"Huh—" Bai Lingxi suddenly remembered that the system had just said that her mission was successful.
"Brother Xiaoqi, did I succeed in my assessment?"
Bai Lingxi was so happy she almost jumped for joy; she knew she would definitely pass the test.
"Yes, congratulations, host! Today, the Emperor has issued an edict to restore the glory of the Bai clan, and the illegal system in this world has been retrieved by the Quick Transmigration Department. The assessment has been successfully completed. Congratulations, host!"
"Can I go back now?"
Bai Lingxi didn't know why, but at this moment she really wanted to see her zookeeper. Seeing Zhou Jin like this made her feel uneasy. She wanted to go back and see him, even just for a moment.
"I'm sorry, host, you must spend your entire life in this world before you can return to the real world."
After Xiao Qi finished speaking, it transformed into a ball of light and flew into the system space, whereupon Bai Lingxi could no longer see it.
Bai Lingxi wanted to say something more, but seeing the system disappear so quickly, she had no choice but to give up, though she still felt uneasy.
——————
Phoenix Palace.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The Phoenix Palace was eerily quiet. It should have been busier at this time of day, but there were no palace servants coming or going. It was eerily quiet.
"Your Majesty, may I go and investigate?"
Even Li Mu felt uneasy seeing such an abnormal scene; he couldn't let the emperor take any risks.
"Need not."
Ever since Zhou Jin learned that she had been poisoned by Gu, she had been pondering who in the palace could understand this Gu.
Consort Yi has been executed, but her body showed no abnormalities. The person who cast the poison would also have their internal organs eroded, so he concluded that Consort Yi was not the murderer.
And at this moment.
The Phoenix Palace looks abnormal.
He thought he seemed to already know the answer.
"Your Majesty, come out."
"Your Majesty is truly insightful; I am utterly incapable of such foresight."
A spirited woman dressed in the Empress's court robes, looking solemn and dignified, emerged from the main hall.
"Li Mu, take your men and retreat."
Zhou Jin did not move, but instead instructed Li Mu to clear the area.
Li Mu had no choice but to obey the order and quietly leave Fengyi Palace with his palace servants.
"Why would the Empress do this?" Zhou Jin's seemingly random question would indeed leave others scratching their heads.
The Empress understood, and she smiled but did not give a direct answer.
"Your Majesty, why was Consort Yi executed?"
"Is it because of her?" Zhou Jin's narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was considering whether this statement was true or false.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you were wise all your life, but you made a foolish mistake this time." The Empress seemed to sigh, turning her head away from the Emperor and instead looking towards Yong'an Palace, her expression as if she were reminiscing, looking through the palace walls at her deceased loved ones.
"She's probably the only one in this palace who truly loves you."
"The Imperial Concubine Yi loves me? Would she have killed so many of my sons? If this is the love you speak of, I would rather you were all hypocrites." Zhou Jin sneered, his words full of disdain.
The Empress's expression remained unchanged, but her tone suddenly shifted: "Your Majesty, how does it feel to be afflicted by the Blood Refining Gu?"
"It really was you!"
Zhou Jin had noticed something was wrong with her body the moment she stepped into the palace, and she had her own suspicions. Now, she was finally certain that it was the Empress who was behind it all.
"What exactly is your purpose? Aren't you afraid I will exterminate your entire family?"
"Your Majesty, you are too naive. If you die, I can use the Empress Dowager to seize power, and then your Zhou family's empire will be entirely in my grasp!"
Zhou Jin laughed twice after hearing this. How ridiculous! Did they think I was really unprepared?
"You failed, otherwise I would have died long ago."
"Yes." The Empress sighed inwardly, thinking that the Emperor was indeed the Emperor; even a hundred empress dowagers would not be a match for him.
"What else do you have to say?"
"Your Majesty, please spare my family. I am willing to reveal all of the Empress Dowager's hidden plans for you."
The empress knelt obediently on the ground, with a do-or-die attitude. She knew she could not escape death and only begged not to implicate her family.
"If what you say is true, I will spare their lives, but you—you will surely die."
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