"If, after waking from the dream, you still regard me as your husband,

then I will not forget you."

Having said this, the man hesitated no more and turned, stepping out of the small courtyard, his figure gradually swallowed by the wind. Lin Wanxiao leaned against the door and gazed after him, standing there for an unknown length of time. Even after he had left, she remained standing.

"Why call it a dream?"

The young lady murmured in confusion,

"Is he not my husband?"

The cold wind swept through the desolate courtyard.

It seemed as if her days of widowhood were about to begin anew.

...............

The twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

A row of ridge beasts raised their heads toward the heavens, beneath them stretched vermilion palace walls. As the thirtieth approached, the palace and the world beyond bustled with activity, the busiest time of year.

According to the ancestral customs of the Great Yu, on the thirtieth day of the month, the Emperor was to host a private feast in the palace with the concubines. Then, on New Year's Day, the imperial relatives and distinguished families from the Capital City would partake in the family banquet within the palace.

However, now that the Empress Dowager ruled in regency, holding supreme power within the inner court, the young Emperor had long been confined to a cold palace courtyard. He hadn't even been given a tutor to teach him literacy. Under Servant Anhou's watchful eye, there was no chance for him to interact with other imperial relatives in the Capital City. As such, the so-called family banquet had long since lost its essence, becoming nothing more than a perfunctory ritual.

As for this ritual, its specifics varied. Lesser royal clans would present themselves in person, receiving a dish of lamb jelly and a portion of six-grain rice from eunuchs and palace maidservants. These dishes, one meat and one vegetarian, were not meant to be eaten but taken home for offerings, placed upon their shrines. This followed ceremonies from prior dynasties, symbolizing the Heavenly Family's bestowal of blessings upon its royal descendants for the year.

For royals of distinguished status, like the Prince Jing, they wouldn't attend personally but merely send someone to retrieve their share.

Regardless, under the Empress Dowager's rule, the most important event in the palace for the year was no longer the family banquet but the private feast on the thirtieth night.

Since the Empress Dowager's ascension to regency, she tightly controlled the concubines of the inner court who were forbidden from leaving the palace. Every movement was aimed at upholding the dignity of the Heavenly Family. Though not as neglected as Dong Guifei's coldly deserted quarters, on regular days, entertainment was scarce, and their days were spent idling with only three or four palace maids for company. However, during the private feast, restrictions loosened slightly, allowing them to gather joyfully and move about freely.

Within Jingren Palace,

a female officer tasked with overseeing the kitchen preparations knelt on the ground, reporting with precision the details of the private feast.

"Ninety-six dishes in total, with thirty reserved as titular dishes. The remaining sixty-six dishes are sufficient for the concubines to enjoy. As for the additional twenty-four dishes requested by Your Majesty, they are being expedited."

In years past, the inner court's private feast was presided over by the Empress Dowager, the concubines gathering harmoniously. This year carried a subtle shift. With the Empress Dowager declaring her dislike for noise, a separate table for the private feast was to be set up in Yuan Chun Hall.

To split the inner court's private feast into two locations was unprecedented.

"Among these twenty-four dishes, how many are titular dishes, and how many are standard dishes?"

The woman in a phoenix robe was reviewing some documents, her head bowed as she asked casually.

The female officer didn't delay in replying, "Twelve are titular dishes, while the other twelve are standard dishes."

Standard dishes were meant for eating, while titular dishes were prepared for spectacle.

Servant Anhou closed an embroidered scroll of blue fabric with gold thread and remarked tonelessly, "There are too many titular dishes. Reduce them to three, and increase the standard dishes to twenty-one."

The female officer hesitated and expressed concern, "Your Majesty… I'm afraid the imperial kitchen may not finish them in time."

"If they cannot, take some from the concubines' allotments. The palace doesn't starve them; missing a dish or two won't kill them."

With just a few words, Servant Anhou determined the concubines' banquet. Facing her decision, the female officer dared not object and promptly acquiesced with a "Yes."

Witnessing everything, Su Xin, who was attending Servant Anhou, sensed an underlying unease and waited until the chef departed. Catching Ann Hou's attention, she ventured, "Su Xin, speak your mind."

Without hesitation, Su Xin remarked, "Twelve standard dishes are already sufficient. Even if Your Majesty were to invite an entire household, they'd barely finish half."

"Standard dishes aren't the issue; titular dishes are,"

Servant Anhou replied without looking up, her tone steady:

"I don't want him to arrive, only to find himself repeatedly reaching for inedible dishes, making a fool of himself before women. If he feels humiliated, he won't come back."

Upon hearing Servant Anhou mention Chen Yi, Su Xin realized there was no persuading her. Instead, she complied dutifully:

"Your Majesty is wise."

"If only I truly were wise. Here, read this scroll, and see for yourself whether I truly hold wisdom."

Servant Anhou picked up a confidential scroll and gestured for Su Xin to take it.

Su Xin received it and found it detailed the actions of spies placed in the Cui residence, reporting that Lin Wanxiao and her maid had consumed memory-altering wine.

This memory-altering wine was, of course, no ordinary drink.

It originated from the secluded Taoist sect known as the Xiaoyao School of Taoyuan. The sect, celebrated in legend, practiced in a hidden mountain sanctum called "Taoyuan," rumored to contain a thousand leagues of peach blossoms concealed within a space smaller than a mustard seed. Its disciples were deeply hidden within, with only the weakest expelled to roam the land of Shenzhou.

Among the many tales of the Xiaoyao School, the memory-altering wine was the most renowned. Human sorrow stems from remembrance, and this wine not only eradicates sorrow but enthralls one in blissful illusion.

After reading the scroll, Su Xin deliberated carefully and spoke, "This widow's consumption of the wine might impede Your Majesty's plans."

"What do you mean?"

"To this widow Lin, 'sorrow' concerns Chen Yi killing her husband. If that is so, then this illusion… could likely mirror her life in the Lin residence."

Su Xin's deliberate speech always considered Servant Anhou's reactions.

Her observations over the years had taught her that Servant Anhou would not want the Lin Family Young Lady, after marrying Chen Yi, to hold thoughts of another man.

Upon Su Xin finishing her reasoning, Servant Anhou replied indifferently, "Su Xin, you don't understand widowed women."

"I am ignorant. I ask Your Majesty to enlighten me," Su Xin bowed deeply.

Servant Anhou methodically retrieved another scroll, one that appeared older.

Su Xin glanced at it and saw it contained intelligence on the Lin residence.

"From the days of the Lin Party, I've planted spies within the Lin residence. Although they were merely maids and servants, unable to gather knowledge of conspiracies, they adequately reported the minutiae of the Lin family's daily life,"

Servant Anhou explained leisurely, flipping through the scroll as she continued:

"I won't claim Lin Wanxiao lived poorly, but she certainly wasn't happy."

Peering closer, Su Xin noted the scroll featured passages about the Lin family, with periodic precise annotations in crimson ink.

Major Capital families traditionally preferred daughters-in-law from noble houses that were influential yet not overly powerful. Lin Wanxiao fit this need perfectly. Upon her marriage to the Lin family, she was left with no one to rely on, as even her dowry maids had been reassigned by the cautious Lin Grand Advisor.

A young woman's most dependable source of support should be her husband, but Lin Yan had never once approached her. Common wisdom spoke of reconciliation following marital arguments, yet they hadn't even shared a bed. How could Lin Wanxiao rely on him?

There was little intimacy between them. Lin Wanxiao, being dutiful, rarely left the residence, living days of utmost caution. To the Lin household, she existed like a familiar stranger.

"Her natal family, the Cui residence, was a vassal of the Lin Party. Dissatisfaction was unutterable for her. Outwardly, she conducted herself properly, handling matters smoothly, but the greater the courtesy, the more precarious the balance.

Furthermore, internal affairs of the Lin household were entirely controlled by Lin Grand Advisor. Within her marital home, Lin Wanxiao had no voice, no authority. Tell me, without even the slightest power and the nature to suppress every thought within, how could she possibly feel happiness?"

Servant Anhou's leisurely voice held the weight of experience. Whether women understood other women was debatable, but widows certainly understood each other, she jested:

"I am, after all, the greatest widow under the heavens."

Su Xin immediately kneeled, imploring, "Your Majesty, as the mother of a nation, such a thing is unspeakable."

Servant Anhou chuckled but said nothing.

After a long pause, she quietly spoke:

"Widowed women are said to yearn for spring, but for this Lin Young Lady, whom else could occupy her day and night thoughts besides that man?

Even if she's repulsed by him, indifferent, hateful, can she truly control herself?"

Somehow, these words, sharp as falling beads, struck Su Xin with unease, filling her chest with tremors.

Servant Anhou put away the scroll and idly traced her fingers along the crimson jade lion paperweight on her desk. Her fingertips lingered for a long while, her gaze stretching outward in contemplation before she finally remarked:

"The timing of her memory-altering wine was poor. With the private feast approaching, to avoid inconvenience, deliver her the antidote so she wakes from her dream without delay."

Su Xin replied, "Understood, Your Majesty. It'll last only a single night, likely with no lasting effect."

Servant Anhou nodded slightly and said:

"There's no need to rush. I still have plans for her. Drinking it this early certainly wasn't ideal, but thankfully, it was discovered quickly."

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