Ning Shu rubbed her forehead. Her head hurt so much it felt like it was about to explode.

  The task wasn’t simple from the start, and her body also wasn’t helping. It hurt so much that she couldn’t even think. She couldn’t even read the memorials anymore and had to rely on Court Lady Qiu to read them to her.

  Furthermore, bruises were starting to appear on her skin. Some of her veins had probably ruptured and the blood was seeping into her skin tissues.

  This trainwreck of a body.

  Ning Shu gritted her teeth. Even if she was going to die, she had to kill off Mu Xue first.

  When the weather was nice, she’d grit her teeth and leave her resting palace to take a walk around. Rumors had already started spreading that the emperor’s health was failing because she was always in her resting palace.

  So Ning Shu had no choice but to drag her broken body out and take a walk around the palace. Every time she got to a new place, Ning Shu would rack her brains for some praise like this flower is so pretty, or that koi looked very plump and strong. In any case, she had to make a little bit of a scene in order to send the message that this emperor was doing perfectly well.

  The painful torture made it so that Ning Shu barely had any strength in her limbs. She always had her hand on Court Lady Qiu’s arm, so Court Lady Qiu had to take most of the pressure.

  “Your Majesty must be tired. Should we head back to the resting palace?” asked Court Lady Qiu.

  Ning Shu’s slightly near-sighted eyes narrowed as she looked towards the nearby pavilion. She asked, “Who’s over there in the pavilion?”


  Court Lady Qiu glanced over, then replied in slight shame. “Your Majesty, it’s the phoenix empress. But I don’t know the other person.”


  “Let’s go see.” There was actually someone that Court Lady Qiu didn’t know in this inner palace?

  When Ning Shu got close, she saw that Liu Changqing was currently talking to a young woman who was about twelve. This girl was wearing very plain clothing and her face was filled with stubbornness. She emitted a ruthless and arrogantly obstinate aura.

  “Your Majesty.” Surprise flashed across Liu Changqing’s face when he saw Ning Shu.

  When the girl next to him saw Ning Shu, her eyes filled with hatred, but her expression was panicked and wary. She clenched her fists as she slowly backed away.

  Ning Shu looked at the girl as she asked Liu Changqing, “Who is this child?”


  A strange expression flashed across Liu Changqing’s face, then he said, “This is Wen Guijun’s daughter. After Wen Guijun passed away, this child has always stayed in the cold palace.”


  No impression. There was no impression of this child in Mu Nichang’s memory at all. This Wen Guijun had been thrown in the cold palace by Mu Nichang, but who would’ve thought he’d have such a big child?

  “What’s your name?” asked Ning Shu.

  The girl just looked at Ning Shu, her eyes filled with ridicule. She refused to speak a word and looked very cynical.

  “Your Majesty, she doesn’t have a name,” said Liu Changqing. “She’s not on the imperial family record.”


  Ning Shu nodded expressionlessly. Ning Shu’s reaction seemed to have provoked that girl. Her expression became filled with hatred and she seemed about to pounce forward like a small wolf to bite Ning Shu, but she also seemed apprehensive that the people in front of her was stronger than her.

  Ning Shu ignored the girl’s expression of bitter hate and addressed Liu Changqing. “Phoenix Empress, what were you talking to this child about?”


  Liu Changqing’s expression was mild as he said, “This child’s pretty pitiful. She doesn’t have enough to eat nor does she have fitting clothes. She even has to fight for food with the lowest ranking servants. Changqing just saw that she seemed pitiful.”


  Ning Shu’s expression didn’t change upon hearing these words. She glanced at the girl, then said, “It’s quite late. We should be returning to the palace to read the memorials.”


  From start to finish, Ning Shu didn’t express any opinion about the existence of this child, so hermanner was the definition of heartless and cold.

  When that girl saw Ning Shu like this, the rims of her eyes became a bit red and her expression filled with loathing.

  Once Ning Shu left, Liu Changqing gently said to the girl, “You should stay with me. No need to go back to the cold palace.”


  He placed his hand on the girl’s head and said with pity, “You’re a noble daughter of the heavenly clan. You shouldn’t be living those kinds of days.”