Chapter 176 The Bitter Flesh Scheme
Side hall of Chuxiu Palace.
He Ling felt as if her soul hadn't even left the bed before the palace maid pulled her up.
"Your Highness, wake up! It's time to pay your respects to Consort Li. If you dawdle any longer, it will be really late."
The palace maid spoke rapidly, but her hands moved swiftly, wringing out a wet cloth and smearing it on He Ling's face.
He Ling was half asleep, the soreness in her knees still screaming from yesterday's torment, her mind a complete mess, letting the palace maids do as they pleased and dress her in palace attire.
He Ling yawned, inwardly groaning.
My legs are still hurting. I was limping from kneeling yesterday, and today I have to go pay my respects to the culprit. What kind of world is this?!
"Host, strategy points won't fall from the sky."
An electronic voice suddenly rang out, pulsating in her ears.
"Consort Li is a high-ranking concubine, and according to palace rules, she must perform the morning service every day. This is your first step towards the center of power. The items in the high-end shopping mall are beckoning to you, so hurry up and muster up some courage."
He Ling sighed, gritted her teeth, and, with her maids by her side, embarked on the road to Consort Li's palace, ready to face certain death.
However, this journey to the capital city was clearly more dangerous than imagined.
Consort Li seems to be in a bad mood today, or perhaps she simply doesn't like He Ling.
He Ling bowed respectfully and greeted them, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, her movements precise and flawless.
Consort Ke Li held her teacup without even lifting her eyelids, only letting out a very light snort from her nose.
"Consort Ling? I remember you." Consort Li's voice carried a chill. "How did you learn the rules in the Imperial Garden yesterday?"
He Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head even further.
"Your Majesty, I...I know I was wrong, and I deeply reflected on my mistakes yesterday."
"Reflect on your actions?" Consort Li put down her teacup, making a crisp clinking sound. "In my opinion, you still don't understand the slightest bit of etiquette."
She had heard about how Jiang Huan had saved He Ling yesterday.
Such a talent for climbing the social ladder; his mind is indeed deep.
He Ling was so frightened that her knees buckled and she almost performed a sliding kneeling act on the spot.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, I..."
"Don't you know that when you enter my palace, you have to step in with your left foot first?" Consort Li interrupted her impatiently. "Since you haven't learned the rules yet, then kneel down and think about it carefully. You can get up when you've figured it out."
A seemingly casual remark struck He Ling's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Your Majesty?" He Ling looked up in alarm.
There are actually people using such inhumane reasons to nitpick!
"Oh? Is kneeling uncomfortable and you want to hang up?" Consort Li's eyes sharpened.
"No, no, I obey."
He Ling quickly lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Resigned, she walked to the designated spot in the hall and knelt down with a thud.
Her knee, which had been injured from kneeling yesterday, was subjected to heavy pressure again. The sharp pain made her face turn pale instantly, and her body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
[Waaaaah, system, help! She's making me kneel again!]
My knees are going to shatter, they're really going to shatter.
I don't want spicy hot pot anymore, and I won't drink iced cola either. I'm going to die anyway, so let me just lie down and die comfortably!
The system is frustrated by the lack of progress.
"Hold on, host. This is a necessary sacrifice on the road to victory."
Time passed slowly, the sun gradually rose higher in the east, and the light inside the hall gradually brightened.
He Ling felt her knee gradually go from a stinging pain to numbness, and then to excruciating pain.
He Ling knelt for an unknown amount of time, so long that she felt she was about to turn into a stone statue, when finally, Consort Li's languid voice came from above.
"Alright, get up. If you don't follow the rules next time, it won't be as simple as just kneeling."
He Ling felt as if she had been granted a pardon and wanted to stand up immediately, but found that her legs had already lost all feeling and were so stiff that they were unresponsive.
The palace maids rushed forward to help her up, and managed to lift her up with difficulty.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."
Her face was ashen, her lips cracked, and she bowed deeply in the direction of Consort Li, her heart filled with joy and contentment.
Dragging his two useless legs, he staggered out of Consort Li's palace.
As soon as she stepped out of the palace, the warm early summer sun made He Ling's vision go black, and she almost collapsed.
"Host, cheer up."
The system's voice sounded somewhat urgent.
"Now is not the time to rest. According to the latest route plan, His Majesty has already finished court. Now is the perfect time to go and see him."
He Ling was panting heavily, her eyes brimming with tears.
This is absolutely inhumane!
My legs are so weak I can barely stand, how can I possibly go see them?
"A ruse, host! This is a golden opportunity!"
The system's voice rose, becoming increasingly seductive.
"Your current pitiful and wretched appearance is the perfect prop. Drag your injured leg and accidentally fall on the Emperor's inevitable route. Remember, fall naturally, fall softly, fall in a way that evokes pity!"
【fall? 】
He Ling looked at her still trembling legs.
I don't need to act; I might actually fall after taking just a couple of steps.
"That would be even better! Turning it into real life would double the effect! Let's go!"
He Ling wanted to cry, but she gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and followed the system's instructions, moving step by step to the place the system had indicated.
Not far ahead, a tall and slender figure was walking towards them.
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting a hazy halo around him. His entire being exuded an imperial aura; who else could it be but Huo Lin?
He Ling's heart leaped from her throat to the top of her head, her mind filled only with the words the system had previously instilled in her.
"Host, now's the time! Pour it towards the tree roots, quick!"
The system frantically cheered in He Ling's mind, simulating exciting background music.
As He Ling watched the figure draw closer, his handsome face remained expressionless, exuding an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.
An overwhelming sense of fear and oppression surged over her, instantly draining the last bit of strength from her legs.
"Ouch!" A suppressed cry of pain, tinged with genuine sobs.
Thump—
Without a trace of elegance or pretense, she fell solidly to the side on the stone slab.
The dull thud of her kneecap hitting the ground was enough to make one's teeth ache. The pain accumulated from yesterday and today suddenly erupted into a sharp, agonizing pain, and He Ling's tears streamed down her face.
It really hurts!
Her face contorted in pain, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
Huo Lin's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden noise. He paused slightly and glanced over.
When he touched the person on the ground, who was in a disheveled position and grimacing in pain, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
[How could an elderly woman fall on such a flat surface? Her legs must be so weak.]
That was such a hard fall, like a zombie just unearthed from the ground.
It seems the palace needs an exorcism.
A hint of disdain flashed in Huo Lin's eyes, but his face remained expressionless, without even a thought of pausing for a moment.
Judging from their posture, they were about to walk straight over.
"Host, call him back! Quickly call the Emperor!"
The system went wild in her mind.
"If we don't say anything soon, he'll leave, and all our efforts will be in vain!"
Her knees were still aching. Thinking about the suffering she had endured over the past two days, He Ling didn't know where she got the courage, but she opened her mouth and screamed out in a heart-wrenching voice. She even cracked her voice because she used too much force.
"emperor!!!"
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