But wasn’t it said that emperors had always hated the practice of witchcraft and voodoo?
How, then, had Great-Grandfather allowed a consort in his harem to use such sorcery against him?
The more Duoduo thought about it, the more questions filled her head.
Yet Great-Grandmother refused to say anything.
Duoduo’s heart itched unbearably, as though a cat were scratching at it.
She also wondered whether Father knew about these things.
If only Father were here.
Then she could discuss it with him.
Alas!
Duoduo let out a soft sigh.
When the Empress Dowager heard it, she pretended not to notice.
Those events from back then were taboo within the palace.
How could she possibly discuss them with a child like Changle?
What if the girl let something slip and told someone about it?
That would be a grave offense!
Duoduo continued flipping through the register.
After turning page after page for a long while, she finally found a consort who was still alive on the last page.
However, the note beside her name said that she suffered from madness.
Duoduo was quite curious. Someone had actually gone insane?
When the Empress Dowager heard the consort’s name, she did not seem surprised.
“She went mad after the late emperor passed away.”
“I never thought she would still be alive, either.”
“So, it’s the people who are the most carefree and unfeeling who live the longest.” The Empress Dowager could not help sighing.
Of all the women who had once served the late emperor, only the four of them remained.
They had once understood and cherished one another.
The grudges they had held in the past had now completely faded away.
Thinking of those bygone days, the Empress Dowager’s mood grew rather melancholy.
“Changle, go and rest with the nanny.”
“Your great-grandmother is tired too.” The Empress Dowager was clearly asking her to leave.
Duoduo saw that the Empress Dowager did indeed look exhausted.
She set down the register and rose to salute.
“It was Changle’s fault for being inconsiderate. It’s getting late, so Great-Grandmother should rest early.”
“Changle will come back first thing tomorrow morning to have breakfast with you!”
The Empress Dowager nodded tiredly and waved Duoduo away.
Duoduo walked out of the room, and Qingliu immediately came to greet her.
“Princess—”
Duoduo shot Qingliu a glance, and Qingliu promptly fell silent.
A palace maid serving the Empress Dowager led Duoduo to the guest room. After bowing to Duoduo, she left.
Qingliu was just about to speak when Duoduo raised an index finger, signaling her to be quiet.
Qingliu stared at Duoduo in confusion.
Duoduo walked over to the table, dipped a finger in the tea, and began writing on its surface.
Qingliu hurriedly leaned over to look.
“Speak less, watch and listen more.”
“Beware of ears on the other side of the wall.”
“Be careful with your words and actions!”
“We’ll talk after we return to the residence.”
After Duoduo finished writing and Qingliu nodded to show that she understood, Duoduo swept all the water away with her hand.
“Princess, you must be tired. This servant will help you change,” Qingliu said with a bow.
Duoduo nodded, and mistress and servant went to wash up and retire for the night.
Once Duoduo had lain down, the name “Yun Qiluo” echoed through her mind.
Could Yun Qiluo be the person who had framed Father?
But why would she frame him?
Duoduo thought and thought until she fell asleep.
Qingliu, who was sleeping on the foot couch, silently repeated the words Duoduo had written again and again.
This time, she would be accompanying the princess in the palace for several days.
Although Nanny Li had taught her some of the palace rules, there was still a difference between learning about something and witnessing it firsthand.
That day, she had noticed that there were quite a few palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Empress Dowager’s palace.
Yet every one of them came and went without making a sound.
Their smiles, tones of voice, and even their movements all seemed to have been cast from the same mold.
It truly was just as Nanny Li had said: in the palace, the rules were as weighty as heaven itself.
Qingliu had not dared move carelessly or say anything out of place that day.
She was afraid that she might say or do something wrong and bring trouble upon the princess.
When Qingliu heard Duoduo’s steady breathing, she rose as quietly as possible and tucked the blanket around her.
Then she extinguished one of the candles, leaving only the one beside the bed burning.
After that, she lay down and soon fell into a deep sleep as well.
Early the next morning, after washing up, Duoduo went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.
“Changle is here!”
The moment Duoduo entered the room, the Empress Dowager greeted her with a beaming smile.
Duoduo returned her smile brightly.
“Great-Grandmother, you look so much better today!”
The senior palace nanny wore a delighted smile.
“Her Majesty slept all the way until the mao hour last night before waking!”
“It’s been so long since Her Majesty has slept that well!”
“After rising this morning, Her Majesty even went for a stroll in the gardens!”
The Empress Dowager shot her senior nanny an exasperated look.
“You do talk too much!”
“But after such a wonderful night’s sleep, I feel as though I’ve come back to life.”
“Yes, just like the flowers in the garden.” After saying this, the Empress Dowager could not help laughing herself.
The palace maids in the room followed suit, their faces brightening with smiles.
Duoduo nodded with a grin.
“Great-Grandmother, all things in this world are meant to follow the laws of nature.”
“When it’s time to eat, we should eat. When it’s time to exercise, we should exercise. And when it’s time to sleep, we should sleep!”
The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile. “The words may be plain, but the wisdom in them is sound.”
Duoduo playfully stuck out her tongue.
“That’s what ordinary people say.”
A flicker of curiosity crossed the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
“Ordinary people say that?”
Duoduo nodded. “Great-Grandmother, look at the elderly folk in the countryside. Even those in their sixties and seventies still work in the fields. They eat well, sleep well, and have children and grandchildren all around them!”
Duoduo’s words amused the Empress Dowager.
“People in their sixties and seventies still work the fields? Changle, are you sure?”
Duoduo tilted her little head. “If you don’t believe me, Great-Grandmother, you could leave the palace and see for yourself!”
The Empress Dowager fell into thought.
Leave the palace?
It had been so many years since she had done that.
It felt almost as though it had happened in a previous life.
The emperor was not in the palace. If she were to leave as well…
At that thought, the anticipation in the Empress Dowager’s eyes slowly faded.
“Forget it. I’m old now. I don’t want to go wandering about.”
“I get tired just walking around this palace, let alone leaving it!”
Duoduo did not try to persuade her further.
Her teacher had once said that everyone had their own destiny.
No one else could control it for them.
“Great-Grandmother, Changle is hungry!” Duoduo pouted, clutching her stomach.
The Empress Dowager froze for a moment before laughing.
“Why haven’t you brought out the meal yet? Didn’t you hear the princess say she was hungry?”
The senior palace nanny hurriedly instructed the maids to set out breakfast.
Great-grandmother and great-granddaughter happily ate a meal together.
After breakfast, Duoduo accompanied the Empress Dowager on another walk through the gardens.
Duoduo was still thinking about the register she had not finished reading the day before, so she soon pulled the Empress Dowager back inside.
The Empress Dowager secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had already taken a walk that morning. If they continued, she certainly would not have been able to endure it.
After helping the Empress Dowager sit down, Duoduo blinked.
“Great-Grandmother, shall we continue looking through yesterday’s register?”
The Empress Dowager looked as though she had suddenly realized something.
She pointed at Duoduo in the air. “No wonder you were so eager to come back! So you were thinking about this!”
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
“Changle likes listening to Great-Grandmother tell stories!”
The Empress Dowager smiled and instructed her senior nanny to bring over the register.
