After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

Song Xizhi didn't speak, so He Jingyan assumed she was sad because she didn't see any flowers.

So he took Song Xizhi's hand, covered it with his own palm, and rubbed it repeatedly, as if trying to warm her hand:

"Now that it's nighttime, the wind is cold, making your hands feel so cold."

“I’ve heard from people in the manor that the Empress Dowager dotes on you and has even tried to adopt you as her goddaughter several times. If you really like it, you can ask the Empress Dowager to give us some flowers from the small garden to take back to the manor.”

"I'm sure the Empress Dowager is kind and compassionate, and will certainly agree."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi looked up at him and gave him a smile:

"The Empress Dowager is kind and loving, and she is so good to everyone. Although I was not lucky enough to become her adopted daughter, I still regard her as my mother and want to serve her by my side."

He Jingyan smiled and nodded: "She must have regarded you as her daughter in her heart, which is why she summoned you to the palace to stay by her side."

As he spoke, he gazed at her with deep affection, as if he couldn't help but say, "Zhizhi, you're so wonderful, who in this world wouldn't like you?"

"In this world, I am not even afraid of death, but what I fear most is losing you."

The man's sweet words rang clearly in her ears. Song Xizhi slowly looked up in the direction of the sound and saw He Jingyan's dark eyes.

For a fleeting moment, the tenderness in his eyes made Song Xizhi almost believe that everything he said was true.

He did so many things with a specific purpose in mind... what exactly was he trying to achieve?

A low chuckle came from beside him: "The general and his wife are such a loving couple. The general's love for his wife is something even a eunuch like me would envy!"

After saying this, he bowed to the two men again: "General He, Imperial Physician Song, we have arrived. It is cold outside, so please go inside quickly."

Song Xizhi raised his head and looked at the brightly lit palace before him, only then realizing that he had arrived at the Empress Dowager's bedroom.

She paused for a moment, then exchanged a smile with He Jingyan before entering the Empress Dowager's palace together.

Song Xizhi didn't understand why the Empress Dowager had instructed the eunuch to take her on a detour last time, nor did she understand why the Empress Dowager liked her so much and wanted to summon her several times.

Until Song Xizhi entered the inner hall.

The Empress Dowager was sitting on a soft couch, wearing a black silk headband with lotus patterns on it, and a plain blue satin dress with silver auspicious symbols embroidered on the hem. She looked dignified and elegant.

He was holding sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, and the entire palace was filled with the refreshing scent of sandalwood.

Her well-maintained face held a slight smile. Perhaps due to her long-term vegetarian diet and Buddhist chanting, her eyes were gentle and kind, as if all things in the world could melt into her compassionate gaze.

The moment she saw Song Xizhi, her previously dim eyes instantly brightened.

Yet this very noblewoman, who practiced vegetarianism and chanted Buddhist prayers, sent chills down Song Xizhi's spine.

Her eyes widened, her gaze fixed intently on the soft couch beside the Empress Dowager.

Above the bright yellow soft couch, large patches of fluorescent light were present.

The fluorescent light not only clung to the soft couch, but also to the square table in the middle of it.

The faint glow of the soft couch almost filled Song Xizhi's eyes, causing his pupils to dilate suddenly.

Song Xizhi felt as if the blood in his body had frozen at that moment.

She gasped, then turned to look at He Jingyan beside her.

He Jingyan's hands and body were also covered in a faint fluorescent glow, which Song Xizhi had deliberately applied.

Now, the same fluorescent light has appeared in the Empress Dowager's palace?

So He Jingyan and the Empress Dowager met in private?

Song Xizhi stared directly at the Empress Dowager's compassionate face, feeling a buzzing in his ears and his jaw tightening.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Song Xizhi suppressed his shock and bowed to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager then stood up with a smile and hurriedly took Song Xizhi's hands in hers: "Zhizhi, you've finally come."

"I have always asked you to come and sit by my side more often, but you are so busy in the Imperial Hospital that you have never had the time. Today I have finally met you."

Feeling the Empress Dowager's cold hand, Song Xizhi grasped her own, and smiled as she looked in He Jingyan's direction.

"It is precisely because I am concerned about the Empress Dowager that I have brought my husband along to pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

As Song Xizhi spoke, he grasped the Empress Dowager's hand again and introduced her: "My husband, He Jingyan, just returned to the capital a few days ago. You must have never met him before, have you?"

After saying this, she turned her head and quietly waited for the Empress Dowager's reply.

The Empress Dowager nodded, looking at He Jingyan's face with approval, and then patted He Jingyan's hand earnestly:

"General He is a man of great talent and looks so well-matched with Zhizhi. Only after seeing you today can I feel at ease entrusting Zhizhi to you."

"Zhizhi is my daughter. I have summoned you here today because I wish to adopt Zhizhi as my goddaughter. General He, you must treat my Zhizhi well!"

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Song Xizhi's heart sank.

They had clearly met before, so why was he pretending he had never met her before?

At this moment, Song Xizhi was in a state of utter confusion, completely unable to understand why the Empress Dowager had repeatedly wanted to recognize him as her goddaughter.

However, she still bowed slightly and politely declined the Empress Dowager's words: "Your humble servant is of low status and limited talent, and has made no contribution to the country and the people, yet I have been granted extraordinary honors time and again."

"Whether it is a female judge or a princess who has exceeded her rank, it is already unreasonable, let alone becoming your adopted daughter. I am afraid that I am in the eye of the storm, which makes me unable to sleep at night."

Song Xizhi was in the same room with the two of them, and for no reason, her back felt a little stiff. However, her voice was slow, firm, and powerful, so that no one could tell that something was wrong.

Upon hearing this, He Jingyan wanted to say something, but unexpectedly, Song Xizhi knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I have offended you. Please forgive me. However, since my husband returned to the capital, I have been in a precarious position, and I am truly filled with fear and unease."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager stopped and personally helped Song Xizhi to sit down on a soft couch to the side.