Inside the Nuange of Qianqinggong.
The Dilong was burning brightly, but the air was so cold it felt like it could turn a person into a popsicle.
Lin Yuan knelt on the white marble floor tiles, her head pressed down hard. Within her field of vision were only a few pathetic shards of blue-and-white porcelain and a pair of bright yellow shoes embroidered with five-clawed golden dragons.
“Drag her out and beat her to death!”
Those seven words, devoid of any warmth, pierced straight into Lin Yuan’s ears.
Lin Yuan felt her entire body go limp.
Seriously, guys! Can anyone relate? I just transmigrated five minutes ago, haven’t even breathed in the warm air of the Ming Dynasty yet, and I’m already getting spawn-killed?
The mess left by the original owner of this body is such a trap. It was just a broken cup! In a modern company, this would be called ‘fixed asset depreciation.’ At most, they’d dock a hundred or two from your performance bonus. How did it become a death sentence here?
Her survival instinct made Lin Yuan slam her head against the floor with a series of loud thuds.
“Your Majesty, have mercy! This servant knows her mistake! Your Majesty, please spare me!”
However, while her mouth pleaded for mercy, the complaints in her heart wouldn’t stop.
【It’s over! I’ve walked straight into a crematorium. This short-tempered old man must be the legendary number one scapegoat of the Ming Dynasty, the most hardworking emperor of a fallen nation in history—Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, right?】
【As expected from the legends, he’s in the late stages of a manic episode and a severe sufferer of paranoia.】
【Big brother! Your Ming Dynasty is about to go belly up, and you still care about a broken cup? Do you know that in sixteen years, you’ll be hanging yourself from that crooked neck tree on Meishan?】
Chongzhen, who was just about to turn away, suddenly stiffened.
Who?
Who was speaking?
He spun around, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
But in this Nuange, aside from Lin Yuan kneeling on the floor, there was only the head eunuch, Wang Chengen, who stood by the door, looking as if he wished he could crawl into a crack in the floor.
Chongzhen stared directly at Lin Yuan.
That crisp, strange female voice just now, talking about a scapegoat, a fallen emperor, and a crooked tree on Meishan…
The voice clearly came from the direction of this palace maid, but her mouth hadn’t moved at all, except to cry for mercy.
【Tsk, tsk. What a waste of that face. He’s so handsome; if he were in modern times, he’d definitely fit the standard of a male idol. Too bad he’s a supreme ‘involution’ king, working the 996 grind every day, only to end up bankrupting his own dynasty.】
【If I were you, I’d hurry up and fire Wen Tiren and that bunch of treacherous officials who only know how to manipulate you with ‘pie in the sky’ promises, and then take out some silver to pay the soldiers. If you spend all day being uselessly furious over a broken cup, it’s no wonder the Ming Dynasty is doomed.】
Chongzhen’s heart rate accelerated, his hands clenching into fists.
Wen Tiren?
This little palace maid had a lot of nerve.
That was the Grand Secretary he was planning to entrust with heavy responsibilities. How did this little maid dare to call him by his name and even label him a treacherous official?
Also, was “996” some kind of torture? Was “bankrupt” some kind of secret jargon?
Chongzhen took a deep breath, forcing down the stormy waves in his heart.
Ever since he ascended the throne, he had become suspicious. Faced with this situation, his first reaction was: sorcery!
“Wait.”
Just as Wang Chengen was about to beckon the guards, Chongzhen spoke to stop them.
He walked back to Lin Yuan and used the tip of his shoe to lift her chin, forcing her to look up.
It was a delicate face, but currently pale with terror. Combined with the tear stains all over her face, she looked like nothing more than an ordinary, cowardly palace maid.
But in the next second, a bizarre scene occurred in Chongzhen’s vision—
A line of blood-red text actually hovered above Lin Yuan’s head.
【Current Emotion: Terrified. Life Countdown: 16 years, 2 months, 3 days.】
Chongzhen’s pupils shook with shock.
What is this??
At that moment, the strange female voice rang out again.
【What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a beauty before? Although I might not look great right now—malnourished, sallow, and thin—my basic features should be good, right?】
【Hiss… that look is too scary. No wonder your wife and kids are all afraid of you. Who can stand this high-pressure management style? If I were Empress Zhou, I’d spend every day hiding in Kunninggong drawing circles to curse you, you overtime-obsessed demon.】
The corner of Chongzhen’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Empress Zhou… indeed, she often advised him to protect his imperial health and not overwork himself.
“What were you just thinking?” Chongzhen stared at Lin Yuan, his tone brooks no argument.
Lin Yuan replied between sobs, “Back… Back to the Son of Heaven, this servant was thinking… I deserve to die, I deserve to die! I shouldn’t have broken your Majesty’s beloved cup. This servant is willing to work like an ox or a horse to make up for the mistake…”
【How could I possibly tell you what I’m thinking? Tell you that I’m roasting you in my head for being the Ming Dynasty’s biggest loser? Tell you that Li Zicheng will drive you into a dead end? Or tell you that the traitor Wu Sangui will let the Qing soldiers through the pass all for the sake of a woman? If you knew these things now, wouldn’t you skin me alive as a monster!】
Chongzhen’s heart beat faster and faster; he felt like he was about to lose control.
Li Zicheng? Wu Sangui?
He had heard of these two names, but they hadn’t fully caught his eye yet.
Yet, in this maid’s inner thoughts, these two people were actually the death knell of the Ming Dynasty?
He retracted his foot, took half a step back, his eyes shifting unpredictably.
If it was sorcery, then this sorcery was far too powerful.
But if it wasn’t sorcery, what was it?
Could it be that Heaven, seeing him laboring day and night, had specially sent down a warning?
“Wang Chengen.”
“The old servant is here.”
“Take this palace maid to the side hall and lock her up. Without my decree, no one is allowed to touch her.”
Wang Chengen was stunned.
What happened to the Son of Heaven? Just a moment ago, he wanted her beaten to death; why has he suddenly changed to “keeping a beauty in a golden house”?
“Go do it, now!” Chongzhen urged impatiently.
“Yes, yes, yes! This servant will do it immediately!” Wang Chengen shivered and grabbed Lin Yuan, heading outside.
Lin Yuan was dragged out of the Nuange of Qianqinggong with a look of utter confusion.
【Eh? Not killing me anymore? Truly temperamental; this personality is really hard to serve.】
【But it’s good just to stay alive. Lay low! As long as I’m alive, there’s a chance to run away. Once I’ve saved up enough silver, I’ll find an opportunity to fake my death, buy a few acres of good land in Jiangnan, and then hire a few young hunks to keep me company every day. Wouldn’t that be better than living in fear in this palace?】
Chongzhen stood in the empty Nuange, listening as those strange inner thoughts grew more distant.
His expression became very unsightly.
This damned little palace maid—I’m not even dead yet, and she’s already planned her escape route!
He sat back on the dragon throne, looking at the mountain of memorials on the desk, his mind filled with the words he had just heard, unable to shake them off.
“Men!”
A Jinyiwei secret agent appeared from the shadows of the Nuange.
“Investigate,” Chongzhen said, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
“Investigate that palace maid’s background thoroughly; don’t miss a single ancestor for eight generations. Additionally, go investigate a rebel named Li Zicheng. Finally, investigate a commander named Wu Sangui in Liaodong. Find out what position he currently holds.”
The agent took the command and vanished instantly.
Chongzhen leaned against the dragon throne, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples, suddenly remembering Lin Yuan’s last complaint.
【This dim-witted ruler… if he knew that Wen Tiren is going to feed him more ‘pie in the sky’ during tomorrow’s morning court to swindle a sum of military funds out of him, I wonder if he’d still be this calm.】
His eyes snapped open instantly.
Tomorrow?!
In that case, he would see for himself if this Ming Dynasty was truly as she said—beyond saving.
Meanwhile, inside the side hall.
Once Lin Yuan confirmed there was no one else in the room, she slumped into a chair without a shred of dignity and let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
【That really scared the life out of me. This Ming Dynasty workplace is really not easy to survive in. The boss can take your life at any time, and the colleagues are always looking to replace you.】
【But Zhu Youjian is actually quite pitiful. Forced to take over a dynasty on the brink of bankruptcy, with employees who are all old slickers just coasting along, and competitors outside always thinking of headhunting his people. If only he could listen to advice, maybe the Ming Dynasty really could last a bit longer.】
【Forget it, I’m starving. I’ll eat my fill first before thinking about anything else.】
Lin Yuan rummaged through the side hall for food, finally finding a plate of somewhat crumbled mung bean cakes under a table.
What she didn’t know was that the side hall and the Nuange were separated by only a single wall, and Chongzhen had heard every bit of her internal rambling.
This palace maid… hmph, truly audacious.
During tomorrow’s morning court, he would see exactly how Wen Tiren intended to swindle his military funds.
If what this maid said was true, then she was the variable of the Ming Dynasty.
If what she said was false…
A flash of ruthlessness passed through Chongzhen’s eyes…
Then he would personally escort her to Meishan to let her see exactly what that tree looked like!
Late at night.
Lin Yuan managed to eat her fill and fell into a deep sleep clutching her quilt.
In the Nuange of Qianqinggong, the lights were still not extinguished.
Chongzhen sat before his desk, repeatedly thinking about what might happen tomorrow.
Lifting his head, he could see the countdown hanging in the void toward the side hall, visible only to him.
【16 years, 2 months, 2 days.】
Outside the side hall, Wang Chengen stood guard at the door, looking at the closed door with a face full of confusion.
In all these years, it was the first time he had seen the Son of Heaven pay so much attention to a woman, and a little palace maid who had broken a cup at that.
This maid might just soar to the heavens in the future!
At this moment, the sleeping Lin Yuan was back in modern times in her dreams. The Ming Dynasty antiques she brought back had turned her into a wealthy woman, and she was vacationing in the Maldives with seven different styles of young hunks.
She had no idea that starting tomorrow, she—a corporate-slave palace maid—would be forced to begin her path as an “Imperial Teacher” in the Ming Dynasty.
Lin Yuan rolled over, smacking her lips.
【Mmm… plant potatoes for the famine. Or… mmm, sweet potatoes would work too. Roasted sweet potatoes smell so good…】
In the next room, Chongzhen’s footsteps faltered.
Sweet potatoes? He had heard of them. But potatoes—what on earth were those?
It seemed that after court adjourned tomorrow, he would have to meet this “demon” again.