Entering the Palace

Zhao Mingtian quietly slipped away. Lily Evans immediately called Alexander Hayes over and told him everything Zhao Mingtian had said.

After listening, Alexander Hayes's expression became grave, as if facing a formidable enemy. He took a deep breath and said, "If what Zhao Mingtian said is true, then... His Majesty is about to take action against Prince Alexander Hayes’s Manor."

Lily Evans was puzzled. "There was no sign at all—why would His Majesty suddenly want to deal with Prince Alexander Hayes’s Manor?"

Alexander Hayes frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "The mind of a ruler is hard to fathom. The most urgent matter now is how to survive this calamity. His Majesty used this trick to lure you into the palace, intending to hold you hostage to threaten me. Now that the alliance between Jin and Chu is complete and the peace treaty is signed, there won't be any wars for a while, so the Hayes Regiment is no longer needed. Dean Gu is about to pass away, and Gregory Gu Jr. will resign in mourning, which will upset the balance of the court. His Majesty fears that I will become too powerful and threaten the imperial authority. It seems this time, His Majesty is determined to eradicate Prince Alexander Hayes’s Manor!"

After hearing this, Lily Evans said angrily, "Although I always knew this day would come, when it truly happens—being discarded after we've served our purpose—it's hard not to feel furious!"

Alexander Hayes gently wrapped his arm around Lily Evans's waist and said, "My dear, I am also deeply disappointed in His Majesty. If he wants my military power, so be it, but to trick you into the palace and use you and our child's lives to threaten me—that is truly intolerable!"

Lily Evans looked up at Alexander Hayes, very worried. "Your Highness, how will we get through this?"

Alexander Hayes sighed and said, "It seems we only have..."

The room fell into a quiet hush, leaving only the couple whispering to each other.

In the main hall, the Palace Attendant who had come to deliver the message was growing impatient, having sent someone to hurry them eight times already. "Is Princess Lily Hayes ready yet? The Empress is waiting for her to attend—why is she dawdling so much?"

The young maid beside her smiled kindly. "Please don't be anxious, Palace Attendant. Our Princess Lily Hayes is pregnant and already not feeling well. Just now, upon hearing that the Empress was ill, she became so worried that her pregnancy was affected and is now taking medicine. She'll be along shortly."

The Palace Attendant rolled his eyes. He wanted to hurry them but didn't dare, so he could only wait anxiously.

After nearly half an hour, Princess Lily Hayes finally arrived, fashionably late.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Palace Attendant. My condition makes it inconvenient for me to move quickly, so I was delayed." The Palace Attendant looked up and saw Princess Lily Hayes, holding her belly as she walked out. She really did look unwell, her face pale.

The Palace Attendant wouldn't dare show any displeasure to Princess Lily Hayes. He greeted her politely at the door, and together they boarded the sedan sent by the palace for the journey to the imperial palace.

On the way, Su Li asked the eunuch, "What illness does Her Majesty the Empress have? Is it serious?"

The eunuch replied vaguely, "To answer Your Highness, this servant isn't really sure. I'm just a messenger, not qualified to serve by Her Majesty's side."

Su Li responded with a simple 'oh' and said nothing more.

A group of palace attendants carried the Princess Consort of Qin into the imperial palace. From the moment she entered, Su Li silently kept watch for anything unusual in the palace.

Today, the imperial palace did seem a bit different from usual.

As for the noblewomen summoned by the Empress, Su Li didn't see anyone else along the way—it seemed she was the only one being carried into the palace.

"Princess Consort, we've arrived at the Empress's quarters. Please go in quickly." The eunuch had the sedan set down and bowed deeply to Su Li.

Su Li turned to look at the grand entrance of the Empress's quarters—the towering doors and the deep, shadowy courtyard looked like the gaping maw of a monster, ready to swallow her whole.

But Su Li gave a calm and composed smile, got out of the sedan, and said, "Thank you, Eunuch."

With that, Su Li supported her belly with one hand and her back with the other, and stepped through the grand doors of the Empress's quarters...

The moment Su Li walked in, the heavy doors slammed shut behind her, cutting off the world inside from the world outside.

As if dividing the path of life from the gate of death...