Chapter 20: Meeting the Empress Dowager

"Sister!" Xiao Ruilin was also surprised as he touched his neck and called out again.

Ruo Xi was about to sleep when she heard this shout, and suddenly she wasn't sleepy anymore.

"Giggle giggle giggle..."

"Finally, that silly boy spoke up! My dear brother, you did great!"

Ruo Xi was very satisfied with her medical skills and the medicinal spring. Indeed, it seemed only she, the great demoness, could save the good children of this world.

"Lin'er, Lin'er!" Xiaoyao immediately hugged her son, tears falling continuously.

"Princess, don't, don't cry. You just put on makeup; if you cry now, it will smudge!" Dong Ju said quickly.

"This is truly heaven's blessing! Heaven has opened its eyes!" Jin Mama was almost kneeling to thank heaven.

Dong Ju also wiped her tears, feeling extremely happy.

Hongmei, with red-rimmed eyes, handed a cool cloth to the princess.

Xiaoyao wiped her tears and covered her eyes with the cloth before saying, "Lin'er, can you understand everything Mother says?"

Xiao Ruilin nodded. He reached out, grabbed his sister's little hand, and smiled, "Sister!"

"Do other kids start by calling their sister first? Never mind, my brother, if you can hear me, please don't disturb me. I've been busy making the medicinal spring and finding elixirs for you. I'm tired, so let me sleep a bit."

Knowing her brother could speak, Ruo Xi felt much relieved. She yawned and fell asleep.

Xiaoyao couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's witty words.

"Xiao Xi is like a little fairy!" Looking at her sleeping daughter, Xiaoyao leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Mm!" Xiao Ruilin nodded, agreeing with his mother.

"Little Prince, call Mama," Jin Mama said, pulling the little prince's hand excitedly.

Xiao Ruilin opened his mouth, "Mama!"

"Oh! My little prince, you're making Mama Jin want to cry too!" Jin Mama held the little prince, tears falling.

The large palanquin from the general's residence to the palace took less than half an hour, but something earth-shattering happened inside the carriage.

"Lin'er, remember, once we enter the palace, you must not speak. Mother needs to investigate this thoroughly," Xiaoyao said.

"Mm!" Xiao Ruilin nodded; he didn't really like talking anyway.

He just wanted to call his sister and his mother. Once they entered the palace, he wanted to see how his uncle and grandmother were doing. If they were well, he would call them; otherwise, he wouldn't.

Xiao Ruilin couldn't call anyone "Father"; he felt he never would in his life.

"Princess, we're here!" A familiar voice rang out as the curtain was lifted.

"Let's go to the Fu Shou Palace first and pay our respects to the Empress Dowager before heading to the Nourishing Heart Palace," Jin Mama said.

"Mm!" Xiaoyao nodded. This time, Dongmei carried Ruo Xi, while Hongmei led the little prince.

Along the palace paths, the palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground.

As the princess passed, they stood up and whispered in amazement.

"The princess is still so beautiful, and the little prince is incredibly handsome!"

"The little prince looks a bit like the emperor, but more like the princess. He's the most handsome boy I've ever seen!"

"I bet the little county princess is even prettier, absolutely stunning!"

"The princess is the most beautiful woman in Great Wei; the little county princess must be exceptionally beautiful!"

The palace maids and eunuchs whispered, all stretching their necks to get a glimpse.

At the entrance of the Fu Shou Palace.

A deep yellow caught Xiaoyao's eye. Initially, she paused, then rushed forward.

"Mother, Mother!"

Her mother had personally come out to greet her.

The Empress Dowager walked quickly toward Xiaoyao, and the two embraced outside the Fu Shou Palace, crying bitterly.

All the palace maids and eunuchs knelt, heads touching the ground, not daring to look up.

Jin Mama and Hongmei and Dong Ju also kept wiping their tears beside them.

"You child, six years, six years, and you didn't come back!" The Empress Dowager patted her daughter's shoulder, scolding her.

Back then, when her daughter insisted on marrying Shangguan Jinghong, the Empress Dowager pretended to be ill and did not attend the wedding.

However, she still provided ample dowry.

"I was being unreasonable, I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have!" Xiaoyao cried.

"Empress Dowager, you have a chronic headache; you shouldn't do this. Please get up!" Jin Mama stepped forward, separating the two and leading them into the Fu Shou Palace.

"Grandmother is truly a loving old lady." Ruo Xi had woken up long ago and remained silent, listening to her mother's sobs.

When Dong Ju carried her into the Fu Shou Palace, she opened her eyes and looked around.

"Oh, oh, oh, this is Fu Shou Palace, splendid and dignified!"

In her past life, she had ventured into several palaces to find the murderer who killed her master.

Because some of the elixirs stolen from her master had ended up in the imperial palace.

Back then, all she wanted was revenge; she never took the time to properly appreciate the beauty of the palaces.

Now that she looked around, it truly was magnificent.

The Empress Dowager was helped onto the couch, where she drank a soothing potion and received a gentle head massage from her daughter, finally feeling relieved.

"The ceiling decorations are exquisite. Oh, this screen must be priceless! This vase... hmm, it's definitely a treasure. If I touched it, my spiritual energy would surely increase..." Ruo Xi's eyes darted around, taking in every detail of Fu Shou Palace.

She realized that this palace was indeed beautiful, far surpassing the General's Mansion.

"My mother, I don't know what she was thinking, choosing to live in that General's Mansion with that scoundrel instead of enjoying this magnificent palace. Does she have a masochistic streak?"

Xiaoyao was already heartbroken, and her daughter's words only made her cry even harder.

"..." Ruo Xi: She's still not done crying!

Initially, Empress Dowager Pei thought she had a headache, but once she calmed down, she realized the sound was soft and came from the bundle Dong Ju was holding.

"Bring Xiao Xi'er over here so I can see her!" The Empress Dowager patted the sobbing woman on her lap while gesturing with her hand.

Dong Ju carried the little princess to the Empress Dowager and then helped the princess up.

"Hurry and get some ice water to soothe her eyes; they're red like a rabbit's. How will she look?" The Empress Dowager instructed Jin Mama beside her: "Go take care of it. I'll dote on this little one for now!"

The princess was led away, and Jin Mama followed.

The Empress Dowager looked at the little one in her arms, her eyes filled with joy.

"How lovely, just like the Emperor when he was young." The Empress Dowager said with a warm smile.