Ning Shu had been training for a while, but she didn’t really feel any effects. Perhaps it was because this body’s aptitude was too poor so she couldn’t really get any results.

  She was a little vexed, but she also couldn’t pinpoint where this feeling was coming from. It might’ve be because she wasn’t feeling well, so it was affecting her mood. After all, the Unsurpassable Martial Arts which had always worked in the past didn’t seem to really work for this body.

  Ning Shu was now determined to train until she achieved some results. This body always kept her in a constant state of slight vexation.

  Furthermore, this body was addicted to those pills. That itchy feeling in her heart was the desire to take more pills.

  After training for a good while, there were still no visible results, but she did sweat a lot of muddy and slightly red sweat. It was probably the poison from the pills that had built up in her body. The red color probably came from the cinnabar.

  After taking a nice long bath, she felt a lot more refreshed and her head also felt clearer.

  She read memorials for another while, then decided to take a walk to relax and hopefully alleviate some of that persisting irritation in her heart.

  If she wanted to complete the task, she had to stay calm. She would only be able to notice changes in the surroundings if she kept her heart calm.

  After strolling around the imperial garden for a while, she encountered a male consort frolicking in the garden. This consort had very alluring looks and was wearing an outfit that seemed to be made of gauze. The two brilliant red cherries on his chest was visible through the see-through material. Although it was very alluring, it was obvious with a single glance that it was a man.

  When the consort saw Ning Shu, his eyes instantly lit up. It was like when an ant spotted sugar, he immediately pounced over.

  The moment the consort got close, Ning Shu smelled his heavy incense and tactfully took a couple steps back.

  “Your Majesty, why haven’t you been visiting Yue lately? Yue really missed Your Majesty,” said the consort with a pout.

  Ning Shu lifted her brows. “The phoenix empress didn’t tell you? We haven’t been feeling well lately, so we will not be visiting the inner palace.”


  The consort called Yue pouted unhappily without saying anything. Ning Shu knew from his expression that the phoenix empress had passed this on to these consorts.

  It was obvious that Liu Changqing was a man with ability. He had been able to look after the inner palace for the original host very well.

  So Ning Shu didn’t really understand why Mu Nichang had thrown him in the cold palace. Was it because of the crown prince?

  Mu Nichang probably had feelings for Liu Changqing, so why did she never visit him again?

  “If there’s nothing important, you should just stay in your palace. With the sun this strong, your skin will get burned,” said Ning Shu.

  “Really?” The consort touched his face, then curtsied towards Ning Shu and hastily left.

  All the men in the inner palace relied on their looks to gain favor, so they naturally cared a lot about their looks.

  Ning Shu wandered around for a while, then ended up in front of Liu Changqing’s Phoenix Perch Palace again. Just as she was considering whether or not to go in, she saw Mu Xue walk out from the palace.

  When Mu Xue saw Ning Shu, she was stunned for a moment, then she hastily walked over to salute Ning Shu.

  Ning Shu looked at Mu Xue. Her gaze flickered as she asked, “Crown Prince had come to visit the phoenix empress?”


  “Yes, this subject daughter had come to visit Imperial Father and was just about to leave,” said Mu Xue respectfully.

  Ning Shu didn’t know if she was just imagining things, but although Mu Xue was clearly very respectful, she got the feeling that Mu Xue didn’t really respect her.

  Ning Shu nodded and Mu Xue quickly excused herself. Ning Shu watched as Mu Xue walked away. The more she looked at Mu Xue, the more she felt like Mu Xue seemed like a man. Women had softer postures so when they walked, it was unavoidable for their waists to sway slightly.

  However, Mu Xue walked with her back very straight. Ning Shu was pretty sure that she was pinching her butt to force her body to maintain this posture.

  Ning Shu glanced at Phoenix Perch Palace. She didn’t plan to go in anymore. Every time she saw Liu Changqing, it felt awkward.

  She wasn’t Mu Nichang after all. If Liu Changqing ended up noticing anything, it’d be bad.

  She turned and left to head back to her own palace.

  Once she got back, she sent out some more hidden guards to have them observe the second prince Mu Meng and the third prince, Mu Rou. She wanted to see if one of these two would a good candidate for emperor. If it came to it, she’d look into a younger prince and just make more arrangements to guarantee the stability of the nation.

  In any case, she finally figured it out now. Mu Nichang basically wanted to make sure that men couldn’t take over the nation and that the nation remained in the hands of the Mu family.

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