After paying her respects to the Empress, everyone proceeded together to Shoukang Palace.
On this occasion, the Empress did not leave Ye Zao behind alone, but instead advised her, "After all, the Empress Dowager is an elder; it would be good for you to relent a bit and apologize. Do you really intend to spend your whole life kowtowing here?"
Ye Zao raised an eyebrow, thinking that the Empress had truly changed her ways.
But unwilling and deeming it a hassle, she declined with a smile. She continued to kowtow at the Empress Dowager's door as usual, then stood up and waited for them to come out.
Ye Zao thought to herself, when it came to sincerity, was she not the most earnest of them all?
She reckoned that not even the Empress and the others had kowtowed to the Empress Dowager as many times as she had!
