"Is this... the First Emperor of Qin?"
Looking at the handsome older man with a resolute expression and strands of white hair at his temples standing right before her, Zhu Yu felt somewhat dazed. The man had materialized in front of her in the blink of an eye.
Zhu Yu asked the System, "How on earth did you trick the First Emperor of Qin into coming here?"
"Could it be... the elixir of life?" Before the System could answer, she already had an answer in mind.
Otherwise, she truly couldn't think of anything else that could possibly trick the First Emperor of Qin.
[Hehe.]
System 0208's laugh was downright sneaky.
Zhu Yu understood.
[But Host, the System isn't exactly lying to Your Majesty. It's not like an elixir of life doesn't exist.]
As soon as the System said this, Zhu Yu instantly grew excited. She knew that deep down, most Chinese people shared a common obsession: traveling back to the Qin Dynasty to hand the First Emperor of Qin an elixir of life along with a world map!
Especially given the IP "First Emperor of Qin", which featured a wildly ambitious female time-traveler who tricked him in precisely this manner!
"Explain."
[Host, once you complete your first mission and unlock the System Store, you'll see it right there. Besides, our product has the exact same effects, so it counts as an elixir of life.]
Zhu Yu nodded inwardly, grasping the System's meaning. The item existed, but whether it was the kind of eternal life the First Emperor of Qin actually wanted remained to be seen.
Somehow, she doubted it.
"What is the first mission?"
[Ding-dong! Basic Mission: Please, laborer, earn ten thousand RMB within one year.]
Earn ten thousand in a year?
That mission wasn't too bad. Zhu Yu let out a sigh of relief. "By laborer, do you mean me... or Brother Zheng?"
[Of course His Majesty the Emperor, Host. You are the holder of the System.]
Zhu Yu's brow relaxed slightly. Put that way, this wasn't bad at all.
Across from her, Ying Zheng watched Zhu Yu's expression shift again and again. Whatever she was thinking was written all over her face. He fell into slight contemplation: was this truly a little immortal from the heavens?
Yet why was she completely different from what he had imagined?
Ying Zheng had a lingering sense of having been scammed. The little immortal looked quite pretty, and her clothing was bizarre, but there was nothing particularly extraordinary about her.
However, the night-pearls embedded in the ceiling were so blindingly bright that even those in his palace couldn't compare. And these massive panes of crystal-clear glass, used merely for walls—he had just glanced toward the glass side, and looking down from such a towering height into the abyss made him feel dizzy. A dwelling set at such a height must undoubtedly be an immortal palace!
He pondered how to address this little immortal.
Just as Ying Zheng was observing the room, the red-eyed little immortal across from him spoke up, "Hello, Bro... Brother Zheng."
Ying Zheng: "..."
Was this a unique form of address in the Immortal Realm?
Watching the calm expression on the emperor's face, Zhu Yu felt her face grow hot. She gave an awkward cough and asked, "Brother Zheng, would you be willing to star as the First Emperor of Qin?"
A rare flash of bewilderment crossed Ying Zheng's eyes, but since the little immortal was presumably young and unable to hide her thoughts, the hope in her eyes was glaringly obvious. He raised an eyebrow slightly; it seemed the little immortal was hoping for his consent.
Thus, the First Emperor readily agreed.
Seeing him agree, Zhu Yu hurriedly pulled the script out of her cabinet and handed it over. "Here is the script. Take it back and read through it first. You'll be playing the First Emperor of Qin, and you have quite a large role."
When she had treated this drama as her final straw, she had carefully read through the entire thing herself. Moreover, to better understand that dynasty, she had even bought a dictionary of Small Seal Script characters.
Of course, she hadn't understood a single word of it.
Ying Zheng reached out and took it. The moment his fingers touched the white paper, his astonishment was profound. "May I ask the little immortal, what is this material?"
It could actually be written on, yet it was so pliable and far lighter in weight than bamboo slips.
"..." Zhu Yu nearly broke down upon hearing that form of address, but then she remembered the reason she had brought the man here via the System and managed to calm herself.
If she wanted him to earn money, he would inevitably have to stay here for a long time. Whether he was truly an immortal or not, the First Emperor would surely figure it out for himself. She decided to just pretend she hadn't heard it.
"This is paper." Recalling the lessons played by the System, Zhu Yu immediately caught on. "Once you start working and earning money, you'll be able to unlock papermaking."
With that, she summoned the System to display those technological blueprints once more, flipping through them right in front of the First Emperor.
Looking at the introductions to these technologies, Ying Zheng felt his heart surge with excitement. Hearing Zhu Yu's words, he instantly felt motivated. "Acting counts as working?"
Zhu Yu: "Yes."
"I see. Zheng will certainly not fail the little immortal's expectations."
Ying Zheng immediately straightened his posture, signaling that he would act and work diligently—not only for the little immortal's expectations, but also for his own elixir of life.
He had to claim every single one of these technologies!
In an instant, roaring flames seemed to burn behind the First Emperor of Qin.
Zhu Yu suddenly thought of a question. "System, can these historical figures summoned here return at any time, or is there a time limit?"
[According to the System's regulations, every time a historical figure is summoned here to work, they must remain for five days before returning, with a two-day break in between. It is equivalent to a five-day work week with weekends off.]
Zhu Yu couldn't help but ponder: keep the First Emperor for five days?
That simply wouldn't do; she still had a mountain of problems to resolve on her end.
Frowning slightly, she said, "System, figure out a way to send him back first. I absolutely must get my company's affairs sorted out first."
The System fell silent.
"Could you help me just this once?"
The System ran through a few processing cycles. Although this action would drain a bit of energy, considering it would win the Host's trust, it was worth it!
[Host, this is a one-time exception. I cannot make another exception for you.]
"I know. Thank you, I'll work hard on my missions from now on."
Zhu Yu would naturally remember everything the System did for her. So what if the other party had hidden motives? It would be far worse if she were of no use to it whatsoever.
Having settled the matter with the System, Zhu Yu informed the First Emperor of Qin, explaining that the System had managed to secure about seven days for her.
Ying Zheng's attitude was dead serious. "Upon my return, Zheng will surely study this script with the utmost care, and not let the immortal down."
He figured that even though he was portraying himself, this "script" was undoubtedly extraordinary. Upon returning, he would have to show it to Li Si and the others so they could focus on the key points.
Having sent the First Emperor off, Zhu Yu began officially utilizing the data transmitted by the System to make her move.
No wonder her company had collapsed into such a state over the past two years.
Seeing that file, Zhu Yu felt her heart bleed. How could she have been so foolish?
First, she publicly released the situation regarding the top actor Yuan Boshi and the company. This included the evidence generated by the System proving Yuan Boshi's long-standing intention to jump ship, as well as a detailed account of her romantic relationship with him over the past five years—including the gifts they had exchanged and the handwritten love letter Yuan Boshi had given her when he first confessed his feelings to her.
Perhaps even Yuan Boshi himself didn't know that when he had sworn an oath to her father back then, her father had secretly recorded a video.
Her evidence was more than airtight. Unsure how the System had managed to unearth it all, the moment this news was published, the internet exploded even further.
Meanwhile, back in the Qin Dynasty, when everyone saw their Great Qin sovereign appear within the black screen, those ministers who had accompanied Ying Zheng up Mount Tai suddenly let out a piercing shriek of horror upon discovering that their ruler had vanished.
A minor commotion broke out on the summit, until a ripple resembling water vibrated across the massive sky-screen, revealing an image.
When the various ministers saw His Majesty actually within this watery mirror in the sky, they were utterly dumbfounded.
Your Majesty... why was Your Majesty in the sky?!
A bizarre yet exquisitely magnificent room was shown, with Ying Zheng conversing with a young maiden. That maiden was so stunning—could she be a goddess?
"His Majesty must be favored by the heavens! Divine grace has descended from above to take His Majesty to the immortal palace to enjoy bliss!"
As soon as this was said, the somewhat panicked crowd quieted down.
Looking at the environment where His Majesty was staying, everyone became even more convinced of this fact. Look at that—such an exquisite place must undoubtedly be an immortal realm!
Yet, as they watched, a sense of vague unease crept into their hearts: could His Majesty ever return from the immortal realm?
Fusu watched as his Imperial Father conversed happily with that little immortal maiden, who even handed his father some white, paper-thin sheets. Were these divine artifacts?
Or perhaps heavenly books?!
Many people likely thought the same.
The nobles of the Six States: Since this tyrannical Qin is now favored by immortals, won't they rise to power and prosperity once again?
Could they ever hope to restore their states?
The sounds from the Skyscreen came in waves, presumably heavenly voices forbidden for mortals to hear, which only filled more people with awe and reverence.
Once the little immortal and His Majesty finished speaking in the image, the mirror-like ripples flashed, and the screen suddenly went dark.
Before the First Emperor of Qin could react, blackness descended before his eyes just as it had before. However, having been prepared this time, he remained completely calm.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty has returned!"
"Your humble servants pay respects to Your Majesty!"
Upon seeing that the First Emperor had chosen to return, the palace attendants, guards, and ministers immediately wept tears of joy, deeply moved in their hearts. In their understanding, since His Majesty had been taken up to the immortal palace, how could he possibly still care about mortal affairs?
Yet His Majesty had returned!
His Majesty had not abandoned them; how could this not move them to tears?
Ying Zheng's very first reaction was to check the script and the Small Seal Script dictionary in his hands.
Many people witnessed this with their own eyes, setting their hearts ablaze. Were these the divine artifacts bestowed upon His Majesty by the little immortal?
"Return to the palace." In the face of everyone's agitation, Ying Zheng merely signaled those around him to placate them.
He needed to hurry back and examine this so-called dictionary and script.
A countdown had appeared on the Skyscreen, set for seven days later. During these seven days, he had to study the script with meticulous care.