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Taotao had fallen asleep and couldn’t offer any response.

Susu was biting her finger, her eyes like black pearls, staring unwaveringly at Shen Chuwei.

Shen Chuwei poked Susu’s little hand, and the little one reacted quickly, instantly grasping her finger.

Shen Chuwei’s heart immediately softened into cotton candy; no wonder everyone loved holding Susu, she was too cute.

At this moment, the door was pushed open from the outside. Shen Chuwei turned her head and saw the Empress walking in. Her Phoenix Robe had been replaced by a red casual dress, her regal coiled hair swapped for a simple hairstyle, devoid of the luxurious Phoenix crown.

"Empress, what are you doing?"

The Empress grabbed Shen Chuwei’s hand urgently, "We’re taking Taotao and Susu out of the palace."

It took the Empress several hours to make such a bold decision.

She had been a proper and disciplined Empress for over twenty years; now she was behaving recklessly, just this once.

Initially she had planned to go out alone for some peace, but she couldn’t bear to leave Taotao and Susu behind.

Better to do it all in one go; take all three of them, then she could see her precious grandchildren every day.

Since arriving from the palace, Shen Chuwei had always wanted to leave, set up her own residence, and live a carefree life.

But now, with her attachments, where could she just up and leave?

"The inner court of the Imperial Palace is not easy to leave, is it?"

Confident, the Empress said, "Don’t worry about that, leave it to me. Let’s pretend it’s a short stay to relax and clear our minds."

"...But, Your Highness, he..."

The Empress grabbed Shen Chuwei’s other hand soothingly, "Rest assured, I’ve sent someone to inform the Crown Prince. Doesn’t the Emperor like to do things his own way? Let him regret it later."

Under the Empress’s wise decision, Chun Xi looked utterly befuddled as she packed up their belongings.

By the time they boarded the horse carriage, Shen Chuwei was still in a state of shock.

The Empress continued to soothe her, "Don’t worry, I will tell the Crown Prince where we’ll be staying. He can come and see you and the children whenever he has time."

Meanwhile, in the Study Room

Xiao Jinyan was busy working when Qin Xiao strode in.

"Master, the Empress has taken Lady Shen and the imperial grandchildren out of the palace."

Xiao Jinyan’s motion of holding the pen paused. He could never have imagined that his mother would actually take little Jiutai out of the palace?

This was completely unlike his mother’s style of doing things.

"Is the news accurate?"

Qin Xiao replied, "Reporting to the Master, they’re nearly at the Shenwu Gate."

Xiao Jinyan gripped the pen in his hand tightly; it seemed his mother was serious.

"Master, shall we pursue?" asked Qin Xiao.

Xiao Jinyan commanded in a deep voice after a moment of silence, "No need to chase, just assign more people to protect them in secret."

"As you command, Master." Qin Xiao obeyed and left.

Xiao Jinyan looked down at the documents in his hand. With the Empress fleeing the palace, his father would likely be too anxious to focus on court affairs.

With the token, leaving the palace went smoothly.

The horse carriage headed towards the city outskirts.

There was a residence in the suburbs, a birthday gift the Empress had received on her coming-of-age year, from a very good friend.

Neither her parents nor the Emperor knew about this property.

Upon arriving at the Fuyao Residence, the Empress was the first to jump out of the carriage, startling Qing Ying who hurried forward to help, "Master, be careful, the carriage is high."

"It’s alright." The Empress took a deep breath and said with sentiment, "The air outside the palace is better than the air inside."

Shen Chuwei was helped out of the carriage by Chun Xi, wrapped in a fox fur, with a hat tightly covering her head, revealing only her delicate and beautiful face.

Shen Chuwei, who had not left the palace in a long time, looked at the external residence. It seemed the Empress had arranged everything properly; even the residence was prepared in advance.

The Empress didn’t forget to instruct, "Take care, don’t let my grandchildren catch a cold."

The maids nodded continuously.

Only then did the Empress, reassured, lead Shen Chuwei into the Fuyao Residence.

Once inside, the Empress discovered it was clean and tidy, like someone lived there.

It wasn’t until a woman in a green dress followed by a girl of about eight years of age came out that they knew someone was there.

"May I ask who you are?" the older woman asked.

The Empress looked at the two women in front of her; she didn’t recognize them at all.

She had come here once after acquiring the residence, then not again for twenty-five years because she never had the opportunity.

"I am the owner of this residence; who are you?"

Upon hearing this, the woman’s tone immediately became more polite.

"This old servant is entrusted by Young Master Ye to clean the residence daily. Might I ask if the lady has any token of identity?"

"Yes." The Empress took out a jade pendant from her bosom and showed it to the woman.

The jade pendant was pitch-black, carved with intricate patterns.

Seeing the jade pendant, the old servant immediately became more respectful, "Madam, Young Master Ye knew you did not have the time to manage this residence, so he especially ordered this old servant to clean daily, so that you could move in at any time."

Upon hearing this, the Empress understood Ye Chu’s thoughtfulness.

The house was very clean, with fresh bedding ready to use, no worse than in the palace.

The lady respectfully said, "Madam, my surname is Sun. If you need anything, you may instruct me to prepare it."

The Empress nodded, "Thank you, Nanny Sun."

After settling in, the Empress held her grandson Taotao and arrived at their new dwelling. Taotao, usually asleep, was now awake with wide-open eyes.

Susu, on the other hand, was being fed milk. Compared to her brother, the little sister’s appetite was clearly much larger.

"I’ve already sent someone to inform the Crown Prince." Before leaving the palace, the Empress had already sent a message to the Crown Prince. By the time they left the city, the Crown Prince should have received the letter.

After all, her husband would surely worry if his wife and children suddenly left home.

As for the darned Emperor, let him do what he wants!

Let him long for Taotao and Susu and experience the feeling of separation.

The Empress had thought of an exit strategy; if necessary, she could give up her role and retire in the Fuyao Residence.

If she could convince the Emperor to abandon the idea of finding a new mother for Taotao and Susu, Shen Chuwei felt it might be fine to stay outside the palace for a while.

However, if Xiao Jinyan found out they had left, he would probably worry.

As the sky gradually darkened, it was time to light the lamps

The Emperor hurried out of the Imperial Study Room, planning to dine with the Empress and comfort her.

ps: Second update