Following this winding path, Tang Youyou walked for a long time before reaching its end.
At the end of the path stood a rather dilapidated house. In front of the house sat an old woman in a tattered cloth shirt.
The old woman hunched over and shuffled step by step towards the distant stream.
Tang Youyou instinctively ran towards the old woman, fearing she might do something rash.
"Old woman, don't jump in!"
Hearing Tang Youyou's voice, the old woman immediately looked over at her. Then she flashed a sinister smile, which was full of eeriness.
Seeing her like this, Tang Youyou was so scared that she took several steps back. The old woman slowly walked towards her, holding a wooden mallet in her hand.
The old woman's reaction was extremely strange, and Tang Youyou, who was standing at a distance, also felt a sense of killing intent.
"You little bitch, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!"
"Me"? Could this person be...
Thinking of this, Tang Youyou quickly dodged the wooden mallet in the old woman's hand. In an instant, she hid behind the old woman and then delivered a chop to the old woman's neck.
In the blink of an eye, the old woman finally lost her balance. Her eyes closed, and she fell to the ground.
Tang Youyou was quick - witted and caught the old woman in her arms to prevent her from getting hurt.
After the old woman calmed down, Tang Youyou took her into the house.
The things in the room were very simple, not at all what a person who claimed to be "Me" should use.
Tang Youyou even began to wonder whether this person was really crazy or had suffered some kind of stimulation.
She carefully placed the old woman on the couch, wiped the dirt off her face, and tidied up the messy things in the room.
It was already afternoon before she knew it, just from simply tidying up the room.
Perhaps because she was hungry, Tang Youyou noticed some spinach and other vegetables in the far corner.
Seeing this, Tang Youyou thought to herself that she never expected that although this small house was dilapidated, it was well - equipped.
Soon, she picked all the vegetables in the yard. It seemed that the old woman really didn't know how precious these things were.
There were scallions, ginger, garlic, and small chilies. There weren't many types of ingredients, but all the essentials were there.
After a while.
A fragrant smell filled the small house. Tang Youyou looked at the food in the big pot with eager eyes.
As the fragrance spread, her stomach growled.
But before she could enjoy the moment, she heard a sound behind her. She quickly turned around but suddenly felt dizzy and then lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, Tang Youyou was awakened by the sound of someone eating.
She saw the person in front of her gobbling up the food in the big pot.
Watching the person eat non - stop, Tang Youyou finally got angry. She began to struggle constantly, trying to break free from the restraints on her body.
But after struggling for a long time, the ropes didn't loosen at all.
She stared at the old woman with resentful eyes as the old woman ate the food she had worked so hard to cook and didn't even give her a bite.
"Old woman, I made all this myself. If you want to eat, go and make it yourself. I even tidied up your shabby house so I'm not freeloading!"
After she finished speaking, the old woman just smiled and continued to eat on her own.
While chewing, she mumbled incoherently, "You little girl, you still want to fight with Me. You're really asking for trouble!"
Perhaps because she wasn't satisfied with her meal, she even came in front of Tang Youyou and deliberately squatted down opposite her to eat heartily.
"Let me go quickly!"
Tang Youyou didn't know how long she had been shouting. By the time the old woman had finished all the food, she still hadn't untied the ropes.
After a long time, as it was getting dark, the old woman finally untied her.
"Girl, if you have nothing to do, don't come to Me's place."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou frowned. She came here today just to find some useful things.
But in the end, she suffered a double loss.
She rubbed her wrists that had been tied for a long time and shook her legs. "May I ask who you are?"
As soon as she asked this question, the old woman smiled knowingly. She proudly raised her head and said, "I am the Empress Dowager!"
Hearing her self - introduction, Tang Youyou didn't believe it.
She had heard too many crazy concubines in the Cold Palace claim to be someone important. She couldn't even remember how many times she had heard such words.
"Yes, yes, yes. You are the Empress Dowager. You just want to cultivate immortality here, so you're not in the harem but in the Cold Palace, right?"
As soon as Tang Youyou finished speaking, the old woman nodded repeatedly. "Right! How do you know all this?"
Looking at her serious expression, Tang Youyou felt embarrassed to expose her. To be honest, she didn't need to argue with a crazy person for no reason.
Since she was fine, she was about to leave, but unexpectedly, the old woman behind her tightly grabbed her.
"Girl, why don't you stay with Me? The vegetables you used just now were all planted by Me. If you still want to eat, there are plenty here."
Tang Youyou shook her head. "Empress Dowager, I just accidentally took your things. I have my own food. I don't need yours."
As soon as her voice fell, she saw the old woman's face turn dark instantly. Her whole face became terrifying, as if she was going to eat Tang Youyou the next moment.
"I don't care. I am the Empress Dowager. How dare you disobey my imperial edict."
Seeing that the old woman was still immersed in her own world, Tang Youyou was completely helpless. Judging from the old woman's situation, it would be a problem if she was left alone here.
Helplessly, Tang Youyou took the old woman back to her own palace on her own initiative.
Looking at the Qiwu Palace, the old woman was full of shock. "Girl, this is the Cold Palace. How did you manage to tidy up the Cold Palace so well?"
Tang Youyou glanced at the old woman indifferently. It seemed that she wasn't completely crazy and still had some memories. At least she remembered that she and Tang Youyou were in the Cold Palace.
"It's just that some small - minded people got the upper hand and framed me here. But I still have to live my life. I can't treat myself badly anywhere, so I thought of tidying up this place."
After she finished speaking, the old woman nodded symbolically, showing her approval of Tang Youyou's behavior.
She said seriously, "Every woman in the harem has her own means. It's really not easy for you to come here and still live in peace. I understand."