bookrandom 42. Life is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills.
42. Life is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills.
"May I ask your name, young hero?"
"My name is Shen Qing, the third son in my family. I am merely a guard and cannot be called a chivalrous person."
Lu Hua smiled sweetly, "Then I shall call my benefactor Sanlang."
The lingering tone of the word "Sanlang" made Shen Qing's bones melt, and she just stood there grinning foolishly.
After laughing for two seconds, Shen Qing immediately came to his senses. Something was wrong. He was already on guard, so how could he be so easily fooled?
He couldn't help but recall his first meeting with Revlon. Logically speaking, he had seen countless beauties and had been through many trials, so how could he have such poor self-control and show such a lecherous look?
Could it be a seductive prop? Shen Qing became suspicious and even more vigilant.
Seeing Shen Qing's expression change slightly, Lu Huanong asked nervously, "Have I caused trouble for Sanlang?"
“Oh, not for now,” Shen Qing said, not daring to be too certain. “It’s just that my husband will be leaving Kaiguo soon, and I wonder what your plans are after that.”
Lu Huanong lowered her head, her long, fair neck looking so fragile it seemed about to break, and said sadly, "My life is short, there is nowhere left for me in Qi Kingdom, I'm afraid..."
At this point, Revlon's voice choked with emotion, and she stopped speaking.
Shen Qing cooperated with her performance, showing a look of heartache. She hesitated several times, pretending to be extremely conflicted, and finally said, "I am weak and powerless. I will wait for my husband to return and see if he can help you."
"Thank you, Sanlang." Lu Huanong rose and gracefully bowed.
Shen Qing returned the greeting and said considerately, "Miss, you must have been frightened today. Please rest early. I won't bother you any longer."
Lu Huanong watched Shen Qing leave with a smile, but the moment she closed the door, her smile vanished. She muttered, "He's just a servant after all. He can't directly decide to take me away from Kaiguo. It seems I still have to find the real person."
Her strategy score is 998, higher than your sixth-rank official Yuan Erlang, she's no ordinary person.
A deep electronic voice echoed in her mind, and Lu Huanong's expression darkened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and revealed a playful smile, "Even a fly is still meat. Let's win him over while we're at it. He's only worth a few charm items."
You might not be able to win her over.
"Hmph~" Lu Huanong said disdainfully, "What's so difficult about a mere kid? Look at the way he looked at me just now, he was practically drooling."
She's a woman; you might just be attracted to her because of your vanity.
"..." Why didn't you say so earlier? All that charm was for nothing. To save face, she said, "It's not a big problem. A young woman's kindness can be used."
[When she went out just now, her favorability rating dropped from 80% to 0 when she came back.]
"..." This little girl is quite the actress!
Revlon said angrily, "He must have heard about me from his companions!"
You're very dishonest.
"If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. If you hadn't been pushing me so hard, would I be so eager for quick success? Do you really think I care about those few rotten cucumbers!"
Alright, now's not the time to blame each other. Don't you think Shen Qing is acting a bit strange?
Lu Huanong rested her chin on her elbow, deep in thought. "Clouds yearn for clothes, flowers for faces; spring breeze brushes the railing, dew is heavy. If she didn't hear this poem from another villager, then she must have traveled through time!"
[That's highly likely. Transmigrators do have higher strategy points than ordinary people, like the carpenter's youngest son, but even he only has 300. Shen Qing's identity must be extraordinary. I seemed to sense the aura of someone of the same kind just now.]
"Does she have a system too!?"
Not quite right
Lu Huanong sighed softly; she certainly didn't seem like someone being driven around by system tasks.
As Shen Qing walked out the door, he had no idea that he had been thoroughly analyzed. He did not directly drive Lu Huanong away because he suspected that she also had a strategy system, and thought that he might take this opportunity to observe the consequences of the host binding with the system.
After jumping onto the roof beam and running a bit further away, Shen Qing communicated with the system in her mind again, and this time the system finally responded.
[I just went invisible]
"Revlon does have a system after all. Is it because it's more powerful than you that it's hiding and doesn't dare to come out?"
[How absurd! It's all because of you that I've lost face in front of my elders in Jiangdong!]
"What's wrong with me?"
If my fellow humans knew I couldn't even tie up a weakling, they'd laugh at me to death!
"..."
Is that really the reason?
Meanwhile, at the same time, the Huaqing Palace in the imperial city—
Jingchuan was summoned to pay his respects to the Empress. He bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities," the Empress said gracefully from her throne. "It has been some time since you returned to the palace. Have you paid your respects to His Majesty?"
Jingchuan was somewhat embarrassed. "Father is busy with state affairs and has not had time to meet with me."
The Empress smiled sneer, but did not expose her. Instead, she changed the subject, "Fukang is in love with the fourth prince of Jingguo. What do you, as his elder brother, think about this?"
Upon hearing this, Jingchuan's heart tightened, and he carefully said, "Marriage is a major event that should be decided by one's parents. Fukang is being too reckless."
"That is not true. It is only natural for young people to be attracted to someone. Neither I nor His Majesty are such old-fashioned people."
What does the Empress mean by this? Jingchuan's hands, hidden under his sleeves, suddenly clenched.
"Your Majesty is joking. Fukang is young and doesn't understand. Jingguo has come to welcome the Crown Princess. Not to mention that Fukang is not qualified, even if Emperor Jing doesn't abandon him, the Crown Prince may not fall to Zhao Zheng. My sister still won't get what she wants."
"If Fukang's elder brother is the Crown Prince of Qi, would she be qualified to be the Crown Princess of Jing? With the Crown Princess's admiration, wouldn't Zhao Zheng's chances of winning the throne increase significantly?"
Jingchuan was sweating profusely as he listened, his mind racing, trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. In this predicament, anything he said would be wrong.
"Jingchuan, do you want to be the Crown Prince?" The Empress suddenly asked a question that could cost you your life, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
"Your subject dares not!" Jingchuan immediately bowed, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Why wouldn't I dare? His Majesty made a promise first, but now you have no one to rely on. Making you the crown prince directly would only make you a target of public criticism."
"Your subject dares not utter a word of complaint." The Empress on the phoenix throne exuded an imposing aura without anger, and her stern gaze made Jingchuan bow even lower.
"You have lost your mother, Consort Fei, and I happen to have no son either. If you are willing, you can register under my name along with Fukang. In this way, you will have the status of legitimate heirs. In addition, you are in the country and have the right to rule. Who can object?"
After the Empress finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment, so quiet that Jingchuan could hear his own heart pounding.
After a long while, Jingchuan knelt down and performed a deep bow, saying loudly, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace in giving me life again."
"He's a smart man," the Empress smiled with satisfaction.