Chapter 169 I have already exercised great restraint

With each word Huo Lin spoke, Princess Mingzhu's face grew paler, until finally her face was deathly pale, and her hand holding the teacup trembled so much she could barely hold it.

[Hmph, her beautiful hands are now wrapped up like rice dumplings.]

[Even I couldn't bear to see her suffer the slightest grievance, but Mingzhu went and scalded her so badly she got blisters!]

[If I don't scare Mingzhu a little, how can I swallow this insult?]

[Isn't the Empress Dowager in a hurry to find a husband for Mingzhu? The eligible men I've provided are absolutely "unique," guaranteed to be unforgettable for Mingzhu for the rest of her life!]

Huo Lin's inner thoughts carried a childlike sense of pleasure, making Jiang Huan's lips twitch.

All the ugly and worthless people in the capital are coming to her for help. This isn't about finding a husband for Mingzhu; it's clearly an attack, retaliation, and intimidation.

Princess Mingzhu could no longer sit still. She felt that if she stayed any longer, her uncle would point out all the beggars under the bridge to her with the next sentence.

"Royal Uncle! Sister Jiang!" She stood up abruptly. "I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I'll take my leave!"

After saying that, she lifted her skirt and rushed out of Weiyang Palace without looking back.

Jiang Huan watched Princess Mingzhu flee in panic, then looked at Huo Lin beside her and gently nudged him.

"Your Majesty, aren't you just trying to scare her to death?"

Huo Lin gave a soft hum, took her injured hand, and gently stroked it with his fingertips, avoiding the bandage.

"What I said is the truth. She was clumsy and hurt you. She deserves to be taught a lesson."

[I have already exercised great restraint!]

[If it weren't for the fact that she's my niece, I would have punished her by making her copy the palace rules a hundred times, to teach her a lesson.]

[Hmph, let's see if she dares to be so reckless next time.]

Hearing Huo Lin's protectiveness towards her and feeling the warmth from his hand, Jiang Huan smiled helplessly to herself.

Even Mingzhu is experiencing Mercury retrograde.

However, Huo Lin was just like that; he was stubborn all over.

If anyone dared to propose such a husband to Mingzhu, he would definitely be the first to object.

And that plate of cherry blossoms that spilled all over the floor was an even more undeserved disaster.

Wasting food is shameful, but unfortunately, the three-second rule has passed, and it won't taste as good or crispy if we pick it up and eat it now.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huan suddenly felt a pang of regret.

If these cherries were in a modern supermarket, she could buy ten pounds without batting an eye.

But in the dynasty depicted in the book, cherries were a rare commodity, and they weren't as delicious as the ones cultivated in modern times.

Speaking of which, can the cheat system be upgraded? Maybe give her a warehouse that connects to the real world or something.

At the very least, we could send her some seeds, to carry forward the farming spirit ingrained in the DNA of the Chinese people.

Jiang Huan's thoughts wandered further and further until a sudden inspiration struck her.

I wonder if He Ling's system is any good.

The system generates points, points can be redeemed, and redemption leads to an online store!

Who knows, maybe they sell high-yield seeds in that online store?

However, their relationship is currently in dire straits, and He Ling's mission is still to win over Huo Lin.

With assassination attempts and amnesia, would someone who can pull off such a grand spectacle understand their grand farming plan?

I'd be grateful if they didn't kill anyone.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the side hall of Chuxiu Palace was somewhat somber.

He Ling listlessly fiddled with the delicate side dishes in front of her, sighing repeatedly.

"System, I can't take this anymore! It's the same old stuff every day. It looks fancy, but the taste is so bland! Ugh, I really want to eat hot pot, spicy hot pot, and crayfish with iced cola!"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and she almost wanted to roll around on the table.

A cold, electronic voice echoed in my mind.

"Host, complaining won't solve anything. Since you're dissatisfied with the imperial kitchen's supplies, why not try to improve your life yourself?"

"According to the system's evaluation, improving your cooking skills can help increase your 'virtuous' image score in the eyes of the target person, making it a highly cost-effective strategy."

Upon hearing this, He Ling nearly spat out the stir-fried bamboo shoots she was eating, her face filled with terror.

"Do it yourself? Have you forgotten my skill level? Asking me to cook is like asking me to make poison!"

She patted her chest with lingering fear as she recalled the one and only time she cooked, which almost blackened the kitchen with smoke.

"Data scans show that the host's culinary talent values ​​are indeed below average."

"What do you mean by 'below'? That's a negative value! Don't you understand negative values?!" He Ling corrected her impatiently.

The system continues its relentless analysis.

"Host detected to be in low mood and in need of dopamine replenishment. Would you like to view the food category in the system store?"

He Ling's eyes lit up instantly: "Food category? Let me see! Do you have self-heating hot pot? Snail rice noodles? Or a fried chicken set meal would be nice too!"

The virtual screen in her mind unfolded in a flash, and He Ling clicked on the food section with great anticipation.

However, what met her eyes was not the modern food pictures she had been longing for, but a neatly arranged array of bizarre items emitting a suspicious glow.

【White Jade Ice Skin Pill: Makes skin smooth and white like jade (72-hour effect) Requires 30 Strategy Points】

【Autumn Water Pupil-Slaying Soup: Nourishes the eyes, making them sparkle (48-hour effect) Requires 20 Strategy Points】

【Breath as fragrant as orchids: Fragrant and sweet-smelling, words imbued with elegance (24-hour effect, requires 15 strategy points)】

...

It was all pills and potions that could turn someone into a fox spirit; there wasn't even a decent dessert recipe.

He Ling's face instantly fell, looking like a wilted eggplant.

"System, are you kidding me? What kind of food category is this? I want food that I can actually eat, not these fancy things!"

The system's electronic tone remained stable.

"Based on the core mission priority settings, the current primary goal of the items in the shop is to increase the host's charm value and accelerate the progress of the strategy. It is recommended that the host accumulate strategy points to unlock higher-level items in the shop, which may bring surprises."

"Surprise my foot! Look at my walkthrough progress bar, has it even moved?"

He Ling pointed to the bright red progress bar in her mind that was stuck at 0%, filled with grief and indignation.

"I have nothing left except the 3 points you initially gave me! Can 3 points unlock the premium shop?!"

She slumped back into her chair and continued muttering to herself.

"If I had known I was going to time travel, I should have gone to New Oriental to learn to be a chef, or at least enrolled in a Lanxiang excavator training course. That would have been better than what I am now."

"Other transmigrated women either know medicine to heal the sick and save lives, or they know agriculture to farm and support their families. At the very least, they can recite a few poems to pretend to be a talented woman. What about me? What can I do? Watch TV series? Order takeout? Curse scumbags?"