By this time, even if the Empress Dowager Jing suddenly became a master of the martial arts, the Emperor would not have been surprised in the least.
The death of a person's heart is but a momentary affair.
Or perhaps, his heart had been slowly withering for a long time, yet he refused to believe it, always waiting for so-called evidence, always hoping they could return to how things once were.
As it turned out, the past was nothing more than an illusory bubble.
With the Dragon Shadow Guard present, no matter how formidable the expert, they could not break through.
Behind him came Empress Dowager Jing's cries and roars, tinged with a hint of hoarseness and exhaustion, along with her low sobs and loud weeping.
The Emperor did not look back even once.
It seemed that the heavens were not in tune with his mood at that moment; they did not bring the abrupt storm he might have expected, and the night was unsettlingly still.
He returned to Huaqing Palace.