The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

The Empress Dowager looked at the Imperial Preceptor He Lichen, who had been sitting quietly to the side.

The man sat upright like a pine tree, his moon-white crane cloak making his features appear even more aloof and otherworldly, like a banished immortal from a painting, untouched by the mundane world.

"I'll leave this grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven to Huai Xian."

The Empress Dowager spoke, her voice gentle yet tinged with solemnity:

"Please take good care of Zhizhi. It's her first time participating, and she's not familiar with the process. If it's convenient for you, please teach her privately."

She looked at He Lichen, and the more she looked, the more satisfied she became.

Looking at her son's absent-minded appearance today, the vague unease she had been feeling gradually became clearer.

That child must have been harboring some inappropriate thoughts.

She must settle things between Zhizhi and Huaixian as soon as possible.

To prevent her foolish son from having any inappropriate delusions.

"Your subject will certainly teach Zhizhi with utmost care."

He Lichen nodded slightly, and when his clear, cold eyes turned to Tang Xixue, a faint smile quietly appeared in his eyes.

The smile was faint, yet it inexplicably warmed one's heart.

"Brother Huai Xian".

Tang Xixue tilted her head, looking at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with a sly light:

"Then let's leave the palace together later, riding in the same carriage. Could you teach me how to navigate the journey?"

The words fell.

The icy, frosty aura surrounding He Lichen vanished instantly.

He lowered his eyes, and the tips of his ears turned a thin blush at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At that moment, even his breathing became erratic.

He recalled the last time the two of them rode together.

Inside the carriage, the draped curtains shut out the noise of the outside world, leaving only her and him, so close together.

She leaned against him, looking up at him with her peach blossom eyes filled with a soft smile.

then.

He dared not think any further.

The moment that image flashed into his mind, he felt his heart skip a beat and then jump up rapidly, as if it were about to burst out of his chest.

"it is good."

He responded in a low voice, his tone still cool, but within that coolness lay a deep, indescribable heat.

Amidst her jet-black hair, a single strand of frosty white stood out strikingly.

Tang Xixue gazed at his flushed earlobes, a slight smile curving her lips. Then she rose and bowed to the Empress Dowager.

"Mother, we'll be going now."

She turned and took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned back.

"Oh, right, there's something I forgot to tell Mother."

She stood there, sunlight streaming through the carved window and falling on her, making her red dress appear even more vibrant and radiant.

She looked at the Empress Dowager, her voice soft and gentle:

"I was picked up from the Northern Border by my little uncle, so I am not of the Tangxi royal family. The clan seal will not appear during the sacrificial ceremony."

She paused, then blinked:

"Mother, you don't mind, do you?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager paused abruptly in her teacup.

Something in those phoenix eyes trembled violently.

Is this... something you mind or not?

She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

My mind was in complete chaos, with countless thoughts flashing through my mind like a revolving lantern.

Zhizhi is not of royal blood.

Zhizhi and Xuanyin are not related by blood.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"Such a big matter," she began, her voice still relatively calm, "does your imperial brother know?"

She originally planned to find an excuse to break Yin'er's legs after the sacrificial ceremony to bring him to his senses.

Now—it seems we need to slow down.

"I know."

Tang Xixue nodded, looking completely at ease.

"My elder brother has known this since he was a child."

Empress Dowager: "..."

Okay. Very good.

Her good son kept it a secret very well.

All these years, he hasn't revealed a single word.

She retracted her earlier thought—a beating was still inevitable.

"Weaving."

The Empress Dowager put down her teacup, gazing at Tang Xixue, her phoenix eyes filled with tenderness and certainty:

"You will always be the apple of my eye."

"Mother will always be Zhizhi's mother. Brother Huaixian and I will take our leave now."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xixue smiled and waved to the Empress Dowager, then turned around and stepped out of Qianqiu Palace with He Lichen.

The Empress Dowager gazed at the two figures walking side by side.

One wore a bright red dress, the other a pure white robe.

Walking together, they are such a pleasing sight to behold.

She suddenly felt a little regretful.

She felt most at ease leaving her knitting to her own son.

She saw the depth of his affection for Zhizhi.

From childhood to adulthood, when has he ever cared so much about others?

If in the future, Zhizhi and Yin'er become a couple.

If there were another child as noble and handsome as Yin'er, and as intelligent and beautiful as Zhizhi...

As the Empress Dowager imagined that scene, the corners of her lips involuntarily turned up.

She had no idea she would be such a lively and cheerful grandmother.

Is it too late to regret it now?

She watched the two figures disappear outside the palace gates, and suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter contained relief, joy, and a hint of anticipation.

Zhizhi is not of royal blood.

This is fantastic news!

Xuan Yin will definitely be eager to fight for it, so she doesn't need to worry about him.

If Zhizhi also has romantic feelings for Yin'er, she certainly wouldn't object to them being together.

She is still her mother.

Moreover, with her around, who in the entire court, or throughout the whole country, would dare to bully her Zhizhi?

If Zhizhi doesn't want to choose him, she, as his mother, will personally discipline him.

But no one knows a daughter better than her mother, and Zhizhi was possessive of Xuan Yin.

The one she raised, Zhizhi, is the most like her, and even more opinionated.

She even felt that if Xuan Yin had other women around him, Zhi Zhi would probably lock him up and make him belong only to her.

At that time, she, as the Empress Dowager, will have no choice but to come out and deal with state affairs first.

"This is the best news ever!"

The Empress Dowager murmured, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy, as if she had found some incredible treasure.

Granny Lan listened intently from the side and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The Empress Dowager, however, was completely oblivious, preoccupied with her own calculations:

"Yin'er, you'd better step up your game and work harder—Huai Xian isn't bad either!"

She paused, a shrewd glint flashing in her phoenix eyes:

"What's wrong with my beloved Zhizhi having one more imperial consort?"

His tone was very self-righteous.

Upon hearing this, Granny Lan was both amused and exasperated.

She secretly raised her eyes and looked at her own Empress Dowager, sighing inwardly.

The Empress's heart is truly biased to an extreme degree.

They act with such self-righteousness, such a sense of entitlement, such an infuriating way that no one can find fault with them.

It's true what they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

But when have their weaving ever cried?

She was frail from childhood, falling ill every three days or every five days. The imperial physicians took turns tending to her, fearing that this delicate flower would wither away if they weren't careful.

It took everyone a tremendous amount of effort to raise her.

The Empress herself watched over her, inquiring about her every day, and Crown Prince Tang Xiye accompanied her every night.

This is, after all, the royal family.

The medicinal herbs were plentiful, the imperial physicians were available at any time, and His Highness the Crown Prince treated her with utmost care, as if she were a precious treasure.

If it were in another place, it simply wouldn't survive.

When Granny Lan recalled the countless anxious days and nights she had endured over the years, she suddenly understood the Empress Dowager's current favoritism.

The more you give, the more emotions you invest.

That feeling had long since become so intense that it couldn't be dissolved.

The little princess is a rose that they nurtured with their own blood and sweat.