Fang Xianxing followed her hand and looked at the bottom of the fire pit. What was burning were books, bamboo ones, paper ones, and even silk ones.

Fang Xianxing recalled what Xie Zhi said about the sorcerer physician calamity. After the empress captured the sorcerer physicians, she burned more than 30,000 volumes of their evil books.

What one thinks by day, one dreams by night. Could it be that what she dreamed of was this event?

“Unfortunately, Yiyang is gone, and you are gone too.” The empress stood there, looking down at the high flames in front of her, but there was endless desolation in her eyes.

“Why can none of you understand me?” The empress smiled and turned to stare at Fang Xianxing, “Beloved minister, just wait. One day, all ages will thank me. It is I who saved everyone.”

Someone speaking in such a tone should be mad, but Fang Xianxing found that this empress was very calm, with a strict solemnity, quietly standing there admiring the sky-high flames.

The scene seemed to suddenly freeze. Fang Xianxing stepped back, wanting to leave this place. If she couldn’t wake up, then she would go wander elsewhere. It was better than standing here bewildered, facing an empress who looked very dangerous.

“Is the beloved minister going to leave again?” The empress spoke.

Fang Xianxing paused her steps and turned around to frown at her. She was not her minister. She did not have to submit to anyone.

Seeing her gaze, the empress smiled even more amiably and asked her: “Leaving so early? You haven’t even seen my daughter yet. Compared to the Su Li you gave birth to, she is not inferior in the slightest.”

I gave birth? What nonsense are you talking about?

Fang Xianxing raised her hand to look at her own clothes. It was the pajamas she wore when she went to bed last night. Who did she think she was?

The empress didn’t care about her reaction and sighed: “Born by Shen Guishi, yet resembles me more. How amazing. If the child Xu Fangjun gave birth to wasn’t a stillborn, perhaps I could have had two daughters on the same day.” The empress looked into Fang Xianxing’s eyes: “I will remember your younger sister’s contribution for her.”

My younger sister, how is Song Longsha involved in this? What contribution could Song Longsha have that is worth being remembered by this empress? Or could it be that the person she was referring to was someone else?

The younger sister of the person she was looking at right now?

Fang Xianxing stood in place like an outsider, wary but bewildered.

“Have her take good care of Yiyang and Yiyang’s child. If I find out that she has wronged him in the slightest, I will capture her and kill her even if she’s at the ends of the earth.” The empress’s eyes became sharp. “She should have died long ago. Everyone who knows about this should die.”

Fang Xianxing was so startled by her gaze that she took three steps back. The way she came was clearly a clear path, but for some reason, when she stepped back, her entire body fell, as if falling into a bottomless abyss.

The scene before her eyes churned into chaos.

“Ugh…” Fang Xianxing woke up from the dream in cold sweat. When she closed her eyes, it seemed like she could still see that empress’s eyes.

Was that woman the Yuan Shun Empress?

Who was she looking at?

Who was she talking to?

*

In the morning, Xie Zhi took a ride in Ke Jie’s car to go to Nige Film City together.

Ke Jie was also someone who didn’t like to talk. Only some music was playing in the car. Xie Zhi quietly sat in the passenger seat, his cold eyes casually sweeping over the street scenes on the side.

The music’s beat was a bit strong, almost covering up the notification sound from Xie Zhi’s phone.

“Xiao Xie, your phone rang.” Ke Jie reminded while driving, turning her head to the side.

Xie Zhi hurriedly took out his phone. Ever since changing his lock screen and wallpaper to Fang Xianxing, he had been particularly sneaky when using his phone.

He thought for sure that Fang Xianxing must have sent some daily idle chatter again, such as whether he had set off, how long until he arrived, and so on.

But to his surprise, Fang Xianxing’s words became more and more bewildering with each sentence.

“Xie Zhi, do you think it’s possible that Yiyang Prince didn’t die during the sorcerer physician calamity?”

“Who was Yiyang Prince’s wife-master? What did she do to help the empress?”

“Xie Zhi, you may not believe it when I say this, but I dreamed of the Mi Dynasty imperial palace last night. The Yuan Shun Empress even called me her beloved minister.”