Chapter 31 - 21: A Thorough Cleaning
Upon entering the Forbidden City, Chen Yi was led by the eunuch, walked a long stretch of road, reached the inner court, and finally came to Jingren Palace. Ever since the Empress Dowager began handling state affairs behind the curtain, Jingren Palace became her place for dealing with both internal and external affairs.
"Your Majesty, Chen Yi, the West Factory Thousand Households, requests an audience."
The eunuch said respectfully in a loud voice.
"Granted."
Chen Yi followed the eunuch into Jingren Palace, raised his eyes, and saw a stately and elegant woman sitting alone at the desk.
She wore a golden hairpin, donned a restful robe, and draped a gold-trimmed cape over her shoulders. Her figure was slightly voluptuous, and her eyebrows were adorned with a touch of gloom. When she leaned forward, her slender snow-white neck was revealed, her hair was styled in a peach-shaped bun, shimmering softly, very pleasant to look at. Though she was clearly twenty-eight, she exuded an aura of grandeur and elegance nurtured in the deep palace.
Some women enchant the nation at fifteen or sixteen, while others remain dignified and classical near thirty.
Yin Tingxue is the former; she was the latter.
The Empress Dowager An from Great Yu, one of the female protagonists of "Heavenly Realm." Since An had no son, and there was no prince in the court, Prince Hengshou's Yin Qi was the one to succeed, being the grandson of Emperor Wuzong. He ascended the throne at merely three years old, and now, as the young emperor, An wielded power alone, handling state affairs behind the curtain. Her methods were ruthless, her political tactics brilliant, coupled with the power of the An family clan, all the court officials and military personnel were in awe.
And the most significant relationship between myself and the Empress Dowager...
Lies in these remaining three years of life and the strange poison within my body.