At the Qixi Festival banquet, one of the maids by my side was taken to the emperor's bed.
At dawn, I looked at the newly appointed beauty before me and pressed my throbbing temples, but I couldn't remember anything about her.
She was like someone who had been conjured out of thin air, too perfect to be real.
At first, I thought it was just a hangover, until one strange incident after another began happening in the Yongxiang Palace...
"Your Highness, you should get some rest. His Majesty went to see her again tonight."
I stared blankly at the bronze incense burner before me. I clearly remembered that just moments ago, a young eunuch had come to tell me His Majesty would visit my bedchamber tonight.
A palace attendant advised me carefully, "Your Highness is the mistress of the Yongxiang Palace and has given birth to the eldest prince. You needn't compete with her for His Majesty's favor."
That's right. If the attendant hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten that I had a child.
But... wait. When did I have a child?!
When I began to doubt this world, a flood of memories poured into my mind.
I clutched my splitting head as scenes from my past life appeared before my eyes.
If people go to Hell after they die, then perhaps being trapped in the Yongxiang Palace was my punishment.
I lived in fear, doing my best not to attract her attention, but in the end I couldn't escape being sent to the Cold Palace.
Staring at the poisoned wine she had personally brought me, I finally voiced the deepest fear in my heart.
She didn't answer my question. Instead, delight spread across her beautiful face, and she muttered something I couldn't understand. "The NPC in this run has awakened. This game is getting more and more interesting."
She knocked the poisoned wine from my hand, then grabbed me and said a lot more, but the more I listened, the more frightened I became. To me, she was clearly a capricious, innocent yet wicked demon.
Late that night, I huddled in my drafty room in the Cold Palace, lying awake until the corner of a black dragon robe embroidered with gold appeared before me.
I stared in shock and dropped to my knees, opening my mouth to explain.
The emperor simply helped me to my feet. "Empress, how about we join forces and take back control of this country?"
After the emperor left, I chose to hang myself in the Cold Palace.
A new run began. This time, I was determined to become the true mistress of the Yongxiang Palace.
An infinite palace-intrigue loop: when an NPC in a save-and-load game awakens.
The main story is told in third person. The emperor is chaste.
Theme: Better to die at dusk after learning the truth at dawn
Come on and write! I was very interested when I saw the copywriting late at night but I didn't dare to read it, so I'll plant some grass first!