Five more minutes passed, yet there was still no sensation—just the familiar tingling often described in novels, without a trace of pain.

If it weren’t for her basic trust in the system and its marketplace, Yue Fuguang would have started to suspect she’d bought fake medicine.

Her body was small, and her appetite naturally limited. She had already eaten quite a bit in the Empress Dowager’s palace. Taking two more pills and a bottle of gene serum—wouldn’t that just make her feel full?

But after swallowing the second Strength Pill, her body finally responded.

Yue Fuguang felt her muscles tighten noticeably all over. When she clenched her slightly plump little fists, she could clearly feel the immense power contained within.

Not bad, not bad at all. A good body and great strength—that was the trump card she had hidden for herself.

It would be surprisingly effective in times of danger.

Among the thousands of side quests in the system’s task list, she had already completed four in just three days, with two more underway.

Yue Fuguang lay comfortably in a large bathtub, her fair, delicate body faintly visible beneath the water. She took a sip of the fruit tea prepared by the maids—pure comfort!

While Yue Fuguang was enjoying herself, she had no idea that the agents from the Imperial City Guard, who had been assigned to track the delivery team by the tracking system, were scared out of their wits.

The situation was simple: word had gotten out that the “Divine Artifact Master” was delivering rare glassware to Yue Fuguang.

Emperor Mingxi couldn’t resist sending a squad from the Imperial City Guard to tail them, hoping to discover where these people were headed and where they stayed.

Leading the team was Shen Kang, the son of the emperor’s own nephew, the Grand Princess.

From the moment the delivery team left the Yu Mansion, they trailed them in plainclothes. After passing through the city gate, near a small forest not far from the gate, six horse-drawn carriages entered one after another.

But when the Imperial City Guard agents followed closely behind and entered the forest, the carriages and people vanished without a trace.

“Your Majesty, I have carefully examined the scene,” Shen Kang reported. “The carriage tracks suddenly disappeared the moment they entered the forest.

Although it was hard to see clearly, I believe I saw the figures and carriages fade away as if something was pulling them in.

The forest was already dimly lit, but as we approached, it inexplicably grew even darker.”

Emperor Mingxi trusted Shen Kang’s words. The boy had sharp eyes since childhood, and after his martial training, he was no ordinary person.

If he said he saw this, even with some self-doubt, the emperor had no reason to disbelieve him.

Such an existence capable of this was not surprising, so the emperor believed Shen Kang’s account.

He then turned to the men behind Shen Kang. “Did any of you discover anything?”

One of them hesitated slightly before stepping forward to reply, “Your Majesty, I followed the carriage team from the side as arranged by Lord Shen. We were closer to the team at the time, so… so…”

Though the Great Yan Empire firmly believed in spirits and gods, no one had ever actually seen them. Today, watching those people vanish right before the three of them was enough to terrify and frighten them beyond words!

Xu Wu was so scared he nearly wet himself. Of course, such a delicate topic was best left unmentioned before His Majesty.

He recalled what Lord Shen Kang had told him: just truthfully describe in detail what he had seen to His Majesty.

The Emperor is wise and will judge accordingly.

He swallowed hard, as if seriously recalling the scene he had witnessed. “The three of us were hiding in a dense thicket at the time.

Because ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‍I’m quick at climbing trees, I saw an old tree with lush branches and leaves in the thicket, so I climbed up.

The spot where we hid was thirty-six meters away from the small grove the group was about to enter. We measured it carefully afterward.

From my vantage point in the tree, through the leaves, I could clearly see them entering the forest one by one. I... I saw that the moment they stepped into the woods, they vanished into thin air. They… they were like walking through a door.”

As he spoke, his body began to tremble involuntarily.

He was so frightened at the time that if he hadn’t gripped the tree trunk tightly, he would have fallen straight down.

His legs and feet had gone weak; he couldn’t muster any strength.

In the end, it was only thanks to Lord Shen Kang and two brothers who pulled and dragged him down that he was saved.

Emperor Mingxi nodded and waved to the men, “Alright, I understand everything. Keep today’s events to yourselves—don’t mention them to anyone.”

Then he said to Shen Kang, “Give them a few days off. Once they’ve fully recovered, I have other plans.”

Shen Kang bowed respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Old Qian, bring them all the gifts I’ve bestowed—consider it a token to calm their nerves.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generous gifts.” After the men saluted and withdrew, Emperor Mingxi turned to the Crown Prince and asked, “What is your view on today’s matter?”

Crown Prince Xie Zhiyan lowered his gaze briefly in thought and replied, “Father, from my perspective, there’s nothing amiss. After all, given that person’s status and the fact that the gift was a rare artifact from Dayan—or rather, something unknown in this realm—it’s plausible that the courier is no ordinary man.”

Emperor Mingxi nodded, “I think the same. I suspect the courier is the celestial envoy sent by the Artifact Master.”

He glanced at his most favored eldest son and said, “Very well, let’s leave it at that. When you have time, visit Yue Fuguang more often. Perhaps she’ll reveal something… about your future experiences.”

The Crown Prince was momentarily stunned, then smiled and bowed, “Yes, Father. I will visit the Master Instructor tomorrow.”

Aside from having to rise early for court and occasionally throwing a morning tantrum, Yue Fuguang was living a rather comfortable life.

Lord Wei Ping was very busy. Ever since Yue Fuguang began leaking information, he had been swamped every day.

Busy arresting people, busy interrogating them, busy reporting to Emperor Mingxi.

Wei Ping turned and looked toward the palace gates behind him. Finally, tonight, after the Dali Temple successfully caught Xu Changyue red-handed in Madam Sun’s small courtyard bedroom, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But only a brief one—though the man was caught, getting Xu Changyue to confess and reveal more about Beili’s spy network and hidden agents in Dayan would be a tough battle.

Not to mention the upcoming case of Zhao Xu’s cheating in the imperial examinations.

Thinking of the involvement of Zheng Zhicheng and his naturally gifted but reckless son, Wei Ping couldn’t help but feel that although he was unlucky, he was also fortunate.

How many people could be knocked down to the dust and still rise again like he had?

Due to the looming national crisis ten years after Dayan's fall, as long as Zheng Feng remains loyal to Dayan and to His Majesty, he is bound to be highly favored.

The Zheng family will only shine brighter than before.

Wei Ping was very busy, and so was the venerable Elder Wang of Hongnong Temple. Just yesterday, Minister of Works Lu Qi had brought craftsmen from the Ministry to build a sunlit warm chamber for the Young Master.

Those unaware of the full story whispered behind closed doors, claiming that this Young Master was abusing national resources for personal use, and that His Majesty’s favor toward her was excessive.

Of course, these rumors quickly reached the ears of their superiors, or even higher officials.

So, after this morning’s court session, the offices of the various ministers and vice ministers echoed with a unified chorus of scolding.

The ministers and vice ministers took turns berating their subordinates—the assistant officials and clerks—one by one.

Though they refrained from using a single curse word and each reprimand was phrased differently, the message was clear: anyone who dares to speak ill of the Young Master is courting death!

The closing warning was stern: if anyone dares to slander the Young Master again, their offices will no longer tolerate such reckless and insolent behavior.