him smug, knowing that once he became overconfident, he would lose his composure, providing the Emperor with a reason to remove him later.

As Zhēn Huán went to change her clothes, the Duke of Dūn Qīn mocked her, saying it would be fine if she ran away.

The crowd mentioned how difficult the “Surprise Dance” was, and besides the late Empress Chún Yuán, no one else could truly capture its essence.

Since she had danced it well in her previous life, she would certainly do even better in this one!

But Zhēn Huán wasn’t worried about the difficulty of the dance; she was more concerned about the memories it brought back from her previous life…

In her past life, when she danced, Shěn Méi Zhuāng played the guqin, Ān Líng Róng sang, and later, Guǒ Jùn Wáng entered and played the xiao as accompaniment.

When Guǒ Jùn Wáng entered, she had paused for a moment, but then followed the sound of his flute. That was when she had a brief affair with Guǒ Jùn Wáng.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng also paused, but then followed the music, so her relationship with Shěn Méi Zhuāng had remained unchanged.

As for Ān Líng Róng, she stopped singing, and in the end, became her enemy…