Chapter 210: The Empress Dowager Returns to the Palace

For both Su Wan and him, this lost period of growth was an irreplaceable regret.

She had finally gained her parents and was doing everything she could to save them.

The meaning behind his words had deeply wounded her heart.

She must be very disappointed in them, right?

The Regent felt increasingly guilty as he pondered the situation. He stood up and walked toward the palace doors.

Pausing for a moment, he recalled how attentive Su Wan had been in caring for him, so he turned back to grab a cloak and put it on.

“Hey? Where are you going, Master?” Luo Cheng quickly followed him out of the main hall.

—

The lady-in-waiting went to the temple to invite Master Mingjue down from the mountain. The hidden guard, who had been monitoring in the shadows, immediately reported the news to the Empress Dowager, who was meditating at the mountaintop.

“Your Majesty, the lady-in-waiting by the Empress’s side has invited Master Mingjue down from the mountain,” the hidden guard said, waiting for the Empress Dowager’s instructions.

The Empress Dowager sat cross-legged, holding a string of prayer beads as she chanted scriptures.

At sixty years old, her hair was as dark and glossy as if it had been nourished, with not a single strand of gray. Her face was smooth, with only a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and her brows and eyes revealed an imposing authority and decisiveness.

Even after practicing in front of the Buddha for eleven or twelve years, she still retained her calm and peaceful demeanor.

Upon hearing the hidden guard’s words, she stopped moving the prayer beads, slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and devoid of the compassion associated with entering the Buddhist path. “Is the Empress in poor health?”

“The Empress is fine, but…” The hidden guard seemed to touch on a taboo, the final title caught in his throat.

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, clearly displeased with Qi Min.

Years ago, when Qi Min lost her memory, the Empress Dowager had arranged a marriage for her, yet Qi Min openly accepted while secretly allowing Wei Yang to marry Fan Yuheng, treating the entire court of Xiliang’s civil and military officials as fools.

That would have been bad enough, but in the end, she simply threw down the gauntlet and ceded the throne to Wei Yang.

Not a single concubine in the harem had ever been touched.

Though the Wei family’s power was significant, Qi Min was her daughter. The Empress Dowager had presented portraits of all the sons of court officials to her, allowing her to choose, yet Qi Min had been ungrateful and rejected them all.

It wasn’t until Qi Min was shot and poisoned, her health deteriorating day by day, that the Empress Dowager finally decided to step back completely.

Despite her grievances against Qi Min, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but ask, “Is it serious?”

“Yesterday, news came from the palace that she is at death’s door.”

“Crack—”

A string of prayer beads snapped, and the beads scattered across the ground.

The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up, her gaze sharp and cold. “Why was I not informed yesterday?”

The hidden guard fell to his knees. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. You had previously instructed us to pay attention to Master Mingjue’s movements and not to mention Madam Qi’s affairs in your presence.”

“Bang-“

The Supreme Empress kicked the hidden guard over, and raised her voice, “Prepare the carriage!”

The old matron waiting outside felt a surge of uncertainty. “Are you returning to the palace?”

The Empress Dowager didn’t respond, storming out with barely contained rage.

The old matron didn’t dare to delay and immediately hurried off to prepare the carriage.

The hidden guard, recalling the news from the palace that day, quickly got to his feet and swiftly caught up with the Empress Dowager, trailing a few steps behind her. “News has come from the palace that in six days, the imperial princess will be officially titled. A couple of days ago, the Regent of the Great Zhou and the daughter of the Duke of Dingyuan arrived in Xiliang. Yesterday, the Empress held a banquet to welcome them, and they are staying at Yaoguang Hall.”

The Empress Dowager was seething with anger, her desire to punish him strong, but this was a sacred place of Buddhism: “Go face your punishment!” She quickened her pace to the foot of the mountain, where the carriage had just come to a stop.

Without waiting for the old matron to assist her, the Empress Dowager climbed into the carriage and coldly ordered, “Hurry back to the palace as quickly as possible.”