Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 86

“Huang Yunsheng is still in Qingshui County. Once the work here begins, who knows what trouble he’ll cause. I have to stay and keep an eye on him,” Qin Mo said earnestly to Song Qingzhan.

Song Qingzhan looked at Qin Mo, feeling that this cunning fellow was up to something, but what he said was indeed a valid concern.

Originally, according to Song Qingzhan’s plan, Qin Mo would return to the capital next month to report on the situation here and celebrate Consort Rong’s birthday, while he stayed behind to monitor the situation.

Not only Huang Yunsheng but also Magistrate Zhao.

However, this man said he wouldn’t return to celebrate Consort Rong’s birthday…

“Are you really not going back? Aren’t you afraid Consort Rong will kill you?” Song Qingzhan asked as Qin Mo, already heading outside, lazily responded, “Don’t worry, she won’t. She can’t bear to. Safe travels.”

Song Qingzhan: …

Feng Chunshan entered, chewing on a melon, and bumped Song Qingzhan’s shoulder, looking to join the fun.

“Don’t worry about it. His Highness has eight older brothers. If Consort Rong could kill him for this, those eight brothers would have died hundreds of times already. It’s fine, nothing to worry about.”

Song Qingzhan sighed heavily.

Qin Mo was the ninth son of the current Emperor. His eight older brothers were all eccentrics, whose combined antics could fill a book titled “Did the Bizarre Princes Do Something Ridiculous Again Today?” or “A Collection of Bizarre Prince Antics.”

In other dynasties, princes would fight for power and position, filled with bloodshed.

Here, these nine princes’ greatest joy each day was to vex their mothers.

The fifth prince almost became the head of the capital’s soccer club, the fourth prince nearly became the leader of the capital’s opera troupe, and the seventh prince almost became the leader of the capital’s beggar gang. The first prince once argued with the Emperor’s parrot until the parrot was so traumatized it stopped talking for a month.

In short, none of them were normal.

The Emperor had been worried sick about these eight sons, his receding hairline visibly worsening, fearing the throne would not be passed down.

Why did it come to this?

Some speculate it’s because the empress loved playing Mahjong and Consort Yun loved fishing.

They were all fishing buddies, too busy with their hobbies to plot against each other.

That kind of thing could get someone killed!

Why should women make things difficult for each other? Wouldn’t it be better to play Mahjong together or go fishing?

The sons raised by such mothers turned out like this.

Qin Mo was the only one who seemed normal, having followed the great general from the age of thirteen, fighting in the south and north. Now twenty-one, he had never done anything outrageous, the worst being his flirtatious talk.

Compared to his eight brothers, this was minor.

But now…

Had his delayed rebellion finally arrived?

Song Qingzhan didn’t trust Qin Mo staying behind, fearing this man, who had been quiet for years, might suddenly explode. He patted Feng Chunshan’s shoulder. “You return to the capital to report. I’ll stay with His Highness.”

With that, he strode off to chase Qin Mo.

Leaving Feng Chunshan, who had been enjoying the spectacle, dumbfounded. After a moment, he shouted, “Why do I have to leave? I want to stay too!”

Song Qingzhan, already far ahead, replied, “Because your rank is lower, your martial arts are inferior, and you don’t have a say. Besides, you are the only one who revealed your identity in this case.”

Feng Chunshan: …

Sihe Town

On the second floor of Qiao Family Inn, Lu Tang looked at the burly man across from her with exasperation.

While she was copying the exam questions, the man had returned to his room, performed a full ritual of incense burning and bathing, and then accepted the test paper from Lu Tang with the reverence of receiving an imperial decree. He even lightly kissed the test paper before starting to write.

Lu Tang almost fell off her chair in shock.

The burly man laid out the test paper and picked up a brush, starting to write diligently.

Lu Tang watched as he wrote his name with elegant strokes: Xie Yu.

This was his name. Next to it, he wrote his age: fifteen.

Lu Tang felt a surge of incredulity: Fifteen? He’s only a year older than me, but looks older than Lu Deren!

Sitting with her arms crossed, Lu Tang looked at this prematurely mature young man with a complex expression.

[Xie Yu?]

The system’s surprised voice echoed in her mind. Lu Tang frowned. “Do you know him?”

[If the information is correct, this person is the grandson of Xie Chengnian, the former Minister of Works. Xie Chengnian was a prominent figure in the Ministry of Works, known for his expertise in water management, dike construction, and canal transport. The famous Xiyang Dam was built under his supervision. However, in his third year as Minister of Works, he suddenly resigned.]

Lu Tang: …

This story felt eerily familiar.

It seemed to echo Yu Shunhai’s tale.

“Don’t tell me Xie Chengnian was also harmed by Gu Yunhe.”

[That’s impossible. When Xie Chengnian left the Ministry of Works, Gu Yunhe was just a toddler.]

“Oh.” Lu Tang took a bite of the fruit beside her.

The system waited a moment for Lu Tang’s response. [Aren’t you curious?]

“Not at all. What’s there to be curious about?”

[Don’t you think Xie Chengnian’s departure from the Ministry of Works was suspicious?]

“What does that have to do with me?”

[It does. Your new task is related to Xie Chengnian.]

Lu Tang: …

[However, since I haven’t fully recovered from the last punishment, the task details are incomplete. I can only tell you the new task’s keyword is Xie Chengnian, but the specifics aren’t loaded yet.]

The system showed Lu Tang the loading screen.

The screen displayed: XXXXXXX Xie Chengnian XXXXXX.

Lu Tang: !

“If you can’t load it, why tell me?”

[Even if it’s incomplete, it’s still a task. If you can’t complete it, you’ll be punished. Of course, since we’re bound, I’ll share half the pain. But even half the pain is excruciating, so you should try to complete it.]

Lu Tang laughed in exasperation. “You give me a keyword and expect me to complete the task?”

[It appears so.] The system replied weakly.

Grinding her teeth in anger, Lu Tang spat, “You’re a useless thing that only knows how to set me up. Get lost!”

[Alright, host. I’ll leave for now. Remember to prepare for the new task. The system will likely issue it tomorrow night.]

“Will I see the full task then?”

[Not necessarily. The system needs until tomorrow night to issue the task. It’s stuck right now.]

“Get lost!”

The system’s voice disappeared from her mind. Frustrated, Lu Tang munched on the fruit. Across from her, Xie Yu, unaffected by Lu Tang’s irritation, continued to write diligently. By the time Lu Tang finished her fruit, Xie Yu had completed the test.

“Young Master Lu, please check my answers.” Xie Yu looked up at Lu Tang with an embarrassed smile.