Chapter 309 The Virtuous Empress Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 8) Time and Space...

Lin You was unaware of the Time and Space Administration's test; even her closest friend, A Piao, hadn't revealed a word to her. This was a test for her alone.

If Lin You chooses to exploit loopholes in the rules to speed up the completion of the mission, she might be brought to the Administration's headquarters after the mission is completed because of her outstanding abilities, but she will only continue to be a mission taker and will hardly have any contact with the core of the Administration.

Many people, after acquiring abilities beyond those of ordinary people, feel superior to others and consider everyone else as insignificant. This mentality violates the core principles of the Quick Transmigration Administration.

However, A Piao also believed in Lin You. If she couldn't even pass this most basic test, she wouldn't have gained the genuine affection of so many mission targets.

You should know that in the world where he worked part-time in Little Heavenly Path, Song Yu would only start working after getting a few words of news about Lin You.

Ah Piao always felt that the reward he gave Song Yu was just a bonus; Lin You's information was what motivated him to continue catching ghosts.

A Piao had complained about this to Lin You, but she actually told him to be more understanding and even sent him a bunch of ghost-catching talismans and protective arrays that could be remotely controlled and were suitable for Song Yu.

He's a dignified ninth-level Celestial Master, someone who can easily defeat even a Ghost King, yet he's afraid of ghosts when he tries to catch a fifth-level one. You expect me to be understanding?!

Ah Piao felt a sense of helplessness, like a student who hadn't done their homework and went to tell their parents, only to be told that their child was too hard-working and didn't need to do homework, and that they should just let the child be happy, and that they would have to find a group of college students to work for them when they grew up.

The key point is that Song Yu isn't incapable of doing his homework!

With how she spoils her mission targets, how could she possibly take shortcuts to complete the mission? How could she possibly ignore them completely?!

Even a dog wouldn't believe that!

Xiao You nodded in agreement, "Yeah, my cheat system, Heng Mo, still divides the rewards from completing tasks into two parts, and saves the other half for Youyou."

After Ye Yunhua returned with Lin You, she was not required to do basic physical exercises such as horse stance, carrying stones, or running laps.

“Normally, learning martial arts does require these steps, but we have a shortcut. There’s no need to force yourself to endure the hardship. Take one of these three pills a day, and I’ll teach you the moves once you’ve finished them.”

Lin You took out three pills suitable for ordinary people: one to strengthen the body and improve physical constitution, one to increase internal strength by sixty years, and the last one was a youth-preserving pill that he casually picked up.

Ye Yunhua has already suffered enough. Since there is a way to help her learn quickly, why should she follow the usual path? She doesn't intend to become a martial arts master; she just wants the ability to protect herself.

"This pill is very mild, and there won't be much of a reaction after you take it. It won't stop you from going to play with your friends."

Ye Yunhua took the pill, suddenly reached out and hugged Lin You, then quickly let go, her voice light and cheerful, "Youyou, you go and cultivate first, I'll bring you braised pork ribs and Longjing shrimp when I come back."

Lin You nodded, watching her walk away with light, even lively steps, before returning to her room to continue her cultivation.

All aspects of human life are forms of cultivation. Ye Yunhua only called Lin You because she was sure that going out with her wouldn't affect her cultivation. Most of the time, she wouldn't disturb Lin You.

When Ye Yi'an finished school, he was thinking about whether he should go to the temple fair to see if he could find something that his wife would like. But as soon as he left the private school, he saw the person he was thinking about at a small restaurant not far away.

This concern has nothing to do with romantic love. No matter how mature he is, he is only seven years old, and Ye Yunhua is the only person in his life who has been kind to him.

When you care about someone, you can recognize them at a glance in a crowd, even if they're sitting in a corner.

Ye Yi'an subconsciously took two steps toward the small restaurant, then immediately stopped. Even if he wanted to say hello, he couldn't disturb them at this time. If they thought he was there to freeload, it would leave a bad impression.

Ye Yunhua noticed his little actions and couldn't help but find them both amusing and touching. People who care about you will think twice before doing anything, while those who don't care will be nonchalant even when they speak sarcastically.

For example, she would deliberately belittle her youngest son, making him seem utterly worthless.

Ye Yunhua beckoned Ye Yi'an closer. Watching the usually clever child move faster than he thinks, and then look at his slightly annoyed expression as he got closer, it was truly delightful.

Ye Yi'an cherished the things Ye Yunhua gave him even more, holding them tightly in his arms, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

Meanwhile, Lin You also received Xiao Tiandao's invitation to gossip. In the palace, Qin Heng was trying to give the last jar of loquat syrup made by Ye Yunhua to the nanny who was sweeping the courtyard.

"The weather is cold now. I heard Granny cough twice when I passed by today. This loquat syrup is useless to keep after it fell off, so I might as well give it to you. Use some every day to avoid getting sick."

Qin Heng's reasons were presented in a grand and respectable manner, and he acted with great consideration for his subordinates, but the malice in his eyes was clear.

Today's news will surely reach the Empress's palace, and it probably won't be long before we hear that the Empress has caught a cold and is bedridden.

Perhaps at first, Qin Heng was just using this kind of thing to gain attention, but every time he made Ye Yunhua sick, his father and brother would find an excuse to reward him with some of his favorite things.

Ye Yunhua would silently swallow her anger and treat him even better next time, which gradually fostered this kind of personality in him.

Qin Xi, who had always been in cahoots with him, suddenly clenched his fist at this moment. Looking at the loquat syrup about to be taken away, he abruptly stood up, pretending to straighten his clothes, and said casually:

"Since you've caught a cold, what good will this do? You might as well give her a couple of thick clothes and have the imperial physician prescribe some medicine. Keep the loquat syrup."

After saying that, he reached out and took the item, then seemingly casually handed it to the eunuch who served him. The eunuch cleverly put the item away.

Qin Heng noticed this and chuckled after everyone left, "What, big brother, you're starting to care about these things now? If you like them, take them. I have two sachets that I was going to throw away, why don't I send them to you too?"

Qin Heng had only meant to mock Qin Xi, but to his surprise, Qin Xi nodded and promptly had someone fetch the sachet, which he then put away and left.

Qin Xi always politely and indifferently refused the gifts Ye Yunhua gave him, so he hardly ever had any of these things.

Qin Heng would leave things behind, then deliberately ruin them to annoy her. He would even keep some things for a while, making Ye Yunhua think he liked them, before destroying them in front of her.

Now that Qin Heng wanted to take it away, he didn't care much. He just waved his hand and told a clever palace maid to come forward and "Go and get me a few more... entertainment items."

Before long, the palace servants in the Empress's palace heard that Prince Qin Heng was dissatisfied with his personal accessories, disliked the smell of the sachets, felt that his clothes did not fit well, felt that his shoes were uncomfortable, and even lost his appetite.

The matter of the two princes has always been of paramount importance to the people in the Empress's palace, and it wasn't long before these words were delivered to "Ye Yunhua".

The substitute doll "Ye Yunhua" mainly does what the Empress does in the palace: managing palace affairs, concubines, princes and princesses.

When there are rules to follow, Ye Yunhua, who only acts according to the rules, is more admired and respected by the concubines and princes in the harem.

After all, an empress who held power and whose family was influential did not abuse her power; instead, she treated everyone equally. Such a feat is truly hard-won for anyone.

Because of his own disillusionment, Qin Heng was no different from the other princes in the "Ye Yunhua" setting. At most, as the legitimate son of the Empress, he had slightly better benefits than the other princes.

After hearing the servant's report, "Ye Yunhua" did not do as Qin Heng expected, carefully selecting the things he needed, making them by hand, and then secretly sending them over disguised as a portion of the Imperial Household Department's allowance.

Upon receiving the message, Ye Yunhua simply handled it as a matter of official business. After investigating everything and confirming that it was not a case of dereliction of duty by the palace servants, but rather a matter of spreading rumors, she ordered that the person who delivered the message be fined three months' wages according to the rules, and then ignored the matter.

Qin Heng finally realized something was wrong. "Ye Yunhua" didn't handle the matter in a grand manner; instead, she handled it in a very official way, as if she were just dealing with an ordinary palace servant who had made a mistake, according to palace rules.

Following Ye Yunhua's original habits, the puppet doll would also make some things by hand in her spare time. The puppet's technique completely imitated the original owner, and no one would be able to tell that there was anything different.

Ye Yunhua no longer gave these things only to her two biological sons, but instead distributed them as rewards.

Concubines who are pregnant and give birth will receive a screen ornament embroidered by the Empress herself, and princes who make progress in their studies will receive pastries made by the Empress.

She didn't deliberately avoid Qin Xi and Qin Heng. If the two of them got first place in their studies, she would send them a copy as well, but it would be exactly the same as what the other princes received.

Qin Heng never got first place because he didn't care much about his studies, and he didn't pay much attention to it. But as the eldest son of the emperor, no one dared to let Qin Xi always be inferior to others, so he would stand out from the crowd from time to time.

Qin Xi, who had always been proud of this, felt increasingly frustrated. He was always meticulous and observant, and the reward his mother sent was the same as that of the other princes.

Although the desserts were not always the same type, there was no difference in the presentation, the number of pieces, or even the servants who delivered them.

Ye Yunhua treated all her sons equally and fairly, which earned her the trust of many concubines and palace staff.

The only two who felt aggrieved were Qin Xi and Qin Heng. Qin Heng was even more reckless than Qin Xi, barging directly into the Empress's palace and causing a ruckus by smashing and destroying things, but he still didn't get any explanation.

The Empress seemed completely baffled as to why he was making such a fuss. Her calm gaze revealed an indifference that seemed to care nothing to her, yet it sent chills down Qin Heng's spine, and his boisterous voice gradually subsided.

"Your Highness has been disrespectful. Have the governess add another month of discipline." Qin Heng listened to the almost emotionless voice and was silently led out.

After watching this whole drama, Lin You became concerned about something else: "So, we're even now, right?"

After all, no one made the right choice.

Xiao Tiandao also analyzed seriously, "[This is a lose-lose situation. You lost your bet to me, and I lost my bet to you.]"

Lin You casually passed over the modern snack gift pack, which included carbonated drinks, French fries, potato chips, spicy strips and fish cakes, rice crackers, and even several bottles of chili sauce and mushroom sauce.

Everything was configured according to Xiaotiandao's own requirements. As for the ingredients, she had already stocked up on quite a lot before, and she even thoughtfully included some of the fried chicken family bucket meals she had stocked up on.

She wasn't at a disadvantage either; the map Xiaotiandao provided was detailed and convenient, along with route maps to various places, and a compass to be used in conjunction with the map.

It must have used special methods to combine a compass with the map, making it very similar to some kind of modern navigation map.

After Lin You put away the map with satisfaction, he suddenly asked, "I didn't expect that Little Heavenly Dao would also crave food. I always thought that as a Heavenly Dao, one should be pure of heart and desire, high above, looking down on all living beings."

Xiao Tiandao, who was secretly munching on a super spicy fried chicken cutlet, was startled. A large bite of chicken cutlet covered in chili powder was stuffed into his mouth, and he almost choked and his eyes welled up with tears.

He coughed for a while, then downed a bottle of cola to calm himself down before reconnecting to Lin You's call. He then explained, feigning composure:

What you're describing is a minor Heavenly Dao that emerged from the original world. It's a prototype of a perfect world, and before the Heavenly Dao was born in the beginning of the world, someone was needed to temporarily act as its representative.

For example, I'm a minor Heavenly Dao hired on a part-time basis. By chance, I'm temporarily managing this world. Once a true minor Heavenly Dao is born in this world, I can leave.

Lin You nodded in understanding. She had also experienced the situation where the Little Heavenly Dao was being used as a side job. In Song Yu's world, the Little Heavenly Dao had seriously violated regulations and was imprisoned. Now, it was the ghost who was working as the Little Heavenly Dao.

When A Piao was chatting with Lin You, he casually mentioned that he had always wanted to create a world made up of horror games, but because he was unsure when his part-time job as Xiao Tiandao would end, the plan had to be put on hold for the time being.

It seems that he can only end his part-time job and do his own thing after a new Heavenly Dao is born in that world.

However, whether it was Lin You's imagination or not, she always felt that when this Little Heavenly Dao talked about the New Heavenly Dao, there was a hint of unnatural guilt in his tone.

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Author's Note: Two more chapters! I plan to stay up all night, you can read it tomorrow [Three-Cat Cat]