After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

royal palace.

The imperial study was filled with the scent of ambergris. The emperor sat reclining on his dragon throne, a memorial in his hand. Scattered around his feet were more memorials, some already approved, some yet to be approved, all piled together in a haphazard manner.

The Empress brought in tea and gestured for the head eunuch to remain silent. The head eunuch hesitated for a moment, then silently withdrew.

"Your Majesty, I noticed the lights in the Imperial Study were still on, so I had some ginseng tea prepared for you. No matter how busy you are with state affairs, you must take care of your health. Your Majesty's health is not only for Your Majesty, but also for the millions of people of Northern Liang."

"Empress." The Emperor reached out and pulled the Empress to his side, scrutinizing her features closely. "I remember you've been in the palace for about twenty years, haven't you?"

The Empress lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, it's about right."

The emperor nodded, as if recalling the past, and said with his eyes closed, "Although you are not my first wife, you are the empress who has been with me the longest and understands me the most. Many of my secrets cannot be known to outsiders, but they can be known by the empress. Rest assured, I know how good you are to me, and I will only entrust this empire to my legitimate son, to you and my son."

"Why are you saying all this out of the blue?" The Empress rose, walked behind the Emperor, and gently pressed his temples. "I am already content just to be by Your Majesty's side like this. As for the Crown Prince, he is still young, and I know he is not particularly intelligent, nor is his ability to govern a country particularly good. If Your Majesty has a more suitable candidate, I will respect any decision Your Majesty makes."

The emperor sighed: "The crown prince is not as bad as you say. He is a good ruler."

The Empress pondered for a moment: "Is His Majesty worried about the Crown Prince?"

The emperor handed her the memorial in his hand: "Your Majesty, take a look! This is a matter for you and me to know, but do not make it public."

The Empress took the memorial and hesitated for a moment: "May I read this?"

The emperor raised his hand: "It has nothing to do with the affairs of the previous dynasty. It is a memorial from Minister Xie, which I ordered Commander Ma to deliver to the capital by fast horse."

The Empress became increasingly hesitant.

Minister Xie, Xie Yubai, he has been ordered to escort the Empress Dowager to Huguo Temple. Commandant Ma, originally in charge of security in the capital, has also accompanied the Empress Dowager to Huguo Temple. Could it be that something has happened at Huguo Temple… to the Empress Dowager's side?

She opened the memorial, read only a few lines, and was so frightened that she dropped it on the ground. She frantically picked it up, showing none of the dignity and composure expected of an empress.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, she..."

The Emperor patted her hand. “The Empress Dowager has passed away. This matter cannot be concealed for long. The Empress must help me think of a solution.”

The Empress took a deep breath: "My mother is old, and it's possible she could suddenly fall ill. But my mother and that person..."

The emperor leaned back on his dragon throne, his expression turning solemn: "It must be true! The Empress knows Xie Aiqing's competence. Without solid evidence, he wouldn't have so easily and casually submitted such a memorial. Commandant Ma is no fool either."

The Empress still didn't believe it, shaking her head: "Mother, she... I still find it hard to believe. This matter is no small thing. How could Mother have hidden it from so many eyes and kept it a secret until today?"

His fingers tapped rhythmically on the dragon throne, and after a long while, the deep sound finally echoed in the silent imperial study.

"It wasn't completely without a trace. Although the Empress Dowager was Father Emperor's favorite concubine, she had no feelings for him. Unlike the other princes, I was raised by the Empress Dowager since childhood. Countless times, I saw with my own eyes the Empress Dowager greet Father Emperor with a smile and see him off with a smile. But that smile didn't reach her eyes and vanished in an instant. The Empress Dowager's affection for Father Emperor was only feigned; what she truly cared about was related to that hairpin."

"The hairpin, the one Lord Xie mentioned in his memorial?"

The Emperor nodded: "During my childhood, I heard some rumors, and I had people investigate them. However, the Empress Dowager and that Minister Zhang were completely innocent, unlike what was said outside. Minister Zhang was a trusted minister of my father and also my tutor. Not only my father believed in his character, but I also believed in him."

The Empress pointed to the memorial: "But this..."

The Emperor sighed: "I believe that the Empress Dowager and Minister Zhang have feelings for each other, but they are destined to be apart. The Empress Dowager and the Empress are both from noble families, and it was destined that she would enter the palace from the moment she was born. Even if she did not enter the palace, it would have been a marriage alliance between noble families, and she would never have been involved with Minister Zhang, who comes from a humble background."

The Empress quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I have no such feelings! Before entering the palace, I never left my quarters. Not to mention men from outside the palace, I could only see my family members during festivals. I have absolutely no romantic feelings for anyone; my heart belongs only to Your Majesty."

The Emperor grasped the Empress's hand: "Empress, don't be nervous. I know your heart. I have three palaces and six courtyards, but only two Empresses. The first one was chosen for me by my mother. We were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since we were little. I'm certain that she only had eyes for me and in her heart. It's just a pity that our fate was too short. She left us suddenly, without even leaving me a child. My second Empress is one I chose myself. I know that you are the most suitable for me. You have me in your heart, and I have you in mine."

"Your Majesty!" The Empress's eyes welled up with tears, but remembering the matter at hand, she continued, "I've heard that the lord was injured and cannot consummate his marriage with a woman. He has therefore never married, and that child..."

“The injury is real, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t have sex with women. How can we verify such things without anyone checking?” The emperor rubbed his temples. “The imperial physicians in the palace all have their own agendas. What they say may not be the truth; it’s very likely that they’re mixing truth with falsehood. Otherwise, why would I have allowed my brother-in-law to become an imperial physician? I want someone who can tell me the truth.”

The Empress pondered for a moment: "What are Your Majesty's plans? Do you intend to investigate his background? An investigation is certainly necessary, but Lord Zhang is dead, and Mother... I'm afraid this man's background will be impossible to ascertain. If he doesn't know his own background, that's fine, but if he does, will he take advantage of the background Mother gave him... Whatever decision Your Majesty makes, I will support you."

The emperor looked at the empress and smiled: "Did the empress think I was going to kill him?"

The empress did not answer.

The emperor stood up, walked to the window, opened it, and looked outside: "He left Huguo Temple long ago, and everyone who saw him has also left. Not to mention me, even my mother has been searching for him for so many years without success. According to Xie Qing's investigation, he doesn't know his own background and should be a monk in some temple right now. I am the ruler of a country, why should I make things difficult for a monk?"

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief: "In my opinion, the memorial service for Father Emperor should continue. In previous years, the service took half a month, and it will be the same this year. However, on the tenth day, we must announce that Mother Empress Dowager has suddenly fallen ill. At that time, my younger brother will go to treat the Empress Dowager, and then we will announce her passing. Lord Xie is a wise man, and he will surely handle the aftermath properly. Anyone who objects will be severely punished."

The Emperor said in a deep voice, "As the Empress said, announce the news of the Empress Dowager's passing in ten days."

The moonlight was bright and clear, casting a silvery glow on the ground.