The scene was somewhat harmonious.

The system seemed to want to speak but hesitated.

Ning Shengsheng: 【The original owner saw Xue Chen as something to be possessed. What’s wrong with spending a little money on something she fancies?】

It seemed… there was nothing wrong with that.

For Princess Ning An, throwing money around was the most basic way of showing affection.

The system was convinced once again.

“This princess is leaving. No need to see me out.”

Ning Shengsheng left with her grand retinue.

Only after the group had disappeared from sight did Xue Chen seriously survey the courtyard. Just as he was about to enter the house, a fluffy white ball shot out from a corner.

“Snowball?” he asked, holding out his arms to catch it.

“Meow~”

The fluffy white ball found a more comfortable position and snuggled into its master’s arms. It lazily stretched out a paw to lick its fur.

The young man’s handsome features softened, and he smiled as he stroked the little thing in his arms. With that one smile, his usually silent eyes instantly shimmered with a captivating light. If Ning Shengsheng had been there, she would surely have been entranced.

Xue Chen carried the soft Snowball into the room, his tone light. “I’ve never seen a room with so many colors. It’s truly tacky beyond belief. Don’t you agree, Snowball?”

“Meow?”

A furry head popped out, and it easily leaped over to the peonies by the window to sniff them. Then it began to rub its head furiously against them, rolling around in the flowerpot and getting itself filthy. Its clean white fur was covered in dirt.

“…”

Helpless, Xue Chen walked over and pinched Snowball’s ear in mock disgust, seeming to laugh in exasperation as he muttered, “You foolish spirit pet, I think I might have to get rid of you.”

He opened the window and tossed Snowball out.

Snowball leaped through the air and landed steadily in the flower bushes, continuing to wreak havoc on the courtyard’s flora. With its four paws in the air, it was having the time of its life, as if telling him through its actions that it quite liked the new courtyard.

His only companion, his spirit pet, was actually siding with an outsider.

A frustrated sigh caught in Xue Chen’s chest. He turned and went back to his bed to sit and cultivate. The thin spiritual energy in the air trickled into his sea of consciousness. As the fresh scent of flowers drifted to his nose, his heart gradually calmed, and he soon entered a state of cultivation.

As soon as Ning Shengsheng returned to Zhaoxia Palace, three figures bowed respectfully. She glanced over and saw that their arms were trembling.

Was the original Ning An really that terrifying?

To avoid scaring them, Ning Shengsheng put a hand to her forehead and feigned exhaustion. “This princess is going inside to rest. You all go about your business.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

The few of them simultaneously let out a sigh of relief and bowed as they retreated.

Ning Shengsheng walked slowly into her bedchamber, mentally relaxing. Since transmigrating, she hadn’t had a moment alone. She needed to sort out her current situation and figure out her future path.

She had two eunuchs and two palace maids attending to her. The maid who had been following her was named Songgao. She had gentle features and was thorough in her work. Although she had only been in Zhaoxia Palace for a year, she was one of the few “veterans.” The original owner would beat and scold her servants at the slightest provocation, pulling out her ice-crystal whip whenever she was in a bad mood. Many eunuchs and maids had “disappeared” this way.

The other palace maid was named Zaoni. She had just been assigned to duty yesterday and seemed rather simple-minded. The two sycophantic eunuchs were named Laicai and Duofu; they had arrived at Zhaoxia Palace two days before Zaoni.

The situation was manageable for now. There was no one around her who knew her particularly well. Even if they noticed she was a little different from before, the oppressive aura of Princess Ning An would prevent them from daring to speak up.

Right now, the person she was most wary of was that “tyrant brother” of hers—the ruler of Great Ning who had spoiled Ning An into a lawless, arrogant tyrant, Ning Xuan. He was also an important male supporting character who was entangled with Yun Huaiyue for half his life.

“Mmm…” Ning Shengsheng cupped her chin with both hands, her red lips muttering, “I wonder if Ning Xuan is easy to fool…”

“System, are you there?”

No sound.

She called out with a grin, “System?”

After two or three seconds, the system replied: 【I am here.】

Although it was an AI-like tone, she somehow detected a hint of helplessness in it.

“Will I get a reward every time I complete a key plot point?”

System: 【Yes, Host. The reward distribution method is random each time.】

“It’s random, huh?”

【Yes. In your words, what you get in the end depends on your luck.】

Great. Not friendly to us unlucky folks. If it depended on luck, she was doomed. Ning Shengsheng had notoriously bad luck in all sorts of games, whether it was drawing cards or opening treasure chests.

“Alright then~”

After she said that, she picked up a pastry from the table and began to eat.

System: Is that it?

It couldn’t help but ask: 【Host, don’t you want to ask anything else?】

“Huh? What’s there to ask?” Ning Shengsheng wiped the pastry crumbs from the corner of her mouth, poured a cup of tea from the table, drank it, and then carefully wiped her mouth.

【You really just go with the flow, don’t you.】

The system’s cold, mechanical voice let out a dry laugh, which sounded a bit comical.

Ning Shengsheng: “I’ll ask when I need you. You said it yourself, if I don’t follow the plot, I’ll die. So I’ll follow the plot. What else can I do?”

Ugh. She has a point. It was just that it had dealt with other hosts before, who always asked it a lot of questions. Ning Shengsheng’s approach was making it feel out of sorts.

The system tactfully fell silent.

After eating her fill, Ning Shengsheng stretched comfortably. Her gaze fell upon the dressing table to the side.

“Look at me, so busy today that I forgot the most important thing. I don’t even know what I look like.”

She walked over. The girl in the bronze mirror looked a lot like her original self. Perhaps because she had been pampered and raised with all sorts of fine things, her features were even more delicate than her own. Almond eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, and slightly upturned corners of her mouth that gave her a natural three-parts smile, making for a very charming appearance.

However, the original Princess Ning An preferred heavy makeup, with her lips painted a garish red, which actually detracted from her innocent and endearing look. Perhaps because of her terrible temper and her habit of constantly frowning and scolding others, her brows were low and her brow peaks high, giving her a vaguely fierce look.

She reached out with her index finger and gently rubbed the space between her brows.

“Your Highness—”

A gentle voice came from behind her.

“What is it?” Ning Shengsheng walked back to the bed.

“His Majesty has sent a message, requesting your presence at the Hall of Supreme Harmony,” Songgao said respectfully.

!!!

Oh no, oh no. What I feared most has come to pass. She had just been thinking it would be best to rest for a couple of days before seeing that tyrant brother, to delay it as long as possible. She hadn’t expected him to send for her so quickly.

Ning Shengsheng took a deep breath, silently cheering herself on. You can do this! When soldiers come, use a general to block them; when water comes, use earth to dam it!

“Your Highness?” Songgao called out weakly.

“Mm, I know.” Her heart was in a panic, but she maintained a calm exterior. “Help this princess change.”

She changed into a palace dress embroidered with golden peonies and sat before the bronze mirror as Zaoni came to do her makeup.

“Hiss, that hurts—”

Ning Shengsheng had been contemplating her strategy when a sudden sharp pain pulled her back to reality.

“Princess, forgive me! This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths!”

“Please, spare me this time!”

Zaoni fell to her knees with a thump, tightly clutching the hairpin as she kowtowed repeatedly. She had been too nervous, and the hairpin had accidentally gotten tangled in a few strands of hair. With a tremble of her hand, she had actually pricked the princess.

She closed her eyes in despair. It seemed she was going to die here today. Everyone said that serving in Zhaoxia Palace was a short-lived career, but she had set a new record—only two days.