, the Imperial Consort, who had been missing for several days, returned.

　　This time, when she returned to the palace, she stayed out of trouble for two months.

　　Soon, it was time for the annual ancestor worship at Jiuhua Mountain.

　　According to ancestral rituals, the emperor and empress would go there every year to pay their respects to their ancestors and pray for their protection, as well as for prosperity and stability for the country.

　　We had only been on the road for half a day when the imperial carriage stopped for no reason.

　　I lifted the curtain and saw that it was indeed the Imperial Consort blocking our path.

　　The emperor clenched his fists, suppressing his rage.

　　They stared at each other like roosters.

　　I couldn't bear to see Danxia standing in the snowstorm while pregnant, so I motioned for her to get on the carriage.

　　The emperor had a serious face all the way.

　　I knew that there was movement in Jiuhua Mountain, and it was probably the regent prince causing trouble.

　　The imperial concubine had a private conversation with the regent prince before returning to the palace.

　　We were worried that the imperial concubine would be in danger if she followed us, and we were also worried that she would be incited to betray us.

　　However, Danxia's martial arts were exceptional.

　　Unless force was used, no one could trap her, so we could only take her to Jiuhua Mountain with us.

　　When paying respects to our ancestors, I was very devout, hoping that this trip would bring closure with the regent prince.

　　I just don't know what the silent ancestors would think when they see this wish for blood relatives to harm each other.

　　But they themselves ascended the throne by stepping on the corpses of their brothers.

　　This kind of thing has been common throughout dynasties.

　　After paying respects to our ancestors, the emperor said he was tired and wanted to rest on his own.

　　This was also customary.

　　In front of the ancestors, most people would not want to be too intimate with their wives and concubines.

　　The imperial concubine didn't say anything at first, and I was silently criticizing that this wasn't her usual style.

　　In the middle of the night, the Zhongyang Hall where she was temporarily staying suddenly became chaotic.

　　It was said that the imperial concubine suddenly experienced unbearable abdominal pain.

　　When I arrived, I saw the imperial concubine clutching onto the emperor's belt and refusing to let go.

　　The emperor was furious and his face turned red, but he didn't dare to use force, afraid of injuring the imperial concubine.

　　From the moment Danxia entered the palace, I sighed every day.

　　Watching this drama unfold, I rolled my eyes and asked the emperor to stay with her, and left with the palace attendants.

　　Before leaving, I made a hand gesture to the hidden guards, meaning to protect the emperor well.

　　The wind and snow outside the hall hit my face, and I felt cold.

　　Besides the sound of wind and snow, there was no other noise around.

　　I looked up at the pitch-black sky with no stars or moon, but it gave me an ominous feeling.

　　Could it be today? I hesitated whether I should have left the emperor alone with the imperial concubine.

　　If the imperial concubine had malicious intentions, he would be in great danger.

　　Seeing me standing in the wind and snow for a long time, Rendong advised me, "Your Highness, let's go inside too." I snapped back to reality and suppressed my anxiousness.

　　However, shortly after falling asleep, the hidden guards came to report that the palace was surrounded.

　　The hanging sword was decisively struck down, it was actually today! I hastily put on a warm cloak, ignoring my disheveled appearance, and hurriedly went to the Zhongyang Hall with people.

　　It was also a coincidence that just as I brought people to guard the inside and outside of the Zhongyang Hall, I heard the regent prince standing in front of the attacking queue giving an impassioned speech.

　　He denounced the emperor's crimes, his incompetence, favoritism, harm to relatives, forcibly taking his brother's wife, causing waves in the court and scattering the hearts of the royal family, dishonoring our ancestors, and not deserving to be the ruler.

　　Unexpectedly, the imperial concubine stood by the regent prince's side and, after he finished speaking, came forward with tears, saying that she had been forced into the palace and served the enemy, and it was thanks to the regent prince's righteous rescue that she could escape the sea of suffering.

　　In this tense moment, the first thing that came to my mind was that the imperial concubine had actually used the idioms correctly this time.

　　I wondered how long she had been memorizing them.

　　We stared at each other from afar, unable to see each other's expressions clearly.

　　The regent prince, having inspired the morale, ordered an attack.

　　I led the emperor's personal guards to fight to the death, but the difference in strength was too great.

　　After losing half of his forces, the regent prince finally gained control of the situation.

　　The remaining personal guards protected me and fought while retreating, but we couldn't hold the gate of the Zhongyang Hall.

　　I clenched the signal in my hand.

　　It was a matter of life and death, and it was all decided here.