[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten":3,"chapter-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-184":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simulated to Reality: I Once Looked Down Upon Ten Thousand Ages?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2347199,4587,"Chapter 184: The Grand Empress Dowager, Turning on Herself","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-184",184,"\u003Cp>Deep within the imperial palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brutal blood battle, the dust settled, and victory and defeat were decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager, an elderly woman who had long dwelled deep in the palace, over eighty years of age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spring, as warmth returned, she received the joyful news that Zhou Jinyu had given birth to a prince, and the old woman had become a great-grandmother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman felt warmth in her heart and conceived the idea of sewing tiny shoes for her infant grandson herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For over half a month, she worked tirelessly, her needle and thread weaving a sole dense and tightly stitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sacrificed her afternoon nap time, pouring all her heart into these tiny shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Sanzhong had advised her several times, but could not stop her; the Grand Empress Dowager was elderly and could not withstand such strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager picked up the first of the finished tiger-head cotton baby boots, still in rough shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, she cast it into the charcoal brazier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames roared, and in an instant, it turned to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the old woman slowly walk out of Cining Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had not stepped beyond that sealed threshold in ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A host of eunuchs and palace maids cried out, “The imperial carriage departs!”—daring not to delay!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuchs and maids surrounded her like clouds, guards stood in rows, yet could not hide the faint sorrow on the Grand Empress Dowager’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Zhou Jinyu, dressed in brocade finery, walked closely beside the Empress, radiant, still graceful at over thirty, her skin like congealed fat, radiating the gentle dignity of a mother to all under heaven and quiet inner joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Grand Empress Dowager had won, she had bet correctly again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had bet on the Second Prince becoming lord of the realm, and had become Empress of Daqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now she had bet correctly on the Grand Empress Dowager again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Zhou Jinyu stood Tuoba Hongyan, the Northern Wind prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Hongyan stood tall, yet a faint, barely perceptible unease lingered in his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden palace coup, years of comfort, had made this once-bloodthirsty Northern Wind warrior anxious, increasingly clinging to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had learned that Lu Chen had entered the capital, and his unease deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long palace corridor felt endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu hurried from the direction of Longzong Gate, his battle armor still damp, its splattered bloodstains bearing witness to the battlefield’s cruelty, his entire aura radiating a chilling, heart-stopping lethality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His appearance caused the surrounding young eunuchs to turn pale with fear and scatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s palace had become a hell on earth; the sounds of slaughter had not ceased since dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Palace maids whispered among themselves, speaking of corpses littering the streets outside, adding to the growing panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu strode forward, knelt on one knee, and called out loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Imperial Grandness, I pay homage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Lu, rise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager lightly raised her hand from within her palanquin; her voice was soft, yet carried undeniable authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu looked up, their eyes met, and he saw the Grand Empress Dowager’s weary face, stirring complex emotions within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time spares no one; this Empress, who had witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, could not escape time’s grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke solemnly to the Grand Empress Dowager:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The palace situation has largely been stabilized, but inexplicably, the Emperor’s secret Yu Lin Army remains missing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his gaze slightly, as if awaiting further instruction from the Grand Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinyu heard this and curled her lips into a cold smile; she had long understood the Emperor’s schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Emperor consorts with those great clans, thinking them docile lambs, unaware they are truly wolves and tigers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words revealed profound insight into the struggle for power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the Yu Lin Army, it is merely the Emperor’s self-deception; the true controller has never been the Emperor himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu, though harboring suspicions, said nothing, only listened in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most of the palace’s Jin Wu Guards have been eliminated; several Shumishi have secured the palace gates with their troops; the situation is gradually stabilizing,” Lu Lu continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet, over a thousand elite Jin Wu Guards still hold out in...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the Second Prince in the Southern Study?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, the Emperor is currently in Fengtian Hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of Fengtian Hall, the old woman sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, the sacred hall of Daqing, revered by generations of emperors as the place where ancestors were worshipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Set course for Fengtian Hall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the command, the procession moved slowly forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Zhou Jinyu’s cheeks flushed crimson, like spring peach blossoms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Tuoba Hongyan grew increasingly agitated, his fear harder to suppress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his teeth and finally spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress Dowager, honored aunt, Hongyan suddenly suffers severe abdominal pain—I must go to the privy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager remained silent; Zhou Jinyu gently waved her jade hand and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry and return; the palace is in chaos—be careful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Hongyan departed as instructed, feigning pain; once their attention shifted, he quietly altered his path and slipped swiftly into the shadows of the palace gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager’s phoenix palanquin came to a steady stop before Fengtian Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lower the palanquin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch beside the palanquin’s voice, thin and trembling with tension and awe, hurried forward and gently lifted the golden curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes trembled slightly, a faint trace of sorrow flashing through them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, at this moment, there had always been that familiar, loyal figure—Chen Sanzhong—waiting respectfully by her side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, his absence made this weathered old woman feel a deep ache in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress Dowager?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu, seeing her state, softly called out, his tone filled with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman came back to herself, slowly stepped from the palanquin, and fixed her gaze on the hall—both familiar and strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fengtian Hall loomed tall, its gates tightly shut!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around it, Jin Wu Guards stood in gleaming armor, spears in hand, the atmosphere heavy with dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fewer than a thousand Jin Wu Guards remained to defend; outside, five thousand troops had already surrounded them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin Wu Guards had never expected the city gate captain to launch a covert attack, leaving them severely weakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yu Lin Army’s aid never arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only fight as cornered beasts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinyu stepped forward and asked Lu Lu:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Lu, is the Emperor still inside the hall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu nodded heavily and replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Emperor has held out alone inside for over an hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His demeanor suggests final resolve; though our troops are brave, we dare not act rashly, fearing for the Emperor’s safety.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager understood the hidden meaning. If the Emperor perished here, Lu Lu and the generals would face severe retribution from those who followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter concerned the Son of Heaven; no carelessness or negligence could be tolerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All waited here, hoping for her arrival, awaiting her decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman looked again at Fengtian Hall, her thoughts swirling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew the Second Prince had always been ambitious, always resourceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why rush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reins of power will still be yours in the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allying with Northern Wind only serves to make you a bridegroom; you seek to help unify Daqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet you lured Lu Chen to the Western Depot, plotted to kill Chen Sanzhong, forged the golden arrow to annihilate the Western Depot—you crossed the old woman’s line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Sanzhong, such a loyal servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Sanzhong was ready to sacrifice his life to save Lu Chen’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman’s emotions surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Prince, do you truly torment an old woman on the brink of death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinyu hurried forward to support the Grand Empress Dowager, fearing she might collapse from emotional turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1328,"2026-06-21T01:32:57.622Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b46375a783f48a4e1c5d9785c28a4724621066302b57b7e0cb8680770f685f21","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-185","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-183",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]