Chapter 23

Having moved into the Xueqiong Courtyard, Bai Wutong had not even spent a few nights there before she was summoned to the imperial medical office. She knew this was the Empress Dowager playing tricks again. Yet, lacking the power to challenge her and unable to think of a better solution, she realized she had to leave the matter to the Emperor. In a few days, it would be the first of the month, and she had to administer another strong dose of “medicine” to the Emperor. She needed to make him desire her enough that, even in his fear of the Empress Dowager, he would still favor her. It was the beginning of the tenth lunar month. The weather had turned suddenly cold, and the wind carried a biting chill. Bai Wutong seized the excuse of her earlier "illness" to visit the Empress's residence on the first day of the month.