Xuexue modestly smiled and said, "That’s all thanks to the Empress Dowager’s great fortune; I only assisted."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand and warmly held Xuexue’s hand, saying, "No, no, no, I’ve heard about it. The Imperial Physicians in the palace were at their wit’s end, and only Miss Situ showed her extraordinary skills, using silver needles to cure me. I am truly grateful to you, so as soon as I recovered, I had to ask The Emperor to bestow a title upon you. A remarkable woman like you is so rare in Moli Country and should not be merely a madam, marrying the War Prince. It’s already a grievance for you, yet still a madam, isn’t that too much to bear? The Prince may not care for you, but I do."

As for the title, Xuexue really didn’t care. In her previous life, what did it matter if she bore the title of Crown Princess Consort? In the end, she lost to Situtu Qinger, that mistress, and suffered a brutal death.

As long as Long Rui has her in his heart, that’s enough.

Xuexue smiled and said, "Marrying the Prince is not a grievance; he treats me quite well."

The Empress Dowager kept muttering, "Though you say that, the Prince is always flawed. Situ the Great General, at the time, to save the Young Master, married you to the War Prince. Now look, after all that, none of the children at home are his biological ones, yet he sacrificed the happiness of his only biological daughter. That’s karma."

Xuexue’s face remained smiling, but she was weighing in her heart, what did the Empress Dowager mean by these words? Could they be The Emperor’s intentions?

It’s no wonder Xuexue had such thoughts; she knew since the past life that The Emperor and the Fourth Prince coveted Situ Yongjie’s military power.

In this life, she was reborn, having glimpsed the secrets of heaven, did not marry the Fourth Prince, and married Long Rui. The Royal family, despite all efforts, couldn’t obtain Situ Yongjie’s military power, surely they were unwilling, hence the Empress Dowager intentionally gossiping bad things about the Prince in front of her.

Yet, they hadn’t calculated that Xuexue was someone reborn, nor that Long Rui wasn’t disfigured.

Their well-laid plans were destined to fail.

Xuexue changed the topic and smiled, "Empress Dowager, your complexion looks good; it seems your health has completely recovered."

The Empress Dowager was momentarily stunned, then thought to herself, it appeared all of what she said earlier had gone unheard by Situtu Xueer. A trace of displeasure flashed across her face.

However, it quickly vanished, and she nodded with a smile, "Indeed! The Emperor is so filial, he has the Imperial Physicians prepare tonic medicine for me daily. I feel like throwing up from having too much. I really want to stop, but I’m afraid The Emperor would be displeased."

The Empress Dowager clearly in a good mood, yet her words carried a hint of complaint.

Xuexue seemed to catch on, understanding that the Empress Dowager was flaunting how well The Emperor treated her, wanting others to envy her for having such a good son in The Emperor.

Xuexue smiled and said, "The Emperor does this for the sake of your health, Empress Dowager, you shouldn’t complain about him; The Emperor is being filial to you." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Empress Dowager laughed with her eyes bent, "Knowing The Emperor is filial, even if I don’t fancy it, I still have to consume it. With my body in good health, The Emperor can handle state affairs without worries."

Xuexue nodded with a smile, "The deep affection between the Empress Dowager and The Emperor is truly enviable."

The two chatted about this and that, and the Empress Dowager seemed to like Xuexue very much, even inviting her to stay for lunch in the Imperial Palace.

Just after lunch, Long Rui came to take her out of the Imperial Palace.

On the way, Long Rui’s face was clouded, which puzzled Xuexue. She asked several times, but Long Rui didn’t tell her. Eventually, Xuexue had to give up, planning to find another opportunity to ask him.

After Long Rui sent Xuexue back to the War Prince’s Mansion, he hurriedly left again and didn’t return until late at night.

By that time, Xuexue had long fallen asleep.

The next day, when Xuexue woke up, Long Rui had left again.

"Miss, you’re awake."

As soon as Xuexue opened her eyes, Zi Xia stood by the bed, holding clothes in her hands.