Chapter 2
Chapter 2: The Redemption System Came Twenty Years Early
Wait—mission complete already?!
As Cheng Xuan led her forward, Chu Tian Tian immediately poked at her new prize with her mind.
Inside the pocket space, mist curled over lush greenery. Not far away, a spring churned, its surface shimmering with a soft halo. Strange flowers and fruit trees grew around it, leaves faintly glowing as if they’d swallowed moonlight.
It was real.
Tong Tong actually delivered rewards.
With the Spirit Spring Pocket Space, Mother could be saved!
But the timing…
If she counted it out, the system that was supposed to appear when she was twenty-three had shown up twenty years early.
So Tong Tong didn’t pick the wrong person.
It picked the wrong time.
Which meant—as long as she pretended not to notice the “tiny little bug” and helped her future self complete missions twenty years ahead of schedule…
Collecting rewards would be—
Ridiculously easy.
And if she kept “future her” from doing evil things, maybe she wouldn’t become that terrifying tyrant at all.
Chu Tian Tian’s mood soared. She squeezed Cheng Xuan’s hand tighter.
“Sister Little Nine,” Cheng Xuan said, puffing up like he’d just been appointed commander of the universe, “don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
He liked soft, sweet sisters. He led her all the way to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
At the entrance, he suddenly stopped.
“Sister Little Nine, wait here a moment.”
People from the Cold Palace couldn’t leave without Imperial Father’s order. Cheng Xuan had only just remembered. He hadn’t figured out what to do yet—he’d feed her first, then think.
He’d barely turned his head when someone rushed in, voice shaking with panic.
“Cheng Xuan! Where did you go? You scared Imperial Mother to death!”
Phoenix hairpins trembling, the Empress nearly stumbled as she ran to him and pulled him tight into her arms.
“Imperial Mother, I…” Cheng Xuan’s mouth puckered. “I almost died just now.”
His eyes filled instantly. Tears dropped like they’d been waiting behind a gate.
[You believed your birth mother was harmed by the Empress. After ascending the throne, you abused the Deposed Crown Prince daily. On the Empress’s birthday, you cut off the Deposed Crown Prince’s hand and presented it to the Empress as a gift, driving her completely insane!]
[System mission: restore the Empress’s sanity and have her forgive you in person!]
[Mission reward: ten thousand taels of gold.]
Chu Tian Tian stared at the Empress and burped.
Gold… ten thousand taels?
Brother Crown Prince had said Mother was thrown into the Cold Palace because her maternal family got dragged into trouble. Something about disaster relief—her uncle failed, the commoners complained, and Imperial Father punished him. Mother pleaded for mercy, so she was punished too.
Disaster relief…
If she had that much gold, couldn’t her uncle fix things and redeem himself? If her uncle redeemed himself, wouldn’t Mother be released?
Chu Tian Tian didn’t even pause to think. She sprinted straight toward the Empress like a tiny cannonball.
“Stop! Who are you!” A cold-faced nanny stepped in and blocked her.
Bang.
Chu Tian Tian’s forehead met the nanny’s leg, and she plopped onto the ground with a painful bounce.
“Sister!” Cheng Xuan broke free and ran over, snatching her up. “Are you hurt?”
Chu Tian Tian blinked up at him, lips wobbling on command. “I just… wanted to give Your Majesty… a fruitie.”
She opened her palm.
A bright, translucent red fruit sat there, freshly plucked from the pocket space, as pretty as candy and twice as suspicious.
The Empress finally noticed there was a little girl here—wide-eyed and earnest, like she’d never lied a day in her life.
“What a lovely child,” the Empress said, her tone softening. “Thank you.”
She took the fruit and bit down.
Sweet juice flooded her mouth—clean, fragrant, almost like honey.
The worry and irritation twisting in her chest loosened, as if someone had opened a window inside her.
“Your Majesty!” the nanny gasped, alarmed. “Who knows where this child came from—what if it’s poisoned?”
The Empress lifted a hand, calm. “Enough. Step back.”
She looked down at Chu Tian Tian, then at Cheng Xuan. “What happened?”
Cheng Xuan tugged her sleeve. “Imperial Mother, bend down.”
The Empress crouched. Cheng Xuan leaned close and whispered everything—about the kitten stuffed into the rockery, the slip, the near-suffocation, and how Sister Little Nine saved him.
When he finished, the Empress’s brows drew tight. She tapped his forehead lightly. “You reckless child. How many times have I told you your body is weak? Wherever you go, you must bring guards. If Imperial Father hears of this, he’ll punish you.”
Then her gaze shifted—past his shoulder, to the little girl fidgeting like a guilty sparrow.
Chu Tian Tian made her voice tremble on purpose. “Your Majesty… don’t blame bro-bro. If someone has to be punished… punish me…”
She looked so small, so soft, with tears glittering at the edge of her eyes, that the Empress’s expression changed before she could stop it.
She pulled Chu Tian Tian into her arms and smoothed her hair. “Alright. I won’t blame brother, and I won’t blame you. I know you didn’t mean harm. Come—let’s get you something to eat. Later, I’ll send you back.”
[You cleared the Empress’s turbid qi and received her spoken forgiveness. Outstanding performance!]
[Mission completed.]
[Mission reward: ten thousand taels of gold.]
As the system’s voice faded, Chu Tian Tian felt several large chests appear inside her pocket space.
They were stuffed with neatly stacked gold ingots, blazing bright as sunlight.
So pretty.
So useful.
So hers.
The Empress had food brought out quickly.
“Ah! Lion’s head meatballs!” Cheng Xuan cheered like he’d discovered buried treasure. He stabbed one with chopsticks, lifted the fist-sized meatball, and plopped it into Chu Tian Tian’s bowl. “Sister, eat! Eat until you’re full!”
The smell alone made Chu Tian Tian’s mouth water. Still, she forced herself to glance at the Empress—thinking of Mother, punishment, the Cold Palace.
The Empress read her expression at once. “Don’t worry. With me here, it will be fine. Eat, child.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
What a gentle, considerate mother of a nation.
Chu Tian Tian couldn’t help herself. She hugged the Empress’s hand and pressed her cheek to it.
The Empress had only one son. Other consorts had borne princesses too, but those girls were raised in their own palaces and only came to pay respects. None had ever clung to her like this—warm and unguarded.
Her heart softened into something almost foolish.
Before the palace maid could even serve more dishes, the Empress picked food for Chu Tian Tian herself. “Good child. Eat more.”
She knew about Consort Li. But court matters were court matters—even she couldn’t openly plead.
Poor child. She suffered outside, and the moment she returned, she was dragged down again.
The Empress signaled the nanny beside her. “Prepare pastries for her to take back later.”
“Mm-hm! Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Chu Tian Tian ate until her belly rounded out like a little drum. She’d barely finished a satisfied burp when a palace maid hurried in.
“Reporting to Your Majesty—Princess Ying Yue requests an audience!”
Princess Ying Yue?
Chu Jiao Jiao.
The fake princess who stole her place.
Chu Tian Tian’s ears practically stood up.
What was she doing here?