On the first day of the new year, Chen Yi and Little Yin finished their breakfast and left the palace. As for Dong Gong Ruoshu and Lin Wanxiao, they were required to stay in the palace during this period.
To say they were staying in the palace was more akin to being controlled. The Empress reviewed the notes kept by the palace maids monitoring and eavesdropping on them, scrutinizing every detail.
The closer the royal wedding approached, the less room there was for error.
The imperial edict granting the marriage had long been drafted and sent out, bearing the Empress Dowager's Seal instead of the Emperor's Seal. This circumvented the court ministers and avoided opposition from the Cabinet, with the Chief of Staff sending it directly from internal administration.
In Jingren Palace, after finishing the review of the notes, the Empress summoned a spy from Xique Pavilion to report on Chen Yi's activities.
