"Pei Changying, if...if I say...that I cannot become the Empress, will I really die?"

A trembling voice;

Words on the verge of death;

Permeated this cold, inner palace.

The lofty Emperor looked down at her, his eyes filled with scorn: "How could a vile woman with blood-stained hands like you become my Empress? Only Rourou is worthy to be the Mother of All Under Heaven. If you wish to die, then go ahead and die!"

Ha ha!

Seven years of heart-pounding anxiety!

Seven years of painstaking conquest, only to be denied even the promised succession at the end?

"I didn't deceive you, I will really die..."

"Pei Changying, I want to go home, I beg you to believe me..."In Gu Sang's despairing eyes, that towering figure gradually vanished until he was gone.

He was the Former Emperor's most unloved son, with no powerful family or ancestry.

It was her! It was her scheming and plotting that had put him on the throne, it was her who had risked her life twice to save him on the battlefield!

But in the end, he still succumbed to his infatuation with his legitimate sister!

She wasn't heartbroken! Really!

From beginning to end, Gu Sang had never liked this man! She was well aware that ancient men only loved themselves. She never expected him to love her, only to gain the succession.

But she never imagined...

That she could never return to the modern era, never see her beloved grandmother who had been waiting for her to come home.

At that moment!

An icy electronic voice resounded in her mind: "Host's conquest of Pei Changying has failed! Conquest mission terminated! System will exterminate the Host's soul in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

"Modern era...Grandma...I'm sorry, I can't go back..."

"Grandma, I miss you so much..."

Gu Sang closed her eyes in anguish as the electronic voice in her mind announced her death sentence.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Exterminate..."

A surge of electricity instantly struck Gu Sang, the excruciating pain causing her to lose consciousness.

The battered woman collapsed on the icy floor, her fallen figure casting a desolate shadow in the vast palace, with horrified cries echoing in her ears.

It was all over.

"Sang Sang..."

"Come back, Sang Sang..."

A familiar, warm voice, like a flashing sword of sacred light, cleaved through the chaos before her, guiding Gu Sang away from this cold, lonely hell.

Gu Sang raised her heavy eyelids and finally opened her eyes.

The spotless white ceiling above her momentarily short-circuited her brain, while the foul smell of sodium hypochlorite filled the air, jolting Gu Sang's senses.

A hospital?!

This, this is...a modern hospital?

She's back?!

"How is that possible?" Gu Sang looked around in disbelief, her eyes filled with growing excitement. Her mission had failed, yet she wasn't directly exterminated?

After recovering from the excitement, Gu Sang tore off the breathing tube and ran outside with all her might.

The first thing she wanted to do after being reborn was to see her grandmother, who had supported her through seven years of torment!

Grandma, wait for me!

Having not moved for so long, Gu Sang was unsteady on her feet, but she gritted her teeth and staggered down the hallway. A nurse brushed past her.

A few seconds later;

The nurse suddenly turned back towards Gu Sang, her face etched with astonishment: "She—she's not the patient from Room 402, is she?"

"I remember 402 is the vegetative patient who's been in a coma for a year!"

The nurse, as if she had discovered something incredible, took a deep breath and dashed back towards Room 402 to confirm.

Meanwhile, Gu Sang dragged her frail body, stumbling and crashing her way back home.

This home she had fought with all her might to return to!

"Grandma!!"

Gu Sang's trembling hands quickly unlocked the door using her fingerprint.

The house was deathly silent, with only Gu Sang's frantic cries echoing through it as she scanned the surroundings, searching for a figure whose memory was fading.

But at that moment, Gu Sang's gaze fell upon the old Nokia phone lying on the bedside table.

That was an old model from years ago...

Back in high school, after Gu Sang was taken back by her wealthy biological parents in Jiang City, her grandmother had always kept that phone close, afraid of missing her call...

With trembling hands, Gu Sang clicked on the voicemail recording on the home screen.

"Sang Sang, Grandma now knows what happened when you lived with your biological parents, I'm sorry, Grandma should never have sent you back to them..."

"Grandma never stopped loving you, in my heart, you are my one and only granddaughter."

"My dear Sang Sang, since I won't be around to look after you anymore, I've written my will. When you return, transfer the ownership of this apartment to your name..."

A will!

Those two words were like a thunderbolt on a clear day, leaving Gu Sang's mind completely blank.

She dazedly raised her hand.

And touched her wet cheeks.

"Why, what happened?!"

"Why!!" Gu Sang fell to her knees, a sense of despair enveloping her from all sides.

Back in high school, afraid she couldn't provide the best education and life, her grandmother had sent her to live with her wealthy biological parents who had found them.

But after returning to that home,

She realized they already had a daughter. Yôur favorite 𝒏ovels at n/𝒐(v)el/bin(.)com

She was ignored, compared, and walked on eggshells, until the moment she got into university and finally dared to leave that home which wasn't hers, rushing back to find her grandmother.

But on the way, she died in an accident and became bound to the Conquest System.

The System told her that if she successfully conquered Pei Changying, she could return to the modern era...

She had returned, but her grandmother was gone!

"Congratulations Host, due to special circumstances, the System is now changing Host Gu Sang's mission from conquering Pei Changying to livestreaming modern life to ancient people."

"Do you accept this mission?"

The mechanical voice suddenly rang out.

"Special circumstances..."

"System, did you cause all of this? Why didn't I die, I should have died in that palace struggle, exterminated by you!"

"I'm begging you, give Grandma back to me, let me die, please, don't torture me like this..."

Gu Sang wept hysterically, nearly suffocating from her breakdown.

But the next second.

The System's cold, mechanical response left Gu Sang petrified in place! Her heart skipped a beat!

It said: "You failed your conquest mission, you were supposed to die by the System's extermination."

"It was your Grandmother who found me, willing to exchange her lifetime of good deeds and even her life, so that you could return to the modern era."

"Host, the reason you didn't die is because your Grandmother used her virtues earned in this life to substitute your life for hers."

"As long as the Host completes the System's mission of livestreaming the modern prosperous era to ancient people, changing the miserable fate of ancient women, you will earn virtue and be able to redeem your Grandmother's life."