Right after meeting Liu Guiya, Yihao broke the door off its hinges with his newfound, uncontrollable strength. As such, he was banned from leaving his room and forced to stabilise his new foundation while Mingshen left the Imperial Palace to track the trails of the brainwashing hairpin seller. Anji learned the Emperor was busy offering incense to his ancestors at the ancestral hall in his monthly routine, while the Empress was praying for them at the small temple at the back with the monks. It was a common routine the royal couple performed to show their devotion to the country and its people. As the ritual was symbolic, it took an entire day, and Liu Guiya was usually free from annoying imperial duties, as consorts are not allowed to participate in the ancestral prayers.
Sitting in the palanquin with the bored Noble Consort, Anji wondered who was humouring whom.
