Ever since Prince Zhao died, the Empress had been in an excellent mood.

As a result, the quality of her sleep had also improved greatly.

Tonight, she went to bed very early.

As she was drifting in a hazy sleep, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.

The Empress opened her eyes to see the palace maid, Chuxia, standing by her bed with a terrified expression, holding a candlestick.

Seeing the Empress was awake, Chuxia didn’t even bother with courtesies and spoke rapidly.

"Empress, I think there’s something outside the door."

Her voice was distorted with fear, so much so that you could barely understand what she was saying if you didn’t listen closely.

Annoyed at having her pleasant dream disturbed, the Empress was very displeased.

She frowned and said, "It’s the middle of the night. What could possibly be outside?"

Chuxia said urgently, "There really is something! It’s standing right outside the door. Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me."

Seeing that Chuxia’s panicked expression didn’t seem feigned, the Empress patiently got to her feet.

"Come, let’s go see what’s going on."

Chuxia led the way with the candlestick, and the Empress followed close behind.

The mistress and maid rounded the screen and entered the outer chamber.

The doors and windows of Fengyi Palace were inlaid with glass.

Through the carved wooden door, a dark shadow could be seen outside.

Judging by its shape, it appeared to be the shadow of a man.

The Empress involuntarily stopped in her tracks when she saw the shadow.

This was Fengyi Palace; outsiders couldn’t possibly get in.

At night, everyone was asleep except for the palace staff on duty.

The Empress suspected it was someone on night watch and immediately called out.

"Who is standing outside?"

Chuxia quickly replied, "I already asked, but there was no response. I even opened the door to look, and there was no one there at all."

The more she spoke, the more frightened she became, her body trembling uncontrollably.

The candlestick in her hand trembled along with her, the candlelight flickering, casting dancing shadows.

The atmosphere grew even more eerie and sinister.

The Empress didn’t believe in ghosts.

Seeing that the "person" outside didn’t answer, she strode over and threw open the door, intending to see for herself who was playing tricks.

However, as soon as the door was opened, the shadow outside vanished.

Before her lay only the vast, empty night.

There was nothing.

The Empress froze on the spot.

A cool night breeze blew over her, chilling her hands and feet.

Now, even she was starting to feel a little creeped out.

Chuxia looked around suspiciously, her voice trembling as she asked, "It couldn’t be a ghost, could it?"

The Empress suppressed her unease and rebuked her in a low voice.

"Nonsense! There are no such things as ghosts in this world!"

’But it has to be a ghost,’ Chuxia thought to herself.

But she didn’t dare refute the Empress and could only shut her mouth, feeling wronged.

The Empress looked around. Normally, there should have been palace staff on night duty outside, but now there was no one.

She frowned and scolded.

"Where did the night watch go? How dare they abandon their posts? Do they have a death wish?"

Chuxia asked nervously, "What do we do now?"

The Empress wanted to send someone to investigate who was playing tricks, but besides Chuxia, she was alone. If she sent Chuxia away, she would be the only one left.

Even though she put on a calm facade, she was actually a little scared.

She decided to go back inside for now. Everything else could wait until morning.

The mistress and maid turned to go back into the room.

Just as Chuxia was about to close the door, she suddenly saw the shadow reappear.

Chuxia jumped in fright, her hand freezing on the door.

The Empress also saw the shadow and demanded sharply.

"Who are you? How dare you play tricks before me in the middle of the night? You must be looking for death!"

The figure outside still didn’t answer.

But this time, it slowly turned around, revealing a pale face.

It was an incredibly familiar face—that of the deceased Prince Zhao, Li Ji!

Chuxia screamed in terror.

"A ghost!"

She scrambled backward, accidentally stepping on the Empress’s foot.

But she was in no state to apologize. She kept backing away, her eyes wide with terror.

The Empress was also badly frightened.

Her reaction was swift; she reached out to slam the door shut.

However, before the door could close, it was forced open by an invisible force.

Li Ji looked at the Empress, the corners of his lips slowly rising into a sinister smile.

The window was suddenly struck with a loud SMACK.

Chuxia whipped her head around and saw a pair of crimson, bloody handprints on the window.

From outside the window came the mournful, cold sobs of a woman.

The sound was intermittent, yet it continued without end.

Chuxia was so scared she was about to faint.

Unable to stand any longer, she plopped onto the floor, crying and shouting.

"Don’t come for me! Please, don’t come for me! WAAAAH!"

At that moment, a trickle of crimson blood flowed from the corner of Li Ji’s mouth.

Paired with his pale cheeks and ink-black eyes, he looked exceptionally terrifying.

’Isn’t this exactly how he looked when he died from the poison?’

The Empress could no longer hold it in and screamed in terror.

"Guards—"

Before she could finish, Li Ji had already rushed in front of her.

The terrifying face loomed large before her. Before she could react, Li Ji knocked her unconscious.

As for Chuxia, who had collapsed on the floor, she had already fainted from fright.

Li Ji called out, "Come in."

Hua Manman, who had been squatting under the window, immediately stood up.

She wiped the chicken blood off her hands, which she had just stolen from the small kitchen in Fengyi Palace.

She scurried inside and helped drag the Empress onto the bed.

Li Ji closed the door.

Hua Manman brought the candlestick over and placed it on the floor in front of Li Ji.

Once all this was done, Li Ji woke the Empress.

The Empress slowly opened her eyes.

She saw the familiar canopy of her bed and, thinking it had all been a dream, let out a sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness, it was all fake.’

The Empress noticed a light beside her. She turned her head to look and found someone standing by her bed.

It was Li Ji!

The candlelight, shining up from below, made Li Ji’s already strange face look even more sinister and terrifying.

Caught off guard by such a horrifying sight, the Empress was so scared her heart nearly stopped.

She scrambled up and screamed in terror.

"AHHH! Guards!"

The corners of Li Ji’s mouth curled higher and higher, revealing blood-stained teeth.

His grin was savage and terrifying.

He looked just like a vengeful demon.

The Empress grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him, screaming, "Get away! Get away from me!"

Li Ji waved his hand, and the Inner Strength from his sleeve swatted the pillow away.

To the Empress’s eyes, it was as if an invisible force had knocked the pillow aside.

The Empress grew even more terrified.

She shrank back continuously. "Don’t come any closer!"

Footsteps sounded from outside.

Someone must have heard the Empress’s screams and was approaching.

Li Ji deliberately spoke slowly in a hoarse voice.

"You’re the one who killed me."

Hearing this, the Empress was struck with even greater fear.

’No one but me knows that I poisoned Prince Zhao.’

’How could Prince Zhao know?’

’Could it be that because he died and became a ghost, he knows everything now?’

...

Sorry for the late update, good morning everyone~