In ancient times, she gave birth to seven daughters and was divorced by her husband's family.

She was in a relatively quiet corner of the back garden.

She was a noblewoman dressed in a royal blue brocade gown. She sat alone at a stone table under a plum tree, her posture dignified and her demeanor outstanding.

Her face was partially obscured by the veil of pearl hairpins, making it difficult to see clearly. This instantly alerted Bailu.

Who is this?

Bai Lu carefully reviewed the guest list in her mind again, confirming that there was no such lady.

Holding her wine glass, she moved gracefully and slowly over.

"This lady looks unfamiliar."

Bai Lu stood before the noblewoman, her voice calm and polite as she inquired.

"There are many guests today. If there is any inadequacy in our hospitality, please forgive me, Madam. May I ask which family you are? It is an honor for the Bai family to attend my second brother's wedding banquet."

Upon hearing this, the noblewoman in blue paused slightly in the hand holding her teacup.

She raised her head, her gaze meeting Bai Lu's. A fleeting, complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

Like shock, flinching, and a hint of barely perceptible... resentment?

The emotion was so swift that it was impossible to grasp.

She was only stunned for a moment before regaining her composure and lowering her eyes.

The person did not answer.

Bai Lu's gaze remained fixed on her, still quietly watching her.

She held the wine glass steadily in her hand, the amber liquid inside not trembling at all.

The surrounding noise seemed to have faded away, and the atmosphere in this small corner became somewhat stagnant.

White Dew doesn't have much patience.

She repeated it again, this time with a stronger tone, and the polite smile faded from her face.

"Madam, I'm asking you a question."

Her voice was still not loud.

But now, it's no longer a simple inquiry, but an interrogation.

The lady still did not respond.

"..."

The commotion finally caught the attention of the Queen, who was not far away.

The Empress was chatting and laughing with several noble ladies, but she had been keeping an eye on Bai Lu's movements out of the corner of her eye. When she noticed the strange thing about this place, the smile on her face faded a little.

She ended the conversation without making a sound, then stood up and walked over with graceful poise under the gaze of all the guests.

"Oh my, isn't this my cousin from my mother's side? Why is she sitting here alone, lost in thought?"

The Empress walked forward warmly, her voice gentle, and naturally took the hand of the noblewoman in blue, helping her up from her seat.

Her movements were fluid and graceful, as if the two were long-lost relatives.

That familiar attitude instantly dispelled the inquisitive gazes of those around him.

The Empress turned to Bai Lu, her smile gentle and dignified.

"Lord Anguo, this is a relative of mine. He is a distant relative of the Bai family."

"She later married and moved far away to Jiangnan... She came all the way from Jiangnan and wasn't used to the hustle and bustle of the capital; she was a little shy..."

She gently patted the lady's hand and continued speaking.

"You are the host today, with many guests and many affairs to attend to. Go ahead and do what you need to do. I will take care of you here and will certainly not be impolite."

Bai Lu's gaze deepened as she observed the Empress's impeccable protective stance.

She knew that the Queen recognized the woman.

This woman must be Zhao Bingyu.

The mother who gave birth to her, but then abandoned her.

Bai Lu felt no emotion, not even a hint of excitement at seeing her family. She simply found it somewhat laughable.

On this most important and happiest day for the family, this person, who had disappeared for more than a decade, suddenly reappeared.

What does she want to do?

But Bai Lu did not press the matter further.

She knew that this was not the place to resolve family matters in public, and she certainly couldn't let it disrupt her second brother's wedding banquet!

Some debts will eventually be settled; there's no need to rush.

The Empress was protecting her second brother; it wouldn't be good if Zhao Bingyu stirred things up.

She nodded slightly.

"Since they are relatives of the Empress, they are distinguished guests of the Bai family. It is Bai Lu's fault for being impolite."

She nodded slightly, picked up her wine glass, and turned to leave.

Watching Bai Lu's departing figure, the Empress breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She knew... given Bai Lu's temperament, she would never let this matter rest!

The Empress, pulling the stiff woman beside her, still wore a polite smile and explained to the curious guests around her, "My sister hasn't seen me for a long time, and she probably has a lot to say to me. Let's go inside and sit down."

After saying that, she ignored Zhao Bingyu's struggles, pulled her along the corridor, around the rockery, and led her straight into a secluded and deserted little house.

With a "bang", the door was slammed shut.

The light inside the room suddenly dimmed.

The Empress released her grip, as if shaking off something dirty. She turned to face Zhao Bingyu, her gaze devoid of any of the gentle grace she had displayed in public.

"who are you?"

Are you Zhao Bingyu?

Zhao Bingyu, who was wearing blue clothes, suddenly stiffened.

The feigned composure on her face vanished, replaced by undisguised shock and panic.

How did she find out?

She had already changed her appearance with a secret medicine from the Western Regions and deliberately imitated a Jiangnan accent to hide all her whereabouts.

How did the Empress recognize her at a glance? She was filled with doubt and surprise.

Seeing her panicked state, the last bit of hope in the Empress's heart vanished.

She took a step closer, her voice low and angry.

"Zhao Bingyu, what are you doing back here? Don't you know what day it is today?"

"This is Lie Zhao's joyous day! It's your own son's wedding banquet!"

"Don't tell me you came to see them! If you wanted to see them, you would have come already!"

Zhao Bingyu: "..."

She stammered.

"What are you up to by showing up at this time?"

The Empress's tone grew increasingly harsh, "This is the Bai residence, filled with your children... If anything goes wrong at the banquet and hurts their feelings, can you bear the consequences?"

"Do you think Bai Qingze and his group are pushovers? Do you think the Bai family will let someone who deliberately disrupts the wedding banquet get away with it? Do you even realize how serious the consequences will be?"

However, Zhao Bingyu completely ignored the Empress's warning.

She was in a state of utter confusion.

Zhao Bingyu didn't ask anything else, she just said...

"To be honest... I didn't come to see Bai Liezhao and the others..."

"Ru Bao, where is my Ru Bao now?"

Her voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

"I heard she... she's in jail."

"Your Majesty, I beg you... I know you have a way..."

"I'm very worried about Ru Bao. Can you find a way to release Ru Bao?"

Upon hearing the name "Ru Bao," the Empress's eyes grew even colder. She forcefully shook off Zhao Bingyu's hand, her face filled with disappointment.

"Release her? Zhao Bingyu, are you crazy? What makes you think I can release her?"

The Empress resolutely refused.

She no longer concealed her anxiety; her voice became shrill, almost tearful.

"Ru Bao is my daughter whom I've cherished since she was little! I'm afraid to drop her if I hold her in my hands, and I'm afraid she'll melt if I keep her in my mouth!"

"She has never suffered like this before!"

"How could she stay in a dark and cold place like the Heavenly Prison!"

The Empress found it all absurd to see her heartbroken over her daughter's condition.

"She arbitrarily whipped the common people, treating human life like dirt, causing a huge uproar throughout the city. There are witnesses and physical evidence to prove it. This fate is entirely her own fault. Even His Majesty could not show favoritism in this matter. What makes you think I can cover up the truth and change the laws of the land?"

The queen's voice was full of sarcasm.

"Aren't you being too biased?"

"Today is the wedding day of your own son, Bai Liezhao! As his mother, you're not happy for him... and you don't even congratulate him."

"In your heart, you only care about Ru Bao, who's a troublemaker and utterly stupid?!"

"Where do you place the Bai family members in your heart?!"

"???"

Zhao Bingyu was so enraged by the Empress's words that she no longer cared about pretense.

"What qualifications do you have to say that to me!"

Zhao Bingyu suddenly raised her head, glaring at the Empress with resentment, and started arguing with her directly.

"Do you think you're kind to Bailu? Can you honestly say you haven't schemed against Bailu?"

"When you pushed her into the limelight for your son's position as crown prince, did you ever think that she was also your own niece?"

"Did you feel even a shred of remorse when you were using her?!"

The Empress was stunned when she heard this.

She looked at Zhao Bingyu in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You know so much?"

She subconsciously took a step back. She thought she had kept these things secret, so how did Zhao Bingyu, who was far away in the Western Regions, find out?

"Since you know how much Bai Lu has suffered, and you know how much danger she has faced in the capital for the sake of the Bai family, why have you just stood by and watched?"

The empress's voice was trembling.

It wasn't just because of the embarrassment of being exposed, but also because of the cold-bloodedness of the woman in front of him.

"You watched your own daughter struggle to survive in the capital, her life hanging by a thread several times... suffering endless injustices, yet you hid in the Western Regions... not only did you not help her, but you wouldn't even come back to see her with your own eyes?"

"And what happened? Ru Bao, who has no blood relation to you, was just thrown into the imperial prison, and you rushed back in such a hurry?"

As the Empress listened to her own words, her heart grew colder and colder.

She couldn't understand how there could be such a heartless and biased mother in the world.

"..."

Zhao Bingyu was speechless when asked the question.

She remained silent, her lips pressed tightly together, unable to utter a single word.

Those words were all true, and she couldn't refute them.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

Only the faint sounds of guests' laughter drifted in from outside the window.

After a long while, the Empress took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart.

She knew now was not the time to dwell on these things; keeping the wedding banquet running smoothly was the most important thing.

Her tone softened, and she wearily rubbed her temples.

"Zhao Bingyu, I'm begging you. Today is a very important day for your son, Bai Liezhao..."

"Please stop bothering them, okay?"

"We can talk about it later."

"They're already heartbroken enough, don't make them suffer any more."

Zhao Bingyu, however, seemed not to hear her plea.

She raised her head, her eyes stubborn and crazed.

"Release Ru Bao."

She only repeated those four words.

As soon as Zhao Bingyu arrived in Kyoto, she heard that Ru Bao was in trouble. She had many plans, but now she couldn't care less. She had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

If we miss today, we may not be able to release Ru Bao tomorrow.

Today is a special day.

"Go and find a way to get Ru Bao out of the prison right now."

"Otherwise, I'll go to the front hall... I'm going to ruin Bai Liezhao's happy occasion! If I don't have a good time, none of you will have a good time either!"

"you!"

The Empress was trembling with anger. She was already in poor health and relied entirely on expensive medicinal herbs to stay alive.

Provoked by Zhao Bingyu, he felt his vision blur and his blood surge.

She staggered and had to grab the table next to her to keep from falling.

Just then, the door to the cabin creaked open.

The Empress Dowager entered, exuding an aura of coldness. Behind her followed two royal guards with stern expressions and imposing presence.

"presumptuous!"

The Empress Dowager gave a cold shout.

She didn't even glance at the crumbling empress; her sharp, eagle-like eyes were fixed on Zhao Bingyu.

"Guards, seize this madwoman!"

Upon hearing the sound, the two guards moved swiftly and appeared in front of Zhao Bingyu.

They pinned Zhao Bingyu's arms down, one on each side, like iron clamps.

Zhao Bingyu tried to struggle, but found herself completely unable to move under the control of those two men!

The Empress Dowager slowly walked up to Zhao Bingyu and looked down at her.

"Zhao Bingyu, I am warning you."

"If you dare to touch Bai Liezhao today, or even lay a finger on Bai's new daughter-in-law, I won't hesitate to make you and your precious daughter Rubao disappear from this world forever."

"you dare?!"

Zhao Bingyu couldn't believe it.

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhao Bingyu's pale face and began to scold her severely.

Why wouldn't I dare?

"You still have the nerve to threaten me?"

"Do you still have the nerve to come back?"

"All these years you've been like a dead man, completely indifferent to your children. Bai Chuyao, Bai Liezhao, Bai Qingze, and Bai Lu—how much suffering have they endured? Have you ever come back to see them even once?"

Even if Bai Yansong felt guilty towards you back then, those children are ultimately innocent! They are your own flesh and blood, born after ten months of pregnancy!

The Empress Dowager pointed at Zhao Bingyu's nose and berated her.

"Especially Bailu! She suffered so much because of your status, how much hardship she endured! As her mother, don't you feel even a little bit guilty? Is your heart made of stone?"

"You're biased! You're biased to the core!"

"For Ru Bao's sake... I've wronged my other son... In all my years, I've never seen such a heartless woman!"

She was rendered speechless by the scolding, and her face turned from white to green.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, "Quickly drag this wretched thing away! I don't want to see her at Lie Zhao's wedding banquet! She's such bad luck!"

Just then, a voice came from outside—

It was actually Shangguan Yi's.

"Empress Dowager, Empress, are you there?"