Ding Rui stopped outside the royal quarters, gesturing for Xiao Ruiming to go in alone.
Xiao Ruiming stood outside the palace gates, adjusting his clothes.
Without any apparent movement, the palace gates opened automatically, and he stepped inside, the doors slowly closing behind him.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager!"
Xiao Ruiming bowed with clasped hands toward the front, speaking in a clear voice.
"There are no outsiders here; there's no need for formalities, brother. Come and sit."
A gentle voice resonated from the top of the Great Hall.
Xiao Ruiming then looked up.
A woman appearing to be in her thirties sat gracefully on an ebony throne, her dark hair neatly coiled into a high bun, adorned with a golden hairpin interspersed with pearls and nine phoenixes.
Her face was like jade exquisitely carved by time, lustrous and radiant, with a pair of phoenix-like eyes captivating—like warm jade covered by thin ice, filled with an elusive warmth beneath its cool exterior.
