“Could it be a problem with your detection system? It should have been a positive value, but it inexplicably turned into a negative number?” Why did this result occur when she had prepared so well? She had heard nothing but praise from everyone on the boat.
“The detection panel shows no anomalies, and the data indeed displays a negative value.” The system was also puzzled, confirmed that there were no bugs, and then proposed a possibility after some thought: “Could it be that your voice was too soft, and others heard it, but the Emperor didn’t?” It assumed that the host was a stranger attempting to approach him, which is why his favorability decreased.
Upon closer consideration, this possibility seemed quite plausible.
“He didn’t hear it? How could he not hear it?” Qin Manman’s face showed a hint of grievance, and her heart sank. On this sweltering day, all the other young ladies were seeking shade in pavilions to escape the heat, but she had endured the scorching sun to make an impression on the Emperor. She intentionally raised her voice by eight octaves more than usual when reciting the poem, and yet the Emperor didn’t hear it. Had she just performed in vain?
“Should I recite it again?” She bit her lower lip unwillingly, not wanting to return empty-handed. After all, she needed to unlock her initial beauty. Without it, how could she stand out during the selection process and catch the Emperor’s eye?
In her original plan, she, who appeared pitifully lost in the midst of the lotus flowers, would captivate Emperor Xie Yan’s heart with that age-old poem. He would then invite this lost girl onto his boat for a conversation, and the surge in favorability would allow her to unlock the beautiful and watery eyes and the distant-mountain-like eyebrows. When she eventually removed the thin veil covering her face, it would be a moment of breathtaking beauty. Even if the Emperor didn’t immediately bestow a title upon her, he would at least remember her name, leaving a lasting impression on her. This way, her path into the palace would be incredibly smooth.
However, she had never expected that the Emperor didn’t hear her. She had put in so much effort, only to cast her flirtatious glances to a blind man.
But the system stopped her: “No, you’ve already exposed yourself to the public. Doing it a second time would be too deliberate and counterproductive in terms of results.”
Qin Manman furrowed her brows and said, “Am I just going back with nothing?” Not only did she fail to gain anything, but her already limited favorability had dropped into negative territory. How could Qin Manman accept this? She understood the principle of persistence. For example, back in the modern world, when she wanted to attract a man in a suit, she would create a chance encounter by pretending to bump into him while carrying a glass of wine. If it didn’t work the first time, she would try again and again until she achieved her goal. In this situation, she naturally disregarded the system’s warnings and wanted to try the same tactic once more.
But as soon as her small boat approached the larger boat, before she could even pretend to be a lost girl and seek help from the guards on the larger boat, she was suddenly pushed aside. It turned out to be several tall and robust men dressed in guard uniforms who grabbed a delicate and adorable young boy and quickly boarded the boat.
With the system’s support, her hearing and vision were both excellent.
“Oh, my little master, you’re back.” A shrill and effeminate man stepped forward, attempting to take the fishing rod from the young boy’s hand, but the boy skillfully dodged his grasp and protected his equipment, saying, “You guys are so domineering. I haven’t finished fishing yet!”
“The view on the boat is beautiful, so why not fish on the boat instead? Look at the scorching sun outside. It’s making your pretty face all red.” Most importantly, they must not leave behind His Majesty. Although His Majesty’s expression appeared calm and inscrutable, his eyes revealed a faint coldness, and the attendants didn’t dare to make a sound.
Holding the young boy’s rosy face, the effeminate man showed a tender expression and coaxed him with sweet words, finally convincing the boy to hand over what he was holding. As the young boy left, he looked back at his small bucket and blinked, saying, “I personally caught all the fish inside. We’re going to make fish soup tonight, so please be careful not to spill it.”
The effeminate man pinched his throat and said, “Rest assured, we will take good care of it and absolutely won’t spill anything. You should hurry and find His Majesty.”
Who was this young boy? How could he be treated with such respect by the eunuch in charge of the emperor’s palace? Emperor Jing was so young; it couldn’t be possible for him to have such a grown-up illegitimate child, could it? Qin Manman stared with wide eyes, her embroidered shoes just touching the edge of the boat, feeling utterly bewildered. What left her even more speechless was what happened next.
The man on the boat, who appeared to be the most noble among them, the emperor she had recognized at first glance, rebuked the young boy in a low voice as he approached, saying, “Stop fooling around! What if the boat capsizes? Can you swim?” Ignoring the feeble retort from the young boy, “I can swim,” he took a large blanket from a handmaiden beside him and wrapped it around the young boy, then continued scolding him, “I see your hair is wet. Why don’t you change your clothes?”
“Oh,” the young boy clearly didn’t dare to argue and simply pushed aside his damp forehead hair, revealing a face that was rosy and tender from the steam. He stretched his arms and allowed a handmaiden to remove his wet outer garment. His obedient and submissive demeanor was quite endearing.
Although their interaction seemed ordinary, the words exchanged between them revealed the emperor’s favor and grace. This attitude didn’t quite resemble that of a subject, but given their age difference, they didn’t appear to be father and son either. Qin Manman hadn’t heard of Emperor Jing having any living biological brothers, and considering that he ascended the throne by stepping on the blood and bones of countless brothers, she found herself deeply perplexed.
Before she could make sense of it all, she saw the emperor’s figure gradually moving out of her sight, and she became anxious.
She urgently tugged on the sleeve of a palace guard and said, “May I inquire about your young master’s name? I thank you for guiding this young lady home today, and I am deeply grateful. I will personally come to your residence to express my gratitude on another day.” So, tell me the emperor’s name, and I’ll have a reason to approach and greet him in the future!
The palace guard was somewhat puzzled by her request. He thought, “You only asked me for the direction to the Qin residence, and I simply pointed in the right direction. It was hardly a big deal that would require a visit to express gratitude.” Moreover, the emperor’s incognito outings were a secret, and he couldn’t reveal his identity. So, he straightforwardly refused, saying, “The name of our young master is not something you need to know.”
She thought, “If you don’t tell me, how can I approach him later? Can’t you see I’m in a difficult situation?” She couldn’t afford to return with negative favorability points! Qin Manman was so frustrated that she felt like stomping her feet. Reluctant to directly intrude into this heavily guarded boat, she had to persist and said, “It is necessary. I believe in repaying kindness, and I will definitely find a way to express my gratitude.”
The tugging and pulling between her and the palace guard made quite a commotion, eventually alerting someone higher up.
Footsteps approached, and Qin Manman thought it might be the Emperor, so she displayed a delighted smile. However, it turned out to be a middle-aged man dressed in a dark red robe with a small black hat. He had a somewhat effeminate demeanor, wrinkling his brow and raising his slender fingers as he spoke. He didn’t even glance at Qin Manman but addressed the palace guard coldly, “How can you handle things like this? Where did this wild girl come from? Drive her away immediately! Disturbing the young master’s peace. Do you think you’ll get any rewards like this?”
“Yes!” The palace guards fell silent at once. They didn’t pay attention to Qin Manman’s pleas anymore. They merely said, “Miss Qin has offended,”1I dont exactly know how to phrase this so I kept it like that but basically it means “sorry for offending you” or something similar to that since you know they’re only guards and touching a noblewoman is rude or considered offensiveand then pushed her back onto the small boat she had arrived in, showing their clear intention to expel her.
Qin Manman was filled with frustration but, faced with the stern and unyielding expressions of the palace guards, she didn’t dare to insist further. All her previous intentions were in vain. She could only paddle the small boat back to where she had come from.
Half a year passed, and many things happened.
In the Sichuan Basin, an extraordinary figure named Tang Bai emerged. He was dressed in tattered clothes and appeared impoverished, but he had remarkable insights. In the humid and damp Sichuan region, he cultivated chili crops and invented hotpot. This novel creation, upon its debut, quickly became a sensation in restaurants in major cities and even found its way into ordinary households.
Subsequently, this remarkable individual went on to invent bathing soap, brilliantly clear mirrors, and more. This left Qin Manman, confined to the women’s quarters, gnashing her teeth in regret. She wished she had thought to learn the recipe for hotpot seasoning before her time travel; that way, she could have become rich.
She secretly cursed her fellow villager for inventing such things. What irked her the most was the invention of mirrors. The time-traveler known as Tang Bai introduced glass mirrors, which replaced the dim bronze mirrors of the time. Although the glass mirrors were not as smooth and shiny as those in the future, they clearly revealed her average features and exposed the flaws in her appearance.
While Qin Shan Shan, the natural beauty, seemed to enjoy her reflection in the mirror and was thrilled to see herself for the first time, Qin Manman wished she could smash all the mirrors in her house.
After smashing the mirrors, she initially consoled herself, thinking that her fellow villager was probably a science and engineering type who only invented practical things. However, when she visited a restaurant and heard a storyteller exclaim, “The extraordinary Tang Bai is reciting the Three Hundred Tang Poems by heart! It is said to be a collection of poems from overseas. Stay tuned!”
She nearly fainted on the spot.
When she regained her senses, she contemplated sending her servants to find the eccentric Tang Bai’s residence and make sure that the book never saw the light of day. However, her efforts were in vain. There was no consensus on where Tang Bai lived. Some said he resided in half of Sichuan, while others claimed he lived in Lingnan, Yanjing, or even overseas. She couldn’t possibly embark on a journey with her servants across such vast distances.
So, she had to give up on that idea.
As expected, when Tang Bai’s poetry collection was published, it caused a sensation. Some of the poems were so familiar that people had sung them in the streets and alleys. They were the works of Second Miss Qin. However, in this book, they were attributed to someone else’s name, complete with the poet’s biography, describing the circumstances in which the poems were written. The book detailed whether the poems were composed in the author’s longing for unfulfilled ambitions on the border or in response to the changing seasons and landscapes. It couldn’t have been more detailed.
Now, Qin Manman’s reputation as a talented woman took a severe hit.
When people mentioned her, although they didn’t openly question her, doubts still crept into their minds. Qin Manman, who had once loved socializing, was now too afraid to leave her home. She had become the kind of secluded woman from ancient times she had always despised, one who “doesn’t step out of the main gate or the secondary gate.”
In her heart, she harbored intense hatred for that person from her hometown who was known for “selfless dedication” and “seeking popularity.” She wondered why he didn’t just selfishly claim to be the original author of the poems since he remembered all of them perfectly. This way, he could have gained even more honor. They could have cooperated and shared the fame of this time-traveling wonderland! Thinking about the mockery she faced from the outside world and how her hard-earned reputation as a talented woman had crumbled, the young woman trembled with anger, wishing she could grab that fellow from her hometown and tear him apart on the spot.
Unfortunately, the person couldn’t be found. After composing the Song Dynasty poems, he disappeared without a trace. Some said he had retreated to the mountains, while others believed he had gone overseas. In any case, he couldn’t be found. Instead, he left behind a pile of fascinating tales and rumors that kept people talking and contributed to the development of the era.
This infuriated the young woman even more because after destroying her reputation, the person had simply vanished. This meant that when she became a favored imperial concubine with influence in the court in the future, she wouldn’t even be able to seek revenge!
While the red apricot blossoms bloomed on the branches, symbolizing the arrival of the first major selection since the new emperor ascended the throne, the Qin family began to hesitate about sending their daughter to the palace.
The author has something to say: One more update, I’ll make it up over the weekend _(:3∠)_
Love what you read? A little donation can go a long way!
