Chapter 13: System’s Big Reward package

"Ding! Male lead's hatred value +5."

Jiang Mingzhu was relaxing on her bed, enjoying the grapes gifted from Jiangnan, when the system's voice echoed in her mind.

Everything was going fine, and she hadn't even done anything to provoke Nangong Qing. Why had the hatred value increased again?

"Warning! Warning! Hatred value is too high. The host must reduce it quickly to ensure personal safety."

Wait, she was just lying in the palace, minding her own business, and trouble was coming from the heavens? Jiang Mingzhu didn't need to guess too hard and looked toward Fang Ruo beside her.

"Fang Ruo, go find out what happened in the court today."

Not long later, Fang Ruo returned.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has been pushing some significant reforms recently. Today, Second Master joined forces with some court officials to oppose the changes."

Jiang Mingzhu massaged her forehead. This Jiang Su, she had clearly given him instructions, and yet he had forgotten. He ignored her orders and acted on his own, creating trouble behind her back.

This foolish Emperor Nangong Qing, even though she had told him multiple times that she and Jiang Su were not in cahoots, he still placed all the blame on her. Wasn't that unfair?

"Go, summon Jiang Su to see me!"

Her good mood was completely shattered, and Jiang Mingzhu, fuming with anger, gave the order.

She had been too tolerant of Jiang Su in the past, but now he had dared to defy her orders and stir up trouble.

"Jiang Su, what exactly do you think you're doing? Didn't I tell you that if the Emperor wants to make small policy changes, just let him, it's not my business. But you, why are you opposing him? What are you doing?!"

"Younger sister, I've been holding back, but the Emperor is getting more and more aggressive with his actions. I can't just let him do whatever he wants!"

"How to handle this is something I will decide, it's not your place to act on your own."

"Younger sister, what's wrong with you? Could it be that you've been brainwashed by that Emperor? Why are you always helping him? Don't make a mistake, younger sister!"

"How dare you!"

Jiang Mingzhu furiously threw her tea cup directly at Jiang Su's face, splashing it all over him.

"Jiang Su, let me remind you, I am the Empress Dowager first, and then I'm your younger sister. You have repeatedly gone against my wishes and disrespected me. Are you trying to rebel against me?!"

Her words were severe, and even Jiang Su couldn't help but change his attitude.

"Younger sister… No, Empress Dowager, I would never dare to have such thoughts."

"Good. I'll give you one more chance. Go and convince the court officials who oppose the Emperor's new policies. Let the Emperor do whatever he wants. I don't want to see anything like today happen again. If you interfere with my plans, I won't care whether you are my brother or not. I will treat you as if you're no longer part of the Jiang family!"

Upon hearing Jiang Mingzhu mention her plans, Jiang Su's eyes lit up. He immediately understood. The Empress Dowager had suddenly changed her attitude toward the Emperor for a reason.

"Understood. I will follow the Empress Dowager's wishes and handle everything accordingly."

Jiang Mingzhu vented her anger and had Jiang Su dealt with.

The next day, after the morning court session, Jiang Mingzhu received a system notification.

"Congratulations to the host, the male lead's hatred value has decreased by 10, marking the first reduction. The host has received a reward package."

Jiang Mingzhu looked at the reward package and was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it contain three upgraded Heart-Protection Pills, but there were also several books and three large chests.

Opening the first chest, Jiang Mingzhu was stunned by what she saw. Inside was a chest full of what looked like giant sweet potatoes, much larger than the ordinary kind. Each one weighed about 3 to 4 pounds. There was even an introduction on the chest that read:

"Sweet Potato, a high-yield crop, with an output of 8,000 to 10,000 jin per mu."

Jiang Mingzhu, who had been in charge of the court, was shocked by the numbers. She remembered that there were some people who later planted squash, but the yield was only about 600 to 700 jin per mu. Compared to rice, the yield was already much higher. But this sweet potato had a yield of 8,000 to 10,000 jin per mu. How incredible was that?

If such high-yield seeds could be cultivated and spread, the country would never suffer from food shortages again, and there wouldn't be so many starving people each year.

Opening the second chest, she found high-yield corn, with a yield of 2,500 jin per mu. Although this number was still impressive, after learning about the sweet potato's yield, it didn't shock her as much.

The third chest contained something called a potato, which also had a yield of 8,000 to 10,000 jin per mu.

The books inside detailed the cultivation methods, uses, and precautions for these three crops.

For Jiang Mingzhu, this was truly a big reward.

If the system had given her some silk, fine clothes, or rare antiques, no matter how precious, she wouldn't have been as excited. But these crops were something that could benefit all the people of the country.

She secretly moved the three large chests to the warehouse, hidden in the system's space. After thinking it through, Jiang Mingzhu realized just how important these seeds were to her. She ordered for them to be secretly planted on the estate. Not only would she increase the amount of crops, but she also needed to verify their yields.

"Remember, this must be kept confidential. Don't even tell Jiang Su, and don't inform my eldest brother for now. I'll also personally check the workers on the estate and replace anyone who is unreliable. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

Not only that, Jiang Mingzhu had specifically chosen slaves who were experienced in farming to work on the estate.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. We will make sure to cultivate these crops properly."

"If these crops are successfully planted, our country will never worry about food shortages again. So I need you to be extremely cautious. These books contain cultivation methods; follow them exactly. It should work without issue. These crops are said to be very adaptable and easy to plant. If there are any problems, come to me directly. I'll give the proper instructions."

With such a rewarding package, Jiang Mingzhu's feelings toward Emperor Nangong Qing became even more favorable.

The system had mentioned that every time the male lead's hatred value decreased, there would be a reward. And these rewards were random, not fixed.

This was like opening a lottery, which made Jiang Mingzhu eagerly anticipate her next reward.

While she was thinking about how to get the next reward, Fang Ruo came rushing in and whispered in her ear:

"Your Highness, everything is arranged. The show will begin soon."

Jiang Mingzhu nodded. Sure enough, by midnight, a commotion broke out outside the palace, and the noise was loud enough to be heard in Cining Palace.

The next morning, the Empress was waiting outside.

"Your servant greets the Empress Dowager. I'm sorry for disturbing your rest last night due to the commotion."

Jiang Mingzhu, who had heard the commotion too, remained composed. She did not express too much concern.

"Empress, what happened? Why was there such a disturbance in the middle of the night?" The Empress seemed hesitant, pausing for a moment before speaking.

"Your Highness, it has been discovered that Concubine Zhen was having an affair with the guards. The Emperor was enraged, which caused the entire disturbance last night."

Jiang Mingzhu could hardly contain a smile. After all, this was her plan.

It was truly rare for Emperor Nangong Qing to be cuckolded, and as his mother, Jiang Mingzhu should be angry about it. However, given the situation, she actually found the entire affair rather amusing.

After all, she had arranged it.

Knowing many secrets from her previous life, Jiang Mingzhu didn't need to know the full details of why Concubine Zhen had conspired with the Queen Dowager. She didn't need to know the cause; as long as Concubine Zhen was an ally of the Queen Dowager, it was enough for her to remove her.

Now, with this incident, she had the perfect excuse to clean up the harem.

"Empress, you are the head of the harem. This situation falls under your responsibility. You should thoroughly manage the harem and ensure nothing like this happens again. Also, this matter must be kept a secret to avoid embarrassing the Emperor."

The Empress was clearly at fault for the disorganization of the harem, which led to the scandal. She had come to Jiang Mingzhu for approval to clean up the harem, but she wasn't sure if the Empress Dowager would agree.

"Your Highness, may I clean up the harem?"

"Of course. This incident shows how lax the management of the harem is, and there was also the matter of the Crown Prince nearly drowning. Take this opportunity to thoroughly clean the harem. Punish those who deserve it. Show your authority as the Empress. As for Cining Palace and the other Senior Concubines, you are still young and lack the authority, so leave that to me."

Hearing this, the Empress was overjoyed.

"Your servant will follow your orders, Empress Dowager."

This had all been arranged by Fang Ruo. She had long been prepared to take action.

"You go in person and don't make it too obvious. Start by searching the other concubines' palaces, especially the Queen Dowager's. Anyone who is caught having an affair or is suspicious should be taken away. The Empress will replenish the harem staff later."

Jiang Mingzhu had no plans to place more people in the Queen Dowager's palace since the Queen Dowager was highly suspicious and would likely detect any new servants. Instead, she had the Empress handle the matter, with a few of her own spies secretly placed within the harem.

This was also to please Emperor Nangong Qing. After receiving a reward from the system, Jiang Mingzhu had a much more favorable view of him.

The Empress was pleased with the support.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. I will thoroughly investigate the harem and remove all troublemakers. No one will be allowed to cause problems again."

Jiang Mingzhu had already made her decision. The harem would eventually be handed over to the Empress. This was a good opportunity to help foster a better relationship with her.

As for Cining Palace, although it would suffer some losses, Jiang Mingzhu believed it was better to promote the Empress in advance.

"Even if the matter involves my Cining Palace, you can change the staff if needed. If you're unsure, just call Fang Ruo for guidance."

"Understood. With your support, Your Highness, I will clean up the entire harem."

The Queen Dowager's palace was gloomy, and the situation was tense. Concubine Zhen was an agent of the Queen Dowager, and she had been completely exposed. This would cause a huge loss to the Queen Dowager's influence in the harem.

The power she had secretly placed within the palace was being severely damaged.

Jiang Mingzhu smiled to herself. This was just the translation. 

 The emperor, the empress is cleaning up the harem, but the Qianging Palace is not something the empress can interfere with.

What this old palace lady means is, emperor, why not take this opportunity to clean it up as well? The older ones can be sent out, and the back can be replenished." Jiang Mingzhu could be certain that Empress Dowager Ping had certainly placed her people around Nan Gongqing; otherwise, everything would not fall into place so conveniently every time.

Nan Gongqing was so busy guarding against her that he didn't take any precautions against Empress Dowager Ping.

"Thank you, mother, for the reminder. I will return and clear out Qianqing Palace. As for Jiang Su, thank you for handling it on my behalf, mother."

"The emperor does not need to be so formal. The matter with Jiang Su was something I had agreed to. I just didn't expect him to become so uncontrollable and act on his own. It's my responsibility."After Nan Gongqing left the Cining Palace, the sound of the system echoed in Jiang Mingzhu's mind.

"Congratulations, host. The male lead's hatred value has decreased by 10. You have received a system reward."

This time, the reward wasn't as shocking as the last one, but it was still quite good — three beauty pills. After consuming them, they would eliminate toxins from the body and make one look ten years younger.

Every woman cares about her appearance, and Jiang Mingzhu was no exception, even though she was now thirty-four, edging towards the age of a middle-aged woman.

She thought of Qin Xiao, who would be returning to the capital soon. Although there was no possibility left between them, a woman's vanity still lingered. Jiang Mingzhu wished she could remain as beautiful in Qin Xiao's eyes as she had been before.

"Your Majesty, how come I think you've become more beautiful and younger?"

When Feng Ruo came in the next morning, she stared at Jiang Mingzhu for a while before saying this.

Jiang Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat as she realized it was the effect of the beauty pills.

"You just know how to flatter me. How could I possibly have become more beautiful and younger overnight? I probably slept well last night, and l've been worrying less recently, so I'm in better spirits."

"Master, I'm telling the truth. If I didn't know your identity, just by looking at your appearance, you look younger and more beautiful than even the empress."

"Look at you, such sweet talk. You must have had honey in your mouth this early."

"Look at you, such sweet talk. You must have had honey in your mouth this early."

Jiang Mingzhu said this, but in her heart, she thought that she couldn't take the other two beauty pills now. If she became any younger, she would turn into a "little old lady" and that might expose her. As she was now, people would just think she was well-maintained.

"Your Majesty, something's wrong, the princess has hung herself!"

When Jiang Mingzhu heard the hurried palace servant rush in with this news, she wasn't the least bit worried.

Not to mention that she no longer cared about that seductress, but with Nan Gongle's temperament, she was most likely pretending to hang herself in order to force her to compromise. Jiang Mingzhu already knew what kind of character that seductress had.

"This... what should we do?"

Feng Ruo panicked when she heard this.

She was about to say something when she noticed Jiang Mingzhu's expression.

"Master, after all, the princess is your own daughter. Even though she's been a bit foolish, she just needs more discipline.

"Tell my mother to come here. If she doesn't come, I will hang myself today."

Nan Gongle had been waiting for Jiang Mingzhu to apologize and comfort her since she left that day. However, she waited and waited but no one came. Seeing that Jiang Mingzhu completely ignored her, Nan Gongle became anxious and staged this scene.

"Your Majesty is here!"

When Nan Gongle heard the voice, she kicked her stool.

Jiang Mingzhu entered with her people, and this was the scene she saw.