The bitter taste of tea in Little Wei's mouth was completely devoured by Mu Miao, leaving her cheeks flushed and her breath uneven. She raised her small hands to push Mu Miao away, flustered as she scrambled off her lap, her mind buzzing with confusion.
Why was Mu Miao angry?
She didn’t understand.
"Let’s eat, let’s eat," Little Wei muttered, her thoughts in disarray.
When exactly had things gone wrong?
Was it when she teased Mu Miao, or when Mu Miao tied her hands that day? No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure it out.
"Alright," Mu Miao replied with a gentle smile.
The imperial cuisine was something Little Wei had never tasted before. While delicious, she was a simple soul at heart—homely dishes suited her palate far better.
Once the meal was finished, Su Zhe arrived with a few palace maids, knocking lightly on the door.
"Lady Mu, Miss Little Wei, His Majesty has sent some items for you."
"Come in," Mu Miao said, her posture poised and her tone soft.
Su Zhe motioned for the maids to bring in several brocade boxes. After dismissing them and closing the door, he retrieved two wooden boxes from his sleeve.
"These are incense ashes from Consort Li’s and Consort De’s palaces. His Majesty visited both earlier, and these were discreetly collected. He requests that Physician Mu examine them carefully."
Unable to see the boxes clearly, Mu Miao relied on Little Wei to open them and hold them to her nose.
Slow-burning incense was a slow-acting poison, but a brief sniff wouldn’t cause harm.
Mu Miao inhaled through her handkerchief before signaling Little Wei to move the box away. Then, she pointed to the one on the right.
Su Zhe’s expression shifted slightly, but he merely lowered his eyes and said, "Thank you, Physician Mu. I will relay the truth to His Majesty. We must trouble you further in the coming days."
As a seasoned palace eunuch, Su Zhe knew better than to discuss matters of imperial consequence with Little Wei.
But that didn’t matter—she had her own advantages.
"Si, which palace does the right box belong to?"
"Consort De, the birth mother of Prince Qi."
In this world, only Consort De and Mu Miao could recognize the slow-burning incense, which was why Consort De had let her guard down.
"Well, isn’t that interesting?" Little Wei mused, rubbing her chin with a sly grin.
"True, but your mission is to break up the couple, not cripple the male lead," Si reminded her dryly.
"What if the male and female leads die..." Little Wei seemed to ignore the warning entirely.
"That doesn’t count as separating them," Si retorted, exasperated yet amused.
Perhaps he’d need to restrict her access to certain items in the future. If Little Wei ever accumulated enough points, she might just waltz into a world and buy ten Doom-shrooms first thing—now that would be a disaster.
"I know, I know. I’ll play it by ear. For now, I still have a way to get my master’s eyes. And I want the male lead to deliver them to me personally," Little Wei declared before downing the Biluochun tea in front of her.
Ugh!
So damn bitter.
Why were ancient people so obsessed with tea?
Unlike her—she preferred plain hot water.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Little Wei, chaos had erupted in Consort De’s palace. The usually composed noblewoman hurled her teacup at a maid’s head.
"How could you be so careless? You couldn’t even dispose of incense ashes properly, letting Eunuch Su steal them!"
The head maid, observing her mistress’s fury, leaned in and whispered, "Your Highness, even if Eunuch Su took them, it doesn’t mean he understands their significance. Right now, Prince Qi’s safety is our priority."
Consort De’s face burned with rage. Of course she knew her precious son came first, but how could she suppress the rumors spreading like wildfire among the commoners?
She had warned them—that wretched girl was nothing but trouble. Yet they insisted on bringing her into the family, and now, at the critical moment, she was failing them.
Consort De loathed Su Qingyun with every fiber of her being.
"You—summon Prince Qi immediately. Tell him his mother wishes to see him."
No sooner had she spoken than Eunuch Su strode in with a retinue of maids. Consort De froze, while the injured maid hastily retreated—though not before Su Zhe noticed.
If this were merely about missing incense ashes, why would Consort De punish a maid so harshly?
After all, wasn’t she renowned for her kindness and virtue, earning her the title of Consort De?
"Consort De, His Majesty decrees that for the next seven days, you are to receive no visitors. The number of attendants in your palace shall also be reduced."
Though Su Zhe smiled, his eyes remained cold.
Consort De nearly lashed out, but the thought of her son falling out of imperial favor held her back. Swallowing her pride, she bowed slightly.
"This consort obeys His Majesty’s command."
With a flick of his hand, Su Zhe had most of Consort De’s staff removed, leaving only a few sweepers and guards outside.
"Wait—Eunuch Su, why must Aunt Xun leave as well?"
Su Zhe lowered his gaze. "His Majesty’s orders. Aunt Xun has served you for years. He has questions for her."
Before Consort De could react, Su Zhe’s expression turned icy.
"Take her away."
No matter how favored she was yesterday, daring to scheme against the Emperor meant Consort De wouldn’t survive even with nine lives.
When Little Wei heard Si’s report, she nearly dropped her jaw.
"The Emperor moves fast. Pretty impressive."
"At his age, nothing matters more than his life. Besides, Consort De’s family lacks influence—that’s why Prince Qi married the Prime Minister’s daughter in the first place."
"The male lead doesn’t seem close to his mother, right?" Little Wei recalled the novel’s description—Consort De had never liked Su Qingyun.
"Have you ever seen a domineering prince who treats his mother well?" Si’s retort shut her up.
True. Wasn’t the female lead drawn to the prince’s overbearing demeanor? And the male lead, thinking it cool, acted the same toward everyone else.
"I think this role suits me perfectly. Next time, find me a world where I can be a CEO."
The immersion was strong—she could already picture herself speeding around in a Ferrari.
"That depends on luck," Si said, unable to predict which world or identity she’d land in next.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Little Wei stretched lazily.
Time flew in the palace. Over those seven days, the Emperor, revitalized by Mu Miao’s treatments, found his back pain gone, his legs stronger, and even his vigor restored.
His gratitude extended to both Mu Miao and Little Wei, treating them with exceptional lenience.
"Miss Little Wei, about Physician Mu’s eyes... is there any hope?" The Emperor had long admired Mu Miao’s gaze, lamenting its loss.
"It’s a long story," Little Wei sighed, glancing at her master feeding koi in the distance. With a pitiful expression, she recounted Su Qingyun’s misdeeds.
"No wonder Consort De regained her sight years ago. That vile woman—her methods were never righteous." The Emperor’s face darkened at the mention of Consort De.
Aunt Xun, unable to endure the palace’s interrogations, had confessed everything. Now, Consort De languished in the cold palace.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
le for a sister-in-law. But Xu Mu couldn’t bring himself to rejoice. The reason? He had transmigrated into the brainless villain of a novel—one who abused his wife, forced the Dragon King’s sister to live in a doghouse, and ended up having his ashes scattered upon the Dragon King’s return. Fortunately, Xu Mu awakened the "Justice System," and he was determined to rewrite his doomed fate. A wife should be cherished, and of course, his sister-in-law deserved to sleep in the villa’s cozy bed. When the Dragon King finally returned, he was greeted by a loving and harmonious family. Xu Mu soon realized that aside from the Dragon King, countless other protagonists began emerging—all targeting him—forcing him to fight back. You have a few breathtakingly beautiful senior sisters? Sorry, but they’re my senior sisters now. You’re a retired soldier king searching for your first love? Too bad—your "white moonlight" already sees me as hers. …
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
