I was spotted by the heroines while doing the quick-travel mission.

In winter.

Just as Yang Liu thought, the Empress Dowager became seriously ill, and their mother Yu Zhishu ran to her from time to time, obviously nervous.

"Chaoyuan, accompany me to see the Imperial Grandmother..." Today was different. Imperial Concubine Yu Zhishu found Yang Liu, who was playing in the snow with Liu Jinyuan in the yard, and asked softly.

"What about Jin Yuan?"

Yang Liu was interrupted from making a snowball and looked at Yu Zhishu with confusion in her eyes.

"Jinyuan, you don't have to go. Your grandmother just wants to see you." Yu Zhishu lowered his eyes and looked at her, then stretched out his hand to hold hers.

Yang Liu was puzzled, and turned to look at Liu Jinyuan who was standing not far away and looking at her, and then looked at Yu Zhishu. After thinking for a while, she nodded. "Okay, mother, wait for me to tell Jinyuan, and then I will go with you."

Yu Zhishu paused in mid-air, clenched her hand into a fist, and placed it at her side. She looked at Yang Liu, who ran over without waiting for her consent, and was speechless for a moment.

"Jin Yuan, I have to accompany my mother to visit the Imperial Grandmother. It's cold outside, so you go inside and wait for me by the fire. Don't catch a cold, okay?"

Yang Liu held Liu Jinyuan's fingers, which were slightly red from playing in the snow, and rubbed them with her hot breath, while giving him some instructions.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come back." Liu Jinyuan blinked and nodded.

"Well, you're so good."

Yang Liu happily praised her, rubbed her cheek against hers, and then reluctantly left, taking the initiative to hold Yu Zhishu's hand, "Let's go, mother, don't let the Empress Dowager wait anxiously."

"Yeah." Yu Zhishu responded sullenly, holding Yang Liu's hand and walked out.

Yang Liu turned around to look at Liu Jinyuan. She was still a small creature standing beside the bare tree with only the trunk left, watching her leave.

Yang Liu was stunned. She shook her head and suddenly felt a little funny. Why did she feel like they were parting?

The Wanci Palace was filled with the strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine. The Empress Dowager was very old and was lying on the bed. Her skinny body was trembling with violent coughing.

"Grandmother?" As soon as Yang Liu stepped into the house, he saw the haggard old woman.

"My Chao Yuan'er is here? Ahem... someone help me... ahem... stand up..."

The man who was lying in bed and too lazy to move just now asked someone to help him up as soon as he heard her voice.

When Yang Liu saw this, she immediately ran over to help and sat on the edge of the bed. "The Imperial Grandmother is sick, so just lie down if you're comfortable. Why do you have to get up?" Yang Liu's help made her frown again.

The Empress Dowager was even thinner than she thought, and judging by her pale complexion, she probably wouldn't last much longer.

Yu Zhishu walked slowly to the window, looking worried but saying nothing. She just helped tuck in the corners of the quilt and sat on a chair nearby with a worried look on her face.

"This is not... ahem... I just want to have a good talk with Chao Yuan'er..." The Empress Dowager coughed and looked at Yang Liu lovingly, her sallow face filled with a warm smile.

"Grandmother, you won't live for many days..."

Before Yang Liu could say anything, the empress dowager stopped smiling and looked sad again, her tone full of sorrow.

"How could that be? The Imperial Grandmother will surely live a long life. She is just ill. If she takes the proper medicine, she will be well in a few days. How can you say such depressing words?"

Yang Liu couldn't help but frown. Although she knew that the other party was telling the truth, she still couldn't help but comfort the old man in front of her.

"I know the condition of my body well. I asked Chao Yuan'er to come today. Besides the fact that I really miss you, little girl, I also want to let you know something." Yang Liu seemed to have really comforted the empress dowager. She felt much better and she didn't cough much when she spoke, but her voice was thick and intermittent.

"What does the Empress want to say?"

Yang Liu considerately put her ear close to the Queen Mother, saving her the trouble of speaking loudly. She only heard her take a deep breath, difficult and slow, before she spoke slowly.

"Grandmother thought that our Chaoyuan was so good, intelligent, cute and lively... Your mother is too busy to take care of two children, so Grandmother thought about it and decided to find a good place for you..."

"Grandmother, I am not an ignorant child anymore..." Yang Liu frowned. There was something else behind her words, with many intentions.

The Empress Dowager looked at Yang Liu, her face startled, and then looked at Yu Zhishu. Yu Zhishu understood, stood up and called all the palace servants out, leaving Yang Liu and the Empress Dowager alone.

Seeing this, Yang Liu had no idea what the other party wanted to say.

"Chao Yuan'er is really smart. The Empress Dowager was right about you." The old woman changed from her previous frail appearance. Although she still looked sick, she spoke much better than before. She couldn't help but put a smile on her kind face and raised her wrist to rub Yang Liu's head.

Yang Liu was directly shocked by this face-changing operation.

"Grandmother?" Yang Liu was surprised and couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing serious, just a slight cold." The empress dowager looked at the little girl in front of her as if she had seen a ghost, and smiled smugly, quite like an old naughty boy.

"So, what does the Empress Dowager plan to do?" Seeing this situation, Yang Liu knew that she was being fooled. She pulled down the Empress Dowager's hand with a helpless look and looked at her seriously.

The Queen Mother glanced at Yang Liu, then sighed heavily.

"Chao Yuan'er, do you know the details of our Yu family?"

Yang Liu shook her head after hearing this. How could she know all this? All she knew was what was written in the original book. She didn't even know that the Empress Dowager had faked her death.

"Our Yu family was originally one of the four great families in the world of immortal cultivation, but we suffered heavy losses and had to flee into the mortal world. The gate between the two worlds only opens once every five hundred years, and now it will open in just ten years."

"Cultivating immortals! There are actually people who cultivate immortals in this world?" It's no wonder that Yang Liu wasn't surprised, because the story didn't mention even a little bit of it.

"Yes, now we should retreat from the world and wait for the gate to open. It just so happens that the emperor is about to start taking action against our clan, so it is time for us to retreat and wait for the opportunity."

Every word the Queen Mother said shocked Yang Liu. She never imagined that the entire Yu family was wiped out deliberately by them.

No wonder! No wonder they didn't rebel despite their great abilities. The emperor was destroying the Yu family bit by bit, but they turned a blind eye! It turned out to be a trick! The entire royal family had long been infiltrated by them!

Yang Liu has not yet recovered from the plot that has never been mentioned in these stories.

"So, what about Jin Yuan?"

Yang Liu spoke in a daze. Judging from the plot, if the situation developed in this way, wouldn't they have to give up Liu Jinyuan? Yang Liu was shocked by her own thoughts and frowned unconsciously.

"That child...is not suitable. She should stay in the palace and be a princess with no worries about food and clothing."

There was no reluctance in the Empress Dowager's tone. She just shook her head regretfully, then held Yang Liu's hand and spoke earnestly.

"You have good aptitude, and you won't be left behind once you enter the mountain gate. But Jin Yuan, once you enter, I don't know how long it will take to build a foundation. What's the use of such aptitude?"