After some foreplay, Zhao Xu entered. He immediately felt completely enclosed. This unexpected sensation caused a fatally titillating sense of excitement that caused Zhao Xu to instantly climax.

  Zhao Xu was stunned and his expression darkened. He propped himself up to gaze into the beautiful eyes of the woman beneath him. Such beauty was hard to find.

  What was going on with this woman? He’d never felt anything like this with her before.

  Zhao Xu tested it again. This time the sensation lasted a bit longer but remained very, very pleasant.

  At the end of the night, Zhao Xu decided to leave, not wanting to remain in Jade Court at all. Before leaving, he examined the scar on Noble Lady Zhou’s back.

  It was already very shallow, almost invisible unless carefully examined.

  Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes, his face darkening. That wound healed far too quickly.

  When he tried to get out of bed, his legs suddenly gave out. It felt as though he had been squeezed dry. Unintentionally, he came more times than he usually did, which caused a strain on his body.

  Zhao Xu glanced at Noble Lady Zhou. She lay there, deeply asleep after passing out from exhaustion, with sweat dripping from her face.

  In the early morning hours of the second day, Noble Lady Zhou’s legs ached beyond comparison, leaving her with a pronounced limp. It felt like her entire body was about to fall apart. She sent her maid to the empress to ask for a leave of absence: not wanting to pay respects in her condition.

  When the maid arrived at the Palace of Prolonged Autumn, the hall was already filled with seated imperial concubines. Facing the gazes of so many people, the maid trembled. She nervously said that Noble Lady Zhou was too unwell to pay her respects.

  After hearing the maid’s words, Ning Shu said indifferently, “Let your noble lady rest properly.”


  “Your Majesty, she just became a noble lady and she’s already like this on the first day? This will escalate later on…”


  “Your Majesty, this concubine is bewildered! Why is a noble lady not coming to pay respects after just attending to His Majesty for the night…?”


  “Exactly…”


  These imperial concubines spoke directly in front of the maid from the Jade Court, whose face flushed with embarrassment.

  Ning Shu waved her hand and allowed the maid to retreat.

  Consort Zhuang’s expression was especially dark. Last night, two people tumbled next door in the middle of the night. She could hear the groaning from the neighboring Jade Court while lying in bed.

  Consort Zhuang hadn’t been favored for almost two months already, which irritated her to no end.

  She hated that vixen, Noble Lady Zhou, with every fiber of her being. Noble Lady Zhou had even claimed willingness to cooperate. Cooperate, my ass. Sure enough, there was nothing left for her, not even a scrap.

  Consort Zhuang’s expression was contemptuous as she said, “I believe Noble Lady Zhou is a fox spirit. When she was held under duress by the assassin, the assassin started foaming at the mouth like a fool. She suffered an injury but in less than ten days she was as healthy and active as ever. If that doesn’t make her a fox spirit, then what exactly is she?”


  “She’s simply a fox spirit who specializes in absorbing men’s vital essence!”


  “It does make sense when you put it like that. Noble Lady Zhou is too charming. I, too, believe Noble Lady Zhou must be possessed by a fox spirit. The previous Noble Lady Zhou certainly wasn’t this beautiful,” Consort Xian said.

  “Could it be that the Cold Palace’s natural environment and climate enhance the beauty of those who stay there, even for a short time?” The other imperial concubines all joined the subject.

  One after another, everyone claimed that Attendant Zhou was a fox spirit. They enumerated all kinds of evidence to prove it.

  Ning Shu drank her tea and allowed the discussion to continue. She waited for a while and then said, “This conversation is getting outrageous. Noble Lady Zhou is a proper human, what exactly are you talking about? And to even claim that she has magic. Did any of you see her using magic?”


  “Cease all talk of such things. The inner palace is forbidden from spreading word about such strange phenomena. It’d be difficult to handle if His Majesty blamed us for such rumors.” Ning Shu looked at Consort Zhuang. “Attendant Zhou is a member of your palace. Do you think your reputation will fare any better if you claim that Attendant Zhou is a demon?”


  Consort Zhuang frowned, “This consort is telling the truth. Attendant Zhou was originally rather peculiar-even before this possession, she concealed secrets. The subject consort has been in the palace for so long. So why hasn’t this consort become that beautiful?”


  Ning Shu: …


  Translator: Kiara