As Zhao Douan rushed to the White Horse Hall,
inside the Imperial Palace, Empress Xu Zhenguan was listening to a report from a lady official.
"So, the verdict given by the Imperial Court is 'private escape'?"
The empress, dressed in plain white robes, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, possessed an aura of cold majesty; her face was flawless as she sat on the soft cushioned chair, her elongated eyes fixed intently on the other person.
Her voice carried an undertone of anger.
Dressed as a lady official, her head crowned with a wingless black cap, adorned with a plum blossom makeup at her brows, "Prime Ministeress" Mo Zhaorong bowed her head in response:
"...Yes."
"Hmph." Xu Zhenguan tossed the petition presented by the Imperial Court onto the desk:
"Ma Yan is increasingly shirking his duties; first, there was Zhuang Xiaocheng's intrusion, then the disappearance of the gunsmiths; this vast Capital seems to be like a sieve, unable to stop anyone who wishes to leave."