After bidding farewell to the Qin Kingdom's Lord, Xiao Mo was about to leave the imperial palace.
However, the maid guiding him gave him a token:
"Frost King, the princess is currently in Her Majesty the Empress's chambers. His Majesty asked me to tell you that you may enter and leave the imperial palace at any time, even the inner palace."
"Understood." Xiao Mo accepted the jade token. Recalling what the Qin Kingdom's Lord had told him, he hesitated a moment before saying, "Might you take me to Her Majesty's chambers?"
"Of course. Please follow me, Frost King."
Inside the Empress's chambers, Empress Shi lay in bed, her face pale with illness, while Qin Siyao held a bowl of herbal medicine and fed it to her Mother Queen.
After finishing the medicine, Empress Shi patted the back of her daughter's hand. "Si Yao, you needn't keep me company today. Xiao Mo has finally returned, and you haven't seen him in so long. Go spend some time with him."
Qin Siyao shook her head. "It's all right, Mother Queen. There's no hurry. I'll stay with you for a while first."
"Silly child, you've already kept me company for so many days. One day won't make a difference." Empress Shi smiled. "In the future, if I'm no longer here, tell Xiao Mo whenever something troubles you. I can tell that boy likes you very much. It's just that I won't be able to see your children."
"Mother Queen... don't say things like that. You'll surely get better soon."
A haze of tears filled Qin Siyao's eyes, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Empress Shi reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of Qin Siyao's eyes:
"Silly child, why are you crying? My allotted time was already