Everyone was a workhorse, born to toil

The next day dawned bright, the blue sky washed clean, without a cloud for ten thousand miles.

The morning sun broke through the clouds, spilling golden radiance over the capital and coating even the glazed tiles atop the palace walls with a warm sheen.

The breeze was fresh, the air clear, and the morning mist had dispersed, leaving heaven and earth clear and expansive. It was a rare day of glorious weather.

Dressed in her official robes, Shen Yuxi stood among a crowd of men, yet her presence was in no way overshadowed.

[Why does the Duke of Ding look so awful? All that stubble, those dark circles-what unspeakable business was he up to last night?]

The Duke of Ding: "..."

Heavens, couldn't Lord Little Shen leave him alone?

"Duke of Ding, you must stay calm. When the mood strikes Lord Little Shen, she'd gossip even about a passing dog," Chancellor Xue patiently comforted him.

Yet his face brimmed with the excitement of someone watching a spectacle who didn't mind how big the trouble grew.

Three black lines streaked across the Duke of Ding's forehead. "If you wiped that gloating look off your face, Chancellor, I might believe you a little," he said irritably.

At that, Chancellor Xue immediately withdrew his smile.

He gave a haughty little snort.

The system answered, [Because of Shangguan Niao, of course. However awful and unlikable Shangguan Niao was, she was still the Duke of Ding's own daughter. After dealing with her, he didn't feel good either.]

[Yesterday, the Duke of Ding tossed and turned through a sleepless night, unable to understand why Shangguan Niao was so different from Shangguan Qing, raised to have no sense of heaven's height or earth's depth, with such a vicious mind.]

As soon as it finished speaking, the chief eunuch standing before the steps, whisk in hand, sent his sharp, solemn voice ringing over the palace stairs.

"Officials, enter the hall for court-"

At his words, the civil and military officials composed themselves and held their breath, straightened their robes and caps, and ascended the steps in order.

To Shen Yuxi's surprise, Emperor Xuanzhao was already seated on the dragon throne early for today's morning court.

"Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years-"

"Rise, my ministers-"

"We thank Your Majesty-"

Shen Lang slowly stepped out of the ranks and bowed his head, his voice ringing loud and steady throughout the Hall of Supreme Polarity.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, all candidates' examination papers have been collected, with no risk of omissions or mistakes in collection."

"As of today, the examiners have finished marking two-thirds of the papers. I have strictly ordered them to expedite the remaining papers, and all marking will assuredly be completed within three days."

Emperor Xuanzhao tapped the armrest of the dragon throne and gave a hum of acknowledgment.

[The Ministry of Rites works pretty fast. It's only been a few days, and they're almost done marking.]

Suddenly thinking of a question, Shen Yuxi asked, [System, has there been any cheating during the marking process?]

At these words, all the officials present shuddered.

Especially those from the Ministry of Rites.

Emperor Xuanzhao's gaze darkened. He was already wondering whether, if the system identified anyone, he should have them beheaded immediately as a public warning or wait until autumn to execute them.

Fortunately, the system's answer made everyone present heave a heavy sigh of relief.

[No. The officials involved in marking have faithfully performed their duties and been conscientious and responsible. There has been absolutely no cheating.]

[Well, well, these old fellows really delivered.]

The officials involved in marking couldn't help rolling their eyes.

Ha. Who would dare?

If they were caught, even nine lives wouldn't be enough to withstand the executioner's blade.

The system suddenly announced some news. [Host, Chen Shisong is dead!]

Lu Song, the minister of the Court of Judicial Review, felt his heart lurch, caught off guard by this sudden development.

How could this be?

Chen Shisong had been perfectly fine a few days ago.

Shen Yuxi voiced Lu Song's confusion. [Wasn't Chen Shisong pretty healthy? How did he suddenly die?]

If someone claimed murder, that was absolutely impossible.

Chen Shisong wasn't capable of that.

[To be precise, Chen Shisong died of sudden cardiac death, what people commonly call a heart attack.]

Imperial Physician Han took out his little notebook, licked the tip of his writing brush with his tongue, and hurriedly noted that "sudden cardiac death" equaled "heart attack."

Lord Little Shen's system was truly incredible.

Its medical knowledge even far surpassed his. He had to learn diligently from it.

Imperial Physician Han didn't quite understand what "sudden cardiac death" and "heart attack" meant. After writing them down, he immediately pricked up his ears and listened closely.

He really did look like a good student listening attentively in class.

[Chen Shisong's sudden death resulted from a problem with his coronary arteries. His heart muscle was abruptly deprived of blood and oxygen, leaving it unable to contract normally, and his heart simply stopped beating.]

[Actually, a close look would have revealed that Chen Shisong's lips were slightly purple. But he was someone of no consequence, so no one paid attention. After all, Chen Shisong normally ate and drank well and was healthy. No one would think he was ill.]

Shen Yuxi thought it a pity. [He did so many evil things, yet died so quickly and so young before receiving the punishment he deserved.]

Still, it was just as well. He wouldn't harm that poor girl Wanxue again.

[Is there any treatment for sudden cardiac death like this?]

[With this world's current medical methods, no. Cardiac arrest isn't a disease. It requires emergency resuscitation; you can't "cure it with medicine." Once it occurs, the mortality rate is one hundred percent.]

Imperial Physician Han's heart sank slightly, and he felt rather disappointed.

He had encountered many cases like the one the system described, but for years it had remained a difficult problem plaguing physicians, with no suitable medicine to be found.

[In cases of sudden death like this, the optimal window for resuscitation is extremely short. The only options are CPR and electrical defibrillation with an AED, using electric shocks to make the heart resume beating, followed by transport to a hospital for further treatment.]

Imperial Physician Han was lost in the clouds, but that didn't prevent him from understanding that the medical equipment the system mentioned didn't exist in their world.

[Host, you only recently entered court, so you wouldn't know, but the previous minister of the Court of Judicial Review died of sudden cardiac death.]

[At the time of his sudden death, the previous minister was still reviewing cases and tracking down the real culprit. It was late at night, and he was alone at the Court of Judicial Review. His heart stopped, and within minutes he was no longer breathing.]

[The following day, when the deputy minister of the Court of Judicial Review-the current minister, Lu Song-found him, his body was already completely cold.]

Like a fuse, the system's words instantly ignited Lu Song's long-buried past, and the scenes from that year appeared vividly before his eyes.

He had been the first to discover the minister's body. At first, he thought the minister had grown too tired working on cases and fallen asleep at his desk.

He reached out to wake him, but unexpectedly, at a light touch, the minister's limp body abruptly fell to the floor.

Lu Song reached out to check his breathing, and the result nearly left him unable to stand.

There was no breath.

Lu Song hastily ordered someone to fetch a doctor while also entering the palace to report to the emperor and request that an imperial physician be sent to the Court of Judicial Review.

But it was already too late. The imperial physician had no power to reverse fate.

After the minister's sudden death, Lu Song naturally became the next minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

There had once been rumors that Lu Song had deliberately murdered his immediate superior to secure the position of minister.

Although the gossip only circulated in private, Lu Song had still heard many versions, but he pretended not to know.

No one knew how much pressure he bore.

The common people pointed fingers at him, His Majesty harbored doubts about him, his brothers who worked alongside him at the Court of Judicial Review looked at him with contempt, and even his own family distrusted him, suspecting he had killed the minister.

He tried to explain, but those who already believed the rumors seemed unable to listen.

Time and again, Lu Song ventured deep into danger, solved cases with astonishing speed, and punished villains and rooted out evil.

Through his own strength, he proved his abilities again and again, telling everyone that Lu Song disdained sneaking about stealing chickens and dogs. Whatever he wanted, he would obtain only through his own ability.

The system's words plunged everyone present into thought.

Shen Yuxi happened to glance at Lu Song, standing tall with his back straight, and couldn't help sighing.

[Of all things in this world, rumors wound most invisibly.]

[Ordinary people are already vulnerable at heart. Three people speaking can conjure a tiger; a multitude of mouths can melt metal. No torture is needed, no blades or swords. Talk filling the streets and rumors filling the court are enough to drag an utterly innocent person into the abyss and crush them completely.]

[A fragile heart cannot withstand a thousand accusing fingers; even the firmest backbone cannot bear ten thousand mouths passing stories along.]

[It really wasn't easy for Lu Song to make it through!]

Lu Song had always been indifferent to what others said. Even when people called him ungrateful, vicious, and full of schemes, his expression never changed, and he concentrated on doing what he ought to do.

But today, Shen Yuxi's few words laid it bare.

Only then did he suddenly realize that it wasn't that he didn't care, that his heart wasn't so strong after all, that... he was fragile too.

A faint ache rose in his heart.

"Brother, you've had it hard!" A colleague beside him patted his shoulder, neither too hard nor too lightly.

Lu Song composed his expression and shook his head as though nothing were wrong.

Back to the subject.

The system explained, [Most sudden deaths in ordinary people result from prolonged overwork, staying up late night after night, insufficient sleep, excessive mental stress, or intense exercise, binge eating and drinking, and so on...]

[People who already have heart problems especially need to avoid these.]

Imperial Physician Han's writing brush was practically flying.

[Cherish life. Keep sudden death at bay.]

Shen Yuxi touched her heart with lingering fear and declared solemnly, [From now on, I'll eat on time and sleep on time. I'll never stay up late again.]

The system bluntly exposed her. [Host, do you believe that yourself?]

[No.] Shen Yuxi shook her head.

She possibly, probably, most likely couldn't do it. She was just indulging in saying it.

The system gave a little snort. [I knew it.]

[But it's not your fault, Host. You're not the only one who can't do it. Who here, including the supreme emperor sitting on the dragon throne, can achieve perfection?]

[Most people with no choice do things they have no choice about and live lives they have no choice in. Even the old emperor can't live a perfectly healthy life however he pleases. He still has to stay up late reviewing memorials, exhaust his mind for his country and people, and live in constant apprehension, afraid someone will rebel and snatch the dragon throne out from under his backside.]

Shen Yuxi's lips curved. [That does seem true. Now that you've put it that way, System, I immediately stopped envying His Majesty.]

[So what if he's the supreme sovereign? In the end, isn't he just like us?]

[I'm a workhorse, and His Majesty is just a slightly higher-grade workhorse.]

Emperor Xuanzhao: "..."

The civil and military officials: "..."

With Lord Little Shen putting it that way, they suddenly felt being emperor wasn't all that great either!

They were all born to toil.