"I am currently doing what His Majesty told me to do. You don't need to worry about me. Just focus on your duty to serve His Majesty, Emperor Xianliang."

Of course, the commander wasn't buying it. Obviously, this was not just a simple 'duty' that the Empress had to do because the Emperor told him. This was a banishment, a torturous banishment.

It didn't fit for an Empress who once ruled over them in such benevolence and grace. This was a blatant disgrace for the Empress, but they couldn't do anything since the one ordering such banishment was their own Emperor.

The Golden Emperor that the people loved.

Nobody would care about a male ger Empress who mainly worked from behind his husband back, silently supporting him through thick and thin.

And when they found out that Empress Xiuying couldn't bear a child for the Emperor, they quickly shoved the Empress down to this Cold Palace until his body turned into skin and bones. But the worst was… the Emperor, his husband whom Empress Xiuying supported since the first day he ascended to the dragon throne, did nothing when Empress Xiuying was banished to the Cold Palace.

The commander was raging in his heart, but as the snowflake falls on his head, his rage dissipated when he saw the gentle smile of Empress Xiuying as if there was no grudge in the Empress' heart. He still remembered that His Majesty, Empress Xiuying, was the one who gave him a recommendation letter because he saw a talent in him.

It was such a lifesaver because Commander Huitong was not from a military family. He came from a poor farmer family. He thought he would just be a regular soldier forever.

The commander had a crazy idea in his head, he didn't know if this was the correct thing to do, but he couldn't just ignore the condition of his Empress right now.

The commander raised his head and opened his mouth, "Your Majesty, I can—"

"You should not," Bai Yunyu snipped the commander quickly before he said something ridiculous. He was with his troop right now, and who knew one of the soldiers behind Commander Huitong might be siding with the harem member of the Emperor.

Bai Yunyu didn't want the commander to receive harsh punishment due to his rash behaviour, "Calm yourself down, commander. There is no use in being reckless. You have a family to feed, and I know you are the breadwinner of your family and parents."

"But—"

Bai Yunyu knocked his cane a few times to silence the commander. This was the sign that he wouldn't accept any discussion. Bai Yunyu pointed at the commander with his cane and said, "You are not allowed to talk about this later on. Remember this, I am here because His Majesty asked me to do it. You don't need to worry about me. What you need to worry about is the prosperity and wellbeing of the nation."

"Even something as small as guarding the palace right now, you should do it wholeheartedly," Bai Yunyu said.

The commander clenched his fist, knowing how much Empress Xiuying had sacrificed for this nation but received such injustice from his own husband that he loved.

But Empress Xiuying didn't want to create a ripple in this deep lake. Even if he had to drown, then so be it, as long as the country was safe.

The commander understood and respect the wish of the Empress. He bowed his head deep until he almost kowtowed and said, "I understand, Your Majesty. May you live to see the country prosper and expand its territory in the future, all thanks to you."

Empress Xiuying smiled, satisfied and nodded, "All I want is for the country to be prosperous, and my husband, Emperor Xianliang, to thrive as the best Emperor ever ruled the nation. Please help him in his conquest."

"Now, if you want to search for that intruder in my courtyard, then I allowed you to do it. Just be careful with everything that you touch," Empress Xiuying warned. But the commander refused and replied,

"Your Majesty, there is no need to search such lowly intruder here. We know he is not with you. We will search him in another spot, but please, Your Majesty, please return to your room. It's freezing tonight, and it's not good for your health."

"Thank you for your worry. You may leave now," Bai Yunyu ordered them to leave with a gentle smile that lingered in the soldier's hearts.

Like a warm flickering light that warmed their hearts, the soldiers left the Cold Palace with guilt in their hearts, unable to help such pitiful Empress.

Bai Yunyu took a deep breath. His lung was indeed hurting, probably because he shouldn't be sitting outside on a cold winter night.

Bai Yunyu returned to his room. He staggered with his cane and closed the door. He grimaced as he sat on his thin and cold bed.

"They're gone," Yunyu said to the man hiding behind the wardrobe.

The man covered in black finally left the hiding spot and approached Bai Yunyu. He whistled as he audaciously sat beside Bai Yunyu, "I didn't know that you're the Empress. Are you that beautiful Empress Xiuying? The one famous for his superb talent and beauty?"

"It's such an old tale, I am now but a brittle man," Bai Yunyu replied with a smile.

"You're still beautiful, at least that's what I see," the man said.

"I am now but skin and bones, you can save such flattery to someone that you like outside," Bai Yunyu chuckled lightly.

"Heh, I won't say something like that to any women or ger men outside," the man said. "You're beautiful, there I said it. You're the first one for me to say that, so accept it."

"How impudent. You finally found out about my identity as the Empress, but still, act like a scoundrel," Bai Yunyu wasn't offended with such an act of impudence, though. In fact, it was quite pleasant for him since it had been a while since Yunyu had someone else to talk with other than Meilan.

"Well, that doesn't matter. I'm not from this nation anyway. At least, not anymore," the man scoffed. "Your husband is truly a conqueror, huh?"

"He is," Bai Yunyu replied. "But he is no longer my husband, so whether you'll kill me now or not, it won't affect him so much."

"Ho~ That's a bold statement coming from the Empress~" the man teased, knowing that Bai Yunyu didn't seem to be offended by his impudence. He got braver and slid his butt closer to Bai Yunyu.

"I am no longer an Empress. At least, soon, I will be dethroned," Bai Yunyu said. "Now that I've saved you out of a tight situation, would you mind taking your cover off? So I can see your face clearly."

The man didn't seem to object to Yunyu's request, "Sure."

The man took off the cover that masked his face, and Bai Yunyu was stunned because this person was someone that he recognised fondly. Now Yunyu understood why there was a spark between them when their eyes met.

[So it's him...]