Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 88

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Upon reaching the Palace of Longevity and Health, the Empress and principal consorts alighted from their sedan chairs.

Xie Nuange, Ye Wan, and the others followed the principal consorts inside.

An opera stage had already been erected in the rear courtyard, while red silk decorated every corner of the palace, filling it with festive cheer.

It looked less like a birthday celebration than a wedding.

A faint sandalwood fragrance greeted them inside the main hall. The Empress Dowager sat at its head, while palace servants stood beside the pillars with hands lowered and eyes respectfully downcast.

“Greetings, Imperial Mother.”

Only after the Empress spoke did the consorts salute in unison.

“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May boundless fortune and peace attend you.”

Xie Nuange bent her knees and saluted with the others.

“Rise. Take your seats.”

The voice of a young woman came from above. Xie Nuange restrained herself from looking up.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Everyone rose. As they took their seats, Xie Nuange lifted her head slightly and stole a glance at the Empress Dowager from the corner of her eye.

She wore a deep-purple jacket patterned with round longevity emblems and toyed with emerald-green jade prayer beads. Her fingers were long and fair, her nails stained a pale shade with balsam flower juice.

The Empress Dowager appeared to be only in her thirties. Anyone could have believed she was an imperial consort.

“I’ll have to trouble all of you to accompany this old woman to the opera again today.”

The sense of wrongness in Xie Nuange’s heart intensified as she listened.

She could not be the Emperor’s birth mother, could she?

She was far too young.

“Imperial Mother, you needn’t say such things.”

The Empress sat near the head and chatted pleasantly with the Empress Dowager. Xie Nuange did not listen.

Instead, she surveyed the Palace of Longevity and Health from the corner of her eye, searching for clues.

“Your Majesty, everything is ready,” the palace matron beside the Empress Dowager reported softly.

“Mm. Let us go. They had better perform well.”

The Empress Dowager rose, supported by the Empress, and walked toward the doors. As Xie Nuange lowered her head, she noticed the ring on the Empress Dowager’s hand.

She focused on it for an instant. Her lashes trembled before she lowered her gaze again.

Everyone followed the Empress outside. At the doorway, the Noble Consort looked at Xie Nuange. “Noble Lady Xie.”

Xie Nuange went to her, noticing Ye Wan behind Consort Jing and Zhao Ning behind Consort De.

The Noble Consort allowed Xie Nuange to support her and spoke in a voice only they could hear.

“Did you see the Empress Dowager?”

“I did,” Xie Nuange replied, a suspicion forming in her mind.

“The item I want you to find is the pill that preserves the Empress Dowager’s youth. It should be in one of the Buddhist rooms in the rear courtyard of the Palace of Longevity and Health.”

Her gaze rested gently on Xie Nuange’s face. “You need only bring the pill out.”

Xie Nuange raised her eyes, thinking of the ring on the Empress Dowager’s hand. “Your Ladyship, does the Empress Dowager normally keep her pills in the Buddhist rooms?”

“No.”

The Noble Consort paused. “I don’t know. It is merely a guess that she must take pills to preserve her appearance.”

“Why else would the Empress Dowager summon only this opera troupe for ten years?”

The Noble Consort looked at Xie Nuange, the corners of her lips curving slightly. “We never found it in previous years, but we must always try.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship. This concubine will do her best.”

Xie Nuange agreed.

They never found it in previous years?

That one sentence carried far more information than she had expected.

This was not the first time the Noble Consort had sent someone to search for the so-called Youth-Preserving Pill.

Every year on the Empress Dowager’s birthday, she probably brought someone inside and sent that person to search the rear courtyard’s Buddhist rooms.

Had any of them found it?

Probably not. Otherwise, why search every year?

Why had the Noble Consort said no one found it in previous years?

What had happened to those people afterward?

“Once the opera begins, you may leave,” the Noble Consort said, drawing her from her thoughts. “The Empress Dowager becomes absorbed in the performance and will not notice that a few Noble Ladies are missing.”

Xie Nuange nodded.

In the rear courtyard, the Empress Dowager sat in front with the Empress beside her.

The Four Consorts sat behind them.

The Noble Ladies and Attendants occupied the last rows, which made it convenient for them to move without attracting notice.

A gong sounded on the opera stage.

The performance began.

The Empress Dowager’s fingers stopped moving over the jade prayer beads, her gaze fixed on the stage.

Xie Nuange rose. Ye Wan rose too. Attendant Zhang stepped out from behind Consort Jing, and Attendant Li emerged from behind the Empress.

Several familiar faces exchanged brief looks in the shadows beside the hall before separating and heading in different directions to search different Buddhist rooms.

As Xie Nuange walked along the base of the wall, she turned to glance at the Empress Dowager.

“What did Consort Qi ask you to find?”

Seeing Ye Wan follow, Xie Nuange asked first.

“A pill…”

Ye Wan glanced at her. Xie Nuange nodded. “Same here.”

They passed side by side through the corridor beside the main hall of the Palace of Longevity and Health.

Su Ye and Zhang San followed behind.

Ye Wan continued, “Did the Noble Consort say anything else?”

Looking at the Buddhist rooms on either side of the main hall, Xie Nuange answered softly, “She did. She said no one found it in previous years.”

A moon gate stood at the end of the corridor.

Beyond it lay the Buddhist rooms of the front courtyard.

Ye Wan took her people to the room on the left, while Xie Nuange and Su Ye entered the one on the right.

The instant they crossed the threshold, Xie Nuange’s vision went black.

[Congratulations, Chosen Player. You have completed the mission perfectly. Rewards will now be issued.]

[Chosen Player Xie Nuange: Please inspect your reward scenario! We hope you enjoy the experience!]

When she opened her eyes again, Xie Nuange found herself inside a palace, with the Empress Dowager seated before her.

Xie Nuange opened her mouth to speak, but rules appeared before her.

[Welcome, Player, to the scenario.]

[Please obey the following rules.]

[Rule One: Remember your identity—Xie Nuange, codename: Two Bamboo.]

[Rule Two: Protect the targets Red Dragon and White Dragon.]

[Rule Three: If Red Dragon and White Dragon survive, the scenario will be cleared.]

[Rule Four: If you die inside the scenario, you will not truly die. Only the death of a target is real death.]

[Rule Five: Your skill has been replaced with Healing.]

Before Xie Nuange could process any of it, two words appeared above the Empress Dowager’s head: Red Dragon.

A young man sat beside the Empress Dowager. Above his head were the words White Dragon.

The others had labels too. Ye Wan: Green Dragon. Zhao Ning: South Wind. Noble Lady Li: One Circle. Attendant Zhang: One Bamboo.

Ye Wan and the others looked equally grave.

Before they could speak, the Empress Dowager addressed them rapidly.

“Hello. I’m the Chosen Player who summoned you.”

She stared at the five women before her in shock. After taking in their clothes, her face turned even paler.

“We’re currently clearing a scenario. Summoning you to help me clear it is my skill.”

Xie Nuange and the others turned to look at one another.

Zhao Ning frowned. “You’re saying you summoned us to help you clear your scenario?”

“You’re Chosen Players?” Ye Wan raised an eyebrow.

Xie Nuange glanced at both women, then surveyed their surroundings.

“What year is it here?”

The Empress Dowager looked at them and nodded. “That’s right. I’m a Chosen Player. My skill summons five companions from the future to assist me in clearing a scenario.”

“The current time inside this scenario is Year One of the Great Qian Dynasty.”

Xie Nuange and the others tensed.

Year One of the Great Qian Dynasty!