After I Dumped the Emperor, I Became the Empress Dowager

Xiao Suiyan was chosen by the emperor when she was a palace maid, brought into his harem, and then kicked out again. After her term guarding the imperial tombs was over, the emperor suddenly decided he wanted her back in the palace to serve him. Xiao Suiyan politely declined, and received a white silk sash for her trouble. Reborn, she decisively ditched the emperor and went to live in the palace of the mad Retired Emperor. The Retired Emperor was only thirty, yet he spent his days outside with a black cloak over his head and his hair a mess, searching for someone. Who was he looking for? Xiao Suiyan couldn't figure it out. One day, when the Retired Emperor went out searching again, Xiao Suiyan noticed a little note in his hand. The words on it, insulting him, had haunted him for most of his life. Xiao Suiyan took a look. "I wrote this." (Revealed later in the story.) The Retired Emperor had spent half his life arrogant and half of it deranged. He had never crowned an empress, but once his mind was cured, he decided to do every outrageous thing imaginable. * The Retired Emperor is having a very novel kind of breakdown. Xiao Suiyan is forced to go over and gather intelligence. At first: I absolutely cannot let this madman defile me. Later: 1. He really was faking it. 2. My family will only survive if he gets back to work. 3. This man puts in a lot of effort, and the aftercare is excellent. * After being reborn, the Retired Emperor struts around like a peacock, determined to get everyone's attention. He wants the officials to gather around him again, the emperor to bow and call him Father, his empress to be satisfied, and the foreign invaders driven back to their homeland. * [How to Keep a Mad Dog on a Leash] Theme: Be self-reliant and strong in adversity, and pursue a happy life.