"In other words, if I maintain the main plotline, I'll earn contribution points, and then I can trigger a reward called 'Reincarnation: I'm a Rich and Beautiful Lady.' At that point, I can break free from the constraints of this identity and achieve personal freedom, a slave rising up to sing her own song?"
Pang, hiding under Zhou Shengsheng's hair and covering his nose, nodded vigorously, then realized she couldn't see him and cleared his throat to let out an "Mm~" sound.
Zhou Shengsheng, who was covering her face with a sweat towel, was overjoyed at the news: "That's great! I prefer winning by doing nothing compared to farming."
The supervisor matron of the Xinzhe Repository saw the new palace maid staring blankly upward with a silly grin, her hands idle.
Without hesitation, she lashed out with a whip, and then another.
Once you enter the Xinzhe Repository, you are the lowest of the low, no matter who you were before, even if you were a favored servant of a noble.
After taking two lashes, Zhou Shengsheng immediately apologized and dared not slack off again. However, once the matron left, her eyes turned icy cold, and under the sweat towel, she bared her teeth menacingly.
She endured the constant humiliations from Duan Fusheng and that brat of an emperor every day with humility, because they were at least named characters with plotlines in the book.
But that didn't mean she would silently accept being beaten by some nameless NPC.
---Divider---
On the day of the Spring Banquet, although Pang told her to maintain the plot, she thought that since the plot had just begun, there shouldn't be much she needed to do. After all, in the original book, Duan Fusheng only agreed to attend the banquet because his secret was discovered, even though the person who knew it was dead. He went to change his mood.
But now, even though she was still alive, Duan Fusheng had still agreed to the emperor's invitation, so there shouldn't be any surprises.
Although Duan Fusheng was lazy, unreliable, and a bit of a troublemaker, once he agreed to something, he never went back on his word.
In Qianyi Palace, Duan Fusheng sneezed violently.
Startled, Sheng Lan, who was combing his hair, jerked her hand, pulling on his hair and causing him pain.
"Get out!"
His icy command struck Sheng Lan like a bolt of frost, causing her to immediately kneel and beg for forgiveness.
Duan Fusheng, annoyed by her wailing, was about to erupt in anger when he suddenly felt the scene was familiar. His expressionless face suddenly came to life, and his voice softened like a spring breeze: "Get up. There's something I need you to do."
Sheng Lan, who had been weeping miserably, looked up cautiously, hardly believing that the gentle, smiling noblewoman before her was the same person who had been so harsh just moments ago.
"Go to the Xinzhe Repository and check if 'Tail' is slacking off."
After a moment of confusion, Sheng Lan realized who 'Tail' referred to. Hiding the overwhelming jealousy in her eyes, she withdrew.
After all, Zhou Shengsheng was just a lowly servant who had been punished and sent to the Xinzhe Repository. To be given a nickname by the master herself!
But that was where it ended.
The matron who ran the Xinzhe Repository was her own aunt. Even if the three months were up, Zhou Shengsheng would never return alive!
The innocent-looking girl smiled foolishly and waved her hand, summoning a young eunuch: "You, come here."
"Go to the Xinzhe Repository and see how that wretch Zhou Shengsheng is doing."
---Divider Again---
Crouched in the bushes, Zhou Shengsheng was almost falling asleep from waiting.
At the Spring Banquet, the emperors and princes and princesses of the two other major kingdoms, equal to the Zhu Kingdom, would all be attending, making it a highly important event.
This naturally meant that the palace servants were busy running around non-stop.
As a result, the people in the Xinzhe Repository were unexpectedly left with some free time. She had just bribed a palace maid to find out that the supervisor matron would be visiting her eunuch partner in the imperial gardens at this time, so she had calculated the route in advance and was now staking out the spot.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—and she wasn't a gentleman, so what did she have to fear?
Little people should have little people's pride, rather than just accepting that the heavens decree you a lowly creature meant to be bullied.
Of course, the main reason was that the heavens don't care about the lives of NPCs.
The round little panda, Pang, flew over from a distance, shouting at Zhou Shengsheng: "Shengsheng, she's coming!"
Zhou Shengsheng quickly straightened up.
Sure enough, a familiar figure approached from a distance, smiling.
Timing it perfectly, Zhou Shengsheng suddenly charged out, and before the matron could react, she kicked her into the water.
This place was secluded, with only a distant pavilion nearby, and it was rarely visited, making it the perfect spot for Zhou Shengsheng's mischief.
The matron could swim, and after a moment of panic, her body automatically began to function, swimming up with the current. Just as she surfaced, she saw Zhou Shengsheng's face, full of malicious intent. Having survived in the palace for years, the matron immediately understood what she intended.
She immediately shouted harshly: "You lowly wretch! How dare you ambush me!"
Zhou Shengsheng sneered: "It's you who has the audacity. Everyone in the Xinzhe Repository knows I'm only temporarily punished here for three months and will soon return to Qianyi Palace. Yet you dared to beat and humiliate me without restraint."
“Let me guess, someone must have incited you to do this…” Zhou Shengsheng said casually, squatting down and stepping on the old woman's head to push her back into the water.
The feeling of drowning overwhelmed her, and in her panic, the matron struggled frantically.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, Zhou Shengsheng lifted her foot.
The matron quickly swam up, desperately gulping in the precious air.
She finally understood that this girl in front of her was nothing like her niece had described—weak and easily bullied. She was clearly a demon!
If it weren't for Sheng Lan's repeated assurances that Zhou Shengsheng was a cowardly person, she would never have dared to lay a hand on a senior palace maid from Qianyi Palace.
After all, everyone in the palace knew that although the noblewoman was temperamental, she was fiercely protective of her own.
After spitting out a few mouthfuls of water, the matron prepared to humbly apologize to Zhou Shengsheng.
But before she could speak, Zhou Shengsheng's face suddenly changed dramatically, as if she had heard something terrifying. She grabbed the matron by the collar and pulled her out of the water.
Shocked by her immense strength, the matron saw the demonic girl suddenly shout at her with a fierce expression: "Quick! Push me in!"
The matron froze in confusion.
What... was that supposed to mean?
"Hurry up! If you don't, I'll report you to the noblewoman!"
Thinking of the noblewoman's methods, the matron shuddered and without hesitation, pushed Zhou Shengsheng into the lake with all her might.
The force of it was so strong that it contorted her old face.
To onlookers, the scene appeared quite different.
"Stop! How can you be so cruel!"
Even the matron, who had seen her fair share of strange events, was startled by this righteous cry!
From a distance, a stunningly beautiful girl in a moon-colored long dress walked along the path. Her dignified and elegant face was filled with indignation. Anyone who saw her expression would be drawn in by her emotions, unable to look away.
Unfortunately, the two men, each with their own unique and extraordinary charm, who had witnessed everything, were now focused on the girl who had been 'pushed' into the water and was struggling.
"Interesting," one of them murmured with a low chuckle.
