“Your Imperial Highness, what are you doing?” When Qing Zhu saw that Ning Shu had smashed the mermaid pearl, she hastily said, “Your Imperial Highness, this is something the marshal gave you as part of your dowry. This is the only mermaid pearl in the world!”


  It was the only one in the world? Good. Rather than leaving it for the fox, it was more refreshing to smash it herself.

  Ning Shu dusted off her hands and said mildly, “Was in a bad mood so I decided to smash a pearl for fun.”


  “…Your Imperial Highness.” Qing Zhu looked at Ning Shu speechlessly.

  “Clean things up. This empress is going to take a nap.” Ning Shu went back to the bedroom to continue practicing the Unsurpassable Martial Arts. She had to fix her health before she could deal with anything else.

  This round of meditation ended up lasting half the day. Ning Shu only opened her eyes when she got hungry and found that it was already night.

  Qing Zhu was pacing around worriedly outside. When she saw Ning Shu come out, she sighed in relief and asked, “Your Imperial Highness, would you like the evening meal now?”


  “En.” Ning Shu sat down on the chair and palace maids came in with the dishes. Qing Zhu stood next to her and said, “Your Imperial Highness, the little prince came in the afternoon, but left after this servant told him that you were resting.”


  Ning Shu just replied ‘en’ and started eating. The food was not bad. Qing Zhu glanced at Ning Shu cautiously, then carefully said, “Your Imperial Highness, the little prince is still young. Although he likes to play a little too much, it might be because studying is really too hard for him right now.”


  Ning Shu put down her chopsticks. Qing Zhu’s expression changed drastically and she hastily bowed and said, “This servant has overstepped her bounds. This servant deserves to die.”


  Ning Shu looked at the girl. This girl had grown up with the original host. After the original host died, she lowered her presence and lived quietly. She wanted to get revenge for the original host and tried to poison the fox to death, but her plan was seen through and before she could, Huo Qing had already forced her to drink poison.

  Qing Zhu was the daughter of a servant from the marshal’s residence, so when the members of the marshal’s residence were executed, her parents had been killed as well. To get revenge for her master and her parents, she took a desperate risk and ended up dying tragically as well.

  “Qing Zhu, get up.” Ning Shu said mildly, “How could there possibly be a beautiful childhood for someone born in the imperial family?”


  “He’s a child that’s being fed by the collective toil of thousands. He wears luxurious garments, is attended to by countless servants, and doesn’t have to face the hunger and struggles that normal children have to face. However, children in normal families have to start working hard at a young age to help keep their family alive. What beautiful childhoods do they have to speak of? Wherever you’re situated at, you have the duty to take up that position’s responsibility,” said Ning Shu mildly.

  The reason why Huo Chengwang ended up so pitiful could be attributed to nothing but his own laziness and unruliness. Of course, there was also the fox’s opinionated way of raising him. However, those who didn’t have the fates of main leads had no choice but to work hard.

  Ning Shu didn’t know how to raise a child since she had never given birth to a child before. She was even more lost on how to educate a child, so for the time being, she didn’t really want to see that little milkbun.

  Qing Zhu consoled Ning Shu, “The little prince will definitely understand Your Imperial Highness’s painstaking efforts.”


  All children had rebellious instincts. The more you tried to force them to do something, the more they rejected it, so the only choice was to go slowly.

  Ning Shu stayed in her bedroom palace for several days in a row without taking a step out, even when the consorts and concubines came to visit. Qing Zhu kept all of them out, saying that the empress wasn’t feeling well.

  Those consorts and concubines had no choice but to leave even if they were unwilling.