Chapter 44

Unedited

Crunch, crunch.

Shen Fengyue lounged on the sofa, wearing a U-shaped pillow around his neck. He held a bag of potato chips in his left hand, reaching inside with his right hand for another chip. The electronic screen in front of him glowed, playing an advertisement.

Crunch, crunch.

After finishing another chip, he reached for more but found the bag was empty. “Huh?” he said, looking inside the bag before tossing it into the garbage can. He picked up the remote control and changed the channel.

It had been a month since his last mission. After completing the “emotional dilution”, Shen Fengyue had some free time to relax. 

With the system finally taking the long-awaited vacation, Shen Fengyue was free from the annoyance of artificial intelligence and was able to live a life of a salted fish.

Eat, sleep, and play games.

Today, he was stuck on a game level and decided to watch TV to ease his mind. He flipped to a TV drama where people wore ancient costumes, and watched a woman approach in a long, flowing gown with her hair pinned high and adorned with precious jewels. Her delicate makeup accentuated her stunning features, and she walked with grace and elegance. 

Shen Fengyue stopped changing channels and stared at the woman’s face, which was considered to be the most beautiful among contemporary actresses. The next moment, he saw the woman turn and looked in the direction of the audience, her eyes rolling as she said in a piercing voice:

“Heh… Where did this pheasant come from? How dare he block my road?”

The word “pheasant” echoed and rippled, successfully frightening Shen Fengyue. He quickly pressed the switch button.

He covered his face and muttered, “As expected of the A-list actress who is a famous vase.”

Suddenly, something under his butt buzzed, he reached out and saw it was his communicator. He took it and saw a message from the system:

[I Hate Blind Dates]: Master Shen~~~

Shen Fengyue quickly replied, “Oh, you’ve changed your name?”

The system immediately made a voice call, and Shen Fengyue reluctantly answered, “What’s up?”

The system said, “Master Shen, I have an idea.”

Shen Fengyue responded, “You’re not allowed to have ideas.”

The system on the other side choked for a moment, “Then, I have a small request.”

“Say it.” He loved hearing this tone, Shen Fengyue immediately sat up from the sofa, crossing his hands and waiting.

System: “You see we have rested for a month, isn’t it time to perform tasks ah? There are a lot of bonuses waiting for us.”

“Emmmmm,” Shen Fengyue hummed. He knew that the diligent data-driven system was up to something. “Don’t pretend. You’ve been missing for the past month. Now you want to go back to work? What’s going on? Did the blind date not go well?”

The opposite system cried out immediately upon hearing the words, complaining to his only confidant, “Damn it, I was fooled! I thought it was a sweet little girl, but it turned out to be bigger than me! They’re even from the AI association president’s family. They’ve been pestering me every day. I can’t afford to mess with them, nor I can hide?!”

Shen Fengyue was shocked, “What?! You’re going to marry into a wealthy family before me?”

The system replied, “No way, I’m too straight for that!”

“So…” Shen Fengyue prompted.

“I plan to hide by doing the tasks,” the system promised, “Don’t worry, I owe you one this time. If you need me, I’ll be there for you no matter what.”

The system said so much, not agreeing would be too cruel so Shen Fengyue nodded in agreement, and then went to the headquarters to report.

The system didn’t expect that his casual remark would come true.

At this moment, it is approaching late at night, and dark clouds were obscuring the moon, causing its radiance to weaken. Moon hangs in the sky like a damp stain on a stationery paper that has been blotted by water drops.

The palace, the emperor’s haven, and a place that ordinary people yearn for.

Passing through the red walls and green tiles, straight to the concubine’s boudoir. On the dressing table, a red candle was burning, and a stunning woman was mesmerized by her reflection.

As the saying goes, the most charming view of a woman is seen by the light of a lamp. This woman had skin like silk, a face as white as jade, and long black hair falling like a waterfall on her back, reaching down to her waist. Her goose-egg-shaped face was adorned with a pair of long, slightly curved eyebrows, a high, straight nose, and lips that were not painted but tinted with a faint red.

The most striking feature was her eyes, which were slightly downturned at the corners but curved up at the ends, forming a beautiful arc when connected from the corners to the ends, and seemingly containing a flow of light within them.

Her eyes were watery and full of tenderness.

It was as if there was a small hook hidden in her eyes, which would captivate anyone who looked at her.

There was no doubt that she was a beauty.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time, silent and contemplative, and suddenly reached down to her lower body to confirm that something was still there before letting out a sigh of relief.

“System, explain,” Shen Fengyue demanded.

To her surprise, a male voice came out, causing her to touch her neck and take another look at her stunning appearance in the mirror, not daring to believe it.

What’s going on?

Because he needed Shen Fengyue’s help, the system was particularly cooperative and explained the situation clearly.

The place was called the Chu Kingdom, and the person he possessed was named Yan Fei Ge. He was the princess who was given to the Chu Kingdom a year ago as a token of friendship after the Yan Kingdom was defeated in battle. He was disguised as a princess, but in reality, he was a prince of the Yan Kingdom sent to Chu as a spy.

Later, he was discovered by the Chu Emperor and executed in anger.

After learning all of this, Shen Fengyue was completely shocked. There were still people who did this kind of thing?! He lifted up his palace skirt and looked down at his crotch, thinking if this truth is known, he would be killed by a certain someone.

“How did he do that?” Shen Fengyue opened his mouth just to be stimulated by his pure male voice, and his words changed, “This voice is so masculine, it is difficult for people not to notice, right?”

The system answered patiently, “Of course, the original owner can fake voices, just follow your feelings and give it a try.”

Shen Fengyue coughed a few times, raised his pitch, and blurted out a clear and pleasant female voice, “System.”

! ! !

Unbelievable, he tried to change his tone again, “System~” It suddenly became sweet and greasy as if mixed with honey.

He lowered his pitch again, saying in a deep voice, “System.”

System, “…”

As if opening the door to a new world, Shen Fengyue excitedly changed his voice repeatedly, finally startling the people outside.

“Your Majesty, what are your orders?” A figure was reflected on the window paper.

Shen Fengyue followed the pattern and pretended to answer, “It’s nothing, just step back.”

“Yes.” The figure disappeared.

After this interruption, Shen Fengyue restrained himself a little and lay back on the bed, but he still tossed happily for a while before falling asleep.

The next day when Shen Fengyue’s consciousness was hazy, he heard a female voice calling in his ear, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it’s time to get up. Today you have to go to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Damn, what the fuck are you shouting for!” His voice was hoarse, between male and female.

Shen Fengyue turned over and planned to continue to sleep. The moment he turned over, he suddenly realized that he had entered the mission world. He quickly opened one eye and saw a young court lady raising the curtain to look at him.

“Your Majesty.” The maid said softly, “Please get up.”

“Ok.” Shen Fengyue sat up reluctantly with his hands supporting the bed, and after being surrounded by a large group of people to dress and wash, he sat down in front of the dressing table.

The maid before was supposed to be the personal maid of the original owner. Standing beside him, she asked softly, “What hairstyle does your majesty want to wear?”

Shen Fengyue yawned, and the maid immediately asked with concern, “Your Majesty looks tired, did you not sleep well last night?”

Shen Fengyue racked his brains to recall the court dramas he had watched all his life, and replied politely, “It’s nothing, the hairstyle will be the same as usual.”

The palace maid followed his order and went around behind him, combing his hair nimbly with her fingers, not hurting him during the whole process, Shen Fengyue really admired it.

“Which one would you like to wear today, your majesty?” Shining pieces of jewelry were spread out on a table, and the palace maid asked beside him.

Shen Fengyue felt a headache after taking a look, “You choose.”

“Hong Mei thinks this red gold flower-leaf hairpin and this pair of gold-encrusted ruby earrings are very suitable for your majesty.” Hong Mei had to glance at Shen Fengyue every time she said a word, and only after seeing him nod did she pin the jewelry onto his hair.

When Shen Fengyue originally thought he was ready to get up, suddenly a palace maid hurriedly barged in from outside the room and raised her voice, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the new flower inlay that came out in the capital yesterday, Luo Xue got it for you.”

“Luo Xue, how can you be so loud in front of your majesty?” Hong Mei scolded in a low voice.

“Oh.” Luo Xue answered, held up the box in her hand to Shen Fengyue, opened it, and inside was a beautiful flower-like pattern.

Shen Fengyue glanced at Hong Mei, then at Luo Xue, and suddenly understood that these two palace maids had distinct personalities: one was steady, while the other was lively.

The flower hairpin in the open box suddenly caught his attention, and he had a bad feeling about it.

Sure enough, the next moment Hong Mei pulled out a bunch of things and said, “Your Majesty, let this servant do your makeup for you.”

It took quite a while before they finally finished. Luo Xue brought a mirror and placed it in front of him so he could carefully examine his appearance. Yan Fei Ge was already a handsome man with feminine features, but with makeup on, he became even more eye-catching.

The flower hairpin was placed in the center of his forehead, the rouge spread across his cheeks like a rosy cloud. He smiled at himself in the mirror, looking stunningly beautiful.

After being tormented for nearly an hour, Shen Fengyue had his breakfast and set out with three people: Hong Mei and Luo Xue, his personal attendants, and a eunuch named Yang Fugui. 

Holding the belief that he should love what he does, he thought that he absolutely could not ruin his image, so he walked with a swaying gait, graceful and elegant, as though he had been doing it for years.

For this, he even boasted to the system, “Look how great I look in makeup!” He twirled his handkerchief and smiled coquettishly.

“… ” The system was speechless for a long time before finally saying, “Why did you use all your intelligence on this?”

Just as Shen Fengyue was about to refute the system, a woman’s voice interrupted him.

“Oh, it’s Sister Yanfei. What a coincidence, I ran into Sister Yanfei today.”

The line from a historical drama he watched before he transmigrated suddenly flashed through his mind.

[“Heh… Where did this pheasant come from? How dare he block my road?”]

It was surprisingly similar, and the effect of the two lines together was huge.

“Who is this woman?” Shen Fengyue asked.

“The Imperial Concubine Zhang, Zhang Jingxue. She collided with you because she was walking the same path as you,” the system replied.

Zhang Jingxue also walked with a swaying gait, wearing a rouge-colored palace dress, and a flower hairpin on her forehead that was identical to Shen Fengyue’s.

If the two women had collided in terms of makeup and clothing, oh boy, today would have been disastrous.

Shen Fengyue quickly got into character, straightened his hairpin, and smiled, “This palace did not expect to be so compatible with Sister Zhang. Let us travel together.”

Zhang Jingxue swept her eyes up and down Shen Fengyue’s outfit, cursing inwardly, but putting on a fake smile, “Alright.”

So the two of them, one male and one female, walked side by side, exchanging barbs and hidden insults at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. In the end, because Shen Fengyue held a higher position, he was granted entry first.

“Your Majesty Yanfei, please enter.” Zhang Jingxue smiled unnaturally.

Shen Fengyue nodded slightly and walked into Weiyang Palace with a smile. Hong Mei and Luo Xue beside him were all joyful after winning the battle.

Zhang Jingxue clenched her fists, stomped her feet, calmed down, put on her usual expression again, and followed in.

After watching the whole scene, the system was stunned. It never expected Shen Fengyue to enter the role so quickly, and his bickering ability is so powerful.

As soon as he entered the door, the Empress sitting on the main seat directly above the hall caught his eye.

Empress Wei Jing was Emperor Chu’s wife, around fifty years old, dressed in bright yellow palace attire adorned with pearls. She sat upright with her golden phoenix hairpin in place, her face kind and gentle, and though there was powder on her face, the wrinkles around her eyes added by the time were still clearly visible.

Scattered on both sides were other women, like birds gathered in a flock.

“This concubine greets the Empress dowager.” Shen Fengyue respectfully bowed.

“Concubine Yan is here, please sit aside.” The Empress smiled, “I know you like candied fruit from the south, so I’ve already had some prepared.”

Shen Fengyue thanked her and sat down to the side.

Immediately, palace servants came to serve tea. He picked up his teacup, pushed away the tea foam with the lid, elegantly sipped, and smiled as he watched the other women bickering.

They started by discussing which flowers were beautiful in the imperial garden, how beautiful the peonies were, and other topics. Then they frantically dragged the conversation to the Empress and began attacking her as she counterattacked. Then they talked about the new dishes in the imperial kitchen, their favorite dishes, and how they served the emperor.

Back and forth, hidden blades were at play, creating a lively scene.

Shen Fengyue sat quietly in the corner like a chicken, not taking part, just wanting to watch the women tear each other apart. But he was finally targeted by someone with an agenda and forcibly pulled into the center of the vortex.

“Hey, look, Concubine Yan and concubine Zhang’s dress and appearance are quite similar today. These hairpins, clothes, makeup, these two are so in sync, aren’t they?” Someone instigated.

So everyone’s gaze immediately focused on Shen Fengyue and concubine Zhang.

Concubine Zhang immediately spoke up, “It’s such a coincidence that I and Sister Yan have the same idea. It must be fate brought us together.”

Shen Fengyue put down his teacup and wiped off the water stains with a handkerchief. He immediately wanted to intervene but was interrupted and could only silently catch his breath.

A eunuch dressed in a camel-colored summer robe with a red hat and holding a feather duster entered the room. He walked neither quickly nor slowly and spoke in a sharp, flat tone, “Greetings, Your Majesty. Little Shenzi is here to deliver a message. The Emperor will accompany Consort Yan this afternoon and asks that she be ready.”

For some reason, Shen Fengyue’s gaze was unconsciously drawn to the eunuch, and he stared at him intently.

The eunuch seemed to sense something and glanced up at him.

The eunuch’s face was very white and had a sense of being plastered with grease and powder, but some voice told Shen Fengyue that it shouldn’t be like this.

He raised his eyes, and they seemed to conceal knives, sharp and piercing, but his lips were completely different, curved into a fawning smile.

This was too strange and full of suspicion.

Shen Fengyue felt a strange feeling rise in his heart as he stared at the eunuch’s face, filled with doubts. What was it? Was it his narrow eyes? Or was it his finely chiseled features that were too good-looking to be true?

Or was it… his gaze? That fleeting look he had given him, a gaze that shouldn’t belong to his current identity.

As Shen Fengyue wanted to take a closer look, the eunuch had already lowered his head and respectfully left the room.

After the eunuch left, Shen Fengyue was bathed in envy, jealousy, and hatred from all directions when he suddenly realized something.

What did he just say?

Keywords: Emperor, afternoon, accompany him.

Shen Fengyue was so scared that his heart was pounding. Was he playing so recklessly? Did it have to be so stimulating right from the beginning?!