317. Universal License

Seeing that she was no longer disappointed, Jiang Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "It's good that Yue'er isn't sad. When the time comes, Mother will ask the kitchen to make more of your favorite snacks, and we'll have a good time together."

"When the time comes, Yue'er will cook something delicious herself! Let the Grand Tutor and Brother Xie have a taste!"

Okay~

-

Tao Wanbi's room.

Tao Wanbi was nestled in her room, chatting with the system about the banquet, holding her newly changed dress in her hand: "System, do you think I'll look good in this light pink dress at the banquet? Will the male lead notice me? Maybe if I say a few words to him then, I can complete the mission!"

Don't worry, the color of your clothes doesn't matter. What matters is that you see the male lead.

[As long as the male lead attends the banquet on time, and you find another opportunity to meet him and exchange a few words, the power of the plot will take effect again.]

Tao Wanbi breathed a huge sigh of relief and couldn't help but turn around in front of the mirror: "Great! As long as everything goes smoothly, I should be able to complete the task soon."

That's not necessarily true; we have many formidable enemies...

"But at least the male lead is on our side, right?"

The system did not respond.

"……system?"

There was no response.

"System? Are you there?"

A hissing sound came through, and then the system voice suddenly blared—

【No!】

"Wh...what's wrong?" Tao Wanbi had a bad feeling.

News has spread from the palace that the male lead will not be attending the banquet at the Marquis of Beiding's residence!

"What?" Tao Wanbi froze. "Why isn't the male lead here? Why?"

The system stopped responding, leaving only the buzzing sound of electricity.

A moment later, the system's voice boomed, filled with shock and anger—

[Damn it, I was only away from them for a moment, why did so much trouble happen?!]

Why would Jin Lanyue help Lin Fuman advocate for equality? And why did she bring Qu Zijin and Xie Wenling into it?!

[The male lead clearly didn't say he wouldn't go! How could he not go?]

[It's all because of Wei Chaoyun! If she hadn't stopped him, the male lead would definitely have gone!]

[If only we had found a way to kill her when she was alone in the capital, we wouldn't have ruined our plans now!]

It seems that many things have completely slipped out of the system's control.

Tao Wanbi was startled by the system's tone, but she didn't pay much attention to the system's anger. Instead, she noticed something else: "Wait!"

"System, didn't you say before that Lin Fuman wanted to promote equality, that she would definitely fail, and that no one would support her, and that she would die a terrible death sooner or later?"

"But you mean she succeeded? How so?"

The system remained silent for a while, somewhat annoyed.

I didn't expect this either. When I was analyzing things before, I didn't anticipate Jin Lanyue getting involved.

After all, Jin Lanyue wasn't involved in either my script or the altered one.

They should have met more than a decade later, not now.

In both scripts, Lin Fu was the only one pushing things forward, so I didn't expect Jin Lanyue to suddenly intervene.

Jin Lanyue not only spoke up for Lin Fuman, but also dragged Qu Zijin into it. Qu Zijin then approached Xie Wenling, a confidant of the emperor, who persuaded him, and the emperor actually relented?

The emperor actually relented?!

[Damn it, why did Qu Zijin and Xie Wenling also listen to Jin Lanyue and get involved in this?!]

What benefits do they get from promoting equality?

Is it worth it just for a single month of sworn brotherhood?

"Then your analysis wasn't wrong?" Tao Wanbi said to herself, "You were so absolute before, saying that Lin Fuman would definitely fail, but now His Majesty has his support. Your system is too unreliable."

[...My analysis shows that the error was due to insufficient information.]

My previous analysis was based on the scenario of Lin Fuman alone pushing for equality, without taking into account the variable of Jin Lanyue.

Jin Lanyue is a princess bestowed by His Majesty, and His Majesty already favors her; therefore, His Majesty will listen to her more often.

[With Qu Zijin and Xie Wenling joining forces, the three of them pushing forward together had more than double the success rate compared to Lin Fuman blindly venturing alone.]

[Furthermore, His Majesty himself had the idea of ​​supporting women, but he lacked a pretext. Lin Fuman brought it up, and Jin Lanyue and the others helped persuade him, so His Majesty naturally went along with it.]

"I see... Does that mean this matter is going to be successful?"

Don't oversimplify things. Even with His Majesty's support, achieving equality won't be easy.

[Others will definitely object, and when things move forward, they'll inevitably cause trouble for Lin Fuman. It's uncertain whether she can withstand it.]

Tao Wanbi didn't listen; instead, she was a little envious: "Even if there are many troubles, at least she has a goal and people to help her."

Now is not the time to envy her!

[The male lead isn't going to the banquet, so our plan is ruined. We need to think of another way quickly. I need to think of some occasions recently where you can see him.]

Tao Wanbi belatedly realized what was happening and, remembering the banquet at the Marquis of Beiding's residence, began to worry: "Should I still go to the banquet at the Marquis of Beiding's residence?"

"If the male lead isn't going, there's no point in me going. Besides, Jin Lanyue's parents definitely won't like me either."

“I used to always go against Jin Lanyue and even tried to bully her. They might not even let me go to the banquet.”

Clearly, she didn't want to go, and she even had a reason for it.

Of course I'll go.

The system's voice was decisive.

Even if the male lead doesn't go, Jin Lanyue, Qu Zijin, and Xie Wenling will still be at the banquet. Instead of hiding and living in fear, it's better to keep an eye on their movements.

Moreover, we're running out of time; we must find something for them to do to delay their advance.

Tao Wanbi still hesitated: "But the Marquis of Beiding and his wife really don't like me. They never gave me a friendly look before. If I offer to go to the banquet now, they will definitely refuse. I can't just barge in, can I?"

Forcing our way in won't work, but I have a plan.

Suddenly, the mall interface in Tao Wanbi's mind popped up, and an item labeled "Universal License" was clicked to redeem, followed by a prompt that points were deducted.

1000 points.

Her points suddenly dwindled to almost nothing.

"Are you crazy?!" Tao Wanbi exploded instantly, her voice rising, "1000 points! We've worked so hard to accumulate so many points since we transmigrated, and you just want to exchange them for something like this?"

We've reached the final rounds; if we don't use our points now, are we just waiting to be carried to our graves?

Now, shut up and listen to me.

This license is mandatory; regardless of the other party's willingness, they must agree to it once it's presented. It can be used twice in total.

Tao Wanbi opened her mouth, wanting to refute but not daring to.

After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke: "...Alright, since we've already changed it, we can't let it go to waste. Shall I go find the Marquis of Beiding and his wife?"

[Hurry up and go, while they're still discussing the banquet, finalize things as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.]

Remember, don't panic when you get the license; just state your purpose directly. They can't refuse you this way.

Tao Wanbi nodded and tucked the neatly folded license into her bosom.

She straightened her clothes and forced herself to walk towards the main courtyard.

-

Main courtyard

When she arrived at the door, the servants, seeing it was her, turned grim and shooed her away.

Tao Wanbi shamelessly refused to leave, persistently pestering him with claims of having urgent business that required immediate attention, and that she absolutely had to see him...

After much pleading and cajoling, the servant finally went in to announce their arrival.

A moment later, a servant came out and said expressionlessly, "Master and Madam want you to come in. Follow me."

Upon entering the living room, Marquis Jiang Xiyue of Beiding was sitting at the table, discussing the banquet program in hushed tones.

Upon seeing Tao Wanbi enter, his previously gentle expression turned cold, and his eyes were filled with disgust.

Jiang Xiyue spoke first, her voice devoid of warmth: "Why are you here?"

Tao Wanbi gripped the permit in her arms and stepped forward: "Marquis of Beiding, Madam Marquis, I have come today to ask for your permission to attend the banquet in a few days."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Marquis Beiding frowned and shook his head: "No, there will be many distinguished guests at the banquet, so you'd better not come. We're worried about you because you've always been at odds with Yue'er, so you should go back."

Jiang Xiyue nodded in agreement: "Yes, we can't let you bully Yue'er anymore. You can forget about attending this banquet."

Tao Wanbi steeled her resolve, pulled out the universal license from her bosom, and held it up in front of the two of them: "I know you're not happy, but I have this."