Chuntao was adjusting the buyao on her head that Ying Lili had given her when the maidservant informed her about the arrival of the Empress. Chuntao got nervous to hear that and quickly came towards the center of her chamber. Deng Hui came inside and saw Chuntao in front of her.

  She kowtowed before her and gave the Empress her greetings.

  Deng Hui stepped forward and brought her fingers under her chin. She gently pulled it up and Chuntao happened to look into her eyes.

  "Forgive me, for looking straight into your eyes, Your Majesty," Chuntao apologized and she immediately lowered them. Her hands were trembling in fear.

  "You are the daughter-in-law of the Royal Family of Han. I will not punish you for looking into my eyes and also you are no longer a commoner but the wife of the Fourth Prince. You should not get scared easily," Deng Hui said with a smile.

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Chuntao replied.

  "You shall address me as Mother. Also, there are a few things which you need to know regarding the Inner Palace and its rules. Come in the afternoon to have lunch with me. There are a few rituals which need to be performed," Deng Hui pronounced.

  "Yes, Mother," Chuntao replied.

  Deng Hui put her hands down and held her hands. "Your hands are rough and also you have cuts on your fingers. You must have done some of the hard work. Did you work in fields?" Deng Hui asked her.

  "I used to do it earlier, Mother. I forgot to apply the medicinal paste on them," Chuntao answered.

  Deng Hui tilted her head a little and ordered Court Lady Mi to send the medicine to Chuntao. "Also, send some perfumes and scented oils."

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Lady Mi bowed before her.

  "The Royal Physician will come to examine you," Deng Hui told Chuntao, who was confused to hear that.

  "May I ask why, Mother?" She asked with bewilderment.

  "The Royal Physician will examine if you are healthy enough to bear the child for Prince Nianzu. Special food will be included if your body lacks nutrients," Deng Hui explained to her.

  "Yes, Mother," Chuntao replied as she understood her words.

  "What is the Imperial Mother doing here?" Suddenly they heard the voice of Nianzu, who came forward and stood beside Chuntao.

  "I came to meet my daughter-in-law," Deng Hui answered.

  "Give us some privacy," Nianzu ordered and soon the servants left the chamber. After that, Nianzu grasped the hands of his mother which was holding Chuntao's, and let them go.

  "Mother shall not come to meet my wife," Nianzu said. Chuntao glanced at him but she kept quiet. "How could you even come here? Are you planning something against my wife? Do you want to take her life and then make me marry the woman of your choice?" Nianzu got furious at her.

  "Prince Nianzu is getting me wrong. I am here to tell her a few things. Please refrain from asking such questions, Prince!" Deng Hui urged him.

  "It is the truth. I always stood for truth. I am feeling guilty because of your actions. Do you have any idea what kind of pit you almost fell into? Gu Zhenya, that corrupted official is the one who supported you for his own benefits. Mother, I always thought that you were being neglected but when you got everything, you decided to harm the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and my wife too. You never once think about me!

  The Crown Prince always protected you yet you tried to harm him! I am disappointed in you, Mother. Please do not come near us, especially near my wife," Nianzu blurted out everything that was inside his heart. His anger had not subsided even after yesterday's conversation with Deng Hui.

  "What do you want me to do then? I have accepted my mistake and I am repenting for it. I got frustrated when my son left me. Then, Eunuch Zhen informed me that the Crown Prince had the last conversation with you. The Crown Prince did not bother to tell me that even after I asked him numerous times about you," Deng Hui stated and started to cry.

  "And you decided to harm him and his wife?! I asked him to protect you after I left the Palace," asserted Nianzu.

  Deng Hui joined her both hands. "Forgive me. I even asked the Crown Prince to forgive me but he is not ready to listen to me. I indeed made a grave mistake. It was frustration and anger that made me take such steps. I am extremely regretful for that," Deng Hui said while crying.

  Chuntao did not like it. Nianzu was too harsh on his mother, she thought.

  She held her both hands and said, "I can understand the pain you underwent, Mother. Please do not cry." She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Nianzu, who was in the same pain as his mother.

  "Prince Nianzu, Mother made a mistake. Forgive her. This is not the way a Prince shall talk to his mother," Chuntao reminded him.

  Nianzu turned his gaze away from his mother. "Mother shall leave," Nianzu said. Deng Hui clutched her fingers. She did not think about the consequences before taking such a drastic step. She stepped back and left the chamber.

  Chuntao went behind her and after a few minutes came inside.

  "Why did Prince Nianzu do that? You should apologize to her. It is not the way Prince Nianzu reacts," Chuntao stated and furrowed her brows.

  "Chun, she almost committed treason. Do you even know the meaning of that? It is between me and my mother, so do not intervene in this. I need to check if she indeed has turned on the right path or not. Prince Yongzheng betrayed Brother Sheng and everyone around him. I do not want such a thing to happen from the hands of my mother," pronounced Nianzu. "You do not know what a Palace looks like! She once wanted to harm you and I cannot let that fact go…… I need to find out how much she has repented," Nianzu explained to her.