When Shen Hongying opened her eyes, she saw the golden glazed tiles and red brick walls under the scorching sun. Everything she could see was magnificent, the only thing out of place was the person bound on the execution platform before her.

This is too brutal, how could they be beaten like this?

One's mark, even their clothes were whipped to shreds.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has rested. Shall we continue?" A plump eunuch with a face like a dish came over and asked with a fawning smile, his expression humble and careful.

"...?" Shen Hongying's mind went blank for a moment, as if she had realized something. She slowly lowered her head, revealing a long whip in her hand. The whip trailed on the ground, its tip stained with a sinister crimson. It was truly a shocking sight.

Her eyes widened, and she slowly raised her own arm, holding the whip in front of her.

It felt as if I could still smell the metallic scent of blood from the whip, instantly stimulating my nerves.

This... mine?

"Please have mercy, Empress Dowager! My young mistress has learned her lesson and will never bother Young Master Xuan again. Please have mercy!" The maid knelt on the ground, banging her head against the stone with a deafening thud, leaving a crimson stain on the cold surface.

Shen Hongying's eyes widened even more. How could this be so accurate...

Suddenly, I thought of a retro-style game about the liver that I played last night. On the game page, there was a line of text: "Ignore requests, add ten lashes, Malice Value + 100 points."

Shen Hongying:…

This isn't some goddamn raising-a-child simulation game, is it?!

Just topped up 10,000 yuan, ready to max out the evil stepmother's stats in the game. Then my little one will be able to feast on a full spread of Manchu-Han cuisine!

Shen Hongying slightly raised her head to look around, only then did she suddenly realize that the scene before her was exactly the same as the game screen. Underneath the imperial palace, a scaffold was set up beside a grand feast, the Empress Dowager stood with a whip in hand, wearing fine clothes and ornaments, her brows furrowed with a fierce and cold look, her eyes hinting at a hint of cruelty.

The whip in his hand was excellent. Look again at the person on the execution platform, barely clinging to life.

Okay, that's really mine.

Pay-to-win and time travel? I'm blown away!

What a lousy game!

You're not even letting him wear decent clothes! What is he wearing?!

The vicious stepmother of the emperor's son, what kind of stuff did she use when playing this role?

"Mother Empress?" The eunuch saw the Empress Dowager's unpredictable expression and was terrified, feeling like she would kill everyone in the next second. Oh my god, she's so scary!

"What the heck, didn't you see me going back?" Shen Hongying glared fiercely back.

Si Xi: “......???”

What is this?

Shen Hongying was trying her best to recall her own past. As the eldest daughter of the Shen family and the current Empress Dowager of the Dashi Nation, Shen Hongying had been named a concubine in the palace just one year ago. The emperor died suddenly soon after, and the Shen family, using their connections within the court, adopted the ninth prince, Xiao Tingyu, under Shen Hongying's name.

After that, she helped the Ninth Prince ascend the throne and become emperor. Shen Hongying was made Empress Dowager, but she is only eighteen years old now.

The new emperor was only five years old, and the Jiangshan of the State of Da Shang was almost entirely controlled by the Shen family. They were practically using the emperor as a puppet to command the other feudal lords. The empress dowager, although she allowed herself to be seen as merely listening to government affairs, was actually in control of everything that happened in court. Her strategies were astounding; within just a year of being in the palace, her network of informants had spread throughout the court and beyond. Joining forces with the Shen family, they made the imperial relatives supreme, holding all the power in the world.

She was the Empress Dowager, keeping male pets and delighting in many people. Her actions were widely disliked throughout the land, and she acted recklessly due to her power.