“Your Highness, it’s time to go.”

Mingmei entered the game, and with a blink of her eyes—well, she hadn't logged out.

She looked down and exclaimed, "Well, well, well!"

White silk, a dagger, poison – the suicide starter pack.

What game was this?

That imperial succession副本 (fùběn, instance/scenario)?

Just as she thought this, Mingmei looked up and saw that the clothes worn by the people standing opposite her seemed to be… furs, braided hair, beards… an overly crude grassland style.

Looking up again at the yurt-like dome tent, she finally realized what game she had entered.

This was really a case of "speak of the devil," this round was *Assassinate the Emperor*?!

Mingmei looked around. Among the crowd, there was also an uncle with red eyes, looking very familiar.

After thinking carefully, Mingmei remembered that the uncle with red eyes was the master chef who cooked for His Majesty.

He had always been sharp-tongued but kind-hearted in the game, always scolding her, but now, of everyone present, only he seemed to be crying for her fate.

Mingmei recalled hearing Mu Chen mention other players' experiences a few days ago.

The game started with the tyrant's ascension to heaven, so—was she really going to be buried alive?

No way?

The starting Boss and the mysterious merchant were both gone, wasn't this purely rushing to the finale from the very beginning?

"His Majesty is gone?"

Mingmei asked, unwilling to give up, but as soon as she said His Majesty was gone, the gazes of everyone around her glared at her, wishing she would immediately die on the spot. She immediately changed her words.

"I'm just a cook, unworthy of being called 'Your Highness'..."

She didn't really want to be buried alive at the start. If she was buried alive, the game would be over.

"Of course you're unworthy!"

A minister beside her glanced at Mingmei with disdain, but as if thinking of something, he turned his head and said, "But if His Majesty liked it, it's not impossible. It's your honor that His Majesty liked you!"

Oh, hearing this tone, so she had to go down to serve this tyrant and still be grateful and moved to tears?

Mingmei curled her lips inwardly, remembering that the tyrant in this round used to be played by Mu Chen after he was assassinated unknowingly, and now this one… should have died early, right?

The player was likely still in Hua Liang, playing out the story, waiting to receive the assassination order.

[Guigui, can I struggle a little more?]

Mingmei lowered her head and closed her eyes, frantically summoning Guigui in her heart.

[Host, do you think you can break out of this encirclement?]

[I'll try?]

Mingmei looked at the dagger in front of her, her mind already spinning countless times, how could she charge out.

Guigui didn't expect that it dared to ask the question, and the host really dared to consider it.

Even if the game didn't limit Mingmei's skills, but— [Host, haven't you thought about what happens after you break out?]

[I've already broken out… then isn't the next part Guigui's area of expertise? Shouldn't you take the initiative to plan an escape route for me?]

Guigui: ??????

Guigui only felt that its host had lain down in the game pod and used it as a bed, and as a result, hadn't woken up after entering the game. This person was already thinking about ordering it around before even getting out.

[Host, this tyrant's death is a bit strange, you can't leave, shouldn't you investigate?]

Guigui decided to seriously remind the host.

[They're not giving me a chance to investigate!!]

Guigui said it lightly, Mingmei just looked at how quickly these people rushed in to surround her and gave her this suicide starter pack, as if wishing she would die in the next second, and knew she couldn't stay here for long.

But if she died immediately, would they attack Hua Liang next?

"Wait! How exactly did His Majesty die?"

Just as these people were hesitating and someone was about to step forward to "help" her, Mingmei, seeing this, could only speak up, imitating Guigui's earlier words to stop their actions.

Mingmei's gaze was fixed on the other person, her aura imposing, and she really managed to intimidate them for a moment.

"What exactly are you now?

Since a group of you won't investigate the cause of His Majesty's death, you should send His Majesty's coffin back, find a noble lady with a status worthy of His Majesty to serve him in the afterlife.

What? Do you think you can just be perfunctory because His Majesty is gone, and plan to find a cook to bury on the spot to serve His Majesty? What are your intentions with such carelessness!?"

Anyway, they kept saying that going down to serve people was an honor, Mingmei directly increased the scope of the "honor"!

A little cook wasn't worthy of the tyrant! Your daughters should be the ones to accompany him!

If that didn't work, you old men would do!

"Hey, I'm talking about you, several sirs, I see you're all getting on in years, you must have many beautiful daughters at home, right? Sending them down to serve His Majesty is just right, after all… this is an honor~"

Mingmei deliberately emphasized the word "honor", throwing the words these old guys had said to her back at the ministers present.

Their faces all turned green. Whose daughter was born to be buried alive with the emperor?

The key was that they couldn't say this, there were still His Majesty's loyal fans staring at them!

And why weren't they investigating the cause of His Majesty's death…

"Isn't it obvious? This is clearly the work of assassins sent by Hua Liang! Seeing that we've reached the gates of the imperial capital, they're jumping over the wall in desperation!"

After these words were spoken, an old man with a white beard hurriedly stood up to change the subject, explaining why they hadn't investigated the cause of His Majesty's death.

"After you go down, we will organize our troops and wash the imperial capital of Hua Liang with blood to avenge His Majesty!"

"Oh(´-w-`) then what happens after the revenge? What will you do with the land you conquer, how do you plan to divide it? And the new emperor, you're not sending your daughters down to serve the emperor now just so they can serve the new emperor?"

Mingmei saw that the old bastard was changing the subject, and even ended with "after you go down", hey!

Mingmei couldn't agree with that!

Mingmei simply spoke her mind, she was terribly straightforward.

Mingmei also kept staring at the young generals on the side, seeing the dissatisfaction they occasionally showed towards these old men, she had an idea in her heart, and continued, "Even if those weak scholars in Hua Liang want to fight to the death and assassinate His Majesty, how could their abilities allow them to get close to our Majesty?"

"In my opinion, there's really something fishy about His Majesty's death. Maybe someone among you wanted to be His Majesty's father-in-law but failed, and held a grudge, colluding with outsiders to secretly kill His Majesty…"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Someone on the side couldn't wait to draw his saber and slash at Mingmei. Mingmei immediately got up and dodged the other's curved blade, turned around and kicked the other's face, continuing:

"Am I talking nonsense? If you don't believe me, see who becomes the new king of Chu Rong after we go back, and whether the new king's newly married concubine or queen is one of those who are preventing everyone from investigating the truth of His Majesty's death, and perfunctorily finding a cook to be buried with him today!"

Mingmei said all the words in one breath, and the atmosphere in the entire tent instantly dropped to freezing point.

"You..."

"Stop!"

Sure enough, at this time, a young general who hadn't spoken much before stood up and stopped the ministers who seemed to be angered by Mingmei's words.

With the death of the tyrant of Chu Rong, naturally those with ulterior motives would surface. Regardless of whether those people were related to the tyrant's death, once they were exposed now, with the tyrant just dead and his body not yet cold, there would definitely still be loyalists.

In any case, her life could be considered safe for the time being…