Seeing Xue Dongyu on the verge of losing her temper, the System quickly added, "Actually, I can still download this module, but it requires a bit more."
"How much?" Xue Dongyu asked expressionlessly, already sensing that the number this wretched light sphere was about to mention would be beyond her means.
"Hehe, just fifteen thousand. Since my system batch is relatively high-end, I even got a 5% discount!"
Alright, confirmed. She had definitely been scammed. Thinking she was about to reach the peak of her life, she had instead unknowingly incurred a massive debt, and now her creditor was trying to make her take on even more. Furious, Xue Dongyu stood up, grabbed a pillow, and smothered the bouncing little light sphere. "Since I can’t pay it back anyway, I might as well kill the creditor," she said with an eerily gentle expression, watching the System struggle inside the pillow.
For the first time, the System experienced the fear humans feel when facing mortal danger. Struggling and shouting, it cried, "Don’t treat This System like this! Host, believe me, the reason you’re earning so few Achievement Points right now is just because the male fetus in your womb hasn’t been born yet—it’s still just a possibility.
Once you give birth, you’ll receive a batch of Achievement Points. As he grows up, becomes famous, or even ascends to the throne, you’ll earn more Achievement Points.
Plus, you can work hard to win over the Emperor, become a historically renowned favored consort, and earn Achievement Points that way too. Then, by meddling in court politics and advancing the development of civilization, you’ll earn Achievement Points in heaps. We’ll definitely be able to pay it off!"
Weak and defenseless, the System was tormented to the brink of death in the hands of this witch before Xue Dongyu finally released the pillow.
"We’ll talk about the child later. As for winning over the Emperor, do you have any pills to enhance my appearance? Or something to instantly grant me talent and skills? Even something to directly make the Emperor fall in love with me would work."
Sniffling, the System replied, "I’m not one of those knock-off palace intrigue systems—how would I have something like that? Wait…" It trailed off as Xue Dongyu made a move to pick up the pillow again.
Panicking, it frantically searched through its system space. This woman really meant business! Finally, it found a small card tucked away in a corner.
Joyfully, it announced, "This is a Heartbeat Card left behind by the previous Host. Write down the name of the person you want to win over, and you’ll be able to see their level of affection for you. That way, you can keep track of it anytime."
Skeptical, Xue Dongyu picked up the card. It was thin and made of an unusual material, with two hearts drawn on it. "Sounds good. Why didn’t your previous Host use it?"
The little light sphere stammered, "This card randomly shows his affection level for someone, and you can only check it three times a day." It was precisely because of this major flaw that the previous Host, after purchasing it, had cursed the unscrupulous merchant and casually tossed it into the system space.
After explaining, it cautiously observed Xue Dongyu’s expression, afraid she might pick up the pillow again at the slightest provocation. Seeing her deep in thought, it quietly floated higher, retreating to the top of the bed.
Xue Dongyu knew this half-broken system couldn’t produce anything good. She was now certain that the wretched system was genuinely broke.
Still, the card wasn’t bad. At the very least, it would let her know the Emperor’s attitude toward others, allowing her to seek advantages and avoid harm. If she was lucky, she might even see his affection level for her.
Carefully, she wrote Zhao Zhen’s name on the card. Satisfied, she watched as Zhao Zhen’s portrait appeared on it, and the card emitted a golden light before flying into the system.
Xue Dongyu couldn't be bothered to deal with this idiotic system that thought a palace bed less than one and a half meters wide could stop her. She casually waved her hand. "Is the favorability level checked here with you?"
"Correct. All system or non-system items can be integrated into this system's unit for temporary storage. Information-based ones like this can be directly queried in the system interface. You can also check your basic data, Host. Would you like to see it?"
12138 became smug again. This function was only available in systems from the thirteenth batch or later—15555 didn't have it. The blue light sphere shook vigorously with effort.
"Not today. It's too late. I'm going to sleep. And turn off the light—it's glaring." Xue Dongyu pulled up the covers. Since the system was already bound, what difference did it make whether she checked now or later?
The little light sphere, receiving no response, flew around angrily but still extinguished its blue light. With a whoosh, it crashed into the center of Xue Dongyu's forehead.
In the study of Funing Hall, the Emperor was handling court affairs. Beside him, stacks of memorials, brushes, ink, and cinnabar were placed on the desk.
It was already late into the night. Zhang Maoze, who was keeping him company by the desk, could no longer hold on. He turned his back and quietly yawned, then handed over a cup of strong tea before turning back to advise, "Guanjia, it's almost past the third watch. You still have the morning court session at the fifth watch tomorrow. If you keep staying up like this, how will Your Majesty's dragon body endure it?"
Zhao Zhen took the tea and drank a sip without comment. If it weren't for Cairen Xue's miraculous display calming him for a long time today, he probably wouldn't have been able to persist.
This year, the court faced many major issues. As expected, the south suffered a severe drought. Although he had prepared in advance and arranged various drought-resistant measures, the time was too short, and it still drained the nation's vitality.
The Liao Kingdom in the north also seemed restless. He knew that next year, the Liao Kingdom would send troops to attack the border, demanding territorial concessions. Although Zhao Zhen had firmly refused at the time, he still increased the annual tribute by five hundred thousand in silver and silk.
Thinking of the many hungry and impoverished commoners who received no relief from the government, yet such a large sum of money had to be sent to the enemy every year, Zhao Zhen felt as if his heart were on fire.
This time, it wouldn't be the Liao Kingdom attacking the Song Dynasty—it would be the Song Dynasty attacking the Liao Kingdom. At the very least, they had to take a hefty chunk of flesh from the Liao Kingdom.
To achieve this goal, thorough preliminary preparations were essential. A war couldn't be launched casually—logistics, grain supplies, transportation, medical resources, and soldier compensation were all crucial.
As the saying goes, "If the granaries lack prepared grain, they cannot withstand famine; if the armories lack prepared weapons, even righteousness cannot conquer unrighteousness." This was exactly what Zhao Zhen was busy with now. Although the Song Dynasty's economy was prosperous, preparing for war was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
Moreover, many court officials were quite critical of the Emperor's actions. The peace with the Liao Kingdom had blinded them, or perhaps they simply didn't want to go to war. In times of peace, civil officials were esteemed while military officials were marginalized. But if war broke out, those "mud-legged" military men might rise in status. Thus, they instinctively resisted the idea of war.
This group of people posed significant resistance to Zhao Zhen's plans. He could only put in more effort, compromising, negotiating, and bargaining. Years of analysis and strategizing in this "hell" had honed his methods to perfection.
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish—even as the Emperor, he couldn't act entirely as he pleased. Moreover, although he had been Emperor for ten years, he had only personally handled governance for a few years. His prestige was insufficient. If he acted too forcefully, it might lead to even worse consequences.
Lü Duan in the south was indeed doing an excellent job. The situation there had largely stabilized. Zhao Zhen was just about to order Zhang Maoze to draft an edict to reward Lü Duan's family in the capital.
Suddenly, Zhao Zhen felt a slight stirring in his heart, as if a thin thread had wound its way around it, but when he tried to sense it again, it was gone. The little light sphere rolled over, seemingly having forgotten something it hadn’t mentioned. Ah, too much data had been lost—it couldn’t remember.
Shaking his head, the Emperor thought it must be too late, and his body was giving in to hallucinations from exhaustion. He set down his brush and called for Zhang Maoze to attend to his washing.
Zhang Maoze, no longer drowsy, swiftly attended to the Emperor as he settled into the dragon bed, extinguished the lamps and candles, and waved for everyone in the hall to withdraw.