For the whole of his life, nobody had ever insulted Si Ning directly to his face that he was so shocked it was written all over his face and the worst part was he was insulted by his mother in law which means he should forget about having a peaceful marriage because it was all written on her undisturbed pretty face that she didn't agree with him getting married to Xiu Zhicheng and she doesn't seem to like Concubine Ling.

To be called a wretch had shown that the Queen Dowager didn't come to say hello to him or wish him a quick recovery and from the way she behaved means they had to be some sort of enemies and Si Ning had no idea what might have caused it.

He didn't have any idea what to say and only stared at her while his mouth was left slightly hanging open. If it was a man that insulted him then he wouldn't mind punching him but he would dare not raise his hand on a woman so the least he could do to suppress his anger since that was what comes next after being shocked was to close his mouth and bite his bottom lip slowly till it almost drawn out blood and now he missed his irrational self that would not mind throwing his future away just to talk back but now as a respectable General, he mustn't talk back and especially to his mother in law that just slammed the truth on his face that he could never give Xiu Zhicheng a child.

Si Ning bit his lips hard till it draws out blood and he could taste the metallic taste in his mouth yet he didn't release his lip because he was trying to suppress blurting out that Xiu Zhicheng could also not give him a child and also childishly tell her he wasn't a wretch.

"The last time I left the palace was ten years ago yet I came here today and I allowed you to seduced my son just like the wretch Ling Hanyu and now she knows her place or I will get her disposed." Queen Dowager continued without blinking. "Know your place Si Ning or the Si residence will have to hold a funeral for the head of the house." She said sharply as she placed her perfectly manicured fingers on the table.

Was that a threat?

Did he just got threatened in his own house?

And what was that about allowing him to seduce Xiu Zhicheng? Does that mean she purposely didn't interfere?

"Did... The... Queen Dowager just threatened... me?" Si Ning voiced his thoughts out slowly because it was unbelievable.

He should have referred to himself as her subordinate but he wasn't going to get her the satisfaction of carrying himself as a timid subordinate.

Looking at her expression, she seemed like it was unbelievable he asked her a question like that and it was also unbelievable to Si Ning that he could blurt out a question like that and it might be the first time someone had ever asked her the question to be sure if they were threatened because she narrowed her eyes, dissatisfied.

The Queen Dowager glared at him before wrapping her hands on the teacup and raised it slowly while maintaining her gaze on Si Ning like she wasn't about to lose to him in terms of being the dominant one in the room and also Si Ning might have been trying to look polite and still kneeling but he maintained his gaze on her, watching as she took a sip of her tea and placed the cup down without any distortion in the way she carried herself.

"No it is a warning that if you become the Empress and the moment you enter the palace, your life is in my hands, it belongs to me." She raised her hand and Song Ouyang quickly placed a sheet of thick paper in her hand. "This is the official statement that you surrender half of your army to the Imperial family, sign it." She said and fling it on the floor just a few feet from Si Ning.

Si Ning made no move to take the paper, he was just rigid finally understanding that him not giving up half of his army was the reason she showed up and from how she sat there like the owner of the house had already shown she wasn't going to leave till he signs it.

Seeing that Si Ning was making no move to pick the document made Song Ouyang quickly move and took it then he placed it in front of Si Ning. To seal it he brought out ink from his pouch which Si Ning would use as identification by touching with his thumb and press it on the paper.

"You need to stamp it with the Si family stamp." Song Ouyang told him as he pointed to where to stamp, his expressing like he doesn't want to stay in the room any minute more, his eyes pleading as he tried to make sure he was making some movement for Si Ning to just divert his attention to him.

Si Ning was frozen to the spot, the Queen Dowager didn't seem hostile but acted hostile to him like they were sworn enemies which were more confusing, and then threatened him with death. It was so much to deal with that he couldn't take his eyes off her to even look at the document. Xiu TianZhao was right, it seemed the Imperial family fear him and doesn't want him to have equal rights with the Emperor.

Having a military power was mightier than sitting on the throne and unable to have military power, which means without Si Ning's help in any upcoming war then Xiu would lose, he had lost a lot of army in the last war yet he kept having the request of soldiers trying to join his army all over Xiu, he doesn't know if it was allowed to accept them and that was why he allowed his Commanders to be the one to deal with it.

"General Si Ning?" Song Ouyang called to draw Si Ning's attention to the document he had to sign. He looked impatient as he taps on where to stamp and where to thumbprint.

Si Ning ignored him as he found his nervousness dispersed like it was never there. "Do you perhaps have something against me?" He said boldly because whoever disrespects him doesn't deserve his respect.

It was quite funny he was now thinking like a respectable old man when he was once a wild teenager and an unreasonable man. Fighting and drinking was never his habit but what he does that just to take his mind off not being rich overnight and also made him not think of how shitty his life was.

Now his life was going smoothly but then there had to be some obstacles not that he never expected it but he expected it from Xiu Zhicheng's concubines, not his mother. Acting hostile to him and not even trying to talk politely to him and make him sign the papers means she had something against him and it was written all over her face that she doesn't want Si Ning to be the Empress because that would make Xiu have a new mother of the nation. It was just like facing a jealous dog that Si Ning found interesting.

"Yes, I have against the Si family." She admitted nonchalantly.