Chapter 1

[You are Qi Nian'an, the niece of the ambitious Prince Yun on the frontier. You entered the palace at the age of fourteen and were granted the title of Consort An. Since childhood, relying on Prince Yun's power, you have been arrogant and domineering, earning a bad reputation and deeply displeasing the emperor. However, the emperor silently endures this in order to completely eliminate Prince Yun's power.]

You are an informant, a spy. Now, your task is to win over the emperor and gain his true affection.

Qi Nian'an looked at the line of small white characters that flashed by in front of him, and let out a long howl.

In her past life, she was a rising idol in the entertainment industry. Her company, recognizing her potential popularity, insisted that she participate in a palace drama where everyone's story ended tragically.

Although she didn't want to, she stayed up all night to finish the script because her best friend was also in the show. Unexpectedly, when she got sleepy and leaned against the script, she ended up being transported into the story.

I remember the script said that the Prince Yun, who was backing her up, had long harbored rebellious intentions and had planted many spies throughout the court.

She didn't look at the rest; she only remembered that her character had been reported.

He died on his eighteenth birthday.

Wrapped in a straw mat, he was thrown into a mass grave.

She looked at the bronze mirror in frustration and scratched her hair, while countless busy hands, blurring her vision, quickly helped her wash and comb her hair.

The personal maid, Nan Zhi, smiled and said, "Today is the day that Consort Ling is hosting a grand banquet to celebrate the entire palace. It just so happens to coincide with your eighteenth birthday. His Majesty summoned the Imperial Household Department early on, saying that he would be celebrating for you today."

"I'm turning eighteen today?!"

Qi Nian'an instantly stopped cursing and jumped up to search for evidence in her room.

Tonight, her men broke into the imperial study and were apprehended in public. Subsequently, the emperor sent men to search her palace and found many secret memorials that had not yet been sent out of the palace. A secret edict was hung on a white silk beam. In an instant, the life of a favored concubine came to an abrupt end.

She quickly gathered all the paper products and stuffed them into Nanzhi's hands.

Seeing this, Nan Zhi quickly dismissed the surrounding maids and stepped forward, saying in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please don't worry. Xiao Linzi has already infiltrated the vicinity of the Imperial Study. Tonight, all our manpower has been dispatched to the Empress Dowager's Palace. There will be no mishaps."

Qi Nian'an stared blankly at Nan Zhi, then suddenly realized and said, "Right, call Xiao Linzi back first. I have a secret mission for you two."

*

The palace banquet was all prepared, and apart from the emperor and empress dowager, all the concubines were present.

With the Empress's position vacant, Consort Yi temporarily took charge. The remaining three consorts and four concubines were all troublesome.

Qi Nian'an was led to stand in front of the seat.

As soon as he sat down, a eunuch announced loudly, "Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Beneath the golden eaves of the palace, the male protagonist, Shao Sizhi, wore a long crown with black hair adorned with nine golden dragons. The dazzling light accentuated his noble bearing and extraordinary temperament. A chilling aura surrounded him. As he stepped into the palace, the previously noisy space instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

His narrow, slightly upturned eyes swept over, devoid of any warmth, fixed directly on Qi Nian'an before instantly looking away.

Qi Nian'an felt a chill inexplicably run down her spine.

Before she could even sit down, Consort Yi, who had been gracefully tending to the flowers and plants beside her, stood up, gazed at her intently for a moment, and walked to the center of the hall.

Qi Nian'an stared longingly at her retreating figure, his chilling aura intensifying.

"Your Majesty, I must expose Consort An's collusion with foreign enemies, the theft of confidential documents, and her interference in the affairs of the previous dynasty—a crime deserving of death!"

She raised her hand, and instantly palace servants filed forward to present evidence.

Shao Sizhi leaned against the couch, not particularly surprised. He stared intently at the mountain of papers, then frowned and gestured for them to be brought over.

He casually picked up the secret letter and said nonchalantly, "Consort An, do you have something to say?"

A deep voice echoed throughout the hall.

Countless eyes turned to look at her.

Qi Nian'an's palms were covered in sweat.

According to the script, she should be crying in despair and questioning the emperor why he treated her this way. Then the emperor coldly says that it was all her choice, and then she should die!

That won't do!

"What evidence is there that I wrote these letters, that I sent them to foreign enemies, and that I never interfered in politics?"

Qi Nian'an stepped forward and looked up at Shao Sizhi.

Consort Yi unfolded a piece of paper with a blank expression:

[At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), His Majesty secretly summoned Fu Kangyu, a high-ranking official in the Central Secretariat, to discuss the issue of the powerful and self-reliant military forces in the Yunling region. Fu Kangyu stated that the Prince of Yun's rebellious intentions were obvious, and His Majesty needed to make a decision as soon as possible to eliminate him.]

"At dawn today, Fu Kangyu was ambushed and killed by bandits in the Yunling area."

"As for the handwriting," she turned and stared sharply into Qi Nian'an's eyes, saying sternly, "Xiao Linzi, one of Consort An's subordinates, has personally identified that these were all written under the coercion of Consort An."

"Even Xiao Linzi himself was only discovered when the general on duty tonight spotted a figure lurking suspiciously outside the Imperial Study and sent someone to arrest him."

The palace gates swung open, and Xiao Linzi was forced inside by numerous guards. Seeing Qi Nian'an staring intently at him, he quickly lowered his head as much as possible.

His body was covered in bloodstains, and it looked like he had just been severely tortured.

Qi Nian'an was startled and turned her head away, unable to bear to look any longer. She asked Nan Zhi in a low voice, "Did I really do it?"

Nan Zhi's lips were already deathly pale, and she replied in a trembling voice, "Logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case."

With everyone's eyes fixed on her, many concubines had already begun to lament that Consort An was muddle-headed. There was no way out in this situation, and there was certainly no excuse for her.

The emperor's unfathomable eyes appeared even colder in the candlelight. He impatiently raised his hand and said indifferently, "Guards, bestow upon him a white silk ribbon."

Immediately, a eunuch presented a tray to Qi Nian'an and pressed closer.

"Wait, I haven't admitted to the crime of treason yet."

Qi Nian'an stood up with a sharp gaze and raised her hand to tear off the white silk ribbon, but her movement was too big and she knocked the eunuch and the tray to the ground.

Seeing this, Consort Yi hurriedly stood up and said sternly, "The evidence is overwhelming, Consort An..."

“I roughly understand that you’re a makeshift operation,” Qi Nian’an interrupted her, “but have you even glanced at what’s written inside?”

"..."

Shao Sizhi frowned, quite puzzled, and gestured for someone to bring out the letters.

"Why hasn't anyone come forward to examine these pieces of evidence to see if they are indeed the evidence you're talking about?"

Qi Nian'an stopped the eunuch, picked up a burning candle from the side, and leaned it towards the tray, thinking that it would light up the light so that he could see it clearly. But if he got too close, the evidence in the tray would immediately burst into flames.

Consort Yi's expression changed. She stepped forward and forcibly pulled out several letters. After examining them carefully, her expression slowly turned strange.

The palace servants extinguished the fire and respectfully presented the evidence to Shao Sizhi.

This time, Shao Sizhi took a serious look and slowly opened one of the letters. After reading it several times, his expression changed repeatedly. He gripped the letter so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if he wanted to punch a hole through the paper.

"It would be better to burn it."

His expression hardened, and his voice was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Qi Nian'an nodded vigorously, then gently patted Xiao Linzi, who was struggling to suppress his laughter while looking down.

"What exactly did I ask you to do?"

"Her Majesty saw that His Majesty was very tired, so she sent me to wait in the Imperial Study. Once His Majesty comes out, I will present my gift."

Xiao Linzi spoke haltingly.

Shao Sizhi rubbed his temples, suppressing his surprise, and asked, "What gift?"

"A portrait of you painted by Consort An herself."

As Xiao Linzi spoke, he slowly took out the painting from his pocket.

Consort Yi pursed her lips, as if she was about to say something, but was interrupted by Qi Nian'an.

"Your Majesty, I also want to report this!"

Qi Nian'an took a few steps forward and raised his voice, "Consort Yi has colluded with foreign enemies, stolen confidential documents, and interfered with the affairs of the previous dynasty—her crimes are unforgivable!"

Nan Zhi pulled a stack of evidence from under the table and handed it to Shao Sizhi's face.

"Your Majesty, this servant has something to report," Xiao Linzi said after receiving a signal. "It's a letter from Lord Ouyang outside the palace, sent by someone. He wants Consort Yi to slip these into Consort An's palace, saying that if Consort Yi isn't eliminated soon, it will shake Ouyang Shi's plans in court. I couldn't bear to see Consort Yi framed, so I kept it. Before I could deal with it..."

His words were spoken haltingly, conveying a profound sense of sorrow and helplessness.

Qi Nian'an added at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, isn't Lord Ouyang Consort Yi's maternal uncle?"

"If the Ouyang family deliberately framed the concubines in order to interfere in politics, then the crime would be more than just interference in politics by the harem."

After a moment of contemplation, Shao Sizhi walked up to Consort Yi, whose face was ashen, and calmly instructed: "Order the Ministry of Justice to immediately arrest Ouyang Shi and seal off the Ouyang residence. The Court of Judicial Review shall conduct a thorough investigation into this matter for me starting today."

"Your Majesty, I also want to report you for disregarding human life, believing rumors, and being utterly incompetent!"

Qi Nian'an suddenly stepped in front of him and Consort Yi, and said sarcastically in a voice that could only be heard by the three of them: "Consort Yi has no choice. If she doesn't help Ouyang, her elderly mother left outside the palace will naturally have a hard time."

"Within the palace walls, who isn't a pawn against their will? If I die today, you'll help Consort Yi so you can control her. If I don't die, Consort Yi is finished, along with her mother, and you'll send me into your game."

Shao Sizhi frowned, staring intently at her with disdain and contempt in his eyes.

Consort Yi burst into tears and kowtowed loudly, saying, "Your Majesty, I had no choice!"

These words silenced the hall once again.

Qi Nian'an sighed and quickly walked towards the flower bed inside the hall.

Everyone was stunned. Who would have thought that she would still have the mind to tend to flowers and plants at this time? They couldn't help but sigh.

For a moment, no one stopped her.

Qi Nian'an snorted coldly, clutching a handful of still-wet mud in her hand.

"What exactly are they pretending to be?"

With that, she swung her arm, and the mud ball traced a beautiful parabola in the air, striking Shao Sizhi's face with perfect accuracy, like a burning firebird.

"So annoying!"

She ran around shouting, her hands full of mud, and everyone she went got a share, causing chaos and confusion.

Shao Sizhi, stunned by the blow, wiped the mud off his face. He was so angry that he couldn't speak. His previous composure was gone, replaced by an ever-growing murderous intent towards her.

Everyone was stunned.

It seems the male lead is determined to kill her. He wants to take advantage of the fact that they haven't seen this scene yet so he can slip away unnoticed!

Qi Nian'an watched as they drew ever closer to the palace entrance.

A figure blocked the doorway. She mustered all her strength to throw the last piece of mud forward, but was hit by the person and saw stars.

She patted the dirt off her clothes and looked ahead.

A surge of immense joy welled up and enveloped her, and her eyes widened instantly.

The person opposite seemed stunned as well, pointing at her for a long time without being able to say a word.

Li Xiaoran sighed, turned her head away and pretended not to know him, but lowered her voice as she passed by and said, "As soon as someone reported that Consort An had gone mad and was wildly swinging mud in all directions, I guessed that you had also transmigrated."

"Your Highness, the Emperor and his guards are bullying me!"

Qi Nian'an pointed to the dusty-faced crowd standing behind him, and began to complain in a loud, whirring voice.

Li Xiaoran looked at her coldly and said in a cold voice, "Consort An has been disrespectful to the Emperor and has spoken out of turn. From this day forward, she shall be brought to my palace and placed under my personal supervision."

Qi Nian'an tilted her head, looking at her best friend, the movie star, with a line of small print appearing before her eyes once again.

[Congratulations, host, you have passed the experimental level and gained the ability to load saves.]

[The mission has officially begun.]