The Peach Blossom Valley, serene as a utopian haven, contrasted starkly with the bustling outside world.
Wan Qi, spurring his horse on with urgency, returned to Capital City. He reported to the ailing Empress Dowager the details of his mission to deliver the Marriage Annulment Decree to the Hua Family in Lin'an. He did not withhold a single detail and, after finishing his report, kneeled to beg for the Empress Dowager's forgiveness.
Upon hearing Wan Qi's words, the Empress Dowager's face shifted through shades of green, white, red, and purple for a long time. Angrily, she asked, "Are you saying that there was a traitor among your men? And you had no knowledge of it at all? Someone switched out the decree? And when you pursued the matter, you discovered that it was taken by someone from the Hua Family in Lin'an?"
Wan Qi nodded his head in shame.
