Chapter 15 – Host, Are You Aiming for the Sky? (Part 3)
Being a system is exhausting! With such a shameless and brutal host, it’s so infuriating!
Right now, it’s really doubting whether Jiang Pengji would truly not turn the Emperor’s harem into her own once she entered the palace.
Just imagining Jiang Pengji in an imperial queen’s robe, embracing her lady on the left, hugging her nine concubines on the right, with lady attendants rubbing her legs and beauties peeling grapes for her, while the Emperor cowers in a corner like a quail without its eggs, sniffling into a napkin… Ugh, it’s just too much for the whole system!
System: “No, you can’t keep hiding your identity as a daughter! How else are you going to enter the palace and engage in palace struggles?”
Jiang Pengji’s eyes darkened as she tentatively asked, “Are palace struggles really that important?”
System: “I am a palace struggle live-streaming system! Do you understand what ‘priority’ means? Otherwise, the audience will… let’s just say the consequences will be severe!”
At this point, the system fell silent.
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes and said, “So, we must have palace struggles?”
The system responded firmly, “Absolutely!”
It suddenly realized having a host with such a strong will is not a good thing. So annoying!
“But that doesn’t necessarily connect to whether I reclaim my identity as a daughter…”
System: “…”
Is the host trying to flirt with girls while simultaneously trying to be a man and take down the Emperor?
Host, are you aiming to soar into the sky?
Faced with a system that had ideas as lofty as the heavens, Jiang Pengji frowned slightly, feeling an indescribable annoyance and disgust.
The ancient times were thousands of years away from where she used to be. Even though her cultural studies weren’t great, she knew that the women of ancient times were pitiable. Why would this stupid system make her one of them? Is it out of its mind?
If this is the price of her reincarnation, she’d rather just use a dagger to cut her own throat right now; let it find someone else for palace struggles.
Palace struggles?
No matter how high the status of women in this era, or how much they climb, like the system’s so-called ultimate goal—the queen who reigns supreme—they still kneel down to the one man in the depths of the palace, right?
Jiang Pengji narrowed her eyes and said to it, “System…”
The system felt a chill run down its spine upon being directly addressed.
“I don’t know what little schemes you have up your sleeve, but I, Jiang Pengji, have understood one simple truth since childhood: there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I don’t know what you aim to gain from me, and while I currently can’t deal with you, I can decide the ownership of my own life.”
The system went silent. She continued, “You need live-streams to garner popularity, I can help you, but only up to that point. We can be partners, but I hope you don’t overestimate your intelligence or step on my bottom line.”
The system swore, Jiang Pengji was absolutely the most difficult and stubborn host it had ever encountered.
Never again would it find such a clever, obstinate, violent, and slightly deviant transmigrated host!
It would’ve preferred a sweet and soft local girl.
“I hate pillaging and rape the most, but I detest others threatening and forcing me to do things I loathe even more.”
So, if the system continues to bother her with palace struggles, she might truly find a way to give it an unforgettable lesson.
Now it was the system’s turn to be silent as a chicken.
After some time, its electronic synthesized voice turned a bit more aggrieved, “Well, I’m not doing it on purpose… Assisting the host to win in palace struggles is just a duty I was born with… If the host doesn’t like it, I could just do live streams instead…”
She remained unmoved, scoffing, “Don’t try to sell cuteness; your voice could cause ear abortions.”
System: “…”
Damn!
Don’t hold back, believe it or not, I’ll curse you to be single for life!
Jiang Pengji crossed her arms and half lay on the main seat, appearing to be resting while actually mentally berating the system.
A group of noble girls watched as she made no move, all looking miserable, not daring to glance at the corpses on the ground.
Currently, the external influences have been spreading, and similar furnishings like tables and chairs have slowly reached Dongqing, but they’re only popular among the lower class. The stubborn aristocracy still preferred to abide by ancient customs and were accustomed to sitting on the ground.
They couldn’t possibly just lie on the ground, could they?
Tables and chairs were occupied by corpses, leaving everyone in a quandary regarding where to rest.
The oil lamps in the room flickered dimly, as fragile as if they could extinguish at any moment.
Even though it was the season of flourishing grass and singing birds, the nighttime weather was still quite cold.
They hadn’t brought any warm clothing, and after being frightened all day long, they were both tired, cold, and hungry—talk about a miserable situation.
Yet, they couldn’t afford to not rest.
A few bolder ones, holding back their prickling scalp and tears that kept swirling in their eyes, worked together to move the corpses taking up the chairs and tables onto the ground.
They could probably make do in this state for a night; after all, the clan would likely send someone to look for them by tomorrow.
“You all keep watch; I’ll move these bodies outside and find something to eat.”
The group thought they were being careful while moving the corpses, but to Jiang Pengji’s ears, the rustling noise was simply too loud.
Her energy was abundant, and with her special breathing technique that greatly reduces the required rest time, she was feeling quite spirited at the moment.
Throwing the animal skins from the main seat to Wei Jingxian and the others, she said, “The animal skin is not very well-treated, not soft enough, and smells a bit, but it still provides warmth at this point. Use it for now. I’ll fetch some firewood to start a fire…”
Once consensus was reached and there was no conflict, Jiang Pengji’s aesthetic preferences kicked in again.
Seeing the young girls, all under fifteen years of age, looking so miserable, she felt a mix of amusement and irritation.
What was there to be mad about with them?
“Humph! Who said I cared?” the noble girl from the Wan family who had previously rebutted Jiang Pengji murmured.
Jiang Pengji shrugged, nonchalantly saying, “I worry about freezing the precious young girls; I fear your elders would come and seek me out for vengeance.”
“Rascal!”
Now, they were trying to be nice, but just a moment ago they were threatening her with sweet dates and big sticks; where was their gentleness then?
“No, this is called being fickle; it’s a woman’s talent. At least it proves my gender aligns with yours.”
She could even ruthlessly throw herself under the bus just to insult others.
“Now, there are many wild beasts lurking in the mountains—hungry wolves and wild boars—so stay indoors instead of running about while I go get some food.”
In front of everyone, Jiang Pengji dragged two corpses, tossing limbs and broken parts directly into the clothes of the corpses before neatly tossing them outside.
Thus, the noble girls felt confident that, even if they grew old and white-haired, they would never forget this night.
Outside the robbers’ house, a considerable pile of chopped firewood lay under the eaves. Jiang Pengji simply dug a pit in the hall where the noble girls were, then helped them start a fire, instructing them on how to add kindling, cautioning them not to let the fire die out or burn down the house.
“But, you’re dressed so thinly?”
Wei Jingxian looked at her; she was only wearing an inner garment and a spring robe, far too little.
Jiang Pengji smiled cheekily, “Oh? Is Jingxian going to generously offer me two pieces of clothing?”
Wei Jingxian’s face changed, and she spat, “You’re so indecent; I’d rather let a bear eat you, lest you ruin others.”
Having been rejected, she was displeased, so she ensured that no one else could feel happy either.
Jiang Pengji withdrew her foot that was about to step outside and turned to smile.
