Princess Consort Ji sneezed twice, took out a handkerchief and pressed it against her nose, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at the Palace Gate, her heart filled with excitent.
Twenty years had passed, and she finally stood on this land again, returning to the Imperial Palace that had granted her glory for half her life.
Yet now, standing before the Palace Gate, everything had changed; the man who bestowed upon her the highest honor had long turned into a skeleton.
Oh, the forr Emperor, you shouldn’t have left so soon!
"Lady, please don’t cry, your makeup will smudge," a Palace Maid gently reminded her.
Upon hearing this, Princess Consort Ji hurriedly wiped her tears and said, "Is it really smudged?"
She couldn’t et that old woman Wang Jingxian with a tear-streaked face; she had to confront her at her best.
The Palace Maid shook her head.
Princess Consort Ji breathed a sigh of relief, straightened her back, lifted her chin, and placed her hand on the maid’s arm: "Support as I enter the palace, I need to walk and take a good look at this place."
Cining Palace.
Empress Dowager Wang wore a set of splendid palace attire, her hair ticulously combed, adorned with Dragon and Phoenix Hairpins encrusted with rubies, her fingers clad in armor, her expression proud and full of fighting spirit.
"Where are they now?"
Lian Qiao replied, "Princess Consort Ji declined the sedan chair, saying she wanted to walk a bit, so it won’t be that fast."
Empress Dowager Wang snorted disdainfully, "What, is she showing off her youth and impeccable legs? Let her be proud; go and have the sedan chair sent back. If she likes to walk so much, let her walk to see ."
The Lady was being willful again.
Lian Qiao, feeling helpless, wanted to say a few words but was deterred by the Lady’s fiery temper these days and had no choice but to leave to give instructions.
Seeing Lian Qiao leave, Empress Dowager Wang acted as if nothing had happened and called over a little Palace Maid to massage her legs.
If Ah Ci were here, her sharp tongue could surely counter that chicken essence.
No doubt, Empress Dowager Wang had given Princess Consort Ji a nickna, calling her "Ji Witch," or "Chicken Essence" for short.
Princess Consort Ji, feeling tired from walking, was just about to ask for the sedan chair when she saw a matron with impeccably combed hair approaching, dismissing the sedan chair, and saluting her.
"This servant greets Your Majesty, the Dowager, upon your return to the palace."
Recognized her; a loyal confidante by Empress Dowager Wang’s side.
"Lian Qiao, what do you an?" Princess Consort Ji looked in astonishnt as the little eunuchs bearing the sedan chair walked farther away.
Lian Qiao smiled and said, "Hearing that Your Majesty, the Dowager, has returned to the capital, the Empress Dowager is overjoyed. She feared that so inconsiderate ones might bump into you, so she sent Lian Qiao to accompany you on this journey. Over the past twenty years, the palace has changed quite a bit; Your Majesty, you may also take a look at the scenery."
Princess Consort Ji was furious, "I can also see things from the sedan chair, and see them higher and further."
"Your Majesty didn’t want to walk to reminisce about the past?" Lian Qiao looked innocent.
Princess Consort Ji: "..."
She did want to walk, but she didn’t plan on walking all the way; if she walked to Cining Palace, wouldn’t her legs break?
Lian Qiao, however, did not let her speak, "This way, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is still waiting to speak with you!"
Princess Consort Ji let out a cold laugh, "Walk if I must; I’m not so old that I can’t manage a re stretch of road."
Damned Wang Jingxian, to humiliate her so.
Lian Qiao smiled pleasantly.
After more than an hour, Princess Consort Ji, legs shaky, body trembling, breathless and panting, stood before the doors of Cining Palace, looking like a defeated rooster, far from her initial lofty appearance.
"Empress Dowager, Her Majesty the Dowager seeks an audience."
"Let her in."
Princess Consort Ji drew a deep breath, clasped the maid’s hand, and walked into the grand hall, lifting her head, her eyes instantly stinging.
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