The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

The candlelight in the imperial study was bright. Wei Jun had just finished processing a book and was walking along, feeling somewhat tired. He pinched his temples with his fingertips to relieve the discomfort.

The young eunuch tiptoed in, bowing deeply, his tone extremely troubled:

"Your Majesty, Miss Qi still refuses to enter the palace and insists on staying at the Jingchen Courtyard in the Marquis's residence."

Wei Jun paused his finger movements but did not interrupt.

The young eunuch observed his expression and continued:

"The Imperial Household Department has sent people there three times, and each time they were refused. The reason given was that they were comfortable living in Jingchen Courtyard and did not want to move. The palace maids were very anxious, saying that it was unreasonable. Since Miss Qi is the Emperor's concubine, she should live in the palace..."

Wei Jun was somewhat annoyed: "There are still many traces of the former concubines in the palace. She likes cleanliness, so it's not too late to invite her back to the palace after cleaning for a few more days."

"I understand." The little eunuch left the imperial study.

As soon as he stepped outside, the submissive look on his face immediately turned into indifference.

The previous head eunuch was taken away for questioning and probably won't be coming back.

Now he is the only one who is close to the Emperor, and the position of Chief Eunuch will surely fall to him in the future.

The young eunuch curled his lip in disapproval as he walked towards the palace road, inwardly grumbling to himself.

Qi Yunli is ungrateful; the emperor has not yet officially ascended the throne, and there are many rules that need to be established.

Originally, some officials harbored ill intentions and accused the emperor of being unwilling to obey his orders.

But Qi Yunli, relying on the emperor's temporary favor, actually refused to enter the palace!

Countless noble ladies outside the palace were eager to get close to the emperor, but she refused to come in no matter how many times she was invited, and even put on airs.

Just wait. She's not from a noble family. The Emperor's infatuation with her hasn't worn off yet, which is why he's indulging her like this. Let's wait a while.

With three thousand beauties in the palace, would the emperor still be so indulgent when he sees a younger and more beautiful woman?

At that point, Qi Yunli will probably be begging and pleading to enter the palace, but even the Emperor might not pay her any attention!

A warm winter day.

Qi Yunli embroidered stitch by stitch, and after a while, her hands got tired, so she put down the needle and thread.

"Go and pay your respects to the old lady," she said calmly.

Tingyue opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped. She wanted to remind her mistress that the Marquis would soon ascend the throne, and the old lady's title should be changed to Empress Dowager.

Tingyue kept quiet. Her master was aware of the changing situation, but simply refused to accept it.

The old lady's illness had improved a lot, and she was able to walk with a cane. When she reached the center of the courtyard, she saw Qi Yunli.

Beside them were Third Master and Third Madam, all three of them beaming with joy.

They were overjoyed at the prospect of entering the palace and transforming into members of the imperial family.

In contrast, Qi Yunli's face remained as calm as ever.

"Ah Li," the old lady called her affectionately.

Qi Yunli quickly stepped forward and helped the old lady.

The old lady dismissed the Third Master and his wife, saying, "I need to speak with Ah Li alone. You may leave now."

The sunlight shone on the two of them, giving the old lady's silver hair a luster.

"Ah Li, you're always so easy to take care of." The old lady suddenly grasped her hand.

"You have worked hard these past few days to help the Marquis's family through this difficult time. You are a benefactor to our family."

Qi Yunli forced a smile; she was somewhat familiar with this line of dialogue.

First, put a "well-behaved and easy-going" label on her, then ask her to do something. If she doesn't do it, then you'll be very disappointed.

"As you know, Nian'an will soon ascend the throne, and from then on he will be the emperor worshipped by all the people."

Qi Yunli nodded, her heart sinking. "I know."

"The emperor is different from ordinary people." The old lady sighed. "I am certainly extremely satisfied with you, Ah Li, but..."

Qi Yunli suddenly felt tired, and her smile faded.

"Nian'an bears the heavy responsibility of governing the country, and he also has to appease the officials and stabilize the court. There are many things that he can no longer decide on his own."

"For example, the position of the empress, the head of the harem, is never something that can be decided by liking someone. The empress is the role model for all women in the world, she is to be the mother of the nation, and she is the noblest woman."

Qi Yunli lowered her eyes and did not reply, but she already understood the unspoken meaning behind the old lady's words.

"You are a good child, not coveting power. I could see that when the Marquis's mansion was in dire straits."

The old lady's voice softened further, as if afraid that she would not agree.

"However, many powerful families are still observing. Nian'an needs their strength to secure his rule. If there is any power that can help him, it will be entirely beneficial to Nian'an."

"Grandmother, I understand. The position of Empress is not up to me, and I cannot force it." Qi Yunli stood up.

"What I demanded has nothing to do with A-Li."

Wei Jun's voice suddenly appeared.

The two looked over at the same time, and Wei Jun was standing there without them noticing.

"Nian'an? What brings you here? The enthronement ceremony is a busy affair, yet you still managed to find time to come?"

Wei Jun did not answer, but walked to Qi Yunli's side and took her hand.

"I say, the position of Empress is something I insisted on; I must make you the Empress."

Qi Yunli's eyes remained unchanged.

He was very anxious, "Will you become empress or not?"

Qi Yunli took a deep breath, withdrew her hand, and pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve.

Wei Jun was stunned.

The old lady asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Opening the paper, one could see a divorce agreement with Wei Jun and Qi Yunli's names clearly written on it.

"Is this letter of divorce still valid?"