The moonlight was thick, the shadows of the trees were swaying, and the stars were twinkling.
Ye Chuchu bought another speed talisman in the system shop, stuck it on her body, and with a “whoosh,” she quickly ran out of sight.
Zhazha: [To the left, to the left.]
[To the right, to the right, then take a turn ahead…]
Zhazha had been diligently giving directions. It had to inform Ye Chuchu in advance, or with the speed of the talisman, she would easily crash into walls, trees, and all sorts of obstacles.
Slowly, Ye Chuchu gradually grew accustomed to the speed of the talisman, and only then did she relax a little.
Ye Chuchu: [Zhazha, why are there so many talismans in the system shop?]
Zhazha: [Hehe, Little Chuchu, to tell you the truth, this is actually a cultivation system.]
[Originally, I was supposed to take you to the cultivation world.]
[But, there was a tiny accident, so I could only bring you to this副本 (dungeon/side-story world).]
Ye Chuchu: [What kind of accident?]
Zhazha: [I overslept…]
Ye Chuchu: […]
[Fine, fine, Zhazha, exchange a durian-flavored vocalization pill for me.]
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu, you want to eat it while running?]
Ye Chuchu: [Yeah, I’ve gotten the hang of running now.]
Zhazha: [Alrighty!]
[Ding ding ding, congratulations to the host, you have successfully exchanged for one durian-flavored vocalization pill!]
Ye Chuchu ran at high speed, her arms cradling a large round ball bigger than her head. This large ball was emitting a pungent, rich durian scent.
Ye Chuchu: [Ugh… what a huge ball!]
Zhazha: [Hehe, I know you like eating durian, Little Chuchu, so I specifically picked the biggest one for you.]
Ye Chuchu: [You dog, still not telling the truth.]
Zhazha: [Hehe, Little Chuchu is so smart. Actually, it’s because this system is too low-level and can only exchange for balls of this size!]
Ye Chuchu rolled her eyes in silence, opened her mouth, and took a bite of the durian ball that was bigger than her head. The taste was quite good, authentic durian flavor.
As she ate, she followed Zhazha’s instructions and ran toward the Imperial Noble Consort’s Hibiscus Palace.
A team of patrolling guards suddenly felt a gust of wind blow past, and that wind carried a thick, foul odor. Confusion arose in everyone’s hearts.
“That wind just now was so strange.”
“Yeah, it smelled like… feces.”
“You smelled it too? I thought something was wrong with my nose.”
“I smelled it too…”
…
Ye Chuchu cradled the unfinished durian-flavored vocalization ball and stood at the entrance of a grand palace, looking at the three large characters written on the plaque: “Hibiscus Palace.”
This palace was even more magnificent than her second sister’s Fanghua Palace; it was worthy of the place where an Imperial Noble Consort lived. Even the palace walls were higher than her sister’s!
Ye Chuchu had used the speed talisman, so she had arrived at the Hibiscus Palace before Eunuch Lin and his group.
Looking at that high wall, Ye Chuchu took another bite of the durian ball.
Ye Chuchu: [Zhazha, can I exchange for a climbing ladder in the system shop?]
Zhazha: [Yes, yes! A standard wooden ladder is 500 points.]
[A high-end metal ladder is 1,000 points.]
[A top-tier supreme ladder, with a cute frog design, is 2,000 points.]
[A top-tier intelligent automatic gossip-eating ladder, which can extend to the wall’s height and shrink to fit in your pocket—a must-have for gossip-eating—is 3,000 points!]
Ye Chuchu chose the top-tier intelligent automatic climbing ladder without hesitation. She loved the automatic extension and pocket-shrink functions!
[Ding ding dong… the top-tier intelligent automatic climbing ladder has been successfully exchanged!]
A ladder the size of a fingernail appeared in Ye Chuchu’s palm. She looked at the tiny ladder, her mouth hanging wide open.
[It’s certainly small enough to fit in my pocket; I can climb walls and eat gossip anytime from now on.]
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu, place this ladder against the wall, and it will automatically grow larger.]
Before long, Ye Chuchu had climbed onto the top of the Hibiscus Palace wall. She found the best vantage point, shielded by a large pagoda tree, and adjusted into the most comfortable position. Poking half her head out, she ate her durian ball while waiting for Eunuch Lin and the others to arrive.
“Ah…”
“Spare me, Your Ladyship, spare me, Imperial Noble Consort…”
“This maid will never dare again, never again…”
The terrified sobbing of a maid came from inside.
Ye Chuchu’s eyes lit up, and she peeked inside. She saw a woman dressed in light red palace robes, holding a whip in her hand, furiously whipping a maid kneeling on the ground. The maid hung her head, trembling, her clothes already tattered and stained red with blood.
Ye Chuchu: [Zhazha, is that woman in red the Imperial Noble Consort?]
[What mistake did that little maid make?]
Zhazha: [Yes, that’s the Imperial Noble Consort.]
[Little Chuchu, there’s gossip inside. Do you want to hear it?]
Ye Chuchu ate the durian ball with gusto and said muffledly: [Yes, yes, yes!]
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu, that maid kneeling on the ground is named Lianmei, and she serves the Eleventh Prince.]
[When the Eleventh Prince was still in his swaddling clothes, Lianmei was by his side, attending to him meticulously, raising him by changing his diapers and feeding him.]
[The Eleventh Prince is incredibly good to Lianmei.]
[He even wants Lianmei to accompany him when he eats and sleeps!]
Ye Chuchu: [How old is the Eleventh Prince?]
Zhazha: [He’s twelve.]
Ye Chuchu: [Twelve is not that young anymore. What’s up with that? He still needs someone to accompany him to eat and sleep?]
[He’s like a nursing baby who hasn’t grown up.]
Zhazha: [Not exactly, Little Chuchu. A twelve-year-old boy’s mind is not pure.]
Ye Chuchu: [How is it not pure?]
Zhazha: [Today, the Imperial Noble Consort went to see the Eleventh Prince and discovered that he was holding Lianmei and kissing her.]
[His hands had already reached inside her clothes.]
[The two of them were kissing so passionately that they didn’t even notice when the Imperial Noble Consort walked in.]
[At that moment, the Imperial Noble Consort was trembling with rage.]
Ye Chuchu: [Sure enough, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too. A child born to a Chen family woman is destined to be twisted.]
[What happened later?]
Zhazha: [After she discovered them, the Imperial Noble Consort wanted to beat Lianmei to death, but the Eleventh Prince blocked her, saying he liked Lianmei and wanted to marry her as his princess in the future.]
[The Imperial Noble Consort was so angry she nearly vomited blood.]
Ye Chuchu: [Hahaha…]
[Serves her right…]
Zhazha: [The Imperial Noble Consort had the Eleventh Prince locked up and dragged Lianmei to the Hibiscus Palace.]
[The Imperial Noble Consort, already furious because her maternal family was wiped out, vented all her anger on Lianmei.]
[It looks like this maid, Lianmei, is going to be beaten to death by the Imperial Noble Consort tonight.]
Ye Chuchu: [The Eleventh Prince is twelve and wants to marry Lianmei as his princess; someone must have instigated this, right?]
Zhazha: [Little Chuchu is so smart!]
[The Imperial Noble Consort acts all delicate and coquettish in front of Emperor Shangde, like a bright and colorful flower.]
[But when the Emperor is not around, she is arrogant and high-handed, having offended many consorts to the bone.]
[There are many people who want the Imperial Noble Consort’s life. The only person who could deliver a fatal blow is her only son, the Eleventh Prince!]
[Coupled with today’s events regarding the Chen family, someone wants to add fuel to the fire to make it burn even more fiercely.]
[It would be best if the Imperial Noble Consort could ignite herself and perish.]
Ye Chuchu: [The Imperial Palace is a place that eats people without spitting out the bones.]
[I’m so worried about Second Sister!]
[No, the Emperor is unreliable!]
[I have to prepare something to save my sister’s life.]
“Spare me, Your Ladyship, spare me, Your Ladyship, this maid will never dare again, never again…”
Lianmei’s pleas for mercy grew weaker and weaker.