FDPBCT 13

Chapter 13

Grow Big and Strong, Create New Glory (Page 1/2)**

The moment Ye Qiong finished speaking, a thunderous roar of approval erupted from the surrounding crowd.

The commoners looked at Princess Zhaoyang with eyes full of excitement and anticipation.

[Host, your… your lifespan increased.]

The System was absolutely stunned.

Ye Qiong, who had been in the midst of her passionate speech, paused. “Does boasting count as a villain task?”

[I… I suppose so. But Host, are you sure we’re supposed to be villains?]

The System was now beginning to suspect that it might not be a villain system at all—it was far more likely to be a boasting system.

Watching her lifespan continue to rise, Ye Qiong was ecstatic.

“Doggy, how about we start a pyramid scheme?”

[Who’s Doggy?]

Ye Qiong: “…”

Forget it. No point arguing with a system.

Bolstered by the encouragement of gaining lifespan, Ye Qiong grew even more impassioned.

“Fellow乡亲, my Kyoto Patrol Office will be located right next to the Capital Prefecture from now on. If any of you are ever bullied, come find me. From now on, your problems are my problems—we’re all family now!”

The commoners: “Hooray!”

Ye Qiong: “I promise to lead the Kyoto Patrol Office to grow big and strong!”

The commoners: “Grow big and strong!”

Ye Qiong: “Together, we’ll create new glory!”

The commoners: “Create new glory!”

“…”

“…”

The Second Prince: “!!!”

Young Master Gu: “!!!”

The Fourth Princess: “!!!”

The three of them watched Princess Zhaoyang, surrounded by commoners and shouting slogans with fervent passion, and only one thought crossed their minds:

I don’t know her.

Let’s get out of here!

This place is not safe to stay in.

How embarrassing.

Never in their lives had they seen such a shameless person.

The Fourth Princess grabbed her maidservant Chuntao. “I suddenly remembered that my mother has something to discuss with me—quick, back to the palace!”

Chuntao understood immediately. She pushed through the crowd and swiftly led the Fourth Princess toward their carriage.

If they didn’t leave now, they’d end up like Jixiang—raising their fists and shouting slogans.

So embarrassing. Absolutely mortifying.

Even after getting into the carriage, the Fourth Princess couldn’t figure out how a simple question—”How can a princess hold an official post?”—had escalated into this spectacle.

As for the Second Prince and Young Master Gu—needless to say, they had completely forgotten why they had come to find Princess Zhaoyang in the first place.

All they wanted now was to escape this cringe-inducing scene.

How awkward. Truly.

These commoners could shout their slogans all they wanted, but they had to drag the two of them into it as well?

Never in their lives had they felt so mortified!

The two slowly backed away, distancing themselves from the enthusiastic commoners. Without a word, they scrambled into their carriage and fled without looking back.

Three carriages galloped wildly in different directions, each heading home.

Never before had the three of them missed home so much.

[Host, why did they run away?]

Ye Qiong watched the three carriages disappear into the distance, a look of regret on her face.

She had originally wanted to invite the Fourth Princess and the Second Prince up to say a few words too—since they were all of royal blood, it wouldn’t be right for her to hog all the spotlight.

Having tired herself out from all the shouting, Ye Qiong finally remembered that she hadn’t eaten yet. She pointed at the restaurant behind her and waved her hand grandly.

“Today’s expenses are on this princess!”

The commoners were stunned for a few seconds, then erupted in cheers.

“Long live the princess!”

“Kyoto Patrol Office—grow big and strong, create new glory!”

Ye Qiong led the crowd of commoners into the restaurant in grand fashion.

Cheng Qi felt that things were becoming increasingly problematic. He didn’t know whether Prince Duan’s manor would go bankrupt, but he was certain that the national treasury couldn’t withstand her spending at this rate.

He quickly pulled Jixiang aside. “When you helped the princess buy that mansion, how did you get the servant to agree to put it on the Minister of Revenue’s account?”

Jixiang scratched her head. “I just told the servant that our princess was handling business for His Majesty—it was classified. The servant said, ‘I understand,’ and then ran off to the Minister of Revenue’s residence to ask for money.”

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Cheng Qi: ???

He felt that the servant might not be quite right in the head. To prevent things from getting even more out of hand, he rushed to the restaurant’s kitchen, flashed his Brocade Guard token, and ordered the restaurant owner to close up shop.

The restaurant owner: ???

Though reluctant, he valued his life more.

In the end, under Princess Zhaoyang’s expectant gaze, the restaurant owner slowly closed the main doors.

Ye Qiong, utterly bewildered: What’s going on?

[Host, he thinks you’re broke!]

The System offered a reasonable explanation based on the current situation.

Ye Qiong looked down at herself. “Is it that obvious that I’m poor now?”

Hearing this, Jixiang quickly comforted her. “Princess, we used to be rich, too.”

Ye Qiong, with tears in her eyes: “…”

She had missed the era when the family was wealthy.

By the time she arrived, everything had been squandered away.

The commoners around her also chimed in with comfort: “Princess, why not come to my house for a meal?”

“Yes, this old woman’s cooking is delicious!”

“Wait until the princess has money again—then you can treat us!”

“Yes, Princess, come eat at our house.”

“…”

Everyone eagerly invited her, their warmth overflowing.

After all, this was the first time they had ever seen an official say that they were family with the common people. How could they not be overjoyed?

Regardless of whether the princess’s slogans were true or false, she was the only official—let alone a member of the royal family—who had ever been so down-to-earth.

Ye Qiong was about to decline when the words [Shuangxi Village] suddenly flashed on the light screen in her mind.

Ye Qiong: ???

She slowly turned to look at the commoners who were enthusiastically inviting her, and asked uncertainly, “Which villages are you all from?”

Upon hearing this, the commoners eagerly introduced themselves.

“Princess, we’re from Qibao Village.”

“I’m from Yongle Village.”

“We’re from Liujia Village.”

“I’m from Shuangxi Village.”

“…”

Ye Qiong looked at the elderly woman who said she was from Shuangxi Village and immediately agreed. “Alright then. This princess will come to your house for a meal today, Auntie.”

The woman the princess addressed as “Auntie” beamed with joy. As she led the way, she lifted the cloth covering her basket.

“Princess, I made all these myself—they’re delicious!”

With that, she immediately pulled out a meat patty.

“Princess, have a little something to tide you over. We’ll be there soon—Shuangxi Village is the closest village to the capital, and it’s very lively.”

Ruyi was just about to reach out and stop her.

But Ye Qiong, who was starving, had already taken it and taken a big bite. Her eyes lit up, and she gave the elderly woman a thumbs up.

“Delicious!”

The elderly woman, who had been worried that the princess might turn up her nose at her meat patty, was overjoyed to hear the praise.

“There’s more! If the princess likes them, please have as many as you want.”

With that, she quickly distributed the meat patties from her basket to the princess’s attendants.

Ruyi watched in dismay as everyone except Cheng Qi accepted the food from a complete stranger without any hesitation. Her brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly.

She elbowed Jixiang and whispered in reproach, “The princess is eating food from strangers—why didn’t you stop her?”

Before she could finish, she saw Jixiang’s eyes light up as she took a meat patty from the elderly woman and eagerly bit into it. Nodding repeatedly while chewing, she said, “Delicious! So delicious!”

Ruyi grew even angrier. “You… how can you accept food from a stranger so easily? What if someone tries to poison the princess—what then?”

With her mouth stuffed full, Jixiang turned to look at Ruyi with a confused expression. “Who would want to poison the princess?”

Ruyi: “…”

This household would fall apart without her!

She sighed and glanced at Cheng Qi, who stood tall and alert. Finally, she felt a sliver of comfort.

At least if everyone in the manor was poisoned, there was still one person who knew martial arts.