Fate Trading System – Chapter 188

Plan A

Guiding Stars 4

Gifting Flowers

At four years old, children typically maintain their natural innocence towards the world. Perhaps due to Yue Xingyao’s naturally reserved nature, she didn’t like getting close to others, maintaining a lukewarm relationship with her various gege and jiejie.

Today’s actions marked a breakthrough for Yue Xingyao.

Yue Xingyao sat in the rattan chair, examining this side palace’s courtyard for the first time.

She had always been curious about this courtyard but had never stepped foot in it before.

She had heard that this jiejie loved flowers and plants, filling her courtyard with them, though she had killed quite a few in the process.

If one wanted to see beautiful flowers and trees, wouldn’t it be better to go directly to the Imperial Garden? Why put so much effort into planting them here? If she really wanted many flowers and plants in her courtyard, she could have simply asked the palace servants to do it. Yet this jiejie spent almost every day holding flower pots, tending to the soil when not reading or eating.

However, this place was truly beautiful, creating a stark contrast to the magnificent splendor of the imperial palace.

“Wu meimei [五妹妹 | wǔ mèimei | Fifth Younger Sister], do you also like looking at these beautiful flowers? Though only a few are blooming nicely, I believe I can definitely grow them better.”

Su Xin had Jinxiu put away the medicinal ointment Yue Xingyao had brought, and continued talking with her.

“Mm…”

In truth, Yue Xingyao wasn’t interested in these lifeless flowers and plants. What interested her was watching this person’s process of planting. It was just planting a flower, so why did it bring such joy?

“Come, let me show you my precious ones.”

Su Xin hesitated for a moment before choosing to befriend this temporary meimei. Though conflict would surely arise later, there was still a six-year age gap between them. It would be better to establish a good relationship while she was young to form an alliance later, dealing with the other bouncing meimei first.

Su Xin didn’t want to become enemies with Yue Xingyao too early. By the time Yue Xingyao turned fourteen, her power had already reached an unfathomably terrifying level.

In the original host’s memories, the six meimei had started fighting when they were very young. Now, Lao Jiu [老九 | lǎo jiǔ | Ninth Child] and Lao Shi [老十 | lǎo shí | Tenth Child] weren’t born yet, though they were already conceived.

Behind the sisters’ conflicts were actually their fumei [父妃 | fù fēi | imperial consorts] and families pulling strings.

How could children in their teens understand such political schemes? Even if they did understand, how clear could their understanding be? Lao Jiu and Lao Shi were ten years younger than the original host. When the original host returned to age twenty, five years ago, those two were only ten years old, and the conflicts hadn’t truly intensified yet.

In short, in the original host’s memories, it was just a group of teenagers fighting back and forth, often speaking not for themselves but for the powers behind them.

Su Xin now had the advantage of age; she just needed to closely watch when Yue Xingyao would begin to change.

“Good.”

Su Xin introduced Yue Xingyao to all the flowers, plants, and two birds in her courtyard. The original host had childishly given them all names.

Though Yue Xingyao truly couldn’t tell the difference between this flower pot and the one next to it, they must be different since they had different names.

For a moment, Yue Xingyao even thought this huangjie six years her senior was more childish than herself – she would never plant so many little yellow grasses and give them such strange names.

Su Xin had said everything she could and introduced the entire courtyard, wondering why this meimei hadn’t left yet. Why did she have so much free time to visit today and stay for so long?

Su Xin stroked the leaves of the small flower she had planted, and when she casually looked back, she found Yue Xingyao still watching her.

The four-year-old girl in magnificent robes was staring with her big eyes, seemingly expecting to hear more interesting stories.

Su Xin thought she was adorable, but when she imagined this little demon king growing up to become a great demon king, she felt somewhat uneasy.

“Wu meimei, would you like this flower? I can give you a pot as my earlier apology.”

“Sure.”

“Let me give you one that’s easier to care for. It’s the type I grow the most. Ah, though its variety isn’t precious, you should know that the more precious the flower, the harder it is to keep alive. I hope you won’t mind that it’s not very valuable.”

“I won’t. This is the first time someone has given me such a gift.”

Yue Xingyao nodded. She had received many gifts, most from her mother and father – books, calligraphy, paintings, or other rare items – all cold without a trace of warmth.

“When you leave later, let the servants carry it for you. Although I’ve cleaned the pot thoroughly, the soil is still quite dirty.”

The original host didn’t mind holding dirty flower pots, and neither did Su Xin, but other princes and princesses were very particular about it. They maintained their dignity – after all, how could such dirty things be held in the arms of imperial nobility?

“Mm-hmm, huangjie, do you have any other interesting things to tell me about?”

Yue Xingyao hadn’t felt this way in a long time, talking so much with someone and encountering so many novel things.

The last time she spoke this much with someone was last year, with a young, lively palace servant who came from outside the palace. Because he was quick with his hands and good at conversation, he did menial work in the Emperor Consort’s palace, but always wore a very happy smile.

Yue Xingyao met him by chance while passing by. Since she gained consciousness, no palace servant around her had ever shown such an expression – it seemed to be pure happiness, even while doing very hard work.

That palace servant was very afraid of her at first but later still showed her bright smiles.

Chu Xingyao asked him why he could be so happy every day when there weren’t that many things worth being happy about.

He said being able to stay alive was a very happy thing. His hometown had been struck by floods, many people died, including his parents. He wandered until hearing the palace was recruiting servants, so he entered.

“It’s so good here. There’s food and drink, no hunger, no cold. The daily work isn’t painful for me. I’ve accepted my fate and don’t have other fantasies.”

The young palace servant would often tell her about things outside the palace – strange tales and stories from a world she couldn’t yet reach, the common people’s world she might never experience.

But one day when she went to see him, the young palace servant had vanished, and that familiar smile never appeared in her life again.

She was panicked, but no one around could answer her. When she asked, they all maintained silent expressions.

She knew then who she should ask for results, so she went before the Emperor Consort, asking her Imperial Father where the young palace servant who often chatted with her had gone.

But what did the Emperor Consort say then?

“Yao’er, he was a bad man. He was trying to seduce you at such a young age. He definitely had ill intentions. Your Imperial Father doesn’t know who sent him, but he was no good for you. Don’t interact too much with those commoners. Don’t forget your status – you are an imperial princess.”

The Emperor Consort’s voice was very gentle, just like his usual comforting manner, with the same kind demeanor, not changing in the slightest. Yet at that moment, Chu Xingyao felt a bone-chilling cold.

She wanted to argue something, like telling the Emperor Consort that the young palace servant had no other intentions. She didn’t know what “seduce” meant, but could tell from the Emperor Consort’s tone and expression that it wasn’t a good word.

It wasn’t like that. The young palace servant never meant to harm her, nor did he try to gain anything through her. He happily did his work every day, washing many, many clothes, with no other demands – he just wanted to stay alive.

Where did the young palace servant go? Three-year-old Chu Xingyao didn’t ask, but she knew that young palace servant would never appear before her again.

From that day on, she rarely spoke to anyone. Though she had been silent before, now it seemed no different, but she knew she had changed, reverting to her former self. She became unwilling to speak with her Imperial Father.

Chu Xingyao knew she had lost something, but couldn’t exactly say what. She only knew that in the palace, no one would ever speak to her that way again. Everyone would remain respectful and obedient as before, yet wouldn’t say an extra word to her.

Her Imperial Father didn’t often speak with her. Most times she was alone, sitting dazed in the palace, or being taught characters and painting, listening to palace servants read to her.

She often took walks outside with attendants, never going far, at least not beyond the Emperor Consort’s palace. In her heart, she carried a thread of hope that someday she might meet someone like that again. She didn’t ask for much – just someone to talk with.

Her feelings for that young palace servant weren’t particularly deep – they weren’t friends, nor master and servant.

If a concrete metaphor was needed, it was like a distant traveler stopping at a restaurant, hearing a storyteller standing there telling tales, being drawn in by his stories.

Just a speaker and listener, nothing more.

Yet for Yue Xingyao, that was precious enough.

Strangely, at her young age, she bore a loneliness that shouldn’t belong to her.

But now she seemed to have found another special presence, someone who seemed to understand many things and had special interests in life. Most importantly, this person wouldn’t be easily driven from her world.

“Here, this flower pot is one of my better-grown ones. It’s the common Lieyan Flower. Just water it daily and ensure it gets enough sunlight.”

The Lieyan Flower was a particularly hardy flower on this continent. It could survive with just water and sunlight. Under poor conditions, it could survive with watering once every half-month, though it wouldn’t thrive, barely maintaining life.

However, this Lieyan Flower in Su Xin’s arms was well-grown, currently blooming and displaying its beauty. The petals were light red, with darker stamens, blooming daily at the Hour of Wei [未时 | wèi shí | 1-3 PM] and closing at the Hour of Shen [申时 | shēn shí | 3-5 PM].

“Good. Huangjie, you gave it a name, right? You seemed to introduce it earlier, but I didn’t remember.”

“Yes, it’s called Linlang [琳琅 | línláng]. If you want to rename it, that’s fine, since you’ll be its owner from now on.”

“I won’t change it. This name sounds beautiful.”

“Then… Wu meimei, are you planning to leave now, or would you like to stay here a while longer?”

“I’ll stay here. I don’t know what to do if I go back anyway. If I stay here, you can keep me company and talk with me. Huangjie, I want to hear you tell stories.”

Four-year-olds are still quite innocent, aren’t they?

Su Xin helplessly touched her neck and sat with Yue Xingyao on the rattan chairs again. By this time, Jinxiu had brought refreshments and tea for the two masters to enjoy.

Su Xin struggled to search through her limited memories for stories to tell Yue Xingyao, but the ten-year-old original host hadn’t experienced much, only having some historical stories in mind.

But clearly, Yue Xingyao had heard no fewer historical stories than the original host. Su Xin had barely started one when Yue Xingyao could immediately tell the ending.

This child’s mind was truly sharp, with an impressive memory.

But where could she find stories to tell her? It was hopeless.

Su Xin thought about adapting fairy tales she had seen in her own world before.

“Once upon a time, there was a prince in the palace. When he was born, he was accompanied by flowers and blessings, with stunning beauty.”

“Huangjie, I have a question. How could you tell he was stunningly beautiful right at birth?”

How the f*ck should I know! Don’t you understand fairy tales?! Those princesses are just that beautiful! What’s wrong with being beautiful at birth?!

“Never mind that. Do you still want to hear the story?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“On this prince’s fifteenth birthday, the Emperor invited twelve wushi [巫师 | wūshī | sorcerers]. But in that kingdom, there were thirteen in total. The uninvited wushi, who had a bad reputation, became very angry upon hearing she wasn’t invited and appeared at the banquet, placing a curse on the prince.”

“What an evil person! Why would the Emperor invite these wushi? And shouldn’t the palace security be very strict? How could this wushi enter the banquet so easily?”

Yue Xingyao was very confused.

This child talks too much! Don’t you know it’s impolite to interrupt others? Especially when they’re telling you a story!

Su Xin couldn’t exactly tell Yue Xingyao that the wushi could appear out of thin air! That would lead to all sorts of other questions!

Seeing Su Xin’s unhappy expression, Yue Xingyao quickly closed her mouth.

“She cursed the prince to fall into a deep sleep after three years, then quickly left. This uninvited wushi with the bad reputation was actually the most powerful one. The other twelve wushi couldn’t break the curse, but they thought of another solution. The twelve wushi blessed the prince, saying that if a brave jiangjun [将军 | jiāngjūn | general] kissed him after he fell asleep, he would awaken again.”

Yue Xingyao’s face showed amazement.

“Sure enough, the prince fell asleep three years later. As he fell asleep, the palace fell asleep with him. But the plants continued to grow – a beautiful thorny plant surrounded the entire palace, preventing others from entering easily. For hundreds of years, one brave jiangjun after another heard this beautiful legend and came to rescue the sleeping prince in the palace, hoping to gain great wealth along the way. But they all failed, until the arrival of the final jiangjun.”

“Did she save the prince?”

“Yes, yes. That jiangjun fearlessly cut through thorns to enter the palace, saw the beautiful sleeping prince, and couldn’t help but give a gentle kiss. The princes awakened, everyone in the palace revived, and so the prince and jiangjun lived happily ever after.”

Su Xin struggled to finish this plot-hole-filled story. Fairy tales weren’t meant to be analyzed with logic or reason – they were surreal, exaggerated things carrying beautiful hopes.

The four-year-old princess didn’t seem moved by this adapted fairy tale. She touched her chin, appearing to contemplate something very seriously.

“Wu meimei, what’s wrong?”

“Huangjie, if someone falls unconscious, can kissing really wake them up?”

“Of course not! That’s fake and unreliable. If someone’s unconscious, you should find a taiyi [太医 | tàiyī | imperial physician] or dafu [大夫 | dàifu | doctor] to treat them. What use is kissing?”

What a silly question, but she didn’t want to mislead Yue Xingyao. After all, Yue Xingyao would understand later that this method wouldn’t work, and it would prevent her from randomly kissing people.

“Is that so…”

Yue Xingyao stayed until dusk approached, leaving only as evening came.

Suxin had completed today’s duties, so after paying respects, he returned with Yue Xingyao to the Emperor Consort’s quarters.

Su Xin had talked a lot this afternoon and drank a cup of tea heartily, wanting more, but Jinxiu stopped her.

“My good dianxia [殿下 | diànxià | Your Highness], save some room. It’s almost time for wanshan [晚膳 | wǎnshàn | dinner]. Don’t drink too much water. If possible, have more soup later, alright?”

Jinxiu gently persuaded.

Su Xin nodded, and Jinxiu began preparing the evening meal.

There weren’t many palace servants attending to the original host, with only Jinxiu as her personal attendant. Their master-servant relationship was very close, becoming intimate in a different way after the original host turned fourteen, sharing bed activities and contributing to human harmony.

However, this time, Su Xin wouldn’t develop such a relationship with Jinxiu.

Su Xin faced a dilemma. She might not be able to eliminate all her meimei, as she might need heirs… Though not bearing them herself, but having others bear them, she could even enjoy life with three palaces and six courts [harem].

But the issue was still others’ that entering her that. Though she’d be the dominant one, just thinking about the scene felt wrong, altogether too impactful.

Initially, Su Xin might not have cared, no, she would have cared somewhat.

Su Xin wasn’t one for casual relationships. Living on the edge of danger, she hated others touching her body – every inch was a lethal point.

She noticed she seemed to be developing a different inclination. Previously indifferent to men, now she had zero interest, even feeling nauseated thinking about men touching her. Of course, women too, but… it depended on the woman.

Things were harmonious on Su Xin’s side. Unable to eat herself due to her hand, she was contentedly fed. Jinxiu seemed to enjoy this feeding process, his expression dripping with tenderness.

Yue Xingchen in the system space sighed.

“This wang’s [王 | wáng | king] Jinxiu remains as thoughtful as ever.”

Fourteen decided to stay silent, not revealing the cruel future facts. Beautiful people were like passing clouds.

But the atmosphere on the other side wasn’t so pleasant.

The Emperor Consort and Yue Xingyao were dining, maintaining the rule of silence during meals. There was no exchange between father and daughter, but the Emperor Consort’s stern face showed his current mood wasn’t pleasant.

After the meal, the Emperor Consort immediately spoke, in a rather indirect manner.

“Yao’er, you returned very late today. Have you forgotten your duties?”

“Imperial Father, I was with Da huangjie [大皇姐 | dà huáng jiě | Elder Imperial Sister]. I was happy.”

Yue Xingyao said directly.

“Yao’er, hasn’t Imperial Father told you? Keep your distance from them. Their status doesn’t compare to yours. Remember, you’re always above them because you’re the Emperor Consort’s daughter.”

Since Yue Xingyao gained consciousness, the Emperor Consort had constantly instilled this concept: you’re the Emperor Consort’s daughter, so you should be superior; you’re the most promising heir to the throne because you’re the dinu [嫡女 | dínǚ | legitimate daughter].

“But Da huangjie isn’t just anyone. Didn’t you raise her too? Erchen [兒臣 | érchén | self-referential term meaning: your child and subject] thinks we should be very close.”

Though only four, Yue Xingyao had her own thoughts, frighteningly precocious. Well-educated with extensive knowledge and well-trained language skills, she could express herself very clearly.

“But she’s not my biological daughter. She’s just the daughter of a dead man, without any value or use. Besides being born earlier than you, she has no merits. Understand?”

Here it comes again.

Somehow, a sense of weariness grew in Yue Xingyao’s heart, but she knew showing such feelings would anger Imperial Father, so she pressed her lips together, staying silent.

“You’re Imperial Father’s child. Imperial Father won’t harm you. You needn’t be so close to her. It’s fine if you don’t understand now, because you’ll surely understand Imperial Father’s good intentions later.”

“Imperial Father, will other jiejie and meimei fight me for that position?”

“Of course. How could those jianren’s [賤人 | jiànrén | worthless person] children give up? But remember, Yao’er, they’re just stepping stones. They’ll never defeat you.”

“But my strength alone might not be enough. Why can’t we ally with Da huangjie?”

“She has no value! She can only survive by relying on me, without any power.”

The Emperor Consort frowned, wondering why his daughter was so stubborn about this today.

“Be good and listen, Yao’er. You’re young, unable to judge many things correctly. There are many bad people in this world, but they don’t show their evil nature. They hide themselves very well, showing you a kind face, pretending to be good to you.”

The Emperor Consort held his own daughter, affectionately stroking her hair.

“But… Imperial Father… I don’t think Da huangjie is bad…”

The Emperor Consort was silent for a moment.

“Yao’er, do you want to be friends with her that much? Or sisters?”

“Imperial Father, I want someone to talk with.”

“Since my Yao’er likes it, Imperial Father won’t stop you anymore. If you like, go ahead and befriend her. After all, she’s also a child I raised, she’ll surely be close to you.”

The Emperor Consort showed an interested smile, but Yue Xingyao didn’t see it.

An exceptional ruler has no friends. Yao’er is too young to understand now, but perhaps that child will be a good whetstone.

Only through betrayal does one become truly immune to all poisons.

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