Chapter 197: Chapter 179

In Liu Bichen’s heart, the empress was a person greedy for pleasure. Although he had tried to admonish her and get her to change her ways, his advice had fallen on deaf ears.

Liu Bichen originally thought that the empress would never change. He never expected to hear such words coming from the empress one day.

“Yes,” Jun Zishu answered.

“Dare I ask why?” Liu Bichen asked curiously.

Things happened for a reason. What exactly happened to this person to change her thoughts?

“I grew tired,” Jun Zishu casually spat out these three words.

However, when Liu Bichen heard these words, his body shuddered, and he couldn’t help but take a careful look at the woman in front of him. Then, he noticed that, unlike in the past, there were no longer any feelings of frivolity coloring those beautiful and mesmerizing eyes. Instead, replacing those frivolous feelings was a cold indifference.

At this moment, Liu Bichen could feel the aura of a true ruler coming from this woman.

Noble, indifferent, unpredictable, and…cold-blooded.

“When I look back at everything I have done these past few years, all of it feels like an absurd dream,” Jun Zishu said as she sat down on a chair, the pearl hairpins on her head swaying along with her movements. Then, after taking a deep breath and exhaling, she said, “I dreamed of my father a few days ago.

“My father has always spoiled me, saying that I am the treasure of his life. Even if I asked for the moon in the sky, he would think of ways to get it for me. He wanted to give the best of everything to me, including the throne.”

Jun Zishu’s expression turned gloomy as she spoke. Then, she looked at Liu Bichen, her eyes filled with melancholy.

“My father is my most beloved person. In that dream that day, I dreamed of when he played with me when I was a child. But then, the scene changed…” Jun Zishu said, letting her words trail off. However, she did not continue her sentence. Instead, she changed the topic and said, “I know many people are not convinced that I deserve the throne. Chu Ying has even said that I am not worthy of it right to my face today.”

Liu Bichen was shocked. However, he dared not make any comments on Chu Ying’s words. Whether the empress was worthy of the throne was not something he or Chu Ying was qualified to say.

“However, I think I am worthy. My father was wise and heroic, and it is only right that I do not bring shame to him to repay his love for me. The moment I came to this realization, I suddenly grew tired of the luxury I have surrounded myself with,” Jun Zishu continued. “Bichen. I trust in your talent. I will pave the way for you, so tell me, can you do it?”

Liu Bichen felt as if he was being strangled when he looked at Jun Zishu’s eyes. Even though Jun Zishu had not once expressed any feelings of anger, he couldn’t help but feel out of breath after listening to her words. At the same time, though, this suffocating sensation also came with a sense of excitement.

“I can! I will serve Your Majesty, even if it means I have to go through fire and face a thousand deaths!”

“Very well. Stand up. I will arrange the path for you to tread on,” Jun Zishu said, smiling. Foolish loyalty could sometimes be a good thing, and she liked Liu Bichen’s foolish loyalty very much right now.

Meanwhile, when Liu Bichen saw Jun Zishu’s smile, his heart suddenly started racing frantically.

He had always known that the empress was beautiful. However, this beauty had always been mired by feelings of vulgarity, capriciousness, and arrogance in the past. Now, though, this beauty was scorching hot, and he found himself shying away from it. In addition, there was also an edge hidden under that nonchalant smile of hers.

Seeing this, Liu Bichen realized that the empress’s change was undoubtedly real.

Afterward, Jun Zishu got up from her seat and walked out of Liu Bichen’s palace, her red embroidered robe glowing brilliantly under the sunlight.

“Farewell, Your Majesty.”

…

After returning to her bedchamber, Jun Zishu summoned her shadow guards.

The imperial family had a private shadow guard that served the empire’s rulers throughout the ages. After the late emperor’s death, these shadow guards had naturally switched to serving the original owner. Meanwhile, thanks to these shadow guards, the original owner had managed to survive multiple assassination attempts.

Jun Zishu had a list of information regarding the shadow guards. She didn’t retrieve the information from the hidden room. Instead, she had Little Fairy scan it and display it before her.

The current Imperial Shadow Guard had twelve members. The members were split between men and women, and every member had their own particular set of strengths.

The information recorded the twelve members’ names, birth origins, and their current whereabouts.

In reality, the Imperial Shadow Guard that the late emperor passed down to the original owner had thirteen members, and the thirteenth member was called Yue Mingsheng.

Indeed, the thirteenth shadow guard was the princess and the original owner’s younger cousin.

Yue Mingsheng couldn’t exactly be considered a shadow guard since she remained by the original owner’s side in broad daylight. Her mother’s identity also wasn’t as simple as an ordinary palace maid.

This was also why the original owner blindly trusted Yue Mingsheng.

The late emperor had told the original owner that the shadow guards’ life and death were at the imperial family’s disposal. They had been thoroughly trained, and there was no need to worry about any possibilities of betrayal.

Otherwise, there was no way the original owner would’ve been so generous as to leave the empire’s affairs to this younger cousin with whom she shared no blood relations.

However, Yue Mingsheng was different from the other shadow guards. She was much more intelligent, possessed a much higher emotional intelligence, and had a more distinctive worldview.

Hence, Yue Mingsheng had made the choice that she felt was most correct in the original storyline. Although it was undeniable that what she had done was a usurpation, she had saved an entire country from destruction in the grand scheme of things. While it was true the dynasty had changed, at least the people were still alive.

“Shadow One.”

A man wearing armor silently appeared before Jun Zishu, kneeling.

“Follow Liu Bichen and take charge of the liaison between us. Protect his safety, and make sure to report back if he misbehaves.”

“Understood.”

“Are you injured?”

Jun Zishu smelled a hint of blood. Although it was subtle, her gut told her that this smell was undoubtedly blood.

“I have already treated it with medication,” Shadow One replied in a hoarse voice, somewhat surprised by Jun Zishu’s keen sense of smell.

The shadow guards were the empress’s shadow, and they followed her around day and night, observing her every movement and protecting her safety. Thus, nobody would know better than them whether this person was truly their master or not.

Meanwhile, Shadow One had seen Jun Zishu’s transformation these past few days, and he couldn’t help but be happy that his master was changing for the better. He was also happy that this prosperous dynasty could continue for another generation.

Previously, although he and the other shadow guards were still willing to serve the empress to death, they were more or less dissatisfied with their master’s behavior. Now that their master had started to behave like an actual emperor, they couldn’t be any happier. After all, who wouldn’t hope that the person they served was someone amazing?

“How did you get injured?”

“Someone sent an assassin to target Your Majesty the night before. We stopped the attack, but the assassin was very powerful.”

“Did you find out who sent the assassin?”

“I apologize for my incompetence, but not yet.”

“No matter. There are many people who wish to kill me. Have Shadow Six and Shadow Seven follow Zeng Qing.”

“Understood.”

Afterward, Shadow One left the bedchamber as quietly as when he arrived.

Once Shadow One had left, Jun Zishu called for Defu and told him to summon Yue Mingsheng to meet her.

Yue Mingsheng responded to the summons and quickly visited Jun Zishu’s bedchamber. Then, she bowed to Jun Zishu and greeted, “Your Majesty.”

“The time has come, Little Sister. Have the relevant people arrange for the harem’s dismissal.”

“Will you be dismissing everyone?” Yue Mingsheng asked for further confirmation.

“With the exception of Liu Bichen and Meng Lanxi,” Jun Zishu said.

Yue Mingsheng subconsciously clenched her fists when she heard Jun Zishu’s answer. Jun Zishu had previously said she would dismiss everyone, so why was she suddenly giving preferential treatment for these two men?

“I have other uses for Liu Bichen. I plan to put him into court. When the time comes, you must take care of him for me, Little Sister. As for the paperwork for his transition, we will treat it as if he never entered the harem. He will also never enter the harem in the future.”

Yue Mingsheng felt slightly relieved after hearing Jun Zishu’s answer. However, she still asked, “What about Meng Lanxi?”

“I cannot let him leave and become a scourge,” Jun Zishu answered without hesitation. She had originally planned to chase Meng Lanxi out of the imperial palace as well. However, she later realized that this might not be a good idea after all.

With Meng Lanxi’s personality, he absolutely would not choose to settle down after getting let out of the palace. After all, he was still young, and he was a man with ambitions. Moreover, he had the talent necessary to realize his ambitions. Most importantly, Meng Lanxi was a very proud and vindictive person. If Jun Zishu let such a person leave the palace, he would definitely have a negative impact on her future.

Although Meng Lanxi’s ultimate goal initially was to pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official, that was no longer the case. Now, taking revenge had become part of his list of goals.

Hence, no matter which power Meng Lanxi affiliated himself with in the future, he would absolutely become a problem for Jun Zishu.

For her safety, Jun Zishu naturally needed to crush him before he could become a problem.

“Does Your Majesty fear him?”

“I’m sure you have read his papers before, Little Sister. This person possesses excellent literary skills, and his unique take on political and military matters could be of great use. When he took the imperial examination, he had a high chance of becoming the top scorer.”

Unfortunately, he had caught the original owner’s eye and got forced into the imperial harem.

“Indeed.”

Yue Mingsheng nodded to Jun Zishu’s words, her expression remaining passive. Although she knew that what Jun Zishu said was true, she couldn’t help but feel upset when she heard Jun Zishu praising Meng Lanxi. Then, when she recalled how Meng Lanxi used to be the person Jun Zishu favored the most, she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Regardless, Yue Mingsheng admitted that Meng Lanxi was an extraordinarily capable person. Normally, she would rarely leave her palace unless absolutely necessary. Yet, recently, she found that there was a three out of five chance that she would meet Meng Lanxi when she left her palace. No matter how she looked at it, their encounters definitely were not coincidences.

“But he hates me. Or should I say, how many people in this harem don’t hate me?” Jun Zishu said. Rather than behaving gloomily, she smiled when she said these words, the arrogance she showed being both aggravating and mesmerizing. “My original intention was to let him leave, but he will certainly want to seek revenge on me with his personality. His mind is very twisted, and he is also incredibly skilled at coaxing people.”

The original owner was a fickle and impatient person. Yet, despite not having slept with Meng Lanxi even once thus far, the original owner had pampered him to no end. One could tell just how talented he was at coaxing others through this situation.

However, the more Yue Mingsheng listened to Jun Zishu praise Meng Lanxi, the darker the shadow in her heart grew.

“So, I cannot let him out. I need to keep him under my watch and make sure he doesn’t try to pull anything. I also want him to watch as I accomplish what he previously thought I couldn’t do step by step.”

“Does Your Majesty still care about him?” Yue Mingsheng suddenly asked, her heart feeling suffocated when she heard Jun Zishu’s words. Under her sleeves, she bent her pinkies until they hurt to keep herself sane.

At the same time, Yue Mingsheng couldn’t help but wonder why she felt so unsettled. She had clearly never shown such a great reaction when hearing Jun Zishu speak fondly of others in the past. She had even found such behavior disgusting. Yet, now, why did she suddenly start caring about what Jun Zishu thought of others?

“How can that be?” Jun Zishu scoffed.

“Then, how about…killing him?”

Yue Mingsheng tilted her head and looked at Jun Zishu, her voice carrying heavy hostility.