Chapter 19: Chapter 19
“The host is here, here! Zhang Jiashi has started to make a move.” Early the next morning, the system began shouting nonstop.
“Wait... what did the imperial physician just say? Consort Mi is pregnant?”
No way, pregnant at a time ?
The system was stunned.
“Still daring to parade around in front of Consort De while pregnant? Remember, not long ago, Consort De confirmed that her infertility all these years was because of Zhang Jiashi.”
Look at that. Consort De’s face was calm and gentle on the surface, but behind the scenes, she nearly tore her handkerchief to shreds.
“I heard a few days ago, Consort De even clashed with the Fourth Beile due to disagreements. Ah, back when the Empress was still alive…”
Ah, this is just a merciless mind game! Palace intrigues really are much more thrilling. Using the points owed by the host, the system threw itself wholeheartedly into the gossip, occasionally even starting voice broadcasts with its host.
“Alas, the drugs affecting Consort De’s emotions still haven’t worn off. Otherwise, with her acting skills and patience, she wouldn’t have broken down so easily.”
Indeed, An Ning couldn’t help but agree.
Thinking back to the only two times she had seen Consort De, she was poised and elegant, looking very gentle overall, not at all like someone who had been medicated with emotion-amplifying drugs for years.
That showed just how much she could endure.
But now, no matter how much she could endure, she probably couldn’t escape this calamity. From the system’s reports and Consort De’s recent actions, An Ning had roughly understood what this female lead intended to do.
Sure enough, half a month later on a certain day.
An Ning was still painting with her prince as usual. Inside her sea of consciousness, the system once again shouted recklessly, more excited than ever:
“Host, it’s bad! The female lead is really about to be done for!”
Feeling the increasingly faint life force before it, the system was utterly disbelieving and didn’t bother to hide it.
How could such a big female lead be on the brink of death just in a blink?
Impossible! The female lead had a golden finger; poisoning shouldn’t be her weakness.
And this time, the child in her belly was also about to be lost.
An Ning’s brush paused slightly in her hand, but there was no surprise in her eyes. She calmly asked:
“If the female lead dies, will it affect the current world?”
“Uh, no, it won’t. This is a world with complete laws. The female lead is actually just the world’s fortune-born woman for a certain period.”
If she didn’t exist, naturally another would take her place.
It’s just that it was such a tragic scene this time, even though...
The system sighed deeply. An Ning was not particularly shocked. Being with a ruler is like being with a tiger; it’s never just talk. In a place where the smartest people gather, even the smallest impulse or mistake could lead to utter ruin.
Golden fingers sound incredibly powerful, but once even a hint is exposed...
“System, can you confirm whether the child in Consort Mi’s belly is real or fake?”
“Uh, turns out it’s actually fake!” The system was surprised.
“What is the female lead trying to do? To risk so much just for Consort De is really not worth it.”
An Ning didn’t say anything. For the female lead to pay such a high price, it certainly wasn’t just for Consort De.
Given the female lead’s personality, it was very likely...
But now, that wasn’t the important thing: “System, if I’m not mistaken, the other party’s golden finger seems related to medicine.”
“Spiritual medicine space, pills, medical technique inheritance?”
“Or maybe all three?”
At the critical moment, An Ning was straightforward and laid all her cards on the table.
“Ho... host, what are you going to do?” The system was so frightened its code was scrambled.
“That’s not allowed. The passing of this generation’s fortune-born woman means the golden finger will only activate with the next generation of the world’s fortune-born woman.”
“It cannot be casually taken by someone from another time and space.”
“So it’s only allowed in this time and space?” An Ning narrowed her eyes.
“In any case, host, don’t think about it. Damaging the little world’s root is something we can’t do right now. It would violate regulations.”
“How could that be? System, do you think I’m that kind of person?” Inside the sea of consciousness, An Ning smiled warmly.
The system could only respond with a dry “hehe.”
“What if I only want one of them?”
“Or system, if I can’t take it directly, just make me a copy! I don’t mind pirated versions!”
“Everything is negotiable!”
“Wait, you actually wanted the medical books from the start?” The system seemed to just realize. Normally, when someone meets this situation, the most desired thing wouldn’t be spiritual medicine space; at least it would be pills!
An Ning didn’t deny it. It was obvious what kind of medical books would be stored in such a high-level space.
Whether space or pills, these things could be stolen or disappear when facing powerful people in the future.
For An Ning, only what was truly mastered in her own mind was the most reliable.
Besides, medicine is an extremely useful skill in both ancient and modern times. An Ning had wanted to learn for a long time, but hadn’t asked before.
One reason was her identity limitation; another was that there was a female lead in the palace, and An Ning didn’t want to stand out or raise suspicion from those in power. At most, she occasionally collected some useful herbal recipes.
“So, system, what do you think? This concerns our future mission points. Isn’t it worth fighting for? Besides, my request isn’t excessive, right?”
The system didn’t directly refuse but suspiciously asked:
“Host, did you guess this long ago? Is that why you’re so generous, even owing points?”
An Ning also didn’t deny it.
In this era, what could she do after realizing she was targeted by the highest authority?
Use pills in the space to whet their appetite?
But human desires could never be satisfied. Once you show one thing, the other side would just think you had even better things hidden.
Coercion and temptation—the tactics those concubines used before were just appetizers.
Moreover, any woman who has been schemed against by her bed partner this badly would have spirit. Who would meekly hand over their treasure and extend the other party’s life? What was she thinking?
“But still, it shouldn’t be this extreme?”
An Ning was unusually a bit reluctant.
“System, do you know which princes His Majesty granted titles to last year?”
System: “The Eldest Young Master was granted the title of Prince of Zhizhou, the third to eighth princes were granted the title of Beile, the Tenth Prince was also a Beile, and from the ninth to twelfth... wait, the Twelfth Prince?”
The system suddenly realized.
“Wait, the Twelfth Prince is about the same age as the Thirteenth, and whether historically or now, the favor he receives from Kangxi is far less than the Thirteenth Prince.”
“Yeah, why would an unfavored prince be so special?”
What had he done to gain Kangxi’s special attention?
Realizing what the host was implying, the system was completely stunned: “How could that be? The Twelfth Prince is actually the female lead’s own son. Previously, worried that the princes would all die young like in history, the female lead made sure to feed him many good things growing up!”
“So it’s natural for the other side to suspect something is wrong, right?”
An Ning’s tone was indifferent.