[Host, we've been chattering away all morning. If Emperor Mingxi takes it to heart, we'll have completed one, two, three, four tasks all at once!]
[Preventing the former dynasty's treasure from falling into the hands of foreign tribes counts as one. Preventing the Tong family from establishing the Tong family army counts as one. Using the former dynasty's treasure for the people's livelihood counts as one.
Preventing the orphan of Prince Rong from establishing a rebel army counts as one. And because of this, Eunuch Qian's fate is rewritten. Many officials who were corrupted by Prince Rong using the old emperor's money might now choose to stand by the emperor's side.
These all count as overflow points. Once completed, these tasks will yield nearly thirty thousand points. We're rich, we're rich!]
Yue Fuguang lay leisurely on the chaise lounge, her feet propped up. "System, calm down, calm down. Think about it, after all that rambling we did this morning, it's only right we see some results.
But regarding the treasure the old emperor left for Prince Rong, can you still not confirm which of the sisters has the key to the underground palace on them?"
[The original historical record only says that Prince Rong's son, Xie Zhili, obtained the key from a woman of the Feng family, but this Feng woman isn't named. I'll check again.]
"And what about the Xie family treasure? Is it really connected to Peach Blossom Lane? And is Bai Yu's disappearance also related to this?"
[Because of our appearance, many things are quietly changing. Bai Yu's disappearance never happened in the original historical timeline.
According to records, he stayed by Xie Zhiyao's side the whole time. Even after Xie Zhiyao married Zhong Mingyu, their connection never broke.
The last mention of him was when Prince Qi's rebellion was exposed. Everyone connected to Prince Qi's faction, including Xie Zhiyao, was thrown into prison, but only Bai Yu and Xie Zhiyao's youngest daughter escaped.
Some suspected that daughter was Bai Yu's.]
Yue Fuguang waved her hand helplessly. "It's fine. We have the task outline. Let's review the history again and make some reasonable inferences ourselves. As long as we achieve the goal, the process can be a bit vague. Just avoid too many logical loopholes."
There was no help for it. The gossip system wasn't a complete entity, so the quality of the gossip couldn't be guaranteed. Maybe there's hope once the system slowly upgrades?
Like the story about Eunuch Qian's parents being swapped—that part is true. But the details aren't in the history books or related documents; they're from embellished stories in plays written centuries later.
The two of them chose the most reliable and logical version to tell. That shouldn't count as... lying, right? After all, the event is true. The process... well, it's not important!
...
[Host, stop sleeping, get up and... I mean, get up and see, I've leveled up! System is now Level 3!]
Yue Fuguang was fast asleep in the carriage on the way to court, just dreaming about splurging with her fifty million from her previous life, when the system woke her up.
Morning grumpiness... forget it, it's a joyous day!
She turned over, snuggling under the blanket without even opening an eye. "Reaching Level 3 was expected, wasn't it? But why two days early? Remember to keep twenty thousand points untouched."
After all this hard work, she had only accumulated a little over thirty thousand points. It was enough for the system to help her escape and restart in a new world if the task failed, beginning a new journey.
Yue Fuguang always had a backup plan. She worked diligently on her tasks, but escaping if the task failed was also on her agenda.
Nothing in the world is difficult for one who is willing to give up! Failure isn't shameful, neither is running away.
[The task of rescuing Zheng Feng and his family is completed. The points just credited were enough to level up.]
"So that means Zheng Feng and his sons have already arrived in the capital?"
[They should have arrived. Next comes the trial of the imperial examination fraud case.]
"System, work is here. I still have to act later. Don't disturb me, let me sleep a bit more."
[Host, we're almost at the palace gates. Get up and let's chat. Aren't you curious about the new functions at Level 3?]
"The number of people covered by the inner voice increased?" For a handicapped system, Yue Fuguang kept her expectations low. As long as it could provide gossip, it was fine.
[No, no! My merit system has new functions added with this upgrade! Hahaha!]
Yue Fuguang sat up straight from under the covers. "Really? At Level 2, the merit system was completely still; only the gossip system added a few people. What new functions at Level 3? Show me quickly!"
The system said excitedly, [Host, the merit system has added a merit and fortune scan button. You can check the merit and fortune values of up to five people per day.]
"That should be a divine tool for distinguishing loyalty from treachery! No more worrying about wronging the good or letting the bad go free. What else?"
[The gossip system has added something called Heavenly Will. From now on, those who can hear our inner voices will no longer be able to discuss the content with those who cannot.
More importantly, even if they try to speak about the inner voice matters in front of us, they will be suppressed by Heavenly Will and be unable to say it!
Master no longer needs to worry about someone accidentally mentioning the inner voice to you someday!]
Yue Fuguang nodded. "It seems the several contingency plans I prepared for such emergencies won't be needed anymore."
[This upgrade didn't increase the number of people covered by the inner voice.]
"It's fine. Maybe it will increase at Level Four." With the previous good news, Yue Fuguang wasn't too concerned about the lack of increase. Currently, she didn't travel far and had little contact with people; one hundred and fifty was enough.
As soon as she entered the main hall, Yue Fuguang noticed an old man at today's morning court.
He looked about the same age as her grandfather, Yu Chongshan, but judging by his complexion, he was rosy-cheeked, with an air of an immortal and a bit of a transcendent master about him.
Yue Fuguang fluttered her curious big eyes, examining the man like a genuine eight-year-old girl.
He even had a seat in the main hall, indicating his status was probably not low.
"Little Pearl, who is this old man? Why haven't I seen him before?"
[Master, you've met him once before. Oh, right, you were unconscious then, so you don't remember.]
"When was that?"
[It was not long after you escaped from the Zhou family's wolf den. Your constitution was too weak, you fell ill with a high fever. I hadn't found you yet then.
It was this Taoist priest who treated your illness. By the time I found you, your condition had stabilized. I secretly fed you some spiritual spring water, and then you woke up.]
"So I have another benefactor for no reason? Does he have any ailments? Treat him quietly to settle this karmic debt."
[He's in very good health, no major issues. However, his most beloved young disciple is poisoned with something called 'Hundred-Day Drunk'. After three flare-ups, one 'falls into a long drunken slumber'—unfortunate. After three more, the person will surely die.]
"What stage is it at now? Is there still hope for a cure?"
[Almost at the fourth flare-up. Don't worry, Host. For mortal world poisons, even if he only had one day left, I could cure him with medicine.]
"Alright, be quick about it. I don't want to owe mortals any karmic debts."
Xuanmingzi slightly lowered his gaze, his expression as steady as a mountain, but his heart was roiling with towering waves.
