"Let's get ready, then. Tomorrow is the first time we'll be paying respects to the Empress Dowager. We must not be rude." Song Yunzhao found these formalities tiresome, but in the harem, they were unavoidable.
'The Empress Dowager's return to the palace really does give people an opportunity to stir up trouble.'
That night, Feng Yi did not return to the harem. The lights in Taiji Palace weren't extinguished until 9 p.m.
The next morning, Song Yunzhao was woken up very early. In the past, with no one in the harem to pay respects to, she had always slept until she woke naturally. Of course, she would sometimes pretend to be virtuous and see the Emperor off to morning court, but not very often.
'To think that from now on, I'll be forced to wake up early every day… It feels like I'm back in my days as a wage slave. So tough.'
