Li Si handled matters with extraordinary speed. Just two days after agreeing to Li Xi’s request, he told his younger sister that the matter was settled and that tomorrow he would take her into the palace to meet the king.
Li Xi was stunned, blinking in confusion, and incredulously asked, “This… is done already?”
If her brother were the future Prime Minister of Qin, Li Si, she would not find his efficiency surprising. But the problem was that he was currently just a low-level official. With his current position, getting this matter done… could it really be so easy?
Seeing the expression on the little girl’s face, the young man reached up and pinched her cheeks, saying, “When has your brother ever not put your matters first in his heart?”
After saying this, Li Si shook his head, his indulgent tone laced with a hint of “reproach”: “I am not like some heartless little girl who doesn’t tell me what she wants to present to the king in such a big matter. You’ve grown up and become distant from your brother, haven’t you?”
Seeing this, Li Xi immediately put on a sweet expression and said, “I know brother loves me the most, so I would never embarrass you in front of the king.”
If nothing unexpected happened, after this palace visit, even if her brother did not get a promotion, he would definitely be able to earn a bit of money.
She thought silently to herself.
Then Li Xi mumbled again, “But this speed is really much faster than I imagined…”
Hearing this, Li Si sighed softly in his heart.
Indeed, logically speaking, the speed at which he handled this kind of matter should not have been this fast. He was always cautious and careful, like walking on thin ice, meticulously planning.
But, as he himself said, he valued his sister highly, so naturally, when it came to matters concerning her, he gave them one hundred percent of his attention.
And this “small” request Li Xi entrusted to him could be either significant or minor—if one day someone suddenly attempted to assassinate Ying Zheng, then at that time, the palace security level would not allow Li Xi to enter simply because he had cleared connections.
Therefore, because of his worry that long-term matters may change, the very next day after promising his sister he would find a way to get her into the palace to meet the king, Li Si began to smooth things out through his connections.
But in reality, finding palace personnel and distributing money was something Li Si could handle without the slightest difficulty; he was very familiar with such procedures.
The reason he could do it so effortlessly was simple: familiarity.
Long before Li Xi had fainted into a pool of blood, he had already done such a thing once to secure a promising future for himself by bribing palace personnel.
It was precisely because of this that he had an opportunity to self-recommend to Ying Zheng and demonstrate his talent.
And fortunately, he had genuine talent, which allowed him to successfully prove himself in front of Ying Zheng.
Otherwise, such actions might have had somewhat dangerous consequences.
But, since ancient times, wealth and prestige were always obtained through risk.
That night.
Li Xi placed the cotton bouquet into a relatively exquisite wooden box obtained from Li Si, making it look more like a “treasure.”
Seeing Li Xi gently stroke a plump, round, extremely cute cotton flower with her finger, the system, quiet all day, suddenly seemed to remember something and asked:
【Host, why is the cotton I made several days ago still so fresh today, as if it were just picked?】
Hearing this, Li Xi’s hand paused slightly.
She lifted her eyelids slightly, and, as before, addressed the system with a hint of disdain, bluntly saying, “Didn’t you say you are a system from the interstellar era? If you can’t even preserve plants, can you even face your own era?”
【QAQ】
Hearing the system start sobbing again, Li Xi closed the wooden box.
She did not know why a system entirely composed of code liked to cry so much, but it was not a bad thing for her.
A soft, cute system was always more advantageous than a strict one, which might coerce her into doing things.
Most importantly, it was a bit foolish and easily tricked.
With this in mind, the girl walked from the table to the bedside, ignoring the crying electronic voice in her head, ready to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s palace visit.
Through the long corridor, led by palace personnel, Li Si and Li Xi were brought to Ganquan Palace, where the Empress Dowager Zhao resided.
When the siblings arrived, Ying Zheng and Zhao Ji were already seated in the main hall. The two of them followed etiquette and bowed to the mother and son seated at the central main position.
“Rise, it is not a formal occasion,” said the woman in a melodious, gentle voice. As Li Xi looked up, she quietly glanced at the mother and son.
The first person she saw was naturally Ying Zheng, whom she longed to see, even though his seat was next to the truly central Zhao Ji.
This future eternal emperor was still just a young boy, dressed in black royal robes, silent, giving off a restrained and calm aura.
At this moment, no one in the world except her could imagine the extraordinary achievements he would accomplish in the future.
Next to him, Zhao Ji could only be described in one word: beautiful. She was stunningly beautiful, as if the word “peerless” had been tailored just for her.
And indeed, it made sense—only with such beauty could Zhao Ji be noticed by Ying Yiren, not only asking Lü Buwei for her but also marrying the former concubine as his principal wife.
Naturally, whether Zhao Ji was beautiful or not had little to do with Li Xi. The real focus was…
—Ying Zheng had completely inherited Zhao Ji’s beauty! The young king looked unbelievably handsome!
At this moment, Li Xi’s heart was split into two: one side blooming with pink flowers, dreamy; the other silently cursing the historical texts that described Ying Zheng as ugly with strange illnesses: “The King of Qin is harsh, with long eyes, eagle chest, tiger voice, little mercy but wolf-heart.”
The beautiful woman seated in the center glanced at Li Xi and said, “I heard you want to present a treasure to me and the king?”
Li Xi nodded, replying, “Yes.”
Zhao Ji covered her mouth and let out a pleasant laugh, saying words that made Li Si sweat: “I must say beforehand, if the gift you present is not valuable, there will be punishment.”
His greatest fear had indeed occurred.
But what surprised him was that the first to raise an issue was not the king, but the Empress Dowager.
This shouldn’t be—by temperament, the king should have been stricter.
Li Si muttered in his heart.
While Li Si pondered this, Li Xi had already asked the palace attendants to present her gift.
Looking inside the wooden box, Zhao Ji frowned slightly, her tone showing some displeasure, “This white fluffy flower… is this the treasure you mentioned?”
If Li Xi could not give a reasonable explanation, she might never leave the palace intact.
Li Xi calmly said, “Your Majesty, this item is called cotton. It has many uses: it can be made into clothing to keep warm, or into gauze for medical use…”
“Oh?” Listening to Li Xi’s explanation, Zhao Ji gradually became interested. She picked up a white “fluff” and handed one to Ying Zheng, curiously asking, “Is this small fluff really as powerful as you say?”
Li Xi responded with a question: “How could I, a humble woman, dare deceive the king and the Empress Dowager in this palace?”
“If it is truly as you say, then I am indeed very pleased with this ‘treasure’ you presented.” Zhao Ji was not versed in state affairs; she barely read any books, and much of what Ying Zheng and Lü Buwei said was incomprehensible.
But Li Xi’s explanation of cotton’s uses was simple and understandable, requiring no special knowledge. Anyone could understand; its effect benefited people’s livelihoods.
Thus, Zhao Ji glanced at her son, “Zheng’er, what do you think?”
The dark-clothed youth kept his eyes lowered and said in a cold, clear voice, “If mother says it’s good, then it is good.”
Hearing this, Zhao Ji smiled, poking the soft “fluff,” then asked Li Xi, “You are Li Xi, right? What reward do you want?”
This question was entirely expected by Li Xi; she had already prepared her answer before coming to the palace.
As she was about to recite her prepared lines, her gaze fell upon the black-clad youth beside the beautiful woman.
Originally intending only to see her ideal man once and handle serious matters, Li Xi, the little fan of young Zulong, was dazzled by his beauty, and impulsively blurted out something completely unrelated to her plan, full of ambition: “I want to govern.”
The room fell silent.
Zhao Ji was momentarily taken aback by Li Xi’s words.
Li Si understood his sister’s meaning, and because he did, his mind went blank.
Finally, the response to Li Xi’s bold statement came from Ying Zheng.
The young future emperor raised his eyelids and said in a neutral tone, “You?”
Neither approving nor disapproving.
Just one word, flat and unreadable.
Then the cold-toned youth said a few more words, which should have been a question but sounded like a statement: “What ability do you have?”
Zulong’s voice was also very pleasant…
No, wait…
Li Xi patted her head to shake off the distraction of his beauty and tried to recall her prepared lines.
But really, she had only committed a common error—who could remain unmoved by such a handsome young Zulong?
She justified herself internally, then looked at the dark-clothed youth, maintaining outward composure:
“Li Xi studies under Guiguzi, learning all his master’s lifelong knowledge, including astronomy and geography. But most skilled is the divination art of the ‘I Ching,’ the source of all classics.”
Li Si had just recovered his senses when he heard his sister say this, and again his mind went blank.
Who was he? Where was he? When did his never-separated sister learn the art of strategy and diplomacy?
Though Li Si froze again, Li Xi was not done. This time she boldly said, “May I speak privately with the king?”
The youth’s eyes swept down.
Because today’s palace visit was formal, Li Xi, also in black, did not avoid his gaze.
Her pink flowers bloomed even more, thinking, “Zulong’s eyes are beautiful, slightly upturned, classic narrow phoenix eyes…”
Ying Zheng did not answer, but his actions gave the answer.
The young man rose and descended, lightly glancing at the slightly younger girl, signaling her to follow.
Li Xi followed him to a side hall.
Once the palace attendants were dismissed, she asked, side-eyed, “May I ask, Your Majesty… do you believe in ghosts and spirits?”
Ying Zheng said, “Although I do not favor Confucianism, Confucius said something very well.”
The youth’s cold, clear voice slowly recited the famous phrase: “Respect ghosts and spirits, but keep them at a distance.”
This answer indicated disbelief.
This was not unexpected; after all, the real Qin Shi Huang, deceived by Xu Fu in his later years, sought immortality, but this was only the third year of the young Qin King’s reign.
At different ages, perspectives naturally change.
For Li Xi, this was not an issue. She smiled at Ying Zheng: “However, some things exist regardless of your belief.”
The dark-clothed youth lowered his eyes and looked at her deeply, saying:
“I do not know when the strategists stopped studying diplomacy and began teaching these supernatural tales.”
Li Xi remained composed: “I merely learned my master’s lifelong knowledge, which sets me apart from others.”
“Do you know if Guiguzi is still alive?”
“He has ascended to immortality, flying to the paradise realm.”
“…”
“Actually,” she realized she had been confronting Ying Zheng too much, and hurriedly salvaged her image: “Li Xi’s boldness is only to speak a few words with Your Majesty.”
The youth’s cold voice, somewhat perfunctory, said, “Go ahead.”
Li Xi ignored his tone and arched her beautiful brows, saying the first line: “Is the aged Lian Po still able to eat?”
Seeing Ying Zheng’s confused gaze, she continued:
“General Li Mu of Zhao defeated and killed over a hundred thousand Xiongnu cavalry.”
The youth’s phoenix eyes sharpened instantly.
If the first line about Lian Po was confusing, the second about Li Mu was clear and easy to understand.
Under Ying Zheng’s cold gaze, Li Xi calmly finished:
“Crown Prince Dan of Yan became a hostage in Qin.”
“These are the results Li Xi divined using the Six Yarrow Stalks.”
She then clarified: “What I said in the main hall was casual; do not take it seriously. If any reward is given, it is merely to honor my brother.”
She raised her hand and performed a standard bow: “Li Xi takes her leave.”
As she turned, the system’s excited electronic voice rang in her mind:
【Host, host, didn’t you say you wanted a fief in the palace? Why are you leaving now QAQ】
She answered in her mind: “Why rush? To get a place I can do as I please, I must make Zulong believe I am extraordinary. And to convince him, the strongest proof is predicting the future before it happens.”
Indeed, this required time for validation. But creating a chemical reaction to artificially simulate a “miracle” could produce faster, immediate results.
Yet, compared to petty tricks, predicting the future better demonstrated her skill, proving she was truly exceptional, avoiding future suspicion that she merely stumbled upon coincidences.
This could not be faked and was not obtainable by luck alone.
Thus, before leaving the palace, she reviewed major events of the third year of Ying Zheng’s reign.
Afterwards, all that remained was to patiently wait.
—As an immortal, how could one lack discipline?
【But will the First Emperor really grant you a fief? He looks so unapproachable.】 The system worried, seeing the young Ying Zheng as fierce.
Li Xi’s eyes glinted with mockery: “Relax, at this stage, Brother Zheng is still easy to persuade.”
Even that idiot Lao Ai received titles and a fief because of Zhao Ji’s favor. Would it be so unusual for her, someone who could predict, to get a fief?
Moreover, she might not even be officially granted it—she just needed a place under Qin to set up her “game” initial map and summon players to start infrastructure.
Without construction, she could not endure these poor living conditions.
Li Xi sighed lightly, nostalgically thinking of foods she once refused.
Next time she visited the palace, she would no longer need to work so hard to navigate connections—she would be welcomed respectfully by palace attendants.
She curved her lips slightly, forming a faint smile.
A successful deceiver no longer needs lies, because the deceived have already become their supporters.