The System knew its Host was anxious and quickly said: [Because your Majesty has been poisoned with a gu worm.]
Upon hearing that the Emperor had been poisoned with a gu worm, Fang Lingchu was utterly terrified.
[What’s going on? Who planted the gu worm?]
Everyone was also very anxious upon hearing that the Emperor had been poisoned with a gu worm. Several ministers could hardly restrain themselves from stepping forward to check, and Eunuch Gao had already sent someone to fetch the imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
But seeing the Emperor’s gaze, they retreated again.
Still, everyone was deeply worried—who could have poisoned the Emperor with a gu worm?
Especially a few of the veteran ministers, who had served under the previous Emperor and had remained loyal to the current Emperor. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were elders who had served three reigns.
Particularly the Crown Prince’s Taifu, who had once been the Crown Prince’s teacher, having taught him since childhood—their bond was certainly different.
The Crown Prince and the First Prince were also very anxious, while the slower-to-react Third Prince still didn’t understand what was happening.
The System flipped through the plot and said: [Consort Jing and the Empress Dowager.]
Hearing this information, Fang Lingchu nearly stumbled and fell.
One was his wife, the other his mother—both wanted the Emperor dead. How tragic could it get?
Unable to hold back, she complained: [Did the Emperor violate some heavenly decree? Why are the ones who want him dead all his closest people?]
Then, after a moment’s thought, she said: [Because the Emperor is going to die, is that why the Long Kingdom’s fortune golden dragon looks so close to death?]
The System thought for a moment and said: [Probably, yes. Mainly because everyone in the Long Kingdom is cannon fodder, so the fortune golden dragon is suppressed by the Heavenly Dao.]
Fang Lingchu didn’t quite understand and asked: [What do you mean?]
The System explained: [For example, this gu poisoning your Majesty has—as long as the person who planted it doesn’t activate it, your Majesty would actually be fine. But who made your Majesty so unlucky? Today, he’ll be bitten by a termite, and then the gu worm will be triggered. Although the gu worm is later removed, his health never fully recovers. Then the Empress Dowager poisons him again, and he dies.]
Hearing the System say this, Fang Lingchu grew curious again and asked: [Why? Consort Jing wanting to kill the Emperor could be said to be for the Fourth Prince’s sake, but why does the Empress Dowager want to kill the Emperor? Isn’t the Emperor her child?]
The System flipped through the plot again and said: [The Emperor is not the Empress Dowager’s child.]
Another huge piece of information dropped, shocking everyone once more.
The Emperor’s face turned ashen, and even the ministers who were pretending to discuss matters with the Emperor nearly went weak in the knees and collapsed.
Fortunately, they supported each other. What had they just heard? This was a royal secret—would they be silenced for knowing it?
Fang Lingchu was also somewhat surprised. She stole another glance at the Emperor before asking: [Then, is the Emperor the previous Emperor’s child?]
This was something everyone wanted to know.
[Definitely. He’s just not the Empress Dowager’s child. Your Majesty was born to a relatively unfavored beauty at the time. When the Empress Dowager found out, and since she herself had no children, she carried out a “remove the mother, keep the child” scheme.]
Hearing the System say this, Fang Lingchu grew curious and asked: [If the Emperor was the Empress Dowager’s only child, why would she still want to kill him?]
The System said: [She didn’t have a child back then, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have one later. The Emperor was just a tool for the Empress Dowager to consolidate her position.]
Fang Lingchu understood as soon as she heard the System and continued: 【Then the Empress Dowager gave birth to her own child and wanted her child to ascend the throne by pulling the Emperor down. But didn’t you say the Emperor killed all his brothers? Why would the Empress Dowager do this?】
Everyone was also puzzled. Even if the Emperor wasn’t the Empress Dowager’s own child, both the Emperor and the Empress were very filial to her. They couldn’t understand why the Empress Dowager would do such a thing.
Soon, the System provided the answer.
【Probably for revenge, but there might be other reasons too. It’s just that I can’t see the Empress Dowager in person, so I can’t get any gossip about her.】
Fang Lingchu asked another key question: 【Didn’t you say they all have cannon fodder fates? So what does this have to do with the fall of the Long Kingdom?】
System: 【This world is full of clichéd love-struck drama, so everything is definitely for the sake of love. How could the male lead have a “chase the wife to the crematorium” scenario if your country is too powerful? They’d probably just casually destroy a country to make the male lead chase the wife. Your Emperor is so capable—if he doesn’t die, how can the male lead chase the wife?】
Hearing this from the System, Fang Lingchu caught a whiff of a modern-day domineering CEO vibe.
【It wouldn’t be something like “she runs, he chases, she can’t escape even with wings,” and then the Imperial Princes and young masters of our country become the devoted second male lead, bringing the female lead to our country. Then the male lead, to win her back, attacks our country. The male lead gets injured in the process, and the female lead can’t bear it and goes to see him, carrying a jade pendant from someone in our country that can move freely. The male lead uses this to destroy our country. The female lead finds out the male lead used her, gets angry, runs away again, and the two perform the “she runs, he chases” routine, ending up happily together?】
The System nodded and said: 【It might be even more clichéd than that, just a little bit.】
Fang Lingchu was already speechless. She hadn’t expected these people to have even more outrageous antics than that.
The System continued: 【In your country, aside from the Crown Prince, all the other Imperial Princes are second male leads. Several other countries have male and female leads, but here, it’s all second male leads and supporting female characters. None of them have a good ending anyway, so your country is just used as cannon fodder!】
Fang Lingchu almost fainted from holding her breath.
Suppressing the urge to kill someone, she asked: 【Then what’s my fate?】
The System said: 【You were forcibly shoved in by the Black and White Impermanence. There’s no plot for you. Originally, your parents only had two sons and one daughter. Because of your appearance, your family’s fortune has also changed.】
Hearing this, Fang Lingchu felt slightly relieved and asked: 【Then, according to the original plot, what would it have been like?】
Minister Fang also wanted to know this. Without his youngest daughter, what kind of tragic fate would his family have faced?
Everyone else also wanted to know just how clichéd this could get.
The System said: 【For example, your eldest sister should have been a top-tier love-struck fool. As soon as she came of age, she ran off with a scholar, was deceived in body and heart by him, and was even sold by the scumbag to a brothel. By a twist of fate, she was saved by the female lead from Mobei, and the two became good friends. Later, she fell in love with the male lead from Mobei, leading to a falling out with her friend. The Mobei male lead, knowing your sister’s identity, used her and eventually captured a northern city.】
Your second brother died because your sister had her head cut off by the male lead from Mobei. Your mother couldn’t bear the shock and passed away. Your father’s hair turned white overnight, fell ill from the blow, and your eldest brother, unable to endure it, directly turned to the dark side, slaughtering an entire city alone.
As for the following pattern, even without the System saying it, Fang Lingchu had pretty much guessed it. It was truly exasperating.
Fang Lingchu was so exasperated that she didn’t even want to speak.
Fang Lingchu fell silent, no longer communicating with the System. The others could only brace themselves and continue discussing matters, though their minds were already unsettled.
Today was just a Minor Court Assembly, and not many people had come—only the important court officials.
Everyone’s thoughts were scattered.
But it couldn’t be too quiet. Someone from the Ministry of Works stepped forward.
The Directorate of Waterways came out to discuss matters related to the Ministry of Works again. Meanwhile, Fang Lingchu had calmed her temper.
Just as she was about to ask when the emperor would meet his demise, the System said: [Host, would you consider saving your emperor? Otherwise, the little golden dragon of fortune will really disappear.]
The System was truly worried sick. Why didn’t this Host care at all about her own life?