In the end, Empress Chenzhao did not stay the night. She even pushed the Imperial Consort away.
Ever since Xiu Ningchuan had called her by her pet name, the Empress had been acting strangely and started avoiding him.
At first, Xiu Ningchuan thought the Empress was just busy with state affairs and had no time to see him. After all, this had happened before.
But this time was very different.
After nightfall, Empress Chenzhao would summon various officials to her bedchambers to discuss important matters. First, it was Wang Wanbai and Wei Tongyou.
Both of them were women, so when the news reached Xiu Ningchuan, he didn't think much of it.
Afterward, Empress Chenzhao successively summoned several of her male cousins.
Xiu Ningchuan started to grow uneasy. He would even get distracted while playing Go by himself.
