Chen Yi pondered for a moment and then said, "It seems I am not destined to become the seat master."

The Dowager Empress slightly raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a smile.

After laughing, she continued, "You can't say that for certain. Once you've destroyed the Chen Family of the Western Jin and changed your surname to An, if you desire it, Xique Pavilion can be handed over to you to manage."

Xique Pavilion had always been one of the foundations of the An Family, as well as a crucial resource that helped the Dowager Empress seize power after the former Emperor's death. The trust and promises hidden in her words were not something Chen Yi could fail to grasp.

Seeing this, Chen Yi asked aloud, "Why has Your Grace brought me here today?"

The Dowager Empress replied, "After your marriage and your departure from the capital to the Western Jin, besides the escorts on the surface, I will also send people from Xique Pavilion along with you. Not the twin birds, but another four… Come out now."

At her command, Chen Yi saw four figures emerge within the courtyard. Three men and one woman, each dressed differently. Though their hands were empty of weapons, their auras were no less lethal.

From left to right, one was tall, one short, one stout, and one slim. They were seat masters or vice seat masters of Xique Pavilion.

"The Urging Crow, The Returning Soul Sparrow, The Laughing Pelican, and The Impermanent Hawk."

The Dowager Empress recited their names from left to right,

"Even the weakest of these fighters possesses fifth-grade martial arts. With them escorting you, even if the entire Chen Family of the Western Jin mobilizes, they will ensure your survival."

Initially, Chen Yi took these words lightly, but the Dowager Empress added one more sentence:

"When I say the entire mobilization, I mean including the Broken Swordsman."

As her voice fell, Chen Yi glanced again at the four assassins. In just a single sentence, the unyielding cruelty, ruthless resolve, and deadly finality conveyed struck a chill deep into his heart.

And Chen Yi did not doubt for a moment that if he had a change of heart during the journey and abandoned the plan to eliminate the Chen Family of the Western Jin, his life would certainly end beneath one of their knives…

Having made Chen Yi face the assassins directly, the Dowager Empress turned and left.

Though the assassins did not overtly display hostility towards him in the courtyard, their presence made Chen Yi deeply uncomfortable. Thus, he hurriedly followed behind the Dowager Empress.

As they walked, the Dowager Empress spoke:

"It's the New Year, and I shouldn't have brought you here, but they are not your enemies, nor am I."

Chen Yi did not respond.

The Dowager Empress slowed her pace, glanced at him, and asked,

"You think they are?"

"I'm worried they might be," Chen Yi replied. "They listen to you, not me. As soon as Your Grace gives the order, their blades will turn against me, or against Ruo Shu."

The Dowager Empress caught the faint satisfaction in Chen Yi's casual mention of Miss Donggong's name. With a slight gleam in her eyes, she said, "As long as you obey me, their obedience to me is equivalent to their obedience to you. As for Chen Ruoshu, I've said this before, and I'll say it again: she does not need to die. I am not a merciless person. Keeping a daughter-in-law is not a bad thing. Besides, once she bears a child, her concerns will shift to her offspring."

Chen Yi followed her lead and said, "But the child's surname will still be Chen."

"That Chen would be your Chen Yi's 'Chen,' not the 'Chen' of the Western Jin Chen Family," she replied. Then, as if sensing a trace of unease in Chen Yi, she smiled faintly and said, "Succession means leaving behind a male heir. Keeping a girl does not truly make a lineage endure. So you need not fear that I still intend to kill her."

For the Dowager Empress, men existed to pass on the family name and lineage, while women were merely attachments to their husband's household. This was a deeply ingrained belief, one shared by the vast majority of society.

Such traditional thinking starkly contrasted with Chen Yi's modern perspective, which saw children as the unique bond and symbol of a couple's love.

From her words, Chen Yi clearly understood the Dowager Empress's stance: all her concessions stemmed from not jeopardizing her original plans. Nothing could shake her resolve or alter her objectives.

As the two walked from the outer court back to the inner quarters, Chen Yi stayed close by the Dowager Empress. This close proximity, if he wished to assassinate her, not even the Twin Birds could stop him in time.

Yet, the Dowager Empress allowed this distance to remain.

Chen Yi neither drew closer nor retreated further. He figured that when she reached Jingren Palace to give orders related to his departure, he would listen attentively.

Passing through a series of vermilion walls, he looked up to see beasts perched on the roof's ridges, bathed in the morning light. The palace's glazed golden rooftops glistened, cascading like lightning, magnificent in their brilliance. Fallen leaves littered the path, while palace maids sweeping along the way lowered their heads deferentially as they passed.

Chen Yi was perplexed as to why the Dowager Empress was taking such a circuitous route, but when she stopped, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

Kun Yuan Hall. 'Kun' symbolizes the earth, which nurtures all living things with its virtue. Heaven above, earth below. Kun Yuan Hall was none other than the residence of the Empress Dowager.

She had brought him to her private quarters.

The doors stood open, and palace maids bowed deeply to welcome them. The Dowager Empress stepped over the high threshold and entered the inner palace. Facing south, a set of twenty-four floor-to-ceiling embroidered door panels depicted the grand visage of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. The inner palace, primarily used for resting, featured only a small hall and a bedroom, separated by a screen. Beneath a round huanghuali wood tea table were two cushions. Golden-yellow glazed lamps emitted a soft glow, and through the screen's slits, one could glimpse the sleeping quarters adorned with silk quilts and curtains tied with brocade bands on silver hooks. Nearby, several wicker chairs awaited the use of palace maids during nighttime vigils.

The Dowager Empress gestured for him to sit by the tea table, then turned and entered the bedroom.

On the tea table was a Buddhist Scripture, titled "The King of Marvelous Color's Sutra."

As Chen Yi surveyed his surroundings, he turned his head to see a censer burning ambergris, filling the room with a rich aroma on this New Year's Day. A palace maid gently fanned the air, wrapping the space in an ethereal aura.

The Dowager Empress returned, now holding an ornate silk box.

She too took a seat, while a palace maid served tea to the pair.

Chen Yi gazed intently at her and asked, "Why has Your Grace brought me here?"

Truthfully, there was no need to voice the question. Chen Yi already had a vague sense of the answer.

In a soft voice, the Dowager Empress said, "Because I no longer hate you."

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