“Get up.” Zhao Xu’s voice was light, but it was clear that he wasn’t in a good mood.

  “Sit.” Zhao Xu lifted his chin slightly.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Ning Shu sat down.

  Zhao Xu said with a displeased look, “We have executed Noble Lady Zhou. Noble Lady Zhou was working with that dancer to attempt to assassinate us.”


  The moment the concubines heard this, they couldn’t help but look at each other in surprise. Noble Lady Zhou had been so favored, and now she was going to disappear from the harem just like this?

  “It is fortunate that Your Majesty noticed this, otherwise the situation of the harem would be unimaginable,” said Ning Shu to Zhao Xu. She noticed that the Daoist priest standing beside Zhao Xu was scanning all the concubines and consorts in the room.

  He was observing her for an especially long time.

  Was Zhao Xu now suspicious of all the consorts and concubines in this harem?

  “The reason we have called you all here is to warn you that we are not blind. We are well aware of everything that occurs. If any of you cause any more trouble, do not blame us for not being polite.”


  “We understand.” All the consorts and concubines stood up to salute Zhao Xu in unison.

  “Issuing new task: have the emperor come to the Palace of Prolonged Autumn tonight.” The virtuous empress system’s mechanical voice suddenly appeared in Ning Shu’s brain. “Task reward: extrasensory perception skill, allows you to sense what other people are thinking.”


  Wow, this skill wasn’t bad. It was giving her such a good skill right off the bat. It was probably trying to make her completely loyal to it so that she would serve as a good puppet.

  Zhao Xu glanced at all the concubines present, then fiddled with the ring on his thumb as he said, “Well, before the start of the new year, everyone’s rank should be advanced.”


  “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace.” Expressions of joy appeared on the concubines’ faces.

  Zhao Xu waved his hand and had the concubines, including Ning Shu, withdraw.

  And so, Ning Shu left once again with the entourage of beauties.

  “Well?” Zhao Xu asked the Daoist priest, “Are there any people that should have been dead but yet are still alive?”


  “No,” said the priest.

  “What about the empress? We told you to pay close attention to the empress?” Zhao Xu stared at the Daoist priest.

  The Daoist priest shook his head. “There is no issue with the empress. She has the aura of the nation’s empress as she should.”


  “Is that so?” Zhao Xu’s expression was indifferent.

  The moment Ning Shu got back to the Palace of Prolonged Autumn, she said to 2333, “Shoot, there’s no way Zhao Xu saw through me, right?”


  A Daoist priest that Zhao Xu actually listens to definitely has some ability. There were plenty of talented people in the world.

  Ning Shu was a little worried that the Taoist priest would find out that she was not Fu Wanhui.

  “What’s there to worry about? Didn’t an entrustor give you a benevolent mother of the world halo? Not only can halos generate faith energy, but it also has an additional effect. As long as this halo is present, as long as your identity is that of an empress, you will be no different from the original host and will possess the destiny of being an empress.”


  “No matter how capable or talented a Daoist priest is, they wouldn’t be able to see past it,” said 2333.

  Was that so? Ning Shu was relieved. She couldn’t help but feel that Zhao Xu was extremely suspicious of her.

  As for the task that the virtuous empress system had released, Ning Shu paid no attention to it.

  Night fell, and Zhao Xu hadn’t come to Ning Shu’s palace, so the virtuous empress system determined that Ning Shu’s mission had failed.

  “The task was a failure. The punishment is the torture of the hot pillar.” The virtuous empress system’s voice was extremely cold.

  The torture of the hot pillar?

  That was a punishment involving tying the person to a copper pillar and burning them to death. It was a torture method invented by King Zhou of the Shang dynasty. It was an extremely brutal method of execution. After the torture, the person’s flesh would be completely charred.

  The temperature of the copper pillar reached nearly 700 degrees. The person would pretty much become like a burnt fried dough stick.

  The system was first tempting her with a powerful skill. The people of the harem each had their own complicated schemes, if she could obtain the extrasensory perception skill, it would be a huge help.

  However, once she failed, the system would use terrifying methods to punish her.

  Under such means, anyone would succumb.