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"I shall forever keep your teachings in my heart, Mother Empress," Gu Changjin said. "Is Mother Empress planning to visit Daci'en Temple?"

Considering the time, Empress Qi should be on her way to see Wen Xi at the temple.

Empress Qi nodded and asked, "I will depart for Daci'en Temple at dawn tomorrow. Tell me, does Wen Xi know the child's background?"

"I don't think so. Xiao Fu doesn't fully trust Tan Zhi or Wen Xi. She keeps Wen Xi by her side to prevent Tan Zhi from having second thoughts in the future, hoping to control him through their daughter. Therefore, she wouldn't reveal such confidential matters to them."

Empress Qi remained silent. Although Gu Changjin sounded confident, she still dared not take the risk.

"I've made a decision regarding Wen Xi," she said slowly, looking up at Gu Changjin. "It's time for you to leave. Your trip to Liaodong is imminent, and you shouldn't have appeared here in the first place."

Gu Changjin had expected Empress Qi's "order" to leave. He had people watching the station, and after meeting the girl, he planned to depart to avoid any complications.

Thus, he agreed with her "request" and left under the cover of night.

Empress Qi rested in that secluded guesthouse. Aunt Gui came in to serve her and noticed her worried expression. She comforted her, "Your Majesty, rest early. The princess has already left the capital and won't meet His Majesty. Your concerns won't come to pass."

"Nanny, we can't call her Little Princess anymore," Empress Qi whispered, pressing the pulsing eyelid that had been bothering her for days. "I still feel uneasy deep down. I shouldn't have been so ruthless back then."

Nanny Gui sighed. "Your Highness, if you had a choice back then, would you have made that decision? There's no need to blame yourself. Look at how well Young Miss Shen... how beautiful and amiable she is, just like you in your youth. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her."

Empress Qi recalled the delicate face under the indigo cloak, illuminated by the hazy lamplight. A smile finally graced her features.

She dared not let Emperor Jia You suspect anything, nor did she dare to rashly confront Rong Shu. She could only endure it, barely stopping herself from visiting her under the pretense of paying respects to Madam Mu when the girl went to the General's mansion.

Fortunately, she held back.

"Dan Zhu is friends with her, and Madam Mu adores her. Could it be possible that her visit to Da Tong is due to someone else?"

Nanny Gui hesitated. "Your Highness means General Mu?"

Empress Qi nodded, her peach blossom eyes sparkling slightly. "The Emperor has always valued that young man of the Mu family. If that child were to marry into the Mu household..."

She looked at Nanny Gui. "I must find a way to destroy the imperial edict granting marriage to the Crown Prince!"

Of course, Rong Shu was oblivious to all that transpired in the guesthouse.

The next morning, Shen family's dozen carriages rode onto the main road, heading west with unceasing hoofbeats.

Not long after Rong Shu's group left, a carriage adorned with sheep horn palace lanterns also departed from the inn, heading for Daci'en Temple.

Two hours later, the carriage carrying Empress Qi finally reached the foot of Daci'en Mountain. A group of silver-armored guards with phoenix feather helmets intercepted her, saying, "Your Majesty, the Empress, the Emperor has fainted in the Qianqing Palace after coughing up blood. Eunuch Wang requests Your Majesty to return to the palace immediately."

All the color drained from Empress Qi's face in an instant.

"Clear the way, we must return to the palace right away!"

The commander of the guards hastily arranged for the way to be cleared. After Empress Qi's carriage was out of sight, he whispered to the guards beside him, "Keep a close eye on Daci'en Temple. The Emperor has ordered that Master Fan Qing's self-immolation must not be disclosed in any way."

The people in the Qianqing Palace had kept the news of Emperor Jia Yu's half-day coma under wraps. If not for Wang Dehai sending word to Qi Zhen, even she would have been kept in the dark.

In the following days, Qi Zhen dared not leave the palace for even a moment.

On the third day of the second lunar month, the overcast sky in the capital city finally cleared up.

It was also on this day that Gu Changjin led ten thousand elite soldiers to Liaodong.

Emperor Jia You did not see them off but remained seated in the Qianqing Palace for a long time.

Suffering from an ailment, he had even skipped the morning court sessions these past few days.

Empress Qi entered with a bowl of medicinal soup in hand. Seeing him lost in thought, her heart tightened as she said, "Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine."

Jia You slowly lifted his gaze.

Her eyes betrayed her emotions; she was worried and afraid, fearing that he might die.

The incident of his half-day coma had genuinely frightened her.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, he recalled how he had merely tricked her back to the palace by having Wang Dehai announce his supposed coma.

Emperor Jia You took the soup and drank it all without a word.

Empress Qi wiped the residue from the corner of his lips with a handkerchief. To her surprise, he suddenly held her hand and gently kissed it, saying, "Qi Zhen, don't be angry with me."

Empress Qi froze for a moment.

In ancient Taiyuan, every time he provoked her anger, he would use this tone to apologize to her.

Back then, he was not yet the emperor, and she could be as angry as she pleased. But after he ascended the throne, she was no longer the Seventh Prince's consort.

It had been a long time since she heard him coax her like this.

Empress Qi assumed it was because of his coma, her recent anxiety, and her tireless care for him day and night that led him to speak thus.

"I won't be angry anymore when the Emperor recovers," she said.

Emperor Jia Yu smiled and replied, "Alright."

The sky in the capital cleared up, but the western region was still blanketed in heavy snow.

The colder it got as one traveled westward.

Rong Shu's carriage always had two charcoal braziers inside; after a few days, she couldn't resist adding another one.

By the time news of Gu Changjin's departure for Liao Dong reached her, she had already left the inn ten days prior and arrived at Long Yin Mountain.

Long Yin Mountain was a natural barrier, its mountain range stretching endlessly with grand canyons, and its peaks crowned with pure white snow.

"Miss Dao, if Your Highness wishes to stay in the mountains for two days, there are farmhouses at the foot of the mountain where you can reside," Chang Ji suggested. "If not, we can proceed forward for half a day and exit Long Yin Mountain, then rest at an inn on the official road."

Every lodging spot along the journey had been meticulously arranged by Gu Changjin, fearing that her clothing would not be warm enough. He had already sent her two fox furs lined with woolen embroidery.