Chapter 3: Chapter 3

The next day, during the Lantern Festival

On the palace path, a slender figure leaned against the corner, listening to the increasingly heavy footsteps approaching from not far away.

Under the moonlight, the girl's already delicate features gained an added charm. If there was one thing An Ning was most satisfied with in this life, it was this face - almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, expressive brows, and skin as white as snow thanks to the Spirit Spring Water. It was the classical beauty Shen An Ning had most admired in her previous life.

Unfortunately, this great beauty was now sneaking around in the shadows, looking utterly suspicious.

The poor system was almost in tears:

"Host, are you really going to do this?"

"Host, please don't! With your beauty and the effort you've put into maintenance, you're no less attractive than most imperial consorts. Wouldn't entering a prince's residence be too wasteful?"

"Even if it's an Iron Hat Prince, it's not worth it! Host, you need to think clearly! And this Prince Zhuang is already over thirty, with only one sickly daughter. Who knows what problems he might have!"

"Host, calm down, calm down!"

In the sea of consciousness, the system was wailing. Logically speaking, wasn't the best path for a starting palace maid to become an imperial consort? Like that Zhang Jia Lady-in-Waiting who worked hard to advance, eventually standing above tens of thousands? Isn't that what all his colleagues' hosts were doing? Why was his host so unconventional!

The system, feeling something was terribly wrong, was at its wit's end!

"Yes, didn't you say he has no sons? Isn't that perfect? As long as I bear a child, it would be the undisputed heir to the princely residence. With the Spirit Spring Water, and worst case, your fertility pills aren't just for show, right?"

"And if I remember correctly, Prince Zhuang's residence will maintain its hereditary title without downgrading!"

Not using a cheat ability would be idiotic.

This was a princely title that survived tenaciously until the end of Qing dynasty. Only for the next generation, Kangxi took advantage by using his own son to reclaim it for free, under the pretense of pitying his cousin having no heir, while conveniently inheriting generations of accumulated wealth from the old princely residence.

Afraid the damn system wouldn't help wholeheartedly, An Ning continued persuasively:

"One option is low difficulty - just survive to become the mother of a princely heir, a carefree dowager princess in the future. The other is high difficulty - constantly risking my life, possibly failing the mission, or enduring decades of humiliation for a one-in-ten-thousand chance to become empress dowager. Which do you think I should choose?"

"Besides, the original host's wish wasn't that grand - just to help her younger brother, take care of friends, live a wealthy life, and ensure her descendants wouldn't have to serve others. Tell me, isn't being the mother of a princely heir enough?"

"But...but...being empress dowager is so much better! Standing above tens of thousands! The pinnacle a woman can achieve in this era!" the system weakly replied.

Listening carefully to the nearby movements through the system, An Ning remained noncommittal.

Other dynasties might be fine, but Qing dynasty? Forget it! Princes and princesses were taken from their birth mothers young and not allowed to be close. The empress dowager's power was reduced to almost nothing, and the possibility of keeping lovers like in other dynasties was virtually nonexistent.

Even with a so-called filial son like Qianlong, the empress dowager had to repeatedly report to her son just to renovate a palace, and was warned by her own son for contacting her natal family - and this was his birth mother!

No power, trapped in the palace for life - wouldn't it be better to live comfortably as a dowager princess outside?

More likely, failing in the succession struggle and having to endure the victor's disdain for life.

As for her future son - without exhausting effort, without fratricidal struggles, without being publicly humiliated by his father before ministers, he could inherit an undowngraded princely title.

If he was smart, he'd only thank her! An Iron Hat Prince - even Kangxi's own sons, which of them could obtain that even with their utmost efforts?

For An Ning, she had no grand ambitions and precious little integrity. If there was a shortcut, she'd never take the long way. Regardless of others, as long as she could live comfortably, that was best.

"Alright, he's coming. No time for your nonsense!"

Having made up her mind, An Ning secretly used the system to pinpoint the target's location. When the timing was right, she immediately pretended to be in a panic and ran out from one side of the palace path.

As expected, before she could actually get close, she was knocked down by a guard.

"Impudence! Which palace's maid are you? How dare you barge into His Highness!"

Seeing she had collided with someone, the girl looked up in panic, but upon seeing the python robe, immediately knelt again with a thud.

It was the Lantern Festival, and the palace path was already lined with colorful lanterns. Though it was just a glimpse, it was enough to see the man's extremely handsome features.

The man's skin was snow-white, his face slightly flushed as if from fever, like a cold plum in the dark night - refreshing yet appropriately alluring.

But now, the girl trembled, her voice slightly hoarse, clearly extremely flustered.

"This...this lowly one deserves death!"

"Your Highness, spare me! This lowly one didn't mean to! This lowly one was just going to the imperial pharmacy - if I'm any later, it will close...this lowly one..."

"Your Highness, what should we..." Seeing his master remain silent, the guard spoke with unconscious pity.

He wasn't without suspicion that this might be an attempt to climb the social ladder, but the obvious feverish flush on her forehead proved she wasn't lying.

Moreover, the guard noticed her somewhat shabby padded jacket - during such a festival, without any jewelry or proper makeup.

Though with that face, she certainly had the capital for seduction.

Though it was just a panicked glance, a beauty always drew attention. What was that Han saying - "clear water produces hibiscus, natural beauty needs no adornment." She wasn't much inferior to that famously beautiful Noble Consort Liang in the palace. With such looks, there were plenty of sharp-eyed matrons in the palace who could help her take shortcuts. Why stage this in freezing weather?

As everyone knew, due to heir issues, Prince Zhuang's residence wasn't an ideal destination for most.

And who would attempt seduction without even announcing their background?

Thinking this, the guard quickly dismissed the social climbing possibility. Seeing his master still unmoved, he understood His Highness might not be uninterested.

Well, beauties - who doesn't love them? His Highness was no exception.

Gauging his master's attitude, the guard was about to speak when the palace maid suddenly collapsed in a faint.

"Your Highness, this...what should we do?"

Moments later, a gentle, deep voice said:

"Take her to the nearby Orchid Pavilion. You, go fetch the imperial physician."

Hearing the last sentence, An Ning finally relaxed and let herself fully faint.

What a ruthless person, the system thought with a shiver, recalling how she'd deliberately stayed in the Plum Garden an extra half-hour to catch a fever.

Soon, the investigator returned:

"Reporting to Your Highness, today's incident was indeed accidental. That girl was originally a maid from the Plum Garden. For today's cleanup, there should have been at least three people, but somehow only she remained. The workload delayed her until now."

He added quietly: "This isn't the first time this has happened." Meaning it was unlikely to be staged.

"The imperial physician said the girl suffered severe cold, hence the fever..."

In the room, Prince Zhuang said nothing more. An Ning, currently unconscious, was extremely quiet.

But the secretly eavesdropping system was having an existential crisis: Is this how imperial family members are? An ordinary prince, not even the emperor, yet so paranoid? Couldn't even a great beauty like our host move him? And here I thought her performance just now deserved full marks!

Also, had the host been deliberately provoking these people through Matron Cui recently, all for today?

But wasn't this plan only conceived recently?

For once, the system was truly confused!

It couldn't tell if it was just imagining things, but it felt like its CPU wasn't powerful enough.