The Host Has Fallen for the Second Female Lead Again - Chapter 98

Wenzhuo’s heart was currently in turmoil, a state that could only be described as “torment,” but there was no turning back now. What was done was done, and there was no room for regret.

Everything was impromptu, and some details hadn’t been fully coordinated, but the necessary arrests had been made at the fastest possible speed. Many speculated that the marketplace would soon run red with blood.

“Do you think Wenyue will feel remorse or guilt?” Xi Ruan leaned against a pillar, a fishing rod in her hand.

“I don’t know,” Ji Mingxiao said, her voice uncertain. The “scum” of this world felt different from those in other worlds.

Wenyue had so many things to blame. She could blame her birth, her family who didn’t see people as individuals. While she used Zhaoyan as a pawn, she was also being used as a pawn by others.

When people encounter problems, their first instinct is often to shift blame. If they can pass the buck, they won’t feel guilty. Wenyue was in a similar state now. The chances of her turning over a new leaf were slim. If she were in the modern world, she could have sought psychological help.

“Did you catch any fish?” Ji Mingxiao asked. “You’ve been sitting here for a long time.”

Xi Ruan: …

“What do you think?” Xi Ruan frowned. She could see the fish in the water, but for some reason, they just wouldn’t bite the hook. Was the trap that obvious?

Ji Mingxiao propped her chin on her hand, staring at the lake. “By the way, aren’t you going to join them for the discussion?”

“It’s not good for my position to meddle too much,” Ji Mingxiao said nonchalantly. “I’ve already interfered too much before. Besides, I have a strange feeling there’s still something else going on.”

Xi Ruan: …

“You should stop having feelings,” Xi Ruan said, looking at Ji Mingxiao with a deadpan expression.

“Don’t overthink it, maybe I’m just overthinking it myself?”

Evidently, Ji Mingxiao wasn’t overthinking. By the afternoon, rumors had begun to spread outside, claiming that Ji Mingxiao wanted to be the female emperor. The whispers said that after she purged the Wen family, their power would fall into her hands. There were other various rumors, and some even more daring people claimed that the Wen family’s rebellion was all orchestrated by Ji Mingxiao herself, and that the Princess Party would reap the benefits of the struggle between the Royalist Party and the Wen family. The rumors were incredibly detailed and believable.

Ji Mingxiao just laughed when she heard them.

System A was also surprised: “According to normal circumstances, this shouldn’t be happening.”

“Who knows,” Ji Mingxiao said, her eyes narrowing with a hint of irritation. “Didn’t we have someone we couldn’t track in the last world? Could it be the same person?”

This time, System A didn’t hesitate and quickly submitted a report to the higher ups, requesting a direct check on this world.

Ji Mingxiao’s expression turned grim. Xi Ruan poked her cheek, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, why would I be in trouble?”

“Are you hiding something from me?” Xi Ruan looked Ji Mingxiao up and down, feeling that something was off about her.

“No, I’m just thinking. The people have been arrested, so who is spreading these rumors outside? Besides, these rumors aren’t that hard to debunk,” Ji Mingxiao propped her chin on her hand. “And it doesn’t look like it’s the Wen family.”

Xi Ruan frowned: “So there’s a third party?”

“Who knows,” Ji Mingxiao didn’t say more. If Xi Ruan could guess, she would tell her, but if not, she would keep it to herself. After all, the person’s actions were currently only targeting her. It wasn’t crucial for Xi Ruan to know.

“Friend, I think if you don’t tell her, she’ll be angry if she finds out later.”

“But what’s the point of telling her? She has no past memories, and I haven’t offended anyone since I got here. She’ll just connect it back to herself and overthink things,” Ji Mingxiao said. She knew this all too well.

System A: …

“This is really troublesome,” System A sighed, glancing at the still-frowning Xi Ruan.

Ji Mingxiao ruffled Xi Ruan’s hair.

The next day, Ji Mingxiao went to the busiest teahouse in the capital, dressed in the formal attire of a princess attending a banquet. Her splendid appearance immediately attracted a crowd as she stood by the railing.

“Recently, there have been many rumors about this princess on the streets. Clearly, someone is trying to sow discord between me and the Emperor.”

“The Wen family’s rebellion was a difficult situation, and I was forced to get involved. If nothing else happens, I will not interfere in political affairs again. The Emperor is very capable and can handle things on his own.”

“Also, the rumors say there’s a group called the Princess Party. Well, would the people of the Princess Party please raise their hands and show me? Why have I never seen a single one before?”

Ji Mingxiao sneered, “The people with rebellious hearts have just been arrested, and now a second group wants to cause trouble, using innocent people. I don’t know who you are, but do you think the common folk are fools? Do you think they’ll believe these ridiculous rumors?”

The people who were originally believers: …

“That’s right, how is that possible!”

“Princess, don’t worry, we don’t believe it!”

System A: …

System A: In order to prove they aren’t fools, they all declared they don’t believe it.

They were far too easily swayed.

In a building not far away, a person watching the crowd below frowned. “Fools. How are they so easily deceived? They were swayed by just two sentences.”

Ji Mingxiao didn’t feel that anything was wrong. Her reputation among the people was now excellent. The baseless rumors couldn’t shake her foundation. She was willing to come out and clear the air to give the people some peace of mind.

“Host, I’ve detected an abnormal fluctuation in the building to your front left,” System A suddenly called out.

Ji Mingxiao subtly looked in that direction, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s gone again…” System A’s voice was hesitant. “Why can it run so fast?”

“Did I make a mistake? But that’s impossible,” System A’s voice trailed off.

“Why can’t it run so fast? You didn’t catch that person in the last world either,” Ji Mingxiao waved to the people below, said a few more flattering words, and then left the teahouse to the cheers of the crowd. “By the way, the fact that the system can’t detect the person and they can escape your detection, isn’t that enough for you to take it seriously?”

The system didn’t respond.

Ji Mingxiao also didn’t know what to say. Although her face had been grim on the way, the moment she got out of the carriage, she put a smile back on. There was no flaw in her expression. She couldn’t reveal this matter to Xi Ruan just yet.

System A: …

The ultimate master of dual personalities.

The outcome of the Wen family’s trial was finalized. Apart from Prime Minister Wen, who was beheaded, all other participants were exiled. Wenyue was sent to farm thanks to Ji Mingxiao’s intervention. Other families were either exiled or beheaded. Wenzhuo established the new Wen family, and Zhaoxun gave him a third-rank official position, separating him from the former Prime Minister Wen. His future promotions would depend on his own efforts.

Wenzhuo was satisfied with this result. After all, rebellion usually meant the extermination of the entire family. This outcome was very lenient. Others felt the same way. Although Ji Mingxiao had guaranteed many things, Wenzhuo had now seen the current situation clearly and didn’t foolishly bring it up.

Ji Mingxiao, of course, had people write a series of essays praising the Emperor’s benevolence. It had to be said that everyone’s flattery was very well-written.

On the day Wenyue was sent for “reform through labor,” Ji Mingxiao took Xi Ruan to watch.

Wenyue, once dressed in silk and satin, was now in coarse cloth. Her neck quickly turned red from the chafing, and she looked incredibly frail. She almost fainted when people assigned her work.

“Carry manure?” Wenyue screamed. “You want me to carry manure?”

“Any objections? After you’re done, you’ll water this entire field with it.”

Wenyue’s face turned pale. This meant that whatever she did from now on, she would have to step in a field of manure.

“I won’t!” Wenyue backed away, screaming. “I can do something else!”

“Do you think you’re still the Eldest Miss of the Wen family? You should be grateful we’re letting you stay here and farm. Do you know what kind of treatment people on exile receive?” The man sneered and pulled out his whip.

Xi Ruan quietly looked away. “Let’s go. There’s nothing to see here.”

“Okay,” Ji Mingxiao nodded, giving Wenyue one last glance. She was curious when this pampered attitude of the “Eldest Miss” would finally disappear.

The two stood a short distance away, completely hidden by the objects in front of them.

“Do you think I’m cruel?”

“Not really,” Xi Ruan said, looking at Ji Mingxiao. “Where are you cruel? You just asked her to live like a normal farmer. You didn’t make her do anything else, and you didn’t make her work day and night. You’re very benevolent.”

“If she were exiled, she probably wouldn’t even make it to her destination.”

“Yeah,” Ji Mingxiao took Xi Ruan’s hand. “Do you want to go boating on the lake?”

“Yes, we’re already out, so why not?” Xi Ruan’s eyes lit up. “Will there be good food on the boat?”

“There will be,” Ji Mingxiao pinched Xi Ruan’s cheek. “I promised you hot pot a while ago and we never got around to it. We’ll have it on the boat later.”

Xi Ruan’s eyes brightened even more. “I thought you forgot.”

“No, I just didn’t find the right opportunity. Why didn’t you remind me?”

“Weren’t you busy?” Xi Ruan’s steps became lighter.

Since the hot pot base here wasn’t flavorful enough, Ji Mingxiao specifically used points to exchange for it from the system store. She also exchanged for various ingredients like fatty beef and shrimp paste.

When Xi Ruan saw the table full of food, she was a little shocked.

“Why are you wasting money again!” Xi Ruan lightly punched Ji Mingxiao a couple of times. Although she said this, she couldn’t stop smiling. The food looked delicious.

And the food from the system store was always the best.

“It’s just for one meal. Didn’t you say it yourself, since we’re already out?” Ji Mingxiao sat down.

Ji Mingxiao had sent all the servants to a different room, so it was just the two of them. The aroma was intoxicating.

Xi Ruan swallowed, putting the vegetables into the pot. All the dishes on the table were ones that Xi Ruan always ordered at hot pot restaurants.

“You remembered all of it.”

“Yeah, it’s not that hard to remember,” Ji Mingxiao put the shrimp paste into the pot. Xi Ruan was talking to Ji Mingxiao, but her eyes never left the pot.

She felt that Xi Ruan hadn’t been this greedy before. It seemed the child had a truly miserable life. Ji Mingxiao felt she would probably be in the same state in the future.

Ji Mingxiao ate two bites of beef. The system’s food was indeed better. The texture and taste were first-rate, so it was no wonder Xi Ruan was so nostalgic.

“This is so delicious,” Xi Ruan sighed with satisfaction.

Support The Host Has Fallen for the Second Female Lead Again