[Triggering the Villainess Side Character Mission: Host, please strip naked and lie on Duan Ling’s bed, with Duan Ling present, for a duration of fifteen minutes. The deadline is two months. Failure to complete the mission will result in elimination.]
[This is the seventh Villainess Side Character Mission and the penultimate mission of the first round. Success will reward seven points. According to statistics, the host currently has a cumulative total of twenty-one points, still four points short of the “Unlock Grand Prize” target.]
[The final mission of the first round is worth twenty-two points, but the host will only learn the specific details after completing Mission Seven.]
[If the host successfully completes all missions in this round, the cumulative points will reach fifty, granting access to two Grand Prizes, each requiring twenty-five points to unlock. The second Grand Prize can then be used to terminate the system’s issuance of the second round of missions and eliminate the system.]
[Once the second Grand Prize is used, the system will no longer interfere with your actions.]
[Note: Only the second Grand Prize can terminate the system’s issuance of the second round of missions and eliminate the system. The first Grand Prize cannot. In other words, the final mission of the first round must be completed.]
The system’s voice echoed in Lin Ting’s ears.
She grasped three key points: First, the current mission was to “strip naked and lie on Duan Ling’s bed.”
Second, there was still one final mission after this.
Third, she could free herself from the system’s control.
Wait, she had to strip naked and lie on Duan Ling’s bed!?
Lin Ting dropped her chopsticks.
In the original story, she had publicly proposed to Duan Ling, failed, then attempted to seduce him by stripping, but still didn’t give up on the idea of marrying him.
The “Lin Ting” with an unusual thought process was determined to make Duan Xinning’s family miserable, make Xia Zimo regret his engagement to Duan Xinning, and at the same time, take revenge on Duan Ling, the second brother who always thwarted her schemes against Duan Xinning.
Thus, “Lin Ting” entered the Duan residence through Duan Xinning, then, without Duan Xinning’s knowledge, found an opportunity to strip naked and lie on Duan Ling’s bed, hoping to falsely accuse him of taking advantage of her and force him to marry her.
But she failed again.
Before the Duan family could arrive, Duan Ling and “Lin Ting” were at a standstill for fifteen minutes.
Seeing that she refused to leave, he drugged her and quietly sent her back to the Lin residence without alerting anyone, ensuring she could never enter the Duan residence again.
Lin Ting instinctively glanced at her dress, suddenly finding the food in front of her unappetizing.
Duan Ling, noticing Lin Ting’s dazed expression, bent down to pick up the fallen chopsticks, opened the door to ask a guard for a new pair, and placed them beside her and asked: “Is the food not to your liking today?”
Lin Ting avoided looking at Duan Ling, afraid her eyes would betray her emotions, and buried her head in her meal and replied: “No.”
Duan Ling gazed at Lin Ting’s earlobe, which he had once licked, now turning red, as her neck and cheeks gradually flushed: “Your face is even redder than yesterday. Are you feeling unwell? Should I call the doctor again?”
Without Duan Ling saying it, Lin Ting could feel her body temperature rising-not because of a fever, but because of the mission the system had mentioned.
She used the excuse of the weather again: “I’m fine, it’s just too hot.”
Lin Ting worried that Duan Ling might notice her unease and quickly changed the subject: “Only the Empress wants to see me, right? It has nothing to do with the Emperor?”
Duan Ling nodded: “Yes, it has nothing to do with the Emperor. Only the Empress wants to see you.”
Lin Ting harbored no fondness for the current emperor, given his indulgence of Prince Liang’s misdeeds.
However, she was somewhat curious about the empress, primarily because it was she who had proposed the law allowing women to establish their own households.
Yet, the empress rarely appeared in public.
It was said that she was frail and sickly, and over the past two years, her condition had worsened to the point where she was bedridden all day.
Emperor Jiade adored the empress and sought renowned physicians far and wide to cure her, but to no avail.
In the past, Lin Ting enjoyed lingering in the streets and alleys, listening to the gossip of the common folk.
Some said that Emperor Jiade’s deep affection for the empress stemmed from genuine love—a rare sentiment for an emperor.
Others believed it was because she possessed “the talent to govern the country.”
Before Emperor Jiade ascended the throne, the empress had been by his side, serving not only as his wife but also as his strategist.
Her contributions were indispensable in the establishment of the Great Yan dynasty and his rise as its founding emperor.
The common people felt that the empress was unfortunate.
She had toiled alongside Emperor Jiade to build the empire, only to fall gravely ill shortly after its founding, scarcely enjoying a single day of peace and leaving behind no children.
Fortunately, Emperor Jiade was not ungrateful.
Despite the empress’s prolonged illness, he treated her with the same devotion, tirelessly seeking medical treatment for her.
Though his efforts were in vain, they were enough to demonstrate his deep concern for her.
Whenever the common folk spoke of the empress, their tone was invariably tinged with regret.
Emperor Jiade did not prohibit public discussion of the matter, as long as the empress was not slandered.
Thus, her good reputation spread widely among the people, becoming well-known to all.
Lin Ting had also heard some of these tales.
When the plague emerged, the empress happened to be in a more critical condition, falling into a coma and remaining unconscious for several days.
However, this was unrelated to the plague; it was the culmination of years of accumulated illness.
Seeing that the imperial physicians were of no use, Emperor Jiade turned to recruiting skilled doctors from the common populace.
The scale of this effort was so grand that even though Lin Ting had stayed within the Lin household since the plague’s outbreak, unable to venture out to the streets and alleys to listen to the gossip, she had still heard of it.
Now that the empress wished to see her, it meant that the empress had finally awakened from her coma.
To wake from a coma and immediately concern herself with the plague-truly, she was the mother of the nation.
Most importantly, she had actually found a cure for the plague.
It was worth noting that the imperial court had been searching for a remedy since the plague’s discovery, but to no avail.
If the empress was indeed as the common people described, she likely would not cause Lin Ting any trouble and might only wish to inquire about the indigo root.
Lin Ting quickly finished her meal, picked up her bundle, and followed Duan Ling into the palace.
She hoped to return as soon as possible, as Li Jingqiu and Tao Zhu were waiting for her at home.
An hour later, Lin Ting entered the inner palace.
However, since Duan Ling could not freely enter the inner palace, he remained outside.
Lin Ting was escorted in alone by a eunuch, without wearing a face veil.
It would be improper to meet the empress veiled after having found the cure for the plague.
The eunuch treated Lin Ting with great respect, answering all her questions and leading her directly to the empress’s chambers.
After the palace maid informed the empress of her arrival, the eunuch escorted Lin Ting into the chambers.
As soon as she stepped through the doors, she was met with the heavy scent of medicinal herbs.
Lin Ting glanced around.
Though it was daytime, the chambers were dimly lit.
Despite the numerous candles burning, their yellowish glow gave the impression of a flame on the verge of extinguishing.
As she walked further in, several palace maids emerged.
One carried an empty medicine bowl, while another held blood-stained garments.
Their expressions were sorrowful, both for the empress’s grave condition and for themselves.
Once the Empress passed away, where would they go?
There was no better place than here.
The palace maids knew whom the Empress was meeting today.
Upon seeing Lin Ting, they quickly suppressed their sorrow and bowed to her: “Miss Lin Qi.”
The Empress usually only met with the Emperor, not even the concubines of the harem, let alone outsiders.
It was the first time she had actively summoned an outsider, and they couldn’t help but feel curious about this Miss Lin Qi, stealing glances at her.
The young girl following the eunuch had a strikingly beautiful face, free of makeup, with cheeks that were naturally rosy and lips that were a soft pink.
Her nose was narrow and high-bridged.
The bright yellow dress she wore was like a ray of sunlight breaking into the dimly lit chamber.
Most captivating were her eyes, which seemed to speak.
When they casually glanced over, it felt as if they were focused solely on you, devoid of any pretense.
The palace maids dared not look too long.
Lin Ting also nodded to these maids and continued to follow the young eunuch inward.
She noticed that the Empress’s chamber was not adorned with many luxurious decorations.
Apart from the original rosewood beams and golden brick floors, the shelves on either side of the corridor were mostly empty.
Even if there were items placed, they were only inconspicuous trinkets.
The further they went, the stronger the bitter scent of medicine became.
Although there were incense burners in the chamber, their fragrance could not overpower the accumulated smell of medicine.
Because the Empress was ill and could not be exposed to drafts, only a couple of windows were occasionally opened for ventilation, while the rest remained closed.
This caused the medicinal smell to linger, permeating every corner of the chamber.
Lin Ting glanced at the windows.
Each window had a string of small wind chimes hanging in front, but with no wind blowing in, they remained silent.
Seeing her gaze fixed on the wind chimes, the eunuch kindly explained as they walked:
“These wind chimes were made by Her Majesty the Empress herself a few years ago.”
Lin Ting understood.
No wonder some of the wind chimes were a bit worn, and the maids had not replaced them.
They passed through a door draped with a gauze curtain and approached the Empress, who was reclining on a daybed.
The eunuch bowed and retreated.
Lin Ting did not look around but bowed her head in greeting:
“Your servant, Lin Ting, pays her respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Rise,” the Empress said, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she coughed a few times.
After catching her breath, she took a sip of tea from a maid and looked up at her and asked:
“I heard from Commander Duan that it was you who suggested using indigo root to temporarily curb the plague?”
Lin Ting stood up and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty, it was I who suggested it.”
The Empress coughed a few more times, struggling to sit up, and asked weakly, “How did you come up with the idea to use indigo root to temporarily curb the plague?”
She used the same explanation she had given to Duan Ling:
“Your servant happened to read about a similar case in a book, which mentioned that indigo root could temporarily curb the plague, so I informed Commander Duan.”
The Empress rubbed her temples and asked the same question Duan Ling had: “What book?”
“I don’t remember,” Lin Ting replied, as she would to anyone who asked.
“Is Your Majesty looking for this book to read? But haven’t you already found the cure for the plague?”
Since the cure for the plague had been found, why bother with indigo root, which could only temporarily curb it?
Lin Ting couldn’t understand the Empress’s intentions.
The Empress looked at Lin Ting, who had lowered her head, and remained silent for a moment.
She took a few more sips of tea to soothe her throat, which was often dry due to her illness, and then slowly said, “Indeed, I have found the cure for the plague, but I thought you…”
Lin Ting waited for her to finish speaking.
“This palace thought you were a hidden master of medicine,” the Empress said, seemingly regretful.
In Great Yan, there were both male and female physicians, though female physicians were still relatively rare.
Many believed it was improper for women to study medicine, preventing them from learning and instead confining them to their chambers to await marriage.
However, there were some women who secretly studied medicine behind their families’ backs.
It was understandable that the Empress might assume Lin Ting was one of those women.
But what if she were a hidden master of medicine?