FID – Chapter 878

Chapter 878: “How I Live Is My Own Choice!” 

“It’s nothing,” Feng Qingbai said with a gentle smile, taking her hand. “I’m just surprised that the children seem so spiritually aware. You just gave birth, so you need to rest more. Sleep a little longer. I’ll stay here with you.”

“Alright,” Liu Yusheng replied with a soft smile. She truly was exhausted. Even being awake for a short while had drained her energy.

As for the babies being born with such awareness, she had a vague suspicion in her heart. However, she was too weak to think further on it now. Once she recovered, she’d look into it more closely.

The others watched as she closed her eyes and quickly drifted back to sleep. They quietly carried the babies out of the room and headed to the nursery next door, which had already been prepared.

Several men—lords and young masters—had been waiting outside the door for quite a while. Now, they finally had their chance to get up close and personal with the babies.

But the little ones were still newborns, barely an hour old, and soon fell asleep again once they were placed in the cradles.

Everyone gathered around the cradles, heads practically bumping, staring at the babies’ peaceful, sweet sleeping faces. And even then, they felt like they couldn’t get enough.

The Empress Dowager didn’t leave until nightfall, and even then she did so reluctantly. All the way back, her mind was consumed with thoughts of the two little ones.

She worried the rough old woman would handle the babies too harshly at night, worried the wet nurses wouldn’t feed them attentively, worried everyone might fall asleep and forget to change the diapers on time—and she was still thinking about going to the royal temple to ask a master for characters to name them.

There were so many things to worry about.

The old matron followed beside the Empress Dowager, listening to her mutter all the way, occasionally chiming in with agreement.

After all these years, this was the first time she had seen the Empress Dowager act like an ordinary woman. Her emotions were written plainly on her face, no longer hiding behind a cold mask.

Because of the arrival of the two little ones, those long-desolate eyes had begun to shine, slowly regaining a sense of life.

She could feel it. The Empress Dowager wanted to be there as the two babies grew up.

With them in her life, she would have so much to do: how to raise them, how to plan for their future.

With responsibilities and attachments, she would no longer be that solitary figure, lonely and desolate as she once was.

Upon returning to Yangxin Hall, she didn’t even stop for dinner before giving orders to her maid, “Go to Shangyi Workshop and tell them to bring out the fine cotton they’ve been storing for baby clothes, the Yue Court cotton. Have them cut out some patterns. I want to sew a few more baby outfits myself. We didn’t know the Princess Consort would give birth to twins, and the ones we prepared won’t be enough. Newborns need their clothes changed several times a day especially in hot weather.”

“Your Majesty, why not just have the Shangyi Workshop finish the clothes? They have more seamstresses, and they can finish them quicker.”

“No need. I will do it.” What others make could never compare to what she made with her own hands.

Intentions made all the difference.

The granny left with a smile to deliver the message.

Back at the palace, before the cloth even arrived, the Empress Dowager couldn’t eat properly. She was too preoccupied.

As soon as the fabric was delivered, she impatiently picked it up and unfolded it.

At the same time, a second-rank maid who brought the cloth also handed her a small bundle. “Your Majesty, someone asked this servant to pass this along to you.”

The Empress Dowager glanced at the maid and took the bundle. But the moment she opened it and saw what was inside, her expression turned instantly cold and grim.

It was a few extremely fine silver needles!

“Your Majesty, this is…” the granny said, frowning.

The Empress Dowager flung the cloth bundle onto the long table with a cold snort. “Guards! Seize this wretched servant!”

“Have mercy, Your Majesty! This servant knows nothing. I was only delivering it!”

“Knows nothing? I wasn’t aware that a mere servant from the Shangyi Workshop had become a messenger for the nobility!” the Empress Dowager sneered. “Take her away, and beat her to death!”

Know nothing? Those two words were supposed to excuse everything?

She took a few benefits and was willing to do anything. She even dared to presume her thoughts? 

Audacious! Suicidal!

She had been silent in the harem for so many years that people had begun to forget what kind of person she truly was.

She straightened her robes slightly, her gaze darkened and sharpened as she looked in a particular direction. “To Qingning Palace!”

Qingning Palace—a place already fading from people’s memory.

Even the person who lived there was rarely mentioned anymore.

At the palace gate stood two eunuchs, barely holding proper posture, lazy and inattentive. It was only when they saw someone approaching that they hurriedly straightened up in alarm.

“Your servants greet Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager!”

The Empress Dowager ignored them completely, striding into the palace and pushing open the heavy doors of the inner chamber.

Inside, the chamber was lit dimly by a small flickering candle. An old woman sat beside the light, gaunt and haggard. As if she had expected the Empress Dowager’s arrival, she showed no surprise. She stood up and gave a faint smile.

“I knew you would come.”

The Empress Dowager walked up to her, looked at her silently for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand and struck her hard across the face.

Slap! The sharp sound echoed in the empty hall, shattering the self-satisfied look on Dowager Consort Liu’s face.

“Even in such a miserable state, you still can’t hide your filth!” the Empress Dowager said coldly. “Did you really think you’d figured me out? All these years I haven’t fought or schemed, not because I’m incapable! Let me warn you: if you so much as harm them by a hair, I will make sure not a drop of Liu blood remains in the capital. The Liu family will be nothing but history!”

With that, she turned and left, unwilling to spare another glance.

“Have you forgotten how your own son died? The hatred of a murdered child cannot be forgiven! And now, seeing Feng Qingbai with both son and daughter, you still protect him? Your two sons’ souls will never rest in peace! Even if revenge is beyond reach, you should at least let him suffer the pain of losing a child too!”

The Empress Dowager, already at the door, halted in her steps. Under the dim candlelight, her silver hair trembled violently, then gradually stilled.

“This grieving and widowed empress knows exactly what she’s doing. How I live is my choice!”

Behind her stood the withered old woman, eyes filled with disbelief.

The Empress Dowager’s back was ramrod straight as she stepped away from the desolate palace hall, walking forward one step at a time.

At the palace gates, she paused once more.

Under the pale moonlight stood a man in purple robes, tall and proud, hands clasped behind his back.

Feng Qingbai—he had come.

Qingning Palace was no different than a cold palace now. Not even a lantern had been lit outside the main hall.

The moonlight above was faint, not particularly bright, but enough to illuminate the tear streaks on the old woman’s face. Under the silvery glow, they shimmered like her hair—both steeped in sorrow.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long silence, the elderly woman turned and walked back toward Yangxin Hall.

Behind her, the man in purple followed at an unhurried pace, keeping a small distance, neither too close, nor overtaking her.

Back inside the hall, she brightened the lamp slightly, then picked up the soft cotton fabric that had been left on the couch. She gently ran her hand across it, checking to make sure there were no tiny silver needles that could hurt the little ones. 

Once assured, she retrieved her sewing kit from the cabinet and began threading the needle.

But age had taken its toll. Her eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, especially at night. After several failed attempts to thread the needle, the man reached out, took the needle and thread from her, threaded it with ease, and handed it back.

The Empress Dowager silently accepted it, then, using the pre-cut cloth pieces as her guide, began to sew the tiny garments, one stitch at a time under the warm lamplight.

Throughout the entire time, she treated Feng Qingbai standing before her as if he were invisible.

“On that day at the border, I was nearly killed by General Qin’s ambush, just barely escaping death by his sword. Then suddenly, from afar, a signal flare was fired, saving my life,” the man spoke in a calm tone, recounting the danger without any hint of emotion. “That signal flare, was it sent by Your Majesty?”