"Oh heavens, oh earth, I don't want to go to court! Someone save me!"
Her wail pierced the heavens and shot straight into the clouds.
It startled the birds perched on the branches into flapping their wings a few times.
On a pearwood canopy bed, Shen Yuxi wrapped herself in a quilt and huddled in a corner.
Standing before the bed was Liuying, the maid who had served her since childhood.
Liuying looked helpless. "Miss, if you don't get up, Master and Madam will be here soon, and you'll get another scolding."
"Let them scold me. Once they're done, they can't force me to go to court."
[Host, do you really think that's possible? The emperor issued the decree himself. Even your father couldn't keep you home if he wanted to.]
The system, silent all night, finally spoke, but its words made Shen Yuxi want to smash her head against a wall.
She communicated with the system silently in her mind.
[System, what madness has gotten into that old emperor? He actually wants a little woman like me to serve as an official at court. Just what makes me better than those ministers who oversee the imperial examinations?]
[I finally escaped the nine-to-five life of a corporate slave. All I want is to be a pampered rice weevil, quietly eating and waiting to die.]
[Why destroy my happy life? Why?!]
Shen Yuxi kept roaring inwardly, tears streaming down her face.
She, Shen Yuxi.
A nine-to-five corporate slave from twenty-first-century Blue Star.
After enduring her boss's ruthlessness and her coworkers' obstruction, she had battled through every difficulty, won over a troublesome client, and signed an order worth several million.
Yet, just as she closed her eyes and planned where to travel once she received her bonus...
She opened her eyes and found she had transmigrated.
She had become the youngest and most favored legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites.
She had her parents' love, as well as that of her older brother and sister.
With no worries about food or clothing, she spent her days eating melons and chatting about gossip with the system. Life was wonderful.
Suddenly being made to rise early for court felt worse than being killed.
The system nodded in agreement.
[I don't understand it either. Host, you have neither brains nor abilities, only a pretty face. The emperor is clearly making things difficult for you on purpose.]
Shen Yuxi stopped wailing, her gaze turning dangerous as she squeezed each word through her teeth.
[Sys-tem-I think you're asking for a beating.]
[No, no, no! I was wrong! I was wrong!]
The system's voice brimmed with flattery, its final syllables drawn out.
[For the sake of my complimenting your looks, forgive your darling little system this once.]
[Just this once.]
Shen Yuxi spoke haughtily.
Minister Shen and the others, who had come to wake their youngest daughter and little sister, reached the door and heard Shen Yuxi's conversation with the system.
They all looked thoroughly accustomed to it.
Ever since Shen Yuxi's birth, they had known she was different. Everyone could hear her thoughts.
There was also a spirit called the "system" that stayed by their youngest daughter and little sister's side.
Worried she might be harmed and afraid she would be treated as a monster, they had always forbidden her from leaving the residence.
Yet a few days earlier, their youngest daughter had actually slipped out while they were away and happened to save the fourth prince, who had been injured in an accident.
Everyone knew the fourth prince was the emperor's most beloved son.
And so, Shen Yuxi, his "lifesaver," naturally received a summons from the emperor and empress.
[Host, your parents and your brother and sister are here.]
The system kindly reminded her.
Shen Yuxi pulled her quilt tighter and tighter, burying her head firmly against her chest.
She kept chanting silently, [You can't see me. You can't see me...]
The whole family could not help laughing at Shen Yuxi's self-brainwashing.
Their youngest daughter and little sister was simply too amusing.
"Ahem..."
Minister Shen gave two feigned coughs and cleared his throat.
"Daughter, hurry and get up. If you're late for court and His Majesty holds us accountable, neither of us will have any sweet fruit to eat."
"No."
Shen Yuxi's muffled voice came from beneath the quilt.
Being granted an official post had made her so furious that her heart had nearly seized up last night, and she had not slept a wink.
"I'm ill. Father, ask for leave for me. I'll go to court once I recover."
At that, the corner of Minister Shen's mouth twitched.
Who asked for leave on their very first day at court?
"And how long do you plan to be ill?"
"Oh, six months to a year."
By then, the emperor would have long forgotten someone like her existed, much less force her to attend court.
This time, the whole family's mouths twitched.
Minister Shen deliberately put on a stern expression.
"Utter nonsense. If word of this gets out and His Majesty really sends an imperial physician to examine you, they'll discover you're only pretending to be ill."
"Deceiving the emperor is a crime. Not only would you lose your head, but the whole family would be dragged down with you. Do you understand?"
[Host, I suggest you know what's good for you. Today, you're going whether you like it or not.]
The system's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.
Shen Yuxi felt utterly powerless. She did not even have the strength to curse it.
[What a miserable life. Let it all be destroyed!]
[Oh, Host, cheer up.]
The system chuckled. [At worst, once you start attending court, I'll feed you melons every day. I guarantee you won't be bored.]
[Fine. I'm all for eating melons.]
At the mention of eating melons, Shen Yuxi's mood immediately improved considerably.
She might have lost her sleep, but she had gained melons!
Every gain came with a loss.
[My parents never let me out before, so I couldn't eat any big melons. Now I'm going to eat every melon I missed out on!]
[Exactly! Eat your fill!] the system agreed loudly.
Minister Shen and the others: "..."
For some reason, they had an ominous feeling.
Under her entire family's gaze, Shen Yuxi obediently crawled out from beneath the quilt and hastily threw on her official robes.
Emperor Xuanzhao had asked for Shen Yuxi's measurements and ordered the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau to rush the robes into completion.
They fit perfectly.
Because Shen Yuxi was the first woman in the dynasty to serve as an official at court.
To accommodate her, Emperor Xuanzhao had specifically instructed the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau to make her robes more exquisite, less formal, and better suited to a young woman's tastes.
Madam Shen, Shen Shiyan, and Shen Tinglan stood at the main gate, watching father and daughter board the carriage.
"Do you think things will go smoothly for Xi'er? My heart feels so unsettled."
Madam Shen pressed a hand to her chest, unable to hide the worry in her eyes.
No one understood her youngest daughter's temperament better than she did. She feared that her daughter and the system would voice thoughts they should not.
And offend people without even realizing it.
"Mother, don't worry. With the system protecting her, our little sister should be fine," Shen Shiyan said.
"Yes, Mother. Even if all else fails, Father is there."
The system had a built-in protection mechanism that could shield their little sister from harm at critical moments.
They had witnessed its abilities firsthand.
When their little sister was six, she had climbed a tree for fun and insisted on reaching the top to pick peaches to eat.
By the time they received word and rushed over, their little sister had been frightened by a snake coiled around the tree. Her hand slipped, and she plummeted straight down.
At the sight, their hearts had all stopped in that instant.
Unexpectedly, just as their little sister reached the ground, something like an invisible protective barrier surrounded her, catching her securely before slowly lowering her to the ground.
She was completely unharmed.
Although afterward, the family had given their little sister a combined beating that left her bottom swollen.
She had been unable to get out of bed for three days and nights.
But it had also proved that the system's protection mechanism was truly formidable.
"Let's hope so."
That was all Madam Shen could say to comfort herself.