Song Tianyang and He Jianshen had not met for the first time.
The last time they met, she was brought to the He Family Estate by a senior assistant of Qidian Group. She was still wondering which villa the He Family lived in, when she was told that this entire expanse of land belonged to the He Family.
They lived in a manor.
At that time, He Jianshen was seated at the far end of the sofa, sizing up Song Tianyang from head to toe, his eyes filled with undisguised rejection and contempt, as well as intense wariness—because in Master He’s eyes, the new granddaughter of He blood was equally an heir candidate. Even if she hadn’t received an elite education, it didn’t matter; she could collect dividends, knew how to use online banking, and remembered to come home when it rained.
For every point she gained, he would lose one.
After giving her a few glances, He Jianshen lowered his head and continued playing on his phone.
It was only when he heard Song Tianyang refuse to change her surname that he looked up with a smile: “Your adoptive mother runs a hair salon. Is her surname really worth treasuring so much?”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Song Tianyang slapped him across the face.
“You!”
“Why do you look down on hardworking women who earn a living with their own hands?” Song Tianyang rotated her wrist. “If I were you, I wouldn’t talk to someone as poor as me like that. If a commoner like me gets angry, at worst I’d risk it all and hope for a better reincarnation, but you’d only end up in the animal realm.”
Families from the lower rungs of society tend to produce two extremes.
Inferiority and timidity or ferocity and ruthlessness—all are means of self-preservation.
Song Tianyang, however, believed in the principle that the unfortunate must attack fiercely.
He Jianshen sneered coldly: “With one word, I can make your family go bankrupt.”
Song Tianyang laughed even louder: “My family’s proletariat, we have nothing to lose.”
In the high-end, top-tier world of Young Master He, he clearly had no experience dealing with people so poor they didn’t even own fixed assets. He was stunned on the spot, and just as he was about to retort, He Mingyi shot him a look from the corner of his eye, instantly silencing him and making him sit up straight.
Thus, the two formed a grudge.
But…
The System wanted her to initiate the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
Who was the protagonist of the Xuanwu Gate Incident?
Li Shimin.
The strongest carbon-based organism of the seventh century, also known as the Governor of Asia, the speaker of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Song Tianyang felt her only similarity with him was that they were both carbon-based lifeforms living in Asia, Eastern Hemisphere.
Song Tianyang tried to awaken the System’s rationality: [I am not Li Shimin.]
System: [Your Majesty, please do not underestimate yourself.]
Besides, He Jianshen was one meter eighty-seven, with muscles honed by skiing and rugby. If she really went berserk and fought him to the death, within three rounds he’d be kneeling and begging her not to die.
She was still a long way from Emperor Taizong, but already very close to the Jin Hui Emperor.
And Li Shimin shot his own brother with a bow.
At least the System should give her a sniper!
Just as Song Tianyang was explaining to the System that the gap between her and Li Shimin was greater than that between humans and apes, He Jianshen had already walked over.
He stopped in front of her, standing against the light, his tall shadow enveloping her.
He Jianshen commented on his biological sister’s outfit: “You’re going out dressed like this? All those colors.”
“Is your family holding a funeral that you have to show up in black, white, and gray?”
Song Tianyang retorted.
“If you don’t treat the He Family as your own, you can leave right now. Don’t shamelessly cling to us.” He Jianshen’s face darkened.
He couldn’t wait for her to run away clinging to her poor person’s dignity.
Song Tianyang wasn’t falling for that.
But she did realize she had one thing in common with Emperor Taizong after all.
That was wishing her brother dead.
Based on her experience these past few days, the Emperor System’s tasks didn’t necessarily have to be completed exactly as stated. There were loopholes, as long as she could generally convince the System.
With this in mind, Song Tianyang opened the task details, ready to keep an eye on the progress bar.
She focused her mind, recalling the layout of the He Family Estate from her last visit.
The next second, Song Tianyang spoke: “I’m here because Grandpa said he summoned us siblings and told me to call you along to see him.”
“Who are you trying to fool? How could Master He have business with you? Even if he did, he wouldn’t tell you to call me.”
He Jianshen instantly saw through the flaw in her words.
Song Tianyang: “If you don’t believe me, then don’t come with me. I’ll just bond with Grandpa on my own.”
Upon hearing this, He Jianshen’s expression changed.
Who Master He favored at home was directly tied to tens of millions in assets.
Seeing her about to leave, he quickly followed: “I have to see what tricks you’re up to.”
In the year 626 AD, Li Shimin secretly reported to Li Yuan the night before, accusing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of debauchery in the harem, a crime deserving death. Before luring his brothers into the palace, he had already stationed loyal troops at Xuanwu Gate.
In fact, before doing all this, he’d already sent Li Yuan and the Central Three Ministries’ officials onto a boat, essentially seizing the most important emperor in the struggle for the throne.
But Song Tianyang only had a mouth.
No bow, no loyal followers—the only true thing in this story was that she did have a grandfather.
“Stop following me!”
She deliberately turned back to glare at him, and sure enough, he chased even harder.
He chased, she ran.
The He Family Manor covered a vast area. This was also one reason He Jianshen believed her words. Even if all the family members were at home, it still took a phone call to meet up.
Song Tianyang remembered that last time, the east wing corridor was under renovation. There was a big pit inside, not yet filled or fenced off. The main family usually didn’t go that way; the butler had warned her on her first visit—said there was nothing much there, just a three-meter deep pit, it’d hurt to fall in, but there was always a ladder to climb out.
She’d also noticed that He Jianshen never listened to the words of maids, cooks, or butlers at home.
In his eyes, these people were beneath him, NPCs whose every word could be skipped.
“Today I’m going to follow you no matter what, let’s see how far you can run!”
Chasing after Song Tianyang, He Jianshen couldn’t help but feel a bit superior.
A poor girl with skinny arms and legs—the only way she could imagine resisting him was by running away.
And she ran so slowly.
The two darted one after the other into a patch of greenery. In the cloudless sky above, besides the sun, another star was hanging.
The leaves broke the sunlight into irregular shards that flickered across Song Tianyang’s back.
She suddenly stopped, sidestepped.
He Jianshen behind her needed a second to stop himself, and in that split second, she used a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength to slap him on the back, shoving him into the three-meter-deep pit just half a step away.
“What the f***!!!!!!”
A tragic wail echoed through the sky.
She bent over, hands on her knees, panting like a bull, and didn’t forget to kick the ladder down.
“Song Tianyang, are you f***ing crazy!”
Hearing her brother’s broken, enraged shout, Song Tianyang was as happy as a puppy.
When she saw the task progress bar pass halfway and the system automatically issue a tool to help Her Majesty complete the mission, she became even happier.
The next second, something heavy landed in her palm.
Song Tianyang looked down.
A 12.7mm caliber pistol with a steel slide and aluminum alloy grip lay quietly in her hand.
Song Tianyang: “…”
Anyone who’s played CrossFire would recognize this gun—it’s called the Desert Eagle.
Song Tianyang: “Wait, you actually gave me a sniper?!”
The cold, deadly machine felt like a hot potato in her hand.
She couldn’t bring herself to shoot another living person.
At most, she could hide under her blanket and curse her brother to get struck by luck on his way out.
Emperor System: [Detected that Your Majesty is far from Emperor Taizong’s standard. More powerful firepower is required to compensate.]
Song Tianyang insisted on exchanging it for something else.
Suddenly, her hand felt lighter—it had turned into a Repeating Crossbow.
Song Tianyang: “Can you give me something that doesn’t violate the Public Security Administration Punishments Law?”
She changed again and again, and in the end, the System swapped the crossbow for a Water Gun.
She was overjoyed.
This was exactly the kind of weapon with low lethality but maximum humiliation she wanted!
The water gun was heavy, filled with water. She picked it up and aimed a barrage of shots at He Jianshen at the bottom of the pit.
Drenched, He Jianshen yelled, “Are you insane? Where did you get a water gun? How old are you this year!”
As soon as he opened his mouth, she shot him right in it.
After emptying the water gun, she still wasn’t satisfied and asked the System, “Can you refill it with dog urine for me?”
System: [Your Majesty, please remember your noble status.]
“Then championship dog urine.”
The System fell into a long, desperate silence.
Song Tianyang could only regretfully call it a day.
But seeing the progress bar stuck at 99%, she needed to do something to push it to completion.
After thinking for a moment, she squatted by the pit, looking down at He Jianshen with a profound expression: “Brother.”
“Why are you suddenly calling me brother… I’ll never acknowledge you. Yuan Yuan is my real sister.”
He Jianshen wiped the water from his face, so angry his face turned red.
“Do you know why I lured you here from Xuanwu Gate?”
Song Tianyang asked.
He Jianshen: “Hey, we came in from the south side’s Chenhàn Gate.”
Song Tianyang let his words pass her by like a breeze and continued, “The struggle for the crown prince has always been like this.”
He Jianshen was starting to find proletariat talk impossible to understand.
Song Tianyang ignored him, just staring at the task progress bar.
Ding!
System:
[Congratulations, Your Majesty, on completing the mission ‘Xuanwu Gate Incident’!]
[Performance rating: Z]
[Historical review: The art of war is deception, not simply about weapons.]
And in the annals of Emperor Tianyang, another line was added: [Taibai crosses the heavens. Emperor Tianyang summoned Shenwang into the rear garden, to the site of freshly dug earth. Shenwang followed close behind; the Emperor suddenly pushed his back, and Shenwang fell into the pit. The Emperor withdrew the wooden ladder, took a brass water gun, and sprayed water into the pit over ten times. At one point, she wished to replace the water in the gun with dog urine, but did not follow through.]
Even Song Tianyang couldn’t hold it in anymore:
“Can you remove that last sentence?”
But, just like so many emperors in history who wished to have the historian change their records, she failed.
[Your Majesty has received a situational task reward. According to your task rating, 4,000 taels of silver have been added to the treasury!]
[Additionally, a mysterious newbie gift pack awaits Your Majesty.]
“Four thousand bucks?”
Song Tianyang was incredulous: “You’re brushing off the modern Li Shimin with this?”
She had very low standards for her work results, but very high expectations for her pay.
System: [Historical scenario tasks can be triggered repeatedly. If Your Majesty wishes for higher rewards, please improve your task performance rating next time.]
Song Tianyang understood now—the Xuanwu Gate Incident could be triggered again and again.
That meant she could stage coups anytime, anywhere in the future.
“What are you mumbling about up there? Hurry up and get me out!”
He Jianshen was furious.
Song Tianyang had come to the He residence just to earn some gold to bring back to her adoptive mother. She hadn’t expected Young Master He to walk right into her trap, so she’d achieved her goal ahead of schedule. She stood up and strode away, not forgetting to tell security on her way out to remember to fish her brother out of the pit.
At the same time, in the first-class cabin of a plane slowly entering the city’s airspace, sat a handsome young man.
Chi Zhiqing wore a faint smile.
He had transmigrated into this world ten days ago.
Before this, he was Vice President Chi, a self-made business tycoon. Back when he had nothing, he followed a fellow villager to the big city to do business, clawing his way up to a fearsome name in the stock market and business world. But no matter how successful he became, Chi Zhiqing always introduced himself as Bai Ge’s right-hand man.
Everyone said that Mr. Bai, who had appreciated him in the past, had drawn an SSR Gold Card, so just by clinging to his leg, Chi Zhiqing could live in wealth forever. Unfortunately, fate was cruel. When he instinctively saved a pregnant woman trapped in the back seat of a taxi during a car accident, he was blown to pieces on the spot—like SSR Fragments.
In the blink of an eye, Chi Zhiqing transmigrated into a dog-blooded elite family novel, and was bound to the Loyal Minister System.
As long as he completed missions and helped his destined one become an outstanding emperor, he could return to his original world.
Otherwise, the rewards he had received in advance would be taken back—
His second life.
If he failed, he’d die for real.
Chi Zhiqing wasn’t opposed to supporting others. In fact, he enjoyed dividing work, cooperating with others, building mutual trust, and finally reaching the pinnacle together.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our plane will be landing at Shuitian Airport in fifteen minutes—”
He was already looking forward to meeting his little emperor.