Chapter 096
Chapter 96: You Really Are a Good Big Brother
The voice of System 003 echoed in Chu Zhi Rou’s mind: “Your big brother is right. If the vicious female lead dies after completing her task, she can still return to the cultivation world.”
It hadn’t occurred to the system that Chu Zhi Rou didn’t know this. Fortunately, the early death male lead arrived just in time!
Chu Zhi Rou looked at Ye He Qi, her eyes suddenly filled with a mixture of fear and gratitude.
“Her task is to become the crown prince’s consort, but if she becomes the Seventh Prince’s consort, how can she fulfill the task of becoming the crown prince’s consort?” Ye He Qi spoke slowly, his voice deliberate.
Chu Zhi Rou’s eyes brightened. “Big brother, you’re brilliant!”
Then, her gaze softened with concern. “What about your task, big brother?”
“My task isn’t important.” Ye He Qi’s gaze was full of expectation as he looked at Chu Zhi Rou. “You are the key connecting Venerable Xing Lan and the Ye Clan. Only when Shi Zi Chu dies can you rise. Do you understand?”
“I understand, big brother!” Chu Zhi Rou said, touched beyond words.
From there, without Ye He Qi needing to speak, Chu Zhi Rou began to explain her task. “Big brother, my task is to become the empress.”
System 003, wanting to stop her, was blocked, its tone filled with frustration: “This is a serious task! Why are you telling others?!”
“This is my dear big brother.” Chu Zhi Rou communicated with the system through her spiritual sense. “He cares for me wholeheartedly and even sacrificed his marriage for me. What’s wrong with telling him about my task? Besides, with big brother’s help, I don’t have to worry about my task anymore.”
System 003 felt uneasy, but when it looked at the early death male lead, who cared so deeply for Chu Zhi Rou, it couldn’t pinpoint what felt off.
“After we marry, I’ll go with Shi Zi Chu to the fief. There, I’ll raise private soldiers to be ready for your needs.” Ye He Qi shared the next steps with Chu Zhi Rou.
Chu Zhi Rou bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then spoke. “Big brother, in the near future, Xiang Prefecture will experience floods, followed by a plague. I think we should prepare in advance.”
Becoming empress wasn’t easy. Even with big brother’s support, she still needed reputation.
Ye He Qi’s eyes darkened for a brief moment.
Though Shi Zi Chu’s plan was unpleasant, it was indeed effective.
How could a pampered princess living in the princess’s residence be so certain that Xiang Prefecture would experience floods?
Her ability to foresee things… Ye He Qi couldn’t help but feel envious.
“I understand. I’ll stock up on herbs in advance,” Ye He Qi responded, providing the solution Chu Zhi Rou wanted.
Chu Zhi Rou smiled sweetly.
After sending Chu Zhi Rou off, Ye He Qi rested his head on a soft pillow. Before long, Shi Zi Chu, wearing a smoky-gray dress, appeared at the door.
Their eyes met across the room.
As Shi Zi Chu walked closer, she caught a lingering sweet scent that Chu Zhi Rou had left behind.
She walked over and sat beside the bed, noticing Ye He Qi’s smiling face. She knew he had extracted quite a bit of information.
Ye He Qi shared the news he had gathered with Shi Zi Chu.
Task Three: Become the crown prince’s consort!
Task Four: Become the empress!
System 003 issued two tasks in one go, but Shi Zi Chu seemed to ignore them, her thoughts absorbed in the news Ye He Qi had shared.
“What kind of thing can predict the future?” Shi Zi Chu mused, leaning against the bedpost.
She had just arrived in the capital, and not long after, Chu Zhi Rou had followed.
Moreover, with the trap she had set in Xiang Prefecture, Chu Zhi Rou had jumped right into it without hesitation.
These two events alone were enough to prove that Chu Zhi Rou had the ability to foresee the future—just like…
The plot?!
The system?
A flicker of surprise crossed Shi Zi Chu’s eyes, but she wasn’t sure. She needed more to confirm her suspicions.
At the same time, a surge of excitement rushed through her.
Now that Chu Zhi Rou knew the plot, how would she act?
She was eager to find out!
Ye He Qi called her out of her thoughts after a couple of attempts.
Shi Zi Chu blinked, her expression confused.
“What’s got you so absorbed?” Ye He Qi asked gently.
Shi Zi Chu replied, “I was thinking about what could predict the future.”
“Is that the main point?” Ye He Qi asked.
Shi Zi Chu gazed into his flirtatious, peach blossom eyes and immediately smiled. “No.”
Chu Zhi Rou, empress?
“Should we let her complete the task?” Shi Zi Chu asked with a playful smile.
Ye He Qi chuckled. “The people of Zhou Kingdom are not guilty of death.”
To be blunt, if Chu Zhi Rou became the empress, Zhou Kingdom would surely fall under her rule.
Shi Zi Chu shrugged, her tone teasing. “You really are a good big brother.”
“You’re a good sister-in-law, too,” Ye He Qi shot back with a smile.
Shi Zi Chu blinked, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Ah! I have an idea!”
“Leave.”
Shi Zi Chu, dismissed, looked regretfully at the door.
Ye He Qi spent half a month recuperating at his residence.
During this time, news of the floods in Xiang Prefecture reached the golden throne hall, enraging the emperor.
In the end, it wasn’t the crown prince who went to Xiang Prefecture for disaster relief, but the second prince, Xu Zhou Ye.
When the news reached the Seventh Prince’s residence, Shi Zi Chu was teaching Ye He Qi how to embroider a pair of lotus flowers.
It all began when, before marriage, a woman needed to embroider a red bridal veil. Shi Zi Chu, following local customs, was embroidering hers when Ye He Qi arrived.
He expressed interest in the task, and Shi Zi Chu, without hesitation, handed it over to him.
She taught him for a while, then remarked, “Your talent is much greater than mine!”
“Do you want me to do it for you?” Ye He Qi raised his eyes to look at Shi Zi Chu.
Standing beside him, Shi Zi Chu smiled innocently, her eyes full of mischief.
After half a month of being pampered, Shi Zi Chu had changed greatly. She had grown taller and fuller, her long hair, which had once been dry and yellow, was now much darker and shinier, and her skin had become fairer and more delicate.
“Disaster relief is always difficult. Besides, your little sister’s task is to become the empress.” Shi Zi Chu crossed her arms. “These princes are her obstacles. What do you think?”
Xu Zhou Ye might want to use disaster relief to gain merit, but that depended on whether she agreed.
Ye He Qi, however, deflected the question. “What’s the benefit of helping you with the bridal veil?”
“Do you want to team up with Yan Zhou Bai for a win-win situation?” Shi Zi Chu tilted her head, looking at him. “I can help you make the connection.”
Chu Zhi Rou’s task was to become the empress, Ye He Qi’s task was to become the emperor, and the crown prince and other princes likely had similar missions.
If Yan Zhou Bai were injured because Ye He Qi failed to complete his task, the City Lord Yan and Sect Master Yao would definitely have objections.
For Ye He Qi, unless it was an unavoidable situation, he wouldn’t risk offending these two powerful forces.
“Deal.”
Ye He Qi agreed quickly, as though he had already dug the hole, just waiting for Shi Zi Chu to fall in.
Shi Zi Chu pretended to be aggrieved. “You’re scheming against your own ally?”
“You’ve schemed against me plenty,” Ye He Qi replied without looking up. “Call the embroiderer over. What you’re teaching isn’t enough.”
Shi Zi Chu grumbled as she left.
The embroiderer, seeing Ye He Qi expertly threading the needle, was shocked half to death.
As Shi Zi Chu, the would-be bride, sat at the side eating pastries, she appeared utterly relaxed.
The embroiderer, still in shock, managed to teach Ye He Qi, only to be astounded by his talent.
The Seventh Prince was so skilled?!
After the embroiderer left, Shi Zi Chu leisurely walked over with her plate of snacks. “The wedding is in September, just before winter, and we’ll be in Heng Prefecture.”
This wedding had indeed angered the emperor, and as a result, Ye He Qi had become the object of the emperor’s dislike.
It seemed that Ye He Qi and the throne were destined to remain strangers.