So That Was How It Was
Upon learning that Zhao Ruyu's system contained the same information as hers, Zhao Ruxi rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and finally let the system go.
The system breathed a sigh of relief.
Although earning these points was quite enjoyable and didn't require much effort, walking on the edge of a minefield was exhausting, and it was genuinely worried that one wrong move would mean its demise.
"Host, you won't look down on me, will you?" it asked pitifully.
Zhao Ruyu's system was the same as its own, but while Zhao Ruyu's was barrier-free, its own was impaired; Zhao Ruxi was such a capable person who could thrive without relying on the system at all. It was very worried that its host would dislike it and ignore it from then on.
Zhao Ruxi chuckled, "No, how could that be? Baby is so cute, those flashy, cheap girls can't compare. I love you the most."
The system could sense that Zhao Ruxi was speaking from the heart and was not deceiving it, so it was Gao Xing. A series of somersault sounds echoed in Zhao Ruxi's mind.
When Zhao Ruxi first heard that Zhao Ruyu had been admitted to the accessibility system, she was indeed quite angry.
Without comparison, there's no harm done. She was sent here by fate, becoming cannon fodder in a book, her entire existence solely to highlight the heroine's happiness and success. That's bad enough, but even the system she's bound to is a defective product compared to others—what kind of nonsense is that?
Later, when she heard that Zhao Ruyu's system was newly acquired, and considering that her own system was full of feudal remnants that marriage was the key to a happy life, she understood what was going on.
The book she was wearing was called "A Happy Life in Ancient Times." Perhaps in the original author's mind, a woman's life could only be considered happy if she married a man of high status who was also deeply devoted to her. That's how sweet romance novels are supposed to be set up.
Unexpectedly, this cannon fodder female supporting character, who relied on her own abilities and unique actions, was doing better than Zhao Ruyu, completely ruining the original author's plot. How could this be allowed?
If she didn't have a system, it wouldn't be so bad, but she happens to have one, which makes people think that her success is due to a cheat code, rather than her own abilities.
Therefore, the original author also created a system for Zhao Ruyu Zhao Ruyu, hoping that she could achieve a more successful life than in her previous life by relying on this system, so that she, as a cannon fodder female supporting character, would still end up with the fate she deserved, in an attempt to salvage the collapsing plot.
Once Zhao Ruxi understood this, she stopped taking these things seriously.
Her success was due to herself, not some magic trick. The Agility Pill and Great Strength Pill she bought in the system's store were earned through her drawing and calligraphy practice; they were the result of her hard work. From this perspective, she fears no one.
She wasn't afraid of the system's elimination back then, and even threatened suicide to intimidate it; so she's not afraid of the original author's plot setting now.
"My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens," she declared, determined to live according to her own will!
With that thought in mind, Zhao Ruxi quickly put the matter out of her mind and immersed herself in the idea of writing the article.
The next day, when Zhao Ruxi returned from the Imperial Academy, she heard that Zhou Chun had been waiting for a long time.
Zhao Ruxi didn't go any further inside. She found a place to sit in the outer courtyard and asked Dianjiang to bring Zhou Chun over.
Zhou Chun bowed and said, "Someone gave Liu Dajiang three hundred taels of silver to bribe Liu Dajiang. Liu Dajiang's family had many children, so the whole family relied on him to make money. Although the girl was kind-hearted and let him participate in making charcoal, and his half-year-old daughter also went to the rice noodle shop to help, but he was not satisfied. He felt that his family's life was still not as good as others, and he was lucky, thinking that he would not be found, so he told the man how to make charcoal."
According to his investigation, Liu Dajiang was very secretive in doing this. If the girl hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even thought of investigating this person. Even with the hint, it still took him a lot of effort to investigate just now.
He had no idea how the girl found out Liu Dajiang was selling his wife.
"Send them to be mine slaves," Zhao Ruxi said.
Since she took over Egret Manor, the lives of the manor servants, while not exceptionally good, have at least ensured they have enough to eat and wear. In addition to basic needs, every family now lives in spacious and bright houses, receives extra income, and the children can attend school for free and have the opportunity to go out and do business, so they won't be manor servants for generations.
This is a complete transformation compared to my previous life.
The couple, Liu Dajiang and his wife, were much better off than other widows and orphans. However, Liu's wife was very fertile, often having two children every three years. With a bunch of little kids in the house, and unable to do any work, their life seemed more difficult than others.
However, Qian Duoduo had already done her best to take care of such families as Zhao Ruxi had instructed. Of course, it wasn't just about giving them food and money; rather, it was about having their older children participate in labor in addition to their studies, so they could earn some copper coins to supplement the family income.
However, Liu Dajiang was not satisfied with this. He directly sold the means of livelihood that the farm servants relied on to supplement their household income to others. Such a greedy and selfish person could not be allowed to stay on the farm any longer.
Zhou Chun was worried that his daughter was too kind-hearted and that the punishment was too lenient to deter others. He only felt relieved after hearing the words "mining slaves".
When other families encounter something like this, they usually beat the person to death and make an example of them, as a warning to others.
The girl wasn't cruel; she didn't take lives easily. But being a miner's slave didn't offer many good years, and the sporadic torture he endured was more painful than taking his life all at once. This punishment couldn't be more fitting.
After Zhou Chun left, Zhao Ruxi returned to the inner courtyard. She had just changed her clothes when Qingfeng hurriedly handed Zhao Ruxi a letter.
It was Xiao Lingyan's reply.
Yesterday, while playing a game with the system, Zhao Ruxi took the opportunity to ask which faction Guo Jitong to, since she needed to avoid triggering any debunking tactics and couldn't just randomly give him points. The system replied that he was on the Third Prince's side. She immediately wrote a letter to Xiao Lingyan to inform him.
Xiao Lingyan's reply was about this matter, praising Zhao Ruxi extensively and even sending her a gift—new fabric from his silk shop.
As a design student, Zhao Ruxi is also a sophisticated girl in modern times, frequently purchasing designer clothes, cosmetics, and bags.
In ancient times, the sword of Damocles always hung over her head. In addition, being too beautiful was the root of trouble, so she became too lazy to care about her clothes and makeup. She would wear whatever Lady Zhu made for her. At most, she would mention the colors and styles to Lady Zhu, as long as they were simple, elegant, and suited her own preferences.
But ever since Xiao Lingyan opened a silk shop, he has frequently sent over fabrics. He would also buy any beautiful jewelry he saw and give it to Zhao Ruxi.
Fortunately, Zhao Ruxi had her own source of income and often went out, so she was very independent and could explain the origin of these fabrics and jewelry. However, most of the fabrics and jewelry that Xiao Lingyan sent her were left unused, and she only wore those that were not very conspicuous.
She's always either attending classes or giving lectures, interacting with adult men, and dressed extravagantly. Is she trying to stir up trouble or rumors?