Chapter 43: Getting Dressed to See My Beloved.
After having lunch with Her Highness the Princess and others, Yue Yining went back to her room to change into her outdoor clothes and cloak. Fu Yao was not in the room; she must still be training and had not yet returned. Yue Yining did not intend to call her and boarded the carriage to the Xie residence alone.
At this moment, in the Xie residence, maids stood quietly on both sides of the vermilion gate, awaiting the arrival of distinguished guests. Following the winding path along the screen wall into the mansion, passing through gardens shaded by clusters of flowers, in the Qiufang Courtyard deep within the mansion, a girl in red was lazily basking in the sun by the window.
Xie Yunying yawned: "How boring... I wonder when the female lead will arrive. It would be great if I could take this opportunity to see her."
System: "Master, the female lead is here to discuss matters with Xie Zhi, so you most likely won't be able to see her."
Xie Yunying curled her lip: "What's so difficult about that? I'll just wait for her on the only way out of the manor and pretend to bump into her." She's an expert at this kind of thing!
Speaking of Yue Yining, who would soon be visiting her home, Xie Yunying recalled the scene from a few days ago.
Xie Yunying suddenly spoke up: "System, don't you think Xie Qingyu is strange?"
System: "That's really strange. He doesn't seem like an ordinary person."
Xie Yunying was speechless: "...That's not what I meant! I meant, didn't you think his reaction that day was a bit off?"
That day, Xie Yunying and Xie Qingyu were in the same room when they overheard a report from Xie Qingyu's bodyguard, Yin Yi. The report mentioned Yue Yining, the female protagonist of the original novel whom Xie Yunying had yet to meet.
Although Xie Qingyu tried his best to hide it, Xie Yunying still keenly sensed a hint of panic in him.
Was it because you heard the name Yue Yining?
System: "He knows Yue Yining's identity, and he's suddenly about to meet the female lead from the original book, so it's normal for him to be a little nervous."
Xie Yunying sat on the long couch, her upper body leaning over the pear wood table, her two pink embroidered shoes dangling in mid-air. "I've never met the original female lead either. When I suddenly heard Yue Yining's name, I was just surprised, but his reaction was much more intense. And I always felt that he was a bit strange, as if he was plotting something shady."
The system asked blankly, "What do you mean by 'things that can't be shown to others'...?"
Xie Yunying raised her hand to her neck, made a "smack" gesture, and rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
system:"......."
After Xie Yunying finished her demonstration, she immediately returned to normal, looking mysterious as she said, "Do you think he might want to kill the female lead, then replicate her success and become the new Imperial Advisor?"
The system did not comment on her ingenious idea because its internal notification sounded.
System: "Master, we have received notification that the main storyline has officially begun!"
Xie Yunying straightened up abruptly: "Finally here! Tell me quickly, what's the situation now?"
The system reads in a straightforward voice: "Congratulations, host, on passing the novice period and officially entering the mission phase! During this phase, the system shop will be opened for the host, and daily missions will be issued. The host can earn Tong Coins by completing missions, and use Tong Coins to exchange for various special mission items in the shop to complete missions better and faster."
"Beep! Host mission has been modified. The current objective is to get engaged and married to Yuan Nanjie, the eldest son of the Yuan family."
Finally, I don't have to be bored at home anymore! Xie Yunying rubbed her hands together, full of enthusiasm: "Great! System, tell me what today's task is?"
System: "Ding! Today's task has been issued: Please say 'I really want to get married!' ten times to any person in the manor."
Xie Yunying: "......."
Xie Yunying slowly typed out a question mark: "System, do you want to hear what you're saying?"
"What kind of absurd tasks are these?" Xie Yunying was furious. "What do you mean by 'I really want to get married'? What the hell is this? Are you deliberately messing with me?!"
The system declared sternly, "Host, please be careful with your words! The daily tasks generated by our system are calculated using sophisticated AI big data algorithms. As long as they are successfully completed, they will all contribute to your achievement of the level completion goal!"
Xie Yunying really wanted to say, "Help my foot! Do you believe I'll slap you right now, and then slap the main system twice? AI big data algorithms are nothing but the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms!" But she thought about it and held back. Even if she scolded this little broken robot until it cried, it wouldn't make a difference.
Xie Yunying conceded defeat: "...I'll go call my personal maid."
The courtyard was lush with fragrant grass, and the magnolia blossoms were plump and beautiful, standing gracefully on the branches. The maids in Qiufang Courtyard, dressed in matching light blue dresses, stood in the long corridor outside the gate.
Since midsummer of last year, Xie Yunying often preferred to stay in her room alone, only allowing her maids to remain and serve her on very rare occasions. Jin Xuan and Bi Tao stood closest to the windows of her bedroom, so that if Xie Yunying needed anything, they could hear her if she called out softly from inside.
"Jin Xuan, Bi Tao." Xie Yunying's voice suddenly rang out from the inner room, low and husky as if she had just woken up from a nap, with a hint of languor, "You two come in for a moment."
The two people whose names were called responded quickly, pushed open the door and went inside.
Xie Yunying leaned against the table, her crimson skirt cascading down from the couch like a canna leaf bathed in the glow of the sunset.
After Xie Yunying called them in, she turned over and lay down again, without making a sound. Jin Xuan and Bi Tao didn't understand why Xie Yunying suddenly called them in, but neither of them dared to ask rashly. They simply lowered their eyes and approached, first tidying up the pile of melon seed shells and half-dried teaware on the table.
At that moment, a soft sigh suddenly came from the couch.
"I really want to get married."
Jin Xuan and Bi Tao, who were tidying up the table: "........"
The two looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.
Before the two of them could speak, Xie Yunying said again, "I really want to get married."
Bitao was terrified, but Jinxuan, who was a few years older, calmed down and cautiously asked, "Miss, have you found a man you like?"
Unexpectedly, Xie Yunying did not reply, but remained silent for a moment before saying, "You two should not make a sound."
Then, as if afraid of being interrupted again, Xie Yunying repeated "I really want to get married" eight times before stopping, leaving Jin Xuan and Bi Tao bewildered in the wind.
Xie Yunying: "You can go out now, but remember to close the door behind you."
Bitao and Jinxuan: "..."
The two tiptoed out the door. But as soon as Jin Xuan closed the door, Bi Tao whispered, "Is Miss perhaps possessed?"
Jin Xuan shook her head, her expression solemn: "It's still unclear. Go to Zhu Rui Courtyard immediately and tell the First Madam exactly what happened and what the Second Miss said."
Inside the room, Xie Yunying listened to the "mission completed" notification and fell into a brief state of self-isolation.
System: "Congratulations, host, on successfully completing your first task of the day!"
Xie Yunying: "I want to die."
system:"......."
The system looked at Xie Yunying, whose face seemed to say "deceased," and said earnestly, "Host, this task is already very simple. If you feel embarrassed, you should get used to it as soon as possible."
"You were rewarded with ten coins for completing the mission. Would you like to check out the system shop for mission items?"
Xie Yunying came back to life, and she sat up abruptly: "Look!"
A light blue transparent electronic screen popped up in front of Xie Yunying. She raised her hand and started swiping on it. "Your store has quite a lot of props... Wait, what is this thing called 'panoramic live stream'?"
System: "Host, this is our popular remote live-streaming prop, which has received countless positive reviews! After purchasing the prop, simply provide the specific location and names of people, and the camera will automatically track and locate you. You can immerse yourself in the scene like watching a 4D movie, observing events unfolding invisibly. This prop can be tried for free once. Friendly reminder: This product has a protective blocking function, automatically censoring blood, violence, horror, and pornography. Please use it with confidence!"
Xie Yunying's eyes lit up: "This is great! You said it's free to try, right? Give me one first!"
System: "Okay, host. Free trial attempts do not support custom locations and characters. We will randomly select ongoing events that are highly relevant to the main storyline for tracking. Item loading..."
The light before her eyes was so bright that Xie Yunying felt it was blinding and squinted, letting the white light engulf her.
When I opened my eyes again, a celadon bottle was smashed in front of me.
Just as the porcelain bottle was about to hit her head, Xie Yunying was so frightened that she couldn't move and could only raise her hand to cover her face.
The porcelain bottle passed through her body and crashed directly into the mahogany lacquered chair behind her. With a crisp "crack," the bottle shattered into countless fragments on the ground.
Xie Yunying lowered her arm shakily, staring blankly at the magnificent palace before her: "System, what... what's going on?"
System: "The item has been located in the palace. The host is currently in Consort Duan's Rongyun Palace."
Xie Yunying looked closely and realized that there were only two people in the hall. A woman dressed in palace attire with a high-set gold hairpin was standing in front of a table, frantically throwing all the ornaments within reach on the ground. Kneeling in front of her was a trembling boy, who, judging from his clothing, seemed to be a member of the royal family as well.
Finally, after sweeping the table clean, Consort Duan, panting heavily, looked around with bloodshot eyes at the mess on the floor. She let out a shrill laugh: "Fine, fine... Destroy it all! Destroy it all!!"
"I have been a vegetarian for many years, doing good deeds and accumulating merit, so why has the Heavenly Ancestor treated me and our Wang family like this?!"
The seventh prince, Wei Xueyu, knelt before the table, not daring to raise his head; his thin back trembled incessantly.
He noticed that his mother's hair was disheveled. The beautiful woman, who was always graceful and composed, now had her hair in a crooked bun, with strands of hair hooked up by her gold hairpin, like a golden butterfly dying in a black net.
Wei Xueyu was both terrified and helpless. He could only say in a trembling voice, "Please calm down, Mother..."
Perhaps it was his weak cries that attracted the mother beast's attention. The pair of jade-inlaid and pearl-embroidered shoes stepped over the broken porcelain shards on the ground and approached him with an indifferent attitude, while Wei Xueyu's eyes widened in horror as he looked at the tiles under his mother's feet that were gradually turning red.
The next second, his chin was held in both hands and lifted up abruptly, catching him off guard as he met his mother's tearful eyes.
Consort Duan was crying, her tears blurring the makeup on her face. Her expression was one of anguish, as if her heart was breaking: "My child... my child...! Tell me, why is this happening? Why is your father so cruel...!"
"Your mother was too naive... Your mother is useless, she can't protect the Wang family, and she can't protect you..." Consort Duan's eyes were filled with tears, but a strong hatred flashed through them. "But remember this! From now on, you must never back down again! Fight for that dragon throne, even if you fight until you're battered and bruised, it's better than compromising and ending up being slaughtered by others!"
"Wei Xueyu! Remember what your mother said today: you must never relinquish the throne!"
Even after the roar, the echoes still reverberated in the palace.
Wei Xueyu trembled all over, but he looked directly into Consort Duan's red and bulging eyes and replied with a sob in his voice, "I understand, Mother Consort."
Before Xie Yunying could even react to what was happening, the scene before her eyes began to distort. When she opened her eyes again, she was back on her bed in her room.
Xie Yunying: "...System, what was that just now? Is it related to the main storyline?" She didn't remember Consort Duan appearing in the original book.
System: "Those two people just now seemed to be Consort Duan and the Seventh Prince. Compared to that, how was your experience using this item for the first time, host?"
Xie Yunying praised it highly: "Not bad, not bad at all, it really feels like being there in person, it lives up to its name!"
"By the way, system, could you exchange two more for me? I've thought of someone I can use them to visit."
The system immediately changed it for her. "Who would you like to see first, host?"
Xie Yunying pondered for a moment, but did not answer. Instead, she called out to Jin Xuan from the window, "Did you have any guests at the manor today?"
Jin Xuan replied, "Replying to Second Miss, a message just came from the front courtyard saying that the distinguished guests are still on their way. Would Second Miss like to go to the front courtyard to join in the fun later?"
Xie Yunying: "Yes, yes, please notify me immediately when our distinguished guest arrives."
Xie Yunying replied to the system: "I originally wanted to watch Yue Yining tell Xie Zhi's fortune, but she hasn't arrived yet, so I'll wait for now."
System: "Would the host like to see the other person first?"
Xie Yunying nodded: "Let's see what Xie Qingyu is doing now."
Hehe, now she's in the open, while Xie Qingyu is in the dark! She's determined to find out all the secrets Xie Qingyu is hiding!
The familiar white light flashed before her eyes again, and Xie Yunying opened and closed her eyes, finding herself in the familiar room.
She turned around and was almost scared out of her wits again, because there was a person standing behind her, none other than the expressionless Yin Yi.
Xie Yunying clutched her chest: "...I feel like I'm going to die young."
Yin Yi stood guard at the door, and a clear, gentle voice came from the inner room separated by a curtain: "Yin Yi, come in for a moment."
Yin Yi moved, and Xie Yunying stumbled a few steps, barely managing to dodge him and avoid being passed through her body. She recognized the voice calling for help as belonging to Xie Qingyu, and out of curiosity, she followed him, walking behind Yin Yi into the inner room.
Xie Yunying's gaze fell on the figure in front of the bronze mirror, and she froze on the spot.
The figure was Xie Qingyu, yet he was quite different. Today he wore a brocade robe of a deep blue color with silver bird patterns, its wide sleeves fluttering. His long hair was meticulously styled, as if it had been carefully combed several times with fragrant oil, smooth as silk satin with a lustrous sheen.
Hearing Yin Yi enter, he turned around and saw a face as white as jade, long and sparse eyebrows, and a refined and elegant appearance. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find that Yin Yi's lips were more vibrant than usual, as if he had applied lip rouge.
He gestured for Yin Yi to step forward, pointed to the two jade crowns of different materials placed in front of him, and asked very seriously, "Which one is more suitable for me to wear?"
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