One magnificent palace after another came into view, presenting a continuous scene of dignified imperial grandeur.
Following Eunuch Feng, Shen Shi soon arrived at Yongshou Palace where the Empress Dowager resided.
The scenes before her eyes felt like fleeting clouds, leaving Shen Shi somewhat dazed. However, her concern for Jiang Chaohua steadied her nerves.
“Madam Shen, we’ve arrived.”
Eunuch Feng’s voice sounded as he took a slight step back and respectfully lowered his head.
There weren’t many palace maids or eunuchs in Yongshou Palace.
In recent years, because her maternal family was too prominent—being entirely composed of military officials—the Empress Dowager had deliberately maintained a low profile, staying in Yongshou Palace all day and rarely venturing out.
The vermilion main gate was heavy but made no sound when pushed open.
After gathering her emotions, Shen Shi stepped into the main hall. Just as she was about to speak the words she had prepared on the way, she heard the Empress Dowager’s laughter.
This laughter had appeared in her dreams many times. Shen Shi instinctively looked up and immediately noticed the white hair at the Empress Dowager’s temples.
Even someone as noble as the Empress Dowager couldn’t withstand the passage of time.
The Empress Dowager was advanced in years. Despite wearing luxurious clothes and proper makeup, she couldn’t conceal the weariness between her brows and that hint of loneliness.
“Your subject’s wife pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
Shen Shi’s voice choked up, her eyes slightly reddened. She knelt on the ground, performing the ceremonial greeting with reverence.
The Empress Dowager’s smiling expression suddenly froze. She struggled to restrain herself from looking at Shen Shi, only her grip on Jiang Chaohua’s hand growing increasingly stiff.
Jiang Chaohua pressed her lips together, her heart suddenly startled.
So the Empress Dowager’s feelings for Shen Shi ran deeper than she had imagined. No wonder all these years the Empress Dowager had continuously sent gifts to the Jiang family.
“Mother, what’s wrong? Why are your eyes so red? Are you too excited to see Her Majesty? Don’t you often speak of the Empress Dowager to me at home?”
Jiang Chaohua paused, tilted her head, and hurried to help Shen Shi up.
“Chaochao, don’t be rude.”
Before the Empress Dowager had given permission for Shen Shi to rise, Jiang Chaohua went to assist her. Shen Shi was frightened, fearing the Empress Dowager might blame Jiang Chaohua.
However, the Empress Dowager seemed distracted by Jiang Chaohua’s words and didn’t reprimand her. Eunuch Feng sighed softly and quickly said:
“Madam Shen, please rise. There’s no need for such formality.”
Shen Shi had been raised by the Empress Dowager’s side since childhood. Yongshou Palace could be considered her second home.
Seeing Shen Shi perform the formal greeting showed how distant they had become. All these years, the Empress Dowager had missed Shen Shi dearly, yet was angry that Shen Shi had insisted on marrying Jiang He. Both sides remained deadlocked, particularly because Shen Shi refused to yield and give the Empress Dowager a way to save face.
Fortunately, Jiang Chaohua had now arrived and was quite favored by the Empress Dowager.
Eunuch Feng nodded repeatedly. Jiang Chaohua pressed her lips together, a dark light flashing in her eyes, then added:
“Mother, please get up quickly. Didn’t you always say that in the past at Yongshou Palace, Her Majesty would always exempt you from formal greetings? This is your second home.”
Jiang Chaohua’s seemingly innocent words struck the Empress Dowager’s heart one by one.
She had already missed Shen Shi, and now hearing from Jiang Chaohua that Shen Shi missed her too, her stiff expression gradually softened, her eyes unconsciously filling with affection.
“Aunt.”
Shen Shi looked up and immediately saw the emotion in the Empress Dowager’s eyes. She could no longer hold back, tears streaming down her face.
This address of “Aunt” was long overdue. All these years, she had genuinely missed the Empress Dowager, but feared she might vent her anger on Jiang He and the Jiang family.
“You finally know to come.”
The Empress Dowager shot Shen Shi an angry glare, unable to bear seeing her cry. She waved a hand at Eunuch Feng, who immediately brought two chairs for Shen Shi and Jiang Chaohua to sit.
“Your Majesty, my mother has actually wanted to come to Yongshou Palace every day all these years. But there are many trivial matters at home. Grandmother often makes Mother observe formalities by standing. My two elder brothers also need Mother’s care. And… Mother was afraid that seeing her would make you angry, which is why she hasn’t come all this time.”
Jiang Chaohua held Shen Shi’s hand, her voice soft and sweet. She was beautiful and appeared gentle-natured, especially her eyebrows and eyes—upon closer look, they bore a striking resemblance to the Empress Dowager’s.
When Jiang Chaohua was young, she had entered the palace to see the Empress Dowager but hadn’t stayed long.
Today, upon her sudden entry into the palace, the Empress Dowager had stared at her eyebrows and eyes for a long time—so long that even Sun Mama, who served the Empress Dowager, couldn’t help but speak up to remind her.
“Chaochao, stop talking.”
Shen Shi hurriedly tried to stop her, but Jiang Chaohua seemed to have opened a floodgate of words. As she spoke, her eyes reddened:
“Why won’t you let me say it? Isn’t this what you told me, Mother? Today is my birthday, but it’s also the day you suffered to bring me into this world. I want you to be happy too. Seeing Her Majesty, aren’t you happy, Mother? All these years, you’ve shed tears whenever the Empress Dowager was mentioned. Chaochao doesn’t want to see you cry anymore.”
Jiang Chaohua choked up. Eunuch Feng parted his lips, instinctively glancing at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was deeply moved, her own eyes slightly reddening as she gazed at Shen Shi with immense tenderness.
“Chaochao, hold your tongue.”
Shen Shi scolded in a low voice, yet her tears flowed uncontrollably, so much so that the Empress Dowager rose and slowly descended from her seat.
“Chaochao just said that you’re often punished by your mother-in-law to stand in observance of rules. How dare she?”
The Empress Dowager looked at Shen Shi’s weary brows and eyes, her voice sharp. Eunuch Feng, bowing, immediately replied:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, when this servant went to the Jiang family to summon Lady Shen, she was being punished by kneeling in the Ancestral Hall.”
Eunuch Feng sneered inwardly. What audacity from the Jiang family and that Jiang Laotaitai! They don’t even know their place, daring to punish Shen Shi.
After all, Shen Shi was the Empress Dowager’s…
As the Empress Dowager’s trusted confidant, Eunuch Feng knew all her secrets.
He glanced intermittently at Jiang Chaohua—more precisely, at her eyebrows and eyes. The more he looked, the more astonished he became.
The resemblance was uncanny. Even Shen Shi didn’t bear such a likeness to the Empress Dowager. This eldest daughter of the Jiang family looked exactly like the Empress Dowager in her youth.
“No, my mother-in-law treats me very well. She merely…”
Shen Shi bit her lip, not daring to lift her head to look at the Empress Dowager standing right before her.
Jiang Laotaitai was just somewhat petty, after all. Having once been a village woman, now as an official’s wife, she naturally had to flaunt some authority.
“Mother, you were punished to kneel? Grandmother has gone too far! All these years, restricting you from going out is one thing, but to make you kneel as punishment? I’m going back.”
Jiang Chaohua sneered inwardly, her face filled with rage as she stood up to leave.
“Chaochao, don’t.”
Shen Shi gripped Jiang Chaohua tightly, forcing her to stay. Jiang Chaohua could only look at the Empress Dowager with reddened eyes.
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath.
Now she understood everything. It wasn’t that Shen Shi didn’t want to enter the palace—it was Jiang Laotaitai who restricted her. It wasn’t that Shen Shi deliberately distanced herself—it was that Shen Shi herself was suffering in the Jiang family.
How dare Jiang He treat the child she raised with her own hands like this! How dare he!
“You grew up by my side, cherished in the palm of my hand since childhood. If you suffered grievances, could you not have sent word to me? Have you grown so distant from me that you no longer trust me?”
The Empress Dowager shed tears, her heart aching with sorrow. Shen Shi shook her head desperately and abruptly knelt at the Empress Dowager’s feet:
“Aunt, I cannot—I cannot bear to trouble and upset you any further. All these years, it is I who have failed you.”
Tears streamed relentlessly down Shen Shi’s face. How could the Empress Dowager bear to see her weep? After all, this was the only child she would ever have in this lifetime.