By the time Xiao Lian’s men found Su Wanmei…
She was barely clinging to life.
The beggars had long since fled.
Inside the dilapidated City God Temple, she lay naked on the cold ground, utterly broken, her heart filled with despair.
Only hours earlier, she had arranged for condemned prisoners to violate Hua Zhiyun.
That very same night…
The same fate had befallen her.
The once-noble empress had been defiled by filthy beggars.
Inside and out…
Her purity was gone.
The moment the imperial guards arrived and saw the empress covered in bruises and bite marks, they wished they could gouge out their own eyes.
The captain recovered first.
“Stop!”
“Turn around!”
The guards immediately obeyed, though every one of them had a bad feeling.
Something enormous had happened.
The captain removed his outer robe and carefully draped it over Su Wanmei.
Thinking she had already died, he reached for her wrist—
Only for her hand to clamp down on his with terrifying strength.
“Kill them.”
“Your Majesty…”
Meeting the hatred burning in her bloodshot eyes, the captain involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.
“Who?”
“The beggars.”
“Every single beggar in the capital.”
There had been too many.
She didn’t know who they were.
Nor did she care.
As long as they were beggars…
They all had to die.
The captain lowered his head.
“This subordinate obeys.”
Only then did the tension holding Su Wanmei together finally snap.
She lost consciousness once more.
Before dawn, she was secretly returned to the palace.
Her hair had been shaved into an ugly half-bald style.
Her body was covered in wounds.
After examining her, the palace physician reported to Xiao Lian.
“Your Majesty…”
“Her lower body has suffered severe tearing.”
“She has endured inhuman abuse.”
“…Her chastity is beyond recovery.”
Xiao Lian clenched his fists.
Looking at Su Wanmei, who had been violated by beggars, disgust flashed through his eyes.
He turned away.
“Will the empress become pregnant?”
The physician’s face changed dramatically.
“I… I can prepare medicine to prevent conception… just in case…”
“No need.”
Xiao Lian narrowed his eyes darkly.
“Within two months…”
“I expect to hear that the empress is with child.”
“You understand what I mean.”
The physician was stunned.
The emperor was willing to wear a green hat…
And even intended to raise another man’s child?
His Majesty is insane…
For the sake of surviving, she immediately knelt.
“This servant obeys Your Majesty’s decree.”
Satisfied, Xiao Lian nodded.
“Take good care of the empress.”
Then he slowly walked away.
He didn’t dare move too quickly.
Every step pulled painfully at his wound.
His testicles were gone.
He would never father children again.
The empress had to become pregnant.
She had to give birth to the crown prince.
Even if she wasn’t pregnant this time…
She would have to bear someone else’s child eventually.
For the sake of preserving the throne…
What was one green hat?
Hua Zhiyun had never expected the Dog Emperor to be so… tolerant.
Having avenged the original Hua Zhiyun, she was in an excellent mood.
On the way back to the prison, she casually searched the map for corrupt officials.
Soon, dozens of coordinates appeared.
Leaving ill-gotten wealth untouched would be foolish.
In less than half an hour, she emptied every treasury, kitchen, and warehouse marked on the map.
Everything she took consisted of bribes and stolen wealth.
She didn’t touch a single item honestly earned.
She had principles.
After finishing, her gaze fell upon the Hua family estate.
It was the original Hua Zhiyun’s natal home.
Out of respect for the original owner…
She let the Hua family off.
Besides, dawn was approaching.
The prison guards would soon change shifts.
If she delayed any longer, it would be easy for someone to notice her absence.
Without anyone noticing, Hua Zhiyun quietly returned to her prison cell.
The corpses of the condemned prisoners still lay where they had fallen.
The unconscious jailers hadn’t awakened.
She tossed the prisoners’ bodies into the neighboring cell and locked the door behind them.
It looked as though she had never left.
Only after everything was arranged did she take out a bottle of mineral water from her space.
She had barely taken one sip—
She nearly sprayed it everywhere.
Her beautiful eyes landed on the man in the corner.
He was still staring at her with open eyes.
“You’re still alive?”
This guy really knows how to survive.
Even after all that… he isn’t dead.
Chu Linzhang remained silent for a long moment.
Then he looked at her sharply.
“You’re not Hua Zhiyun.”
“The original Hua Zhiyun wasn’t this rude.”
“Nor did she have such cold, ruthless eyes.”
“My princess consort knew no martial arts.”
“But you…”
“You’re highly skilled.”
“What exactly happened?”
Hua Zhiyun raised an eyebrow.
“You figured that out?”
“The two of you speak differently.”
“Your behavior is different.”
“I may be crippled…”
“But I’m not blind.”
Careless.
Since she’d already been exposed, there was no point hiding it.
“She died.”
“I’m borrowing her body.”
Chu Linzhang’s pupils contracted violently.
He was clearly shocked.
For quite some time, he couldn’t speak.
Dead?
That woman…
Had died?
Serves her right.
Had she not helped the Dog Emperor frame him…
The Chu family would never have been stripped of everything and sentenced to exile.
Hua Zhiyun nudged him with her foot.
“Do you want to live?”
A faint light flickered in Chu Linzhang’s eyes.
“You’re not going to kill me?”
Hua Zhiyun laughed.
“Do you really need me to?”
“You already look half dead.”
The remark struck home.
“I can save you.”
She finished half her bottle of water.
Chu Linzhang’s gaze fell upon the strange transparent bottle in her hand.
She frowned.
A trace of killing intent flashed through her eyes.
Realizing his mistake, Chu Linzhang calmly looked away.
What an odd container…
Its material is unlike any waterskin we’ve ever used.
Glass?
No… it doesn’t look like glass.
Taking advantage of the moment, Hua Zhiyun tucked the bottle back into her sleeve.
In reality…
She had returned it to her dimensional space.
Her secret could never be exposed.
“Thank you,” Chu Linzhang said simply.
Hua Zhiyun grinned mischievously.
“You have to beg me.”
His eyes flickered.
The next moment…
He cast aside his identity.
His pride.
His dignity.
His cold, weakened voice quietly spoke.
“I beg you.”
Hua Zhiyun liked sensible people.
And this man…
Knew when to bend.
She thought it would be a waste if he died here.
The Dog Emperor and the Empress still needed someone to deal with them.
Since they were desperate to eliminate Chu Linzhang…
She intended to make their lives miserable.
Without her intervention…
He wouldn’t survive the night.
He was hanging on by nothing more than sheer willpower.
If he died now…
Where would the fun be?
Since she’d transmigrated into this novel…
She might as well turn the entire world upside down.
The emperor’s castration alone wasn’t satisfying enough.
It would be even better…
If she took his empire.
Hua Zhiyun rummaged around inside her sleeve.
After a moment, she produced a crystal core.
It was one she had harvested from zombies back in the apocalypse.
After being purified by Sister Nan, it possessed the power to pull someone back from the brink of death.
If they were lucky…
They might even awaken a supernatural ability.
“Open your mouth.”
Chu Linzhang obediently did so.
She tossed the crystal into his mouth.
He didn’t ask a single question.
Instead, he swallowed it whole immediately.
He was afraid she might change her mind if he hesitated.
Hua Zhiyun wasn’t that kind of person.
She even kindly took out a decorative sea shell.
Hidden inside it was the voice recorder.
She played the recording of Grand Secretary Su’s conversation with Xiao Lian.
The sudden voices startled Chu Linzhang.
Then recognition flashed across his face.
It was the Dog Emperor’s voice.
Cold killing intent filled his eyes.
“The emperor…”
“…has Su family blood?”
Hua Zhiyun nodded.
“So…”
“I’m the true imperial bloodline?”
He was stunned.
Wasn’t he supposed to be the son of the hereditary Prince Chu?
How had he become a member of the imperial family?
Listening to the rest of the recording…
Everything finally clicked into place.
The year they were born, a palace coup had erupted.
As the women of the imperial household fled together, the empress went into premature labor and gave birth to Chu Linzhang.
The ambitious Su family secretly switched the newborn infant with the three-day-old Xiao Lian.
A perfect substitution.
As for the Su family’s child who had supposedly died shortly after birth…
That was actually the stillborn son of Prince Chu’s secondary consort.
She belonged to the same Su clan.
Had she given birth to a stillborn child and remained unable to bear another…
She would never have become Princess Consort Chu.
So the Su family secretly exchanged the babies.
With Chu Linzhang in her arms, she rose in status through her “son” and became Princess Consort Chu.
Chu Linzhang became the heir to Prince Chu…
And eventually inherited the title himself.
Having pieced everything together, Chu Linzhang’s face darkened.
“I’m going to kill them.”
Hua Zhiyun smiled.
“I’m rooting for you.”
Then she produced a document.
“Come.”
“Sign this divorce agreement.”
Chu Linzhang hadn’t expected her to be so thoughtful.
She had prepared a mutual divorce agreement.
Not a letter of repudiation.
A repudiation would mean he was casting her aside.
A mutual divorce placed them on equal footing.
What a competitive woman.
She truly wasn’t the former Hua Zhiyun.
Perhaps…
Ghosts really did exist.
He wanted to sign.
Unfortunately…
“My hands are crippled.”
“I can’t.”
“A thumbprint works too.”
Hua Zhiyun wasn’t bothered.
She grabbed his useless thumb, dabbed it with cinnabar ink, and firmly pressed his fingerprint onto the agreement.
Chu Linzhang: “…”
“There.”
“From this moment on…”
“You go your way.”
“I’ll go mine.”
“Our paths no longer cross.”
Putting away the divorce agreement, Hua Zhiyun asked,
“How do you feel now?”
Chu Linzhang was about to answer.
Suddenly…
A scorching current swept through his entire body.