Chapter 47 The reporter is very generous.
Shi Wei firmly believed that Yi Lan was responsible for this. With her insistence, His Majesty still deleted the gossip online, but many people were still discussing it.
Some conspiracy theorists even believe this is an attempt to whitewash previous human trafficking cases.
After holding back for a few days, Shi Wei found that Yi Lan hadn't made any further moves, and she was a little confused: Was it really just a joke?
Feeling bored staying in the palace, Shi Wei chose a quiet weekday to go to a famous restaurant in the capital for a meal.
Although she could have summoned a chef to the palace to prepare a meal in His Majesty's name, there was no need to waste other people's energy and time—in today's society, man-made restaurants are already quite rare.
So she took a few guards and went straight out.
His Majesty does have free time, but he is not only conspicuous, but also more troublesome to go out than she is, so Shiwei lets him eat by himself.
Watching the beautiful woman's departing figure without a backward glance, His Majesty looked at the attendant beside him and said, "Actually, if I disguise myself, I could go out, right?"
The attendant chuckled: "Of course you can. As long as you arrange your itinerary in advance, inform the guards and the palace office, and have them clear the entire area, set up security, and investigate the restaurant staff... then you can accompany Miss Shi out."
Sklag II: "..."
The restaurant was indeed very good. The food was handmade and unique, unlike machine-made food where every batch tasted the same.
The royal chef's performance was always decent, and the flavors were on the sweeter side typical of Manla people. Shi Wei is from Flamens and loves spicy food, so the restaurant's flavors suited her perfectly.
Several guards sat scattered around her, and sitting opposite Shi Wei was her personal doctor, Lilith—this black-haired, brown-eyed female Beta was also a Sino language person and one of Shi Wei's few female friends.
Lilith must have been trained by the Security Bureau. She never asks questions she shouldn't, only cares about her physical condition, and is very gentle in private. This restaurant was also recommended by Lilith.
Seeing that Lilith was suffering from the spiciness, Shi Wei poured her a glass of chilled juice, saying, "It really does look like a dried chili pepper from southern France, and this layer of red oil—hmm?"
A man in black casual clothes who was walking past them suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Shi Wei: "Hello!"
His voice was loud, and everyone else in the restaurant looked over.
Shi Wei noticed that the camera on his glasses was lit up.
Because this store is very popular, many people come here to take photos and videos, which is normal. The guards did not restrict the use of these devices.
Shi Wei became alert; some guards had already stood up and were walking this way.
Noticing this, the other party quickly held up a photograph and asked, "Miss Shi, I've heard that His Majesty favors you greatly. Is this trip a private date?"
The photo is that beautiful picture of stargazing.
Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," all eyes turned to them. Apart from a few people who had their glasses turned off, Shi Wei realized that this seemingly ordinary man might be a gossip reporter.
"Excuse me, I don't understand what you're talking about?" she said, chuckling as she gestured to the guards to get rid of the guy.
The other party was clearly prepared; there was more than one person, with two companions standing on either side of him, showing their press credentials to the approaching guards.
Good heavens, it turns out to be a reporter from the official TV station.
He does indeed have the right to conduct interviews.
Shi Wei thought viciously to herself: When I get back, I'll have His Majesty fire this station director!
However, since the other party had a webcam and Shi Wei was very familiar with the video editing process, her first reaction was to turn on the webcam of her personal computer.
With cameras pointing at each other, everyone will have footage to show when they get back.
Sure enough, the other party's attitude softened considerably, and their smile became much more genuine.
Shi Wei gave a perfectly timed smile: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you were saying."
The other person responded with an even more "friendly" smile, repeated the question, and winked at her: "You don't need to pretend anymore. Your resume and photo are on the official website of the Foreign Affairs Office. Last time, a reporter from MMTV Channel 1 personally went to YN1 with you. We're all acquaintances!"
Who says we're acquaintances!
Shi Wei smiled apologetically at him: "I'm really sorry, official business cannot be disclosed to the outside world. As for the photos, it was a misunderstanding. I was carrying out orders at the time."
She nodded to the reporter, signaling to the guards to escort her out.
As soon as she boarded the aircraft, she contacted Director Landon of the Foreign Affairs Office, informed him of the matter, asked him to inform the station, and then had the guards clean up the restaurant's surveillance footage.
After eating a couple of bites, Shi Wei, still seething with anger, stormed back to the palace.
His Majesty already knows about this and has ordered dinner to be prepared for her, and is waiting for her.
"Such a good official, yet he doesn't care about people's livelihood. He's like a paparazzi, asking questions all the time. What's so interesting about that?" She scooped up a mixed meatball and put it in her mouth.
Looking at her chubby cheeks, King Sklag II didn't find her rude at all. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and even though she was eating mouthfuls of soup, he still found her adorable.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. I've already asked Langdon to handle it. Don't worry, they won't dare to write anything nonsense." His Majesty comforted her while pouring her water.
Shi Wei was genuinely taken aback. She took the water he offered and gulped it down, asking, "What? They're still planning to send it out?!"
Please, you're the emperor, second only to the emperor himself. Shutting them up would be a piece of cake.
His Majesty smiled slightly at her: "After all, she is an official reporter. She wouldn't fabricate rumors out of thin air. Her program just likes to report gossip and anecdotes about nobles and royalty. Even if she talks nonsense, no one will believe her."
Shi Wei looked suspicious. She still felt that something was wrong. She had only decided to go out today on a whim. She made the decision in the morning. How could these reporters have caught her so easily?
Knowing exactly where the problem lay, His Majesty subtly moved a glass of fruit wine in front of her, gesturing, "Try this. I had it specially brewed for you; it should suit your taste perfectly—"
A handsome man with black hair and blue eyes smiled at her. He was wearing a black casual suit today, and his features were sharp. He was incredibly handsome. Shi Wei subconsciously hugged the cup and gulped down the drink. Her eyes lit up: "Delicious!"
"Drink as much as you like," His Majesty said generously.
After drinking four or five glasses of "juice," Shi Wei couldn't remember what was wrong at all. All she could do now was laugh foolishly, her face flushed, and she nestled in the man's arms, cupping his face in her hands, wanting to kiss him.
King Skolag II readily accepted this offer and carried her directly into the lounge.
When she was full and satisfied, Shi Wei was in a good mood. When she was drunk, her brain could not think, and her five senses were captivated by his beauty. While responding to his kisses, she touched his abs.
Seeing that she liked it, the man immediately took off his clothes and pulled her other hand down, saying, "Come on, this feels nice to touch too—"
His Majesty is very generous; if you have eight-pack abs, he definitely won't let you touch even one.
...
The next day, clutching her back and unable to get up, Shi Wei realized two heart-wrenching truths:
First, drinking leads to trouble; anyone who tricks you into drinking is just trying to have sex with you.
Second, male beauty can be misleading; if you can't control your hands and mouth, you'll be raped.
When she finally had some free time to turn on her personal computer and browse videos to pass the time, she discovered that the short interview had already been published and was all over the internet.
She clicked on a video, and there was a familiar big face right above her head.
"...The photo was a complete misunderstanding; I was carrying out orders at the time."
The familiar voice comes from her mouth every day.
The latest comments have flooded the comments section:
"Misunderstanding? Is this an admission or a denial? What order is there to watch the stars together?"
"Heh heh, execute orders, heh heh..."
"Is this the female lead? She's not that pretty. By the way, she's probably an Omega, right?"
"It's definitely an Omega. How could His Majesty possibly be interested in an Alpha?"
"The height and weight data match perfectly. I checked the information on the official website, and he is indeed an Omega. He is quite young but has no experience. Moreover, he was suddenly transferred to the Foreign Affairs Office and was directly transferred to His Majesty's side a year ago. That should be solid proof, right?"
This person even posted a screenshot, leaving Shi Wei speechless.
Even more terrifying, this group also dug up the video account she managed.
It's a post from a video blogger: "The person behind the 'Royal Palace Daily Life' account is probably the woman in the stargazing photos."
Clicking in, you'll find that this blogger analyzes everything from the very first video she worked on, matching each element from shooting techniques and editing methods to camera angles and timelines.
It had been less than half a day since the news was released.
Shi Wei was amazed by the abilities of this group of cyber detectives.
Many of the things this blogger analyzes are things she herself didn't realize, and she always thought her videos were quite official.
"This video, taken last January, was probably filmed by the female lead from 'Starry Night.' A key characteristic is the use of tracking shots. This shot is at eye level with her, which, when converted, perfectly matches her height, and it also aligns with photos. Furthermore, from today's 'God's-eye view, His Majesty's expression at the time was quite abnormal. In all official videos, His Majesty is very serious, but this video... well, it's hard to judge..."
"She did almost all of the videos after April by herself. There are rumors that the female lead used to work in animation? So it makes sense that she is good at switching shots. Indeed, many of her angles have an animation feel. Actually, these videos are rather perfunctory, like recording daily life, so you can't really tell anything from them."
"What's interesting are the videos after June. This account kept posting to the pet section. Although I really like His Majesty's pets—but a pet that's over two meters tall, haha… The female lead is really interesting! Then the traffic went up. I calculated the data, and the platform probably didn't promote it, probably because they didn't dare to. Also, His Majesty appeared frequently in her videos during this period, so they must have entered the honeymoon phase. There's no doubt about that. Please see the VCR—"
The post included edited footage of Sklag II's various expressions, almost all of which were smiling.
Shi Wei rubbed her forehead, realizing it had become so obvious.
Finally, the blogger also analyzed this year's videos: "Two videos deserve special attention. One is His Majesty talking about the unfortunate head of state next door. This video is immersive, with the person filming wearing a head-mounted device and using a face-to-face conversation method. I won't repeat the formula for calculating the angle and height. This video is completely different from the ones she filmed casually. It must have been scripted, and several questions were clearly arranged."
This analysis is quite interesting. Shi Wei became interested and continued reading:
"Then why didn't everyone think it was a deliberate attempt to whitewash His Majesty? I guess this version of the video was improvised. Pay attention to His Majesty's changes in expression. At first, it was quite formulaic. Although the voice of the person asking the question was synthesized by AI, I'm sure it was the female lead asking the question, because at the end His Majesty was clearly teasing the person on the other end! That line, 'Is it funny? You also think I'm a hooligan?'—that's obviously flirting! Who the hell has ever heard His Majesty speak in such a cloying tone? Ugh... I felt something was off right then and there."
Shi Wei: It feels like he's shipping couples.
The blogger's background is unclear, but their political acumen is sharp: "This video is very effective. It's obvious that His Majesty's humor and approachability won everyone's sympathy, thus easily clearing his name. I have to give a thumbs up to the female lead here—if the person filming wasn't the star of 'Stars,' would His Majesty, with his personality, have sat down and filmed according to the script? This must be true love!"
Shi Wei: What a speechless analysis.
After a long and detailed analysis, the blogger continued:
"Another video worth watching is, of course, His Majesty's swimming video. Tsk tsk tsk, His Majesty has a great figure! This video was even throttled, I'm really curious how it got posted. Maybe that's the power of authority, getting the review process to open a back door. But I digress—to be able to film this video, the account owner must have a very special identity. The previous ones can be explained, but for a video that's purely about showing off one's figure and looks, would an ordinary staff member be qualified to film it? The perspective is clearly that of a lover. His Majesty smiles more on this account than all the official accounts combined..."
"In conclusion, I believe the person behind this account is the 'Star Girl' (a popular internet celebrity). I don't care whether the posts are deleted or not; I'm just curious to see what this account will post next. [Funny.jpg]"
The post quickly became a trending topic, with comments saying, "Wow, he seems to be talking nonsense, but why does it look so reasonable?" Soon, someone calculated the photographer's height based on the blogger's perspective and formula—166.73 cm.
Shi Wei: This actually works?
It's impossible not to be dissatisfied. The other party didn't make any malicious attacks or smears, and there's no reason to make him delete the post.
The online uproar lasted for several days, but His Majesty didn't do much to deal with it, adopting the posture of an enlightened ruler who allowed the discussion to proceed at his own discretion.
Shi Wei was extremely irritable and accidentally blurted out her true feelings: "If they keep digging like this, how am I supposed to go out and have fun in the future!"
King Sklag II looked apologetic: "Then I'll have to disguise myself. Technology is so advanced these days. If you want to go out, you can call me and I can accompany you."
Shi Wei looked suspicious: "You didn't orchestrate this yourself, did you? Because I didn't bring you along, so you did it on purpose?"
His Majesty, whose heart nearly skipped a beat, said, "Of course not, it must have been that bastard Yi Lan who did it."
After this incident, Shi Wei could no longer go out and play as she pleased. Her life of laziness and complacency was forced to stop, and she had to obediently accompany His Majesty in his work and absorb knowledge from the library.
However, the blogger who wrote the post gave her a problem: what should the account post for the next video?
Since His Majesty was free, she moved a chair and sat down next to him, showing him her account.
They've gained over ten million followers, all thanks to this gossip.
Even the video of His Majesty swimming, which had been subject to traffic restrictions, saw its views increase by tens of millions.
"What should I post next?" His Majesty raised an eyebrow upon hearing her distress. "Post whatever you want! Actually, I think you could post more about our daily lives. Aren't there many couples who do that, like their daily love stories—"
Shi Wei felt suffocated: "This is an official account, a legitimate account. It cannot be used for private purposes!"
King Sklag II replied frankly, "Official? Aren't I the official one?"
Shi Wei: "..." Damn it, she hasn't been assimilated into the democratic and free government of the Fran Empire yet. Could it be that His Majesty is too enlightened, causing her to forget that Manra is an ancient monarchy?
After teasing her for a while, His Majesty said, "If you don't want to deal with people's curiosity, just post some videos of Leo to fade their memories. This hype will die down after a while."
Shi Wei nodded; that was what she had in mind too.
But His Majesty smiled at her, picked up a white-dressed doll sitting on the quantum computer—it was modeled after Shi Wei—and placed it in front of her.
The cute and beautiful little person glared at the person who had taken it down; it had finally managed to climb up with great difficulty.
"Isn't this a bit too anthropomorphic?" Shi Wei looked at the doll that resembled her and felt that it seemed more intelligent than the one in her study.
“Unlike your system, her system was designed by me and the engineers. Look, she can even dance—” The over-100-year-old emperor held the miniature doll in his palm and said in a particularly gentle tone, “Come on, dance for your mother.”
Shi Wei, who was initially very curious, suddenly looked annoyed.
After hearing its master's command, the little figure rolled its eyes, then reluctantly and angrily began to dance—and it was even doing the bunny dance!
Shi Wei was speechless at the tastes of these Alphas.
After jumping a couple of times, the doll got fed up, kicked Sklag II's thumb, jumped off his palm, and prepared to continue climbing onto the quantum computer—completely lacking in ladylike manners, unaware that her skirt was wrapped around her bottom.
Shi Wei: Who designed this?
Out of concern for her own image, she straightened the little person's skirt and put her on the personal terminal.
The doll in the white dress and with black hair smiled sweetly at her.
Even though this is a high-value, adorable version of herself, Shi Wei couldn't help but exclaim: "I'm so incredibly beautiful!"
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She can even understand all sorts of commands—” His Majesty demonstrated to her with great interest: “Could you get me a piece of paper, please?”
Shi Wei saw the doll reluctantly climb down, walked to the tissue box, pulled out a piece of paper, rolled it up into a ball, and threw it at His Majesty's forehead.
"Pfft—" She couldn't help but laugh.
Because the doll was too weak, the paper ball failed to hit its target and was caught by His Majesty. As he looked at it, he smiled and said, "How about that? It's very much like something you could do, isn't it?"
Shi Wei laughed as she said, "I won't do the bunny dance for you."
His Majesty sighed regretfully, placed the doll on her shoulder, and said, "If you want to maintain the hype, keep it mysterious. Don't make the next video too obvious. Film some everyday moments, and then casually reveal something—"
He pointed at the doll and almost got bitten.
King Scolag II shook his head: "I think we still need to send it to have the system rebuilt. It was so well-behaved and cute at first, how come its temper is getting worse and worse?"
"Because I think you're very good to her," Shi Wei said obliviously. "Knowing that you like her and will forgive her no matter what she does, that's why you're so reckless."
His Majesty glanced at her, pinched the doll's cheek, and nodded: "You're right, you can only blame me... Maintaining popularity has its benefits. Didn't you want to guide public opinion on my attitude? Actually, I don't need these things. Even if public opinion drops to its lowest point, they won't dare to replace me."
Shi Wei looked at him and said half-jokingly, "Your Majesty, don't be too confident. Although there has never been an emperor who was abdicated in the history of Manla, other empires have."
The Fran Empire frequently changed emperors.
King Scolari II smiled calmly: "Replacing me would prove that Manla is not far from splitting up."
Shi Wei stared at him for a while. What he said was a bit too arrogant—but it was also true.
The Manla Empire today has a thousand-year-old goal: to restore its former glory.
Sklag II, bearing this name, though he failed to surpass his ancestor and cannot be considered the first emperor of Manra—he is certainly second in rank.
Even Emperor Charles was considered inferior to him more than a decade ago.
This man reunited the nearly fractured empire, using war to sustain war, obtaining military funds by oppressing nobles, expanding the territory to revitalize the nation, suppressing some nobles while winning over others—he was not only a gifted military strategist but also an outstanding politician.
He can be considered a true all-rounder.
He would also often guide Shiwei to do things that were beneficial to her.
“Controlling public opinion is also a way for you to control the discourse. I know you don’t want to get special privileges directly from me, but you can try this method—your idol Asta used to do it this way.”
Shi Wei had recently reviewed many archives, but some information was clearly missing a very important section. So she simply asked His Majesty directly: "I saw in the records that Asta initially started doing live broadcasts intentionally to manipulate public opinion. So how did she start?"
Should she start a live stream or something?
His Majesty paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, she only did live streaming because she was short of money."
Disillusioned by her idol, Shi Wei was extremely surprised: "Are you short of money?"
His Majesty glanced at her and said, "She came from a poor planet and was admitted to the largest military academy in Manla at the time. Her tuition was waived, but her living expenses were not. Moreover, she majored in mecha engineering, which was the most expensive major at the time."
Shi Wei: "...Didn't you say someone was sponsoring us?"
His Majesty sighed: "She was an unknown poor student. Where would she get sponsorships in the first place? She only became famous after a few major competitions, but those sponsorships were more like indentured servitude contracts than sponsorships. Of course, she wouldn't agree to them. Her biggest early sponsor was a female Omega—supposedly the number one on her live stream."
Shi Wei: How can she possibly seduce a rich woman?
His Majesty saw through her thoughts and said with pity, "Don't count on any live broadcast. Asta is the kind of person who says one thing to one person and another to another. He fooled the then Crown Prince Sklag the Great completely. You might as well come to me directly."
"No." Shi Wei refused haughtily. She wanted to find a rich otaku to support her; she didn't want to use such means to climb the social ladder.
His Majesty sighed regretfully. Actually, he was very easy to talk to, and the bunny hop wasn't that difficult.
"In short, you can try shooting some videos like this to increase the popularity as much as possible. After a while, change this account to a personal account and have Lu Qi help you select some people from the Security Bureau to have a professional team help you." His Majesty gave her advice and kissed her in the process.
As a result, he was kicked by the chibi version of Shi Wei.
His Majesty continued to kiss Shiwei, then moved the doll aside and said, "Be good, don't bother us, okay? Children shouldn't look at these things."
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