In front of Ruixiang Palace, Xiao Chang finally left in dejection.

Not everyone could withstand the Crown Princess’s sharp tongue, and if they could withstand her tongue, the Crown Princess still had her legs.

It’s just that those of royal blood must fight to survive – resolve one battle, and there’s always another.

Sure enough, not long after, the Empress Dowager summoned her. Eunuch Li Gui, the head steward of Ronghe Palace, personally came to escort her.

Before leaving, Tie Ci changed from her moon-white robe into a pure black fitted outfit, with a cloak draped over it.

Every time she went to see the Empress Dowager, she mostly wore dark-colored clothing. Everyone was used to this sight, except for Little Bug, the eunuch who served her personal garments, who would grumble as usual: “Wearing black is one thing, but wearing so many layers – aren’t you afraid of the heat?”

Tie Ci pinched his tender cheek and playfully sang in theatrical style: “Slanted wind and light rain bring spring’s chill—”

She drifted away gracefully, while Little Bug looked at the blazing sun overhead with an infatuated expression.

“Come out! Bring in the clothes! Her Highness said it will definitely rain tonight!”

Tie Ci had no idea that her devoted fan Little Bug treated her like a weather forecast. When she reached a corner not far from Ronghe Palace, she suddenly stopped and glanced at the rustling flower trees: “Xiao Xiao, is that you?”

Behind the trees, silence reigned for a moment before someone quietly emerged, head hanging heavily, steps taken with difficulty, looking as if he was about to jump off a cliff at any moment.

Tie Ci wasn’t surprised.

This was Gu Xiaoxiao, son of the Minister of Revenue and a severe social anxiety sufferer.

Tie Ci said to the group of eunuchs behind her who appeared to be guards but were actually escorts: “All of you, move farther away.”

Everyone knew about Young Master Gu’s condition and didn’t dare go far, so they all turned around.

Suddenly Gu Xiaoxiao’s sky cleared, the sun brightened, and his whole body relaxed. He quickly came over and grabbed Tie Ci’s sleeve: “You’re going to the Empress Dowager’s palace? I’ll go with you.”

Tie Ci looked at her childhood friend who had grown up playing in the mud with her and laughed: “Why do you dare go to the Empress Dowager’s place today? Don’t you fear Ronghe Palace the most?”

“Look what you’re saying.” Gu Xiaoxiao blinked. “Is there anywhere I don’t fear?”

Tie Ci laughed heartily and patted his shoulder: “Alright, don’t go to Ronghe Palace, or you’ll freeze up like a zombie and I won’t be able to carry you. Wait for me in my palace – I’ll be done soon.” She whispered in Gu Xiaoxiao’s ear: “Keep an eye on the people in my palace. Don’t let anyone tell my mother consort about me going to the Empress Dowager.”

Gu Xiaoxiao knew her temperament and didn’t say anything. He nodded and stepped aside two paces. Li Gui came forward and humbly bowed to Gu Xiaoxiao, who immediately retreated three steps. Li Gui twitched at the corner of his mouth – he didn’t expect a return bow from this one, much less conversation. Just as he was about to proceed, he heard Gu Xiaoxiao stammer: “…Li… Elder Li… Please… look after… Later I… I… I have…”

It took him forever to get through one sentence. Li Gui maintained his half-bow position and broke out in a sweat, wishing he could finish the sentence for him. It was Tie Ci who resolved the situation: “Elder, please rise. You understand Xiao Xiao’s meaning.”

Li Gui breathed a sigh of relief, secretly massaging his back, and smiled at Gu Xiaoxiao: “The Empress Dowager has always been fond of Her Highness. Please don’t worry.”

Gu Xiaoxiao lowered his eyelashes and quickly retreated again, watching the group disappear into the distance before heading toward Ruixiang Palace with a dazed expression.

Here, when Tie Ci stepped through the gates of Ronghe Palace, she didn’t see the Empress Dowager directly. The head nanny beside the Empress Dowager said she was requested to go to the small Buddhist hall, making Tie Ci twitch at the corner of her mouth.

With a creaking sound, the heavy doors opened. Sunlight could not penetrate the small Buddhist hall.

Standing at the doorway, she was greeted by floating dust that traced pale golden paths in the dim candlelight, like activated talismans harboring deep prayers.

The Buddha statue adorned with golden ornaments was half-hidden behind heavy curtains, one finger holding a flower, one corner of its lips slightly raised. That smile encompassed all living beings under heaven and earth, yet could not see the three feet beneath its base.

Tie Ci also revealed an identical smile and stepped through the door. Behind her came another creak as the door was immediately closed.

Tie Ci untied her cloak and threw it by the door.

Before her lay deep, heavy darkness, and a hoarse old woman’s voice rang out abruptly.

“Bring the disciplinary whip!”

A prayer cushion slid over silently. Tie Ci knelt down quite skillfully. As she knelt, her eyes scanned around the hall, but before she could locate her target in the pitch darkness, her scalp suddenly exploded and her heart turned cold.

An icy aura spread silently like cold mist, resembling countless black serpents hidden in the darkness, hanging their cold eyes, winding and moving, seeking targets of flesh and blood.

Tie Ci could even feel that aura divide into several streams, crawling up her knees, slowly exploring toward her head, pressing down heavily upon her, then lightning-fast penetrating her entire body.

This feeling of being suppressed and having her blood vessels and meridians searched could easily make one break out in cold sweat, but Tie Ci remained very calm, only kneeling steadily in place.

Because this feeling was too familiar to her. Ever since her first attempt to rise up in this small Buddhist hall, when this aura ruthlessly pressed her to the ground and she fell ill for a month afterward, she knew the Empress Dowager had capable people by her side.

Otherwise, how could a woman achieve victory after victory in the man-eating harem and ultimately ascend to the supreme position on earth?

According to legends, there were several great masters in this world with abilities beyond ordinary people’s reach – one person could stabilize a nation, one person could throw a country into chaos. But such human weapons of war would not easily be controlled by others, only hiding in legends and scattered throughout heaven and earth. How many emperors and generals throughout history had searched far and wide without finding them? Later, legends remained only legends.

But Tie Ci had always believed that legends came from reality and were never trees without roots.

After that aura finished searching through her body, it quietly dispersed, but the oppressive pressure remained. Tie Ci only remained silent, eyes observing her nose, nose observing her heart.

Someone emerged from behind curtains ahead, their footsteps heavy and steady, showing solid lower body foundation.

Something long dragged on the ground – dark black, gleaming with dark gold luster. It was a whip made of ox sinew steamed and dried nine times, then twisted with gold thread.

When swung, the wind sounded like roaring. Tie Ci had heard it many times.

That person stood still, gold light flashed, and in the next instant the roaring sound began.

“Crack!”

Like mountains crashing onto her back, lightning piercing her bone marrow, fierce fire burning her soul – that explosion of pain seemed to detonate in her mind, leaving her vision filled with flashing golden darkness.

The old woman’s fierce shout seemed to pierce through fog barriers, sharp and severe.

“Tie Ci, have you forgotten the glory of the Iron Clan royal family!”

Tie Ci swallowed the metallic taste in her throat, raised her head, sweat dripping from her chin: “No!”

“Crack!”

Tie Ci convulsed violently but managed to support herself with her hands just before collapsing.

Her fingertips dug into the cracks between golden bricks, and with a hiss, the golden bricks shattered into pieces.

“Tie Ci, have you forgotten the nobility of the heaven-gifted divine clan?!”

“No!”

“Crack!”

Mad thunder accompanied by fierce lightning, rolling with overwhelming dark clouds, gathered the mighty force of the universe into one bundle, howling as it crashed down on the young woman’s slender back.

With a dull thud, Tie Ci’s other elbow also hit the ground. She ultimately didn’t fall completely, but couldn’t control a mouthful of dark blood that sprayed three feet.

“Tie Ci, have you forgotten the past humiliation of the Iron Clan royal family?!”

“No!”

The wind ceased, thunder stopped and lightning died. In the Buddhist hall filled with pure sandalwood incense, deathly silence returned once again.

The disciplinary whip could only strike three times – this was the rule.

Empress Dowager Xiao said she would not break ancestral rules.

Tie Ci supported herself with both arms on the ground, coughing softly while thinking of laughing.

The most rule-abiding was the most rule-breaking. Heaven knows.

Three questions with the disciplinary whip – it was really hard on the old lady to find such ancient precedents from the already rotten internal power struggles of the royal family.

This was a rule established by the founding emperor of the Iron Clan royal family before the nation’s founding. Because he had experienced hardship and difficulty in his youth, he feared that his descendants would indulge in luxury and pleasure after inheriting the beautiful kingdom, losing their ancestors’ spirit of enterprising determination. So he specially established this rule.

Glory need not be elaborated. Humiliation referred to the early days of nation-building when Great Qian was weak and repeatedly attacked by the combined forces of surrounding nations like Great Dian, Lanna, and Dayan. Emperor Qian Gaozong was even captured once and only ransomed back with the entire nation’s resources – a humiliation in Great Qian’s history that no one dared forget.

The heaven-gifted divine clan referred to how this continent once had many with heaven-bestowed abilities, but later for various reasons, such people became fewer and more precious. The Iron Clan family was fortunately one of the few that could inherit part of these heaven-bestowed abilities. When they first rose up, they used this as their rallying cry, claiming these heaven-gifted abilities were divinely bestowed, that Heaven had entrusted great responsibility to the Iron Clan. Thus they rose from chaos, seized the imperial throne, and established foundations for hundreds of generations.

As bloodlines continued to dilute and mix, fewer Iron Clan royals inherited heaven-gifted abilities with each generation. Later only direct royal descendants had the possibility, so three generations later, the Iron Clan royal family established a rule: only those possessing heaven-gifted abilities could inherit the throne.

The awakening of heaven-gifted abilities varied in timing – some were born with them, some triggered them later, but at latest, signs would definitely appear by age twelve.

And Tie Ci was now sixteen, without heaven-gifted abilities.

The unfortunate Emperor Qian Gaozong who was captured was also the only emperor in Iron Clan royal history without heaven-bestowed abilities.

This became the most powerful evidence for those who opposed allowing anyone without heaven-gifted abilities to inherit the throne.

Several generations later, the same situation befell this dynasty.

Starting from age twelve, Tie Ci’s status in everyone’s minds remained unchanged on the surface but plummeted dramatically in private.

Ministers who had once been captivated by her brilliance began advising the emperor to expand his harem. After years of the emperor having no other offspring, they began advising him to adopt sons from collateral branches.

Noble families that had once been relatively stable began stirring restlessly.

The three feudal princes who had once sworn loyalty to Great Qian, led by Liaodong, gradually became less obedient.

If not for the emperor’s persistent support of Tie Ci’s position as Crown Princess, insisting that collateral branches also lacked heaven-gifted abilities so were no better than Tie Ci, perhaps now Tie Ci would either be counting lice in the imperial tomb or feeding worms there.

Only the Empress Dowager remained steadfast – from beginning to now, she had consistently treated her poorly.

Sometimes, the most vicious toward women are often other women.

Since Tie Ci had not awakened heaven-bestowed abilities, the Empress Dowager brought out ancestral rules.

The three questions with disciplinary whip had only persisted for a few years in Great Qian royal history before discontinuing. Reflecting on bitter past and thinking of sweet present was fundamentally seeking abuse when there was no need. Since the realm was already at peace with the kingdom in hand, why endure hardship and taste gall? That was what fallen monarchs did.

But the Empress Dowager said Tie Ci was undisciplined and lacked heaven-gifted abilities, making her a royal disgrace. This disciplinary whip that carried ancestors’ teachings and expectations should be properly received by her.

The old rule was once yearly during ancestral and heavenly sacrifices. But the Empress Dowager conveniently forgot this rule – when in good mood, once; when in bad mood, once; when menstruating, once; when not menstruating, once. If Tie Ci did anything displeasing to her, no need for questioning or investigation – just crack, crack, crack.

Tie Ci was not someone who accepted everything passively and had tried to resist, but at thirteen, the young woman received her first harsh lesson about absolute force.

To this day, when she heard the Empress Dowager’s summons, she still chatted and laughed casually, never bringing anyone, only skillfully changing into black clothes.

She never let the emperor know about these things.

If father knew, it would definitely be a fight to the death. But now, the net was a sky-covering net while the fish was an injured fry – not yet time for a desperate struggle.

The palace was full of the Empress Dowager’s people. If they tore off the facade, some deep night a big blanket could smother her father.

The heavy footsteps disappeared behind curtains, the swishing sound of the whip dragging on the ground faded away, leaving a deep red trail on the floor with some scattered bits of flesh and blood faintly visible.

Slow footsteps sounded, stopping every third step – the Empress Dowager’s unique gait. Every time Tie Ci heard it, the image of a big-bellied spotted toad would float in her mind.

The spotted toad squatted before her, autumn-fragrant colored gold-sprinkled robe dragging across Tie Ci’s face. Tie Ci raised her head from her half-prostrate position and grabbed the robe corner to wipe her face.

The Empress Dowager’s emotionless eyes fixed on her face as she asked in a thin, delicate voice: “Ci’er, do you have any regrets?”