Wei Mansion.
　　"Your Highness has come in person, and my humble mansion is honored. Please forgive me for not being able to welcome you from afar."
　　Old Madam Wei is over seventy years old, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, with a hunched body and gray hair, but kind eyes and a gentle face. Behind her, there are more than twenty female relatives of the Wei Mansion, big and small. Among them, according to the generation, those with imperial titles are in front, those who are young and untitled are in the back, and the eldest son's direct descendants are in front. Only a little girl about sixteen or seventeen years old follows behind the right hand of Old Madam Wei, combing her hair into a bun, with a green face and timidity. She is the eldest son's direct granddaughter-in-law of the Wei Mansion.
　　"Madam, please stand up." Dong Lingjiu extended his hand to help her up. "It is my fault for visiting without an invitation letter."
　　"What have you done wrong, Madam? This is the blessing of me and these young people." Madam Wei smiled kindly, and she placed her other hand on the back of Dong Lingjiu's hand. "This is not a place to talk. Please come in, Madam."
　　The two followed the direction of Madam Wei's finger and walked towards the inner house of the Wei Mansion. The female family members and young people behind them all showed fear and panic, but also a little complacent. They were obviously very proud of the arrival of the Queen Mother, and thought that the Wei Mansion was favored by the court and had this honor.
　　But although the old lady had a kind face, there was no happiness in her eyes - she was old, and although there were signs of aging and frailty, she could smell the uneasiness in the air faster than ordinary people.
　　After entering the inner house, the old lady invited Dong Lingjiu to the seat of honor, ordered someone to serve tea, sat down with her and said: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My old bones are about to fall apart and be buried in the ground, but I never thought that there would be such great grace and decency."
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "It has been..." "Twenty-three years have passed since I first met you, Madam
　　." said the old lady Wei.
　　"Twenty-three years..." Dong Lingjiu said gently, "I was still young, not yet of marriageable age. When I came to the mansion with my father, the old lady advised me not to focus on the Four Books and Five Classics, but to read more "Instructions for Women" and "Rules for Women" so that I could have a good future."
　　Madam Wei's face froze for a moment, and she continued, "I am a confused person. When I saw the queen in the past, I was so happy and loved her so much that I couldn't bear to let her go. But the queen is a phoenix soaring in the sky. How can our mortal and petty views trap the queen?"
　　"We are mortals in the world. This world is made up of millions of mortals, and I am no exception." Dong Lingjiu said, "The public mouth can melt gold, and people's words are scary. Who can forget them completely?"
　　The old lady wiped her white hair with a corner of her handkerchief. She was not sweating, but her voice became cautious: "You are too modest. I have a narrow vision and have been confined to this mansion all my life. I can only glimpse the world at the bottom of the well. Please forgive me, queen."
　　"The old lady is innocent, so why should I forgive her?" Dong Lingjiu turned to look at her, his eyes as gentle as water waves, "I just have one question, which I didn't ask clearly back then. What kind of future did the lady talk about?"
　　There is no need to answer this question.
　　In this era, in this feudal dynasty, what is a "good future for women"? Of course, it means marrying a promising and motivated man, being rich and respected. If you can use your family's strength to help, it will be considered "glorifying the family". But
　　can you say this to Dong Lingjiu?
　　Who dares to say this to her? Is it because you haven't completely angered her yet?
　　When the previous emperor was still alive, this master went against this kind of "future" of being content with the harem. In the past 20 years, there have been people who have submitted memorials, met with the emperor in person, and even used this as an excuse to rebel and assassinate... There have been all kinds of things like this! Dong Lingjiu had accompanied Emperor Mingde to sit in the Golden Palace. There were countless men in this world who wanted her dead. If she said this to her, wouldn't that be courting her own destruction?
　　Old Madam Wei's mind raced, thinking hastily. It had been twenty-three years, and she had never cared about it for many years. Why did she bring it up today?
　　"Madam..." As soon as she called out these two words, Dong Lingjiu raised his hand, indicating that she didn't have to answer.
　　The old lady fell silent.
　　Dong Lingjiu lowered his head and took a sip of tea. He looked around and suddenly smiled. He pointed to the screen and window on the left side of the backyard of the Wei Mansion and said to her gently, "I have been away for many years, but the furnishings here have not changed. This screen is still so inconspicuous. The paintings on it have faded. I bumped into it back then."
　　Madam Wei smiled and recalled, "The queen said at that time that the color of this screen was too light. Although it was elegant and noble, it was too high and everyone disliked it."
　　"Madam, you still remember the childhood joke." Dong Lingjiu said, "Things have not changed, people have not changed, and your house is still full of the smell of stale ink and paper."
　　She was not talking about the real smell, but the family style of the Wei Mansion, just like this faded screen, stubborn, stale, and full of the smell of rotting books and ink.
　　"Go and change the incense." Madam Wei pretended not to know, and did not dare to continue the topic. She just turned around and told the maid.
　　Dong Lingjiu didn't care and said, "Your grandson got an official position by virtue of the favor of the emperor. It may not be easy for your granddaughter-in-law to get a title... Child, come here."
　　Among the female relatives, several people of status all sat upright, lowered their heads and kept silent, not daring to disturb the conversation between the Empress Dowager and the old ancestor. Only the eldest granddaughter-in-law raised her eyes quickly, looked at Dong Lingjiu, and immediately lowered her head.
　　The girl stood up, trembling with nervousness. She walked forward, knelt down with a graceful figure, bowed her head and said, "Tan Nu greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live a long and healthy life."
　　Dong Lingjiu drank tea without saying a word. Madam Wei beside her suddenly realized something. Her face suddenly changed, and the female official behind Dong Lingjiu spoke.
　　"How dare you! The word 'Tan' is a taboo for your majesty."
　　The old lady immediately stood up from her chair, leaning on her cane and about to speak, Dong Lingjiu held her arm, gently but with great pressure.
　　She asked, "Which word is this?"
　　The girl was so scared that she dared not breathe, her eyes were full of tears, and she stammered, "Sun above and clouds below..."
　　"Well, it's okay." Dong Lingjiu gently lifted the cover, "Have you ever read a book?"
　　The girl hesitated for a while and said, "No... I only know a few words."
　　"In your family, knowing a few words is already good enough." Dong Lingjiu said, "You are not reading "Female Rules" or "Female Training" again, are you?"
　　The girl's hands were tangled and clenched together, and she lowered her head and dared not answer.
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled and said, "It's okay. You come to the palace and I will teach you to read. Just be...be the princess's companion. Yingying is a few years older than you. Now she is in the Dali Temple with Mr. Wang to compile laws. You don't have to go to the Dali Temple. Just study and write with the female minister in the palace. But if you do that, your grandmother from your husband's family probably won't like you. Being ignorant and clumsy, surviving in the cracks, and being easily manipulated are the ways of survival for many vulnerable creatures to be favored and benefited."
　　She said this with a sigh.
　　The room was silent. The tip of Mrs. Wei's nose was already oozing with sweat. She tightened and loosened her hand holding the cane, and her mind was already connected to the previous dynasty. She guessed that today's incident was probably related to the cause and effect of the previous dynasty.
　　Dong Lingjiu continued to ask, "Are you willing?"
　　The girl's face was also obviously sweaty. It was not known whether she was afraid or nervous. She said in a trembling voice, "I...I..."
　　She secretly looked at Madam Wei, but the old lady did not dare to make any clear statement. Since Dong Lingjiu asked this question, she was asking her own opinion. Once the old lady gave any clear instructions, it might make Empress Dowager Dong unhappy.
　　Seeing that her grandmother did not give any hints, the girl mustered up the courage to look at Dong Lingjiu. She was facing him at such a close distance, and she could not help but be stunned for a moment, and then she said with a chattering voice: "...I am willing, I am willing..."
　　Dong Lingjiu looked at her with a smile and nodded.
　　The female official stepped forward, helped the girl up, took her in her hands, and brought her behind Dong Lingjiu.
　　This set of procedures was so familiar that Madam Wei's teeth were sour - what was she doing here? How come there is no clear purpose at this juncture, and she brought my granddaughter-in-law to the palace to go to school?
　　The old lady had a lot of thoughts in her mind, and hundreds of emotions were mixed together, and she recalled chaotically.
　　Dong Lingjiu drank another cup of tea and chatted with her. When it was almost sunset, the two of them had dinner with the women in the back house. Dong Lingjiu finally waited for Wei Zefang, who had been late to show up.
　　Doctor Wei invited Queen Mother Dong into the hall to discuss matters, leaving the female officials and his son who also had an official position in the court. All the women of the Wei family who had accompanied her all day left.
　　At sunset, the dim golden light fell on the steps.
　　Wei Zefang leaned over to salute her.
　　Dong Lingjiu stood in the middle, his fingers fell on the lid of the porcelain cup, and his fingers stroked the delicate surface of the tea set: "You are very patient."
　　"Empress Dowager--" Wei Zefang emphasized his tone, "Although this old minister is dull, he also knows why the Empress Dowager came here in person! This matter is not something that this old minister is nagging about, but it is against the principles of heaven and morality!"
　　Dong Lingjiu had waited for him for a day and had lost her patience. Her voice was filled with a chilling feeling: "What is the principles of heaven and morality, what is human morality? Don't make me sick with those polite words!"
　　She and Zheng Junzhi are neither relatives nor have families. There are only two points that make Wei Zefang talk about these eight words.
　　"Do you think that I am a woman who acts unruly and does not stay a widow, which means I am lewd and dissolute, or do you think that I am disrespectful to my elders and greedy for youth?" She said these two points in a practical way, saving Wei Zefang the time to question her, and suddenly added one more point as if she remembered something, "Or do you think that women touched by the ancient saints should be packaged as a symbol of chastity for people to worship, and any slight touch is a provocation to the ancient saints?"
　　At the end, Dong Lingjiu almost extinguished his anger because of this ridiculousness, and his tone became slow again.
　　"This is not a provocation to the late emperor," Dong Lingjiu looked at him, "It's to you. I find that sometimes people are very interesting, and they can empathize with this kind of thing and be indignant about it."
　　"Empress!" Wei Zefang knelt down with a plop.
　　"Doctor Wei, you are so old, I can't bear it." After Dong Lingjiu finished speaking, the female officials and eunuchs beside him had come forward to support him.
　　"Your Highness, I am loyal to the late emperor, and the sun and the moon can bear witness to it! I admire you, and the heavens and the earth can express it! But you... you are a woman after all. This man is extremely absurd and has caused chaos in the palace. Everyone knows it, even if it is not 100% accurate, there is an 80% certainty. Even if there is no evidence of guilt, how can the court and the people endure this kind of thing!"
　　Wei Zefang became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally burst into tears. If it were not for the eunuchs around him supporting him, he would have fallen to the ground and cried bitterly.
　　Corresponding to this, Dong Lingjiu suddenly became calm. When she heard the word "after all", she was already accustomed to it and immune to it. Therefore, her anger dissipated instead. She casually turned the red coral bracelet in her hand, stood in front of the screen, and raised her fingers to touch the green distant mountains painted on it.
　　Dong Lingjiu said lightly: "But I ask you to endure it."
　　Wei Zefang looked at her back and fell down dejectedly.
　　The cold wind was blowing outside the hall.
　　"If I force you to death here, the whole government and the people will be furious. But if you want to die by hitting your head against the pillar and save the reputation of the Censorate, you should also consider the old lady's age." Dong Lingjiu turned around and looked at him with lowered eyes, "Doctor Wei, I remember that on the first day of my participation in politics, you shouted that the former court and the harem should be clearly distinguished, and even wrote a letter to ask the late emperor to depose the empress... Over the years, you have dissuaded me from doing many things, big and small, but have you succeeded?"
　　She took a few steps forward and helped Wei Zefang up with her own hands. Suddenly, she changed the subject and said, "Your eldest granddaughter-in-law is very smart and beautiful. I took her to my side and taught her personally for a few years."
　　Wei Zefang's hands clenched.
　　"I hope she can... have a good future." She said.
　　The author has something to say:
　　The first line: Kindness and compassion to protect all officials, the second line: wise and powerful model of the world. Horizontal banner: Bear with it.