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The Emperor soothed her with a tender voice, "Susu, be good, don’t cry, Grand Emperor is holding you."

"Susu hasn’t seen the Emperor for two months; she’s unfamiliar with him now," the Empress said as she took Susu from the Emperor’s arms.

With his arms suddenly empty, having not held Susu for two months and only having just held her briefly, he inevitably felt a sense of loss.

Strangely, once the Empress took her away, Susu stopped crying immediately, as if someone had flipped a switch, stopping on command.

The Emperor eagerly extended his hands again, "Susu has stopped crying, allow me to hold her."

The Empress reminded, "Now that Susu is unfamiliar with people, what if she starts crying again once you hold her?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor’s arms paused midair, resignedly retracted, and he could only stand by, watching Susu, who seemed particularly delighted, smiling wide at the Empress.

"Susu has gotten better at smiling; look how sweet her smile is." It’s just that she hasn’t smiled like that at her Grand Emperor.

The Emperor was not discouraged; Susu was only unfamiliar because she hadn’t seen him for two months. Once back at the palace, she wouldn’t be like this anymore.

After finishing the morning meal, the Emperor ordered people to start packing for the return to the palace.

The Empress handed Susu to Lady Shen to hold and turned to look at the dog Emperor, "Your Majesty, this concubine will go and say goodbye to Brother Ye."

The Emperor glanced at Ye Chu in front of him; he certainly did not want the Empress to have a private word with Ye Chu, not even a single sentence.

"You may say goodbye, but do it in front of me," he said.

The Empress replied, "Some words are not appropriate for Your Majesty to hear."

The Emperor snorted, "Then no farewell is needed. I don’t see him as a decent man."

"Brother Ye is much more honorable than Your Majesty," said the Empress before walking toward Ye Chu.

The Emperor’s expression darkened upon hearing this, but with so many people around, he had to endure it.

With graceful strides, the Empress approached Ye Chu, thinking of what he had once told her: a woman truly needs to be complimented to have confidence.

Seeing her approach, Ye Chu already guessed the outcome, but he could not help asking once more, "Aling, have you really decided to return to the palace?"

The Empress nodded, "Yes, as the Empress, how can I not return to the palace? I wouldn’t know when we’ll meet again. Brother Ye, remember to visit me when you have time."

Ye Chu saw unhappiness in her eyes, the redness at the bottom suggested she had just been crying.

"You’re not happy in the Imperial Palace, so why return? If you wish, I can take you away from Daxia."

"Entering the palace was my choice, what does it matter if I’m unhappy?" said the Empress, then smiled, "But all that matters little now, for I’m now a grandmother. Seeing my grandchildren every day makes me very happy."

Ye Chu couldn’t resist asking, "Why did you choose Xiao Qi back then?"

They had met first, so why did she choose the latter?

"I liked him," the Empress said and couldn’t help but laugh, "At my age, talking about likes and dislikes seems childish, but it was because of that unfettered fondness that learning the truth later hurt so much."

Ye Chu froze at her words; he should have guessed as much.

The Empress remembered something and specifically warned, "Brother Ye, never listen to the old monk’s advice. Becoming a monk is really not good, the food is bad, and so is the living."

This was Chang Wenling’s parting remark.

Ye Chu stood stunned on the porch, watching as the Empress’s silhouette disappeared. There was something he had never had the chance to say.

If he had asked for her hand in marriage back then, perhaps Aling wouldn’t have entered the palace.

Who could have guessed that the girl he had watched for seven years would be snatched away by a young wolf before he made his move?

The Emperor watched the Empress and Ye Chu bid farewell, chatting and laughing, and he was furious.

Seeing the Empress return with a bright smile reminiscent of her at thirteen, his heart flickered with joy.

But as the Empress approached, her smile faded.

"What were you both talking about so happily?" inquired the Emperor.

The Empress casually replied, "Of course, we talked about happy things."

The Emperor’s face turned sour as he sharply commanded, "Get on the horse carriage."

The Empress said no more, and with Qing Ying’s aid, she boarded the horse carriage.

The Emperor and Empress shared a horse carriage, while Xiao Jinyan and Shen Chuwei rode in another.

A procession grandly departed from Fuyao Residence.

Ye Chu stood under the porch, watching as the horse carriages grew smaller in the distance.

In this life, he would not marry the woman he loved.

So accurate were the old monk’s predictions.

In the two months since the Empress’s departure, the harem had been abuzz with speculation.

Although the Emperor said the Empress was unwell, the concubines were not fools; they guessed the Empress was not in the palace.

Rumors flew fast and furious, with some even suggesting the Empress had eloped with a lover, and that the Emperor had failed to find her for two months.

The happiest were Yun Consort and De Consort, who had recently been promoted to noble consorts.

If indeed the Empress had failed to uphold her marital vows, one of these two was most likely to succeed her.

De Consort clicked her tongue, "Who could have thought the Empress was such a flirtatious woman? This time, the Emperor will surely depose her."

"The Empress too, at her age, still unable to withstand solitude," Yun Consort held Yinyin, her heart filled with elation.

De Consort whispered, "I heard He Jiayu has been co-opting other sisters these days; she likely fancies the Empress’s position."

"Now that He Jiayu is the most favored, it’s normal for her to harbor such thoughts," Yun Consort remarked.

Not just the harem, but the East Palace was also rife with rumors.

Xu Chenghui whispered, "I heard Lady Shen’s twins passed away, that she went mad and was sent out of the palace."

Snow Concubine gleefully sipped her tea, "Pity, born with the fortune of dragon and phoenix twins, but lacking the destiny to raise them."

Xu Concubine, passing by the garden, overheard someone cursing Lady Shen and her children with venomous words and immediately became infuriated.

Flapping her handkerchief, she emerged from behind a tree and pointed at Xu Chenghui’s nose and scolded, "Xu Chenghui, did you apply a laxative on your lips? Not even a scorpion is as venomous as your mouth."

Applying a laxative was an expression Xu Concubine had learned from a storybook.

ps: Three updates