Upon hearing the words "The Emperor," the Empress Dowager calmed down a bit, but her eyes remained fixed on the silver needle in Xuexue’s hand, looking terrified.

Xuexue gently said, "Empress Dowager, don’t be afraid. I’ll be very gentle; it won’t hurt. If you’re scared, just close your eyes, it’ll be over soon."

However, the Empress Dowager didn’t take in a single word Xuexue said. Her eyes emitted a fearful coldness, still glaring at the silver needle in Xuexue’s hand.

Her expression was as if she wanted to eat someone, and any other eunuchs and palace maids would have been scared to shaking.

Xuexue’s mind was filled with thoughts of those ten thousand taels of gold, not bothered at all by the Empress Dowager’s expression, and she steadied a needle into the Empress Dowager’s head.

The old palace maid watched anxiously, thinking, "Oh my heavens! Such a long needle in the Empress Dowager’s head, can this really be okay? If anything happens to the Empress Dowager, she won’t live either."

"Madam Situ, is...is it safe like...like this?" the old palace maid hurriedly whispered.

Xuexue stopped her needling, frowned unhappily, and sternly said to the old palace maid, "Aunt, if you don’t want the Empress Dowager to have any problems, it’s best not to disturb Xuexue during treatment. Needling is very precise; it can’t be too deep or too shallow, it will affect the efficacy, and a slight deviation could be fatal."

Xuexue’s words terrified the old palace maid, and with a sweep of her eyes, she realized her hand was holding Xuexue’s arm, and she quickly released it, saying repeatedly, "Oh my! Madam Situ, I didn’t know, I’m sorry."

This is about the Empress Dowager’s life, so of course the old palace maid was terrified.

Xuexue glanced at her, "Remember, do not touch me again."

The old palace maid shook her head vigorously, her mouth repeating, "I won’t dare, I won’t dare."

And so, Xuexue inserted more than twenty needles into the Empress Dowager’s head, making it look like a hedgehog.

By the time she inserted the tenth silver needle, the Empress Dowager had already closed her eyes. By the time Xuexue finished, she was softly snoring.

"Oh my! The Empress Dowager has finally fallen asleep." The old palace maid was both surprised and delighted.

The surprise was whether having so many needles in the Empress Dowager’s head was really safe.

The delight, of course, was that after so many days of restlessness, the Empress Dowager was finally asleep.

But how long will she sleep this time?

The old palace maid glanced at the Empress Dowager sleeping soundly in bed and quietly asked, "Madam Situ, how long will the Empress Dowager sleep? And having so many needles in her head, is it all right? Won’t it make her foolish?"

Xuexue glanced at her and asked, "Aunt, do you want the Empress Dowager to recover or not?"

Upon hearing this, the old palace maid became unhappy: "Madam Situ, how can you say such a thing? Over these days, I’ve been caring for the Empress Dowager day and night. Of course, I want her to get better. Seeing the Empress Dowager so worn out, it breaks my heart, and I wish I could suffer in her place."

The old palace maid said as she lifted her sleeve to wipe her tears, appearing misunderstood in her loyal servitude.

Xuexue was extremely helpless: "Aunt, don’t cry."

The old palace maid sobbed as she cried, "Then why do you doubt me?"

Xuexue: "No, no, I just wanted to tell you, the Empress Dowager won’t be made foolish by the needles, she’ll only be made well."

The old palace maid smiled through her tears: "Really?"

Afraid she’d start crying again, Xuexue nodded repeatedly: "Of course it’s true. An hour later, I’ll remove the needles, and the Empress Dowager will sleep through till tomorrow. By then, Aunt, make some light porridge for her. Since her condition has just improved, she shouldn’t eat anything too greasy. Please remember this, Aunt."