The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

Before many people in the city could even witness the prowess of the female war goddess, she was taken into the palace by Eunuch Fu, sent by Emperor Qi Jing.

This was the first time Su Qianqian had ever seen a real imperial palace.

The palace covers an area larger than the entire Qinghe County. Everywhere there are stone-paved roads, some ordinary stones and some white marble, many of which are carved with intricate patterns.

My biggest impression was that there were steps everywhere in the palace, and it seemed like there were no end to them.

Before she traveled through time, she had never even been able to visit the Forbidden City, but unexpectedly, she saw a real imperial palace in the Great Qi Dynasty.

The most excited person was the old patriarch of the Zhang family.

The old clan chief never imagined that he, with one foot in the grave, would have the opportunity to enter the palace; it was an immense honor.

The Zhang family is incredibly fortunate to have met Miss Su.

Miss Su has done the Zhang family a great service.

We must record the meeting with the Emperor in the Zhang family genealogy so that future generations can be proud of it.

Eunuch Fu had been observing Su Qianqian all the way.

Hearing that this young girl was not yet fifteen years old, he was frighteningly composed, a composure he had only seen in the late emperor.

The late emperor was a wise ruler. When he was alive, the Great Qi was the most powerful state in the world, and neighboring countries would send tribute every year. But now the situation has changed drastically.

Although Emperor Jing of Qi is currently diligent, his political achievements are pitifully few.

The sun had been setting for a while, and the palace lights were gradually coming on.

Eight palace maids carrying lanterns walked towards him, bowing to Eunuch Fu in perfect unison.

Remembering that many palace maids had previously inquired about Miss Su and wanted to meet her, Eunuch Fu introduced her, saying, "This is Miss Su."

Upon hearing Eunuch Fu's words, the palace maids all bowed to Su Qianqian.

"Greetings to Miss Su."

Su Qianqian noticed that the lanterns in the hands of the palace maids were very exquisite, with each lantern depicting a lady in a different pose.

These are lanterns from the imperial palace; they'd be worth a fortune in modern times.

The palace maids bowed their heads in greeting while secretly observing the young girl in front of them.

Is this the legendary female warrior? She doesn't look very old.

Moreover, the goddess of war's clothes and jewelry are beautiful and novel in style, truly stunning.

Eunuch Fu accepted the blue purse given to him by the old clan chief, gave it a quick squeeze, and his smile deepened: "Distinguished guests, please follow me to see His Majesty."

A vermilion palanquin adorned with carved vermilion birds was carried over by guards and stopped beside Su Qianqian.

Eunuch Fu called out in his hoarse voice, "His Majesty has granted Miss Su special permission to travel to the banquet hall in a sedan chair."

As soon as Su Qianqian got into the sedan chair, Xu Mama from the Empress Dowager's palace came to snatch her away.

"Oh, this must be Miss Su? She's truly a wonderful person..."

Su Qianqian: The old woman's mouth is a lying devil.

Granny Xu went on and on, saying many nice things.

"You see, this is the first time this old servant has seen such a beautiful young lady, so I got carried away and talked a bit too much. Please don't take offense, Miss Su."

Su Qianqian dared not blame the Empress Dowager's people. "Granny, there's no need to be so formal."

Granny Xu: I should be the one saying that, little girl, you stole my lines.

"The Empress Dowager has been waiting for Miss Su."

So Su Qianqian parted ways with Military Advisor Zhang.

Su Qianqian followed Granny Xu to see the Empress Dowager.

Military Advisor Zhang and the old clan chief then followed Eunuch Fu to see His Majesty.

Without Su Qianqian by his side, the old clan leader felt uneasy and afraid of making a mistake. Indeed, Miss Su was his pillar of support.

The guards carrying the sedan chair followed behind Granny Xu, passing through a corridor and three arched gates, and stopped outside the Cining Palace.

Su Qianqian was helped down from the sedan chair by several palace maids, and helplessly raised her hand to rub her forehead.

She's not that delicate; she can lift a stone roller with one hand. Yet, so many people helped her get out of the sedan chair!

Before me were countless more steps; the buildings in this palace were truly towering.

As Su Qianqian entered the room, just as she was about to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she was embraced by a beautiful woman.

They hugged each other very tightly, as if they were long-lost relatives reunited.

"Good child, I am your future mother-in-law."

Su Qianqian then realized that the person holding her tightly was the Lady of Guiping Marquis, and judging from the Lady's voice, she seemed to be crying with emotion.

Lady Hou's expression was far too joyful, wasn't it?

The Empress Dowager coughed twice and reminded her, "Wanyi, quickly release Miss Su, don't frighten her."

Lady Guiping finally came to her senses, quickly released Su Qianqian, wiped away her tears, and smiled.

"Miss Su is as beautiful as a fairy, my Yu'er is truly lucky."

Su Qianqian also saw the appearance of the Lady of the Marquis clearly. No wonder Gong Yu was so handsome that he was unparalleled in the world. It turned out that he had a beautiful mother.

Lady Guiping looked quite young, like she was in her early twenties.

"Good, good, good—" Lady Guiping grabbed Su Qianqian's hand and praised her three times.

She hadn't managed to secure a good spot outside the city, so she hadn't been able to see what her future daughter-in-law looked like.

Thinking that Miss Su would definitely enter the palace, he came to the Empress Dowager's place to keep watch.

She did see him. His appearance and demeanor far exceeded her expectations.

Yu'er is so lucky to have married such a girl.

It was already dark, and dozens of lamps were lit in the main hall, making it very bright.

The lamps here are a bit special; they are nine-branched bronze lotus lamps, with nine lotus lamps extending from each bronze base, and each one is lit.

Eight times nine equals seventy-two; the eight bronze bases together make a total of seventy-two lamps in the room.

The Empress Dowager carefully examined the girl standing in the room.

The child stood ramrod straight, without a trace of panic on her face, and her bearing was in no way inferior to that of the noble ladies of the capital.

Who would have thought that such a beautiful person could be raised in a remote little county?

I heard this girl had to farm and fight, and I thought she would get tanned, but her skin was snow-white.

Such a fair-skinned person, wearing a red dress is just right.

"She's just like a flower."

A few months ago, the Empress Dowager heard rumors that her nephew Gong Yu was gay, which greatly worried her.

Therefore, when the emperor betrothed Miss Su to his nephew, the Empress Dowager and Lady Hou shared the same thought: as long as she was a woman, it would be fine, and they had no objections whatsoever.

Little did they expect that they had struck gold.

Yu'er is just as beautiful. If the two of them stood together, they would look like a perfect couple, and it would definitely be a feast for the eyes.

Su Qianqian discovered that the Empress Dowager was also very young. Although she had never met the Empress Dowager, she knew information about most of the masters in the palace.

The Empress Dowager gave birth to Emperor Jing of Qi when she was eighteen. Now Emperor Jing is twenty-two, and the Empress Dowager is only forty.

Before time travel, the Empress Dowager's palace in TV dramas only flashed by on camera; now that I'm actually there, I naturally want to appreciate it carefully.

Su Qianqian curiously looked around the palace. The space was very spacious, and the tables and chairs were made of huanghuali wood, but the furnishings in the room were very ordinary. It seemed that the Empress Dowager was quite frugal.

The Empress Dowager said somewhat embarrassedly, "The decorations in my Cining Palace are a bit monotonous, Miss Su, please don't laugh at me."

"Originally, my palace was very luxurious, but because the war was too expensive, all the pearl curtains and gold and silver utensils inlaid with gemstones in the room were exchanged for silver."

Although some of the valuable items in the house were exchanged for silver, the Empress Dowager still had many good things in her possession.

"Granny Xu, go and bring me the set of tourmaline jewelry that I prepared."

The palace maid quickly brought over a tray with a complete set of tourmaline jewelry.

Tourmaline is a palette forged by the earth over millions of years, its colors condensed into the stone, creating a dazzling and breathtaking effect.

Red like flames, green like spring water, blue like the deep sea—beads of all colors strung together create a fantastical masterpiece.

Moreover, tourmaline was a royal treasure and was regarded as a symbol of power.

The court officials all wore prayer beads strung with tourmaline, only differing in their purity.

Ordinary tourmaline can make someone look older, but the set given by the Empress Dowager has a bright and clear color, making it perfect for young people.

A tourmaline of such perfect quality would be priceless in modern times; you couldn't buy it even if you had the money.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager was delighted. "I'm glad you like it. I was worried you wouldn't."

Lady Hou also brought out a gift she had brought: a gold crown inlaid with diamonds.

"Miss Su, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've prepared a small gift for you, and I hope you'll like it."

Su Qianqian estimated that the golden crown was studded with at least a hundred diamonds, and she was almost blinded by the dazzling diamonds.

Diamonds and the diamonds of later times are the same thing.

With so many jewels, it rivals the crowns passed down through generations of European royalty.

That's so full of love.