The Next Day.
Due to a night of revelry, when Zhao Hua rose from her slumber, the sun was already high in the sky.
Sunlight streamed through the lattice window, casting scattered shadows and illuminating the floating dust particles in the air.
Zhao Hua stared at those tiny specks of dust trapped in the light for a while, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.
Yun Shan heard movement in the inner chambers and entered quietly, attending to her. Zhao Hua asked her, "What time is it?"
"Noon," Yun Shan replied.
"Noon... Consort Elder Sisters have already left the palace, haven't they?" Zhao Hua asked, her tone subdued.
Yun Shan hesitated for a moment, then replied with a touch of sadness, "According to Miss's arrangements, Consort Dowager Ying, Consort Dowager Ru, Consort Dowager Zhen, Sister Tong, and Prince An have all safely left the palace."
Zhao Hua nodded faintly, refraining from further inquiry, and absently rose to let the palace attendants help her with dressing.
Today, Zhao Hua was taking a rest from her usual routine, so she instructed her maidservants to only style her hair in a simple bun.
In the dressing chamber, as she relaxed, Zhao Hua noticed that the maidservants' skills were somewhat lacking. Even the simple task of hairdressing caused her scalp to tighten for a moment.
But she didn't blame them, merely saying, "Be gentler with your hands, take your time."
As she spoke, the maidservant remained silent, which struck Zhao Hua as odd. Then she felt something being applied to her face without her knowledge.
She looked up in surprise and caught sight of her reflection in the bronze mirror. Her face bore no makeup, but someone had applied three thin streaks of rouge to each cheek, making her resemble a disheveled kitten.
Then she heard mocking laughter. She glanced sideways to see Xiao Jingyan holding a box of rouge, laughing heartily at her. The maid who had been styling her hair had been replaced by Rongyue, who was covering her mouth and giggling.
Madam Jing stood by quietly, smiling at their antics.
Zhao Hua was both surprised and delighted. "But... didn't you already leave?" she asked.
Rongyue approached her, taking her hand. "At the banquet last night, you said we could finally be together as a family, and that was a beautiful thing. But Zhao Er, you forgot, you are part of our family too."
She squeezed Zhao Hua's hand tightly. "We agreed that as a family, we should stick together. So of course, we're going to be with you."
Xiao Jingyan, who had been lounging on Zhao Hua's warm seat, eating the meal she had no appetite for, spoke up lazily, "I'm just a lazy bum, living off your fortune! Losing an emperor for an older brother, gaining a princess sister-in-law, how could I bear to leave?"
Zhao Hua knew why they had stayed.
Even though there were a thousand words she wanted to say, they all turned into tears of joy in the end.
Later, Xiao Jingyan and Rongyue stayed at Penglai Pavilion.
Located on Lake Heart Island, a place inaccessible without imperial decree, it provided them with a quiet retreat within the palace.
It was said that Xiao Jingyan and Rongyue had decided to stay to accompany Zhao Hua. At first, they were worried that Madam Jing might not agree, considering she had spent a lifetime in the palace and surely longed for life outside.
But unexpectedly, Madam Jing said:
"At my age, I've grown accustomed to palace life and feel at ease there. So, when they suddenly summoned me to leave the palace, I didn't know what to expect."
Although she didn't explicitly say it, anyone could tell she was praising Zhao Hua's kindness.
After all, in this world, those who treat others sincerely always receive sincere treatment in return.
In the days that followed, Zhao Hua once went to Penglai Pavilion to chat with Rongyue,
and as they were parting ways, they happened upon Madam Jing fishing by the lake.
She sat with Madam Jing by the lakeside, enjoying the breeze, when Madam Jing suddenly spoke:
"I actually had a daughter before, but she passed away at a young age, which was a regret. Look at your brother, he's still mischievous at his age, making me, as his mother, worried."
As she said this, she took Zhao Hua's hand, and in her cloudy eyes, a glimmer of stars appeared,
"Now that we have Rong'er as a daughter-in-law, I find myself longing for a daughter even more. If you don't mind, I'd like to treat you as my own daughter."
The words came straight from her heart, and after saying them, Madam Jing suddenly felt it was inappropriate,
so she shook her head, awkwardly smiled, and said,
"But then again, now that you're the reigning Empress, do you really need someone else to take care of you?"
Zhao Hua smiled, her eyes gazing at Madam Jing,
and for a moment,
the shimmering light reflected on the lake's surface cast a radiant glow onto Madam Jing's smiling face,
and Zhao Hua seemed to see the image of her birth mother in that kind and gentle smile.
She didn't respond to Madam Jing's words, just nodded faintly,
and Madam Jing, overjoyed, immediately embraced her, gently stroking her forehead, and softly said,
"Good child, you've endured so much these years."
During this time, apart from her brother and sister-in-law being allowed to stay in the palace, Zhao Hua also experienced another joyful event.
She arranged a marriage between Yun Shan and Xiao Fuzi.
Xiao Fuzi was quite timid. When it came to proposing marriage, he actually sent a girl to talk to Zhao Hua on his behalf.
Zhao Hua agreed, but Xiao Fuzi kept hesitating, repeatedly saying,
"I'm not worthy. How can I match Miss Yun Shan?"
He stubbornly refused, waiting until Yun Shan became annoyed and started crying before he realized the urgency,
standing there dumbfounded, scratching the back of his head, before finally grabbing Yun Shan's hand, resolutely saying,
"Even though I can't give you much, I'll make sure you never shed another tear in the future!"
Originally, life continued happily and smoothly like this,
until one day three months later,
Zhao Hua had just finished dressing and was about to take Cheng Yu to morning court when Xiao Fuzi rushed in, breathless, reporting to her:
"Empress! Lord Kang and Lord Yang, along with many courtiers, have gathered outside Chaoyang Palace and started causing trouble!"
As Zhao Hua looked at herself in the mirror, leisurely applied deep red lipstick, and casually asked,
"What's the commotion about?"
Xiao Fuzi lowered her voice, trembling as she said, "They say since the new emperor ascended the throne, all political affairs are controlled by the Empress Dowager, implying that she holds sway over the court, causing turmoil and disorder... Hence, the gathering today is to pressure the Empress Dowager to abdicate, with the intention of... separating mother and son."
"Hmph." Zhao Hua sneered coldly. "They certainly have some nerve."
With those words, she rose and walked resolutely towards the palace gates.
Seeing the formation of the former courtiers gathered in front of her just now, Xiao Fuzi couldn't help but sweat for Zhao Hua, so she intercepted her.
"Empress Dowager... They have come prepared this time. Perhaps the Empress Dowager should retreat for now?"
But Zhao Hua deftly brushed aside Xiao Fuzi's hand blocking her path, asserting with a calm authority, "This widow insists on going. This widow wants to see for herself. Even the late emperor fell to this widow's hand. These remnants of the former court, what storms can they stir up under this widow's watchful eye?"
