In the second year of the Dading Dynasty, Emperor Situ Chuanqiong passed away. In the same month and year, Ninth Prince Situ Zixian ascended the throne, renaming the dynasty to "Dayu Dynasty."
At noon, palace attendants bustled in and out of the "Kunning Palace," their faces etched with anxiety.
"The Empress and the Emperor truly shared a deep bond. The Empress couldn't hold on after the Emperor's departure," whispered Palace Attendant A.
"Indeed. We thought the Empress would recover once she woke up, but I didn't expect her to grow weaker as the Emperor passed away just a few days ago," Palace Attendant B remarked with emotion.
"Honestly... the Empress is just too devoted. Compared to what the Empress did for the Emperor, the Emperor wasn't as good to her," Palace Attendant C lamented with a hint of pity.
"Such words are not to be spoken carelessly!" Palace Attendant A glanced around, ensuring no one else was present, before saying to Palace Attendant C.
"I know, I just feel a bit regretful. After all, the Empress is truly a very good and capable consort." Palace Attendant C also realized the imprudence of her earlier remark.
"Actually... don't you all think the new Emperor is also treating our Empress unusually?" Palace Attendant D, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
Palace Attendants A, B, and C immediately looked at her in astonishment, their eyes conveying the message, "Are you crazy!"
Palace Attendant D silently took a step back but insisted, "Really! See how he comes to visit her whenever he has free time since the Empress fell ill."
"Actually, I heard something similar when I was serving last time..." Palace Attendant C also whispered, "The Empress asked the new Emperor to be a good emperor and to think more about the people. The new Emperor held the Empress's hand and even shed tears secretly..."
The other palace attendants looked as if they had stumbled upon a monumental secret, but before they could indulge further in gossip, a commotion arose outside. They then scattered like startled birds, returning to their respective duties.
As the voice of the Grand Eunuch announced, "His Majesty has arrived!", Situ Zixian, who had already ascended the throne, strode in quickly.
"Has the Empress shown any improvement today?" Situ Zixian asked Chu Li, who was attending him, as he entered the Empress's sleeping quarters in Kunning Palace.
"The Empress only woke up three times today, sleeping for most of the time," Chu Li shook her head, tears welling up again.
"The Emperor has arrived..." Chu Yulan (Xiao Wenqiang) opened her eyes and signaled Chu Li to help her sit up.
Situ Zixian also hurried forward and knelt by the bedside.
"Your Majesty, I know I am nearing my end..." Chu Yulan (Xiao Wenqiang) said weakly, "But there is one matter I cannot let go of. Xiao Li is my only kin in the Chu family. I had previously identified a suitable family for her and planned to give her a good dowry to marry her off. Unfortunately, I am now beyond my strength, and I fear I will not live to see that day. Can Your Majesty help me..."
"Yu..." Situ Zixian swallowed the name, not wanting to tarnish her reputation in her final moments. He continued, "Imperial Sister-in-law, rest assured, I will personally arrange a dowry for Chu Li and ensure she has a magnificent wedding."
Chu Li, standing by, wept profusely and choked out, "This servant does not wish to marry; this servant wishes to continue serving the Empress."
"Silly child, Xiao Li, your Empress is no longer able to live. You must find happiness for yourself..." Chu Yulan (Xiao Wenqiang) murmured, her voice growing fainter.
She slowly reclined, her eyes struggling to stay open, and continued, "Xiao Li, bring me the item from the third box in my cabinet."
Chu Li, wiping her tears, obediently brought over a sachet.
"Zixian, this is the lychee preserved in syrup that I gave you last time. You said the taste was quite good, so I'll give you all of these!" Chu Yulan (Xiao Wenqiang) could barely keep her eyes open, speaking in a whisper, "In the future, be a good emperor for the nation and its people..."
Situ Zixian clutched the bag of preserved fruit tightly, tears streaming down his face as he nodded, "Alright, I promise you!"
"Then I can rest easy..." Her final words were almost inaudible. As the hand Situ Zixian was holding slipped away, the heroic Empress Chu Yulan closed her eyes forever...
"The Empress has passed away!" Cries of grief echoed throughout the palace.
...
The moment Xiao Wenqiang's soul detached from Empress Chu Yulan's body, it was enveloped by the mental energy of the pre-arranged little divine beast, Dandan.
"Mama, is it enough if I just wrap you like this? Or should we escape now?" Dandan's mental energy swirled around her, clearly happy.
"Let's wait a moment!" Xiao Wenqiang calculated the time in her mind, then had Dandan retract its mental energy.
In less than thirty seconds, the moment Dandan withdrew, the system immediately brought Xiao Wenqiang's soul back to the system space.
【Wenqiang, what just happened? I suddenly couldn't sense your soul's aura!】The panicked voice of System 86365 echoed.
"Did I? I didn't feel anything! Didn't I arrive in the system space immediately after leaving my body?" Xiao Wenqiang began to play dumb.
【You didn't feel anything? Could it be that I miscalculated?】System 86365 began to doubt itself.
"Yes! Have we lost contact for a long time?" Xiao Wenqiang secretly rejoiced. It seemed Dandan could indeed conceal her the moment her soul departed. Then, after the next mission was completed, she could...
【It hasn't been a long time, just a few dozen seconds!】System 86365 calculated.
"Then it's fine, perhaps the connection signal was poor!" Xiao Wenqiang changed the subject, "86365, how was the mission completed?"
【Certainly, Wenqiang, I will report to you immediately.】The small round orb of System 86365 flickered three times, and then the data appeared.
【This is the fifth mission completed. As the original host, Chu Yulan, was particularly satisfied, extra energy was awarded. This has now all been converted into points for you, amounting to 30,000 points earned this time.】
"My debt has been paid off. These 30,000 points should be pure income now, right?" Xiao Wenqiang calculated her points.
【Yes. Your current balance is 30,000 points. Would you like to redeem anything?】System 86365 prompted considerately.
"What can I redeem with these few points?" Xiao Wenqiang asked with some curiosity.
【Presenting the points mall for you.】
As System 86365 finished speaking, an interface for a mall appeared out of thin air before Xiao Wenqiang's eyes. It resembled the options on a shopping platform from her previous life, with categories arranged accordingly.