Mu Yao got up and walked to Ning Shu to kiss her cheek. She hugged Ning Shu’s body which was in so much pain it was convulsing a little. “Imperial Mother, I love you.”


  Ning Shu grinned. “As long as you find happiness.”


  The moment Mu Yao left, Ning Shu couldn’t hold on anymore and vomited another mouthful of blood. There were more bloody bits this time. Ning Shu suspected that her organs were filled with scars at this point.

  The guards Ning Shu sent out found Yuan Jun in a male brothel in Daylily City. Yuan Jun had been treated as a male prostitute and had been defiled by several women.

  The prime minister’s son, Yuan Jun, had already lost his chastity. Furthermore, he was supposed to marry the fourth prince, so it became a huge scandal in Daylily City.

  When Yuan Jun was rescued, he was already in despair and had been planning to commit suicide, but he was saved just in time. Mu Yao ran to Yuan Jun and said that she was going to marry him no matter what, that she didn’t care about reputation.

  The fact that Mu Yao was still willing to marry Yuan Jun despite his situation being like this made the Yuan family very grateful. The wedding proceeded as planned.

  Ning Shu sent quite a lot of jewels over. These things would probably be enough to guarantee that the rest of Mu Yao’s life was comfortable and happy.

  All of the men by Mu Yao’s side loved Mu Yao a lot, so Mu Yao would probably be able to obtain happiness just like in the original storyline.

  What Ning Shu had to do now was have Mu Yao ‘disappear’. Once the fourth prince disappeared from the genealogical record, she naturally will no longer have any more inheritance rights.

  It would be very tragic for a person like Mu Yao to live in the complicated imperial household. She couldn’t win against these people.

  “Your Majesty, the phoenix empress is here.” Court Lady Qiu looked at Ning Shu’s ashen face. “The phoenix empress said that it’s been a long time since he had seen Your Majesty so he’s worried about you.”


  Ning Shu nodded. “Apply cosmetics.”


  The current Ning Shu now faced an issue, which was that she rarely left her bedroom so Liu Changqing was noticing that something was off. It felt like Liu Changqing had come to confirm his suspicions.

  After Court Lady Qiu finished applying the cosmetics, Ning Shu took another antidote pill while chanting the heart-clearing chant.

  “Let him in.” Ning Shu sat down in front of the desk and started flipping through the memorials.

  Before she even saw Liu Changqing, she could already hear the sound of his spotted bamboo flute knocking gently against his jade pendant.

  Ning Shu lifted her head and saw Liu Changqing dressed in a moon-white garment. His walking speed was steady, not too fast nor too slow, so it was very elegant.

  Liu Changqing saluted Ning Shu. “Your Majesty, are you still not feeling well? You haven’t been to the inner palace in a long time.”


  Ning Shu said with a fatigued expression. “We’ve been very worn out lately. It’s truly that we have the desire but not the strength.”


  Liu Changqing furrowed his brows. His calm tone contained traces of concern. “Your Majesty, have you seen an imperial physician? Your Majesty should walk around outside the palace more. Staying in the palace all day looking at memorials easily wears a person out.”


  Ning Shu: →_→


  Why the hell would she walk? To experience the feeling of walking through hell?

  However, as she faced Liu Changqing’s concerned gaze, she forced the corners of her lips up as she said, “Many thanks, Phoenix Empress, for your concern. We’ll take more walks in the future.”


  Liu Changqing walked to the desk and reached out to take Ning Shu’s hand which was contorting from the pain. “Your Majesty, there’s nothing more important than one’s health. Changqing hopes that Your Majesty could have good health.”


  Ning Shu smiled. “We’ll cherish our body properly. Phoenix Empress, you should also look after your own health.”


  #comment: I bet Liu Changqing is the curse medium. (Random guess, this TL-er doesn’t remember either)