northernbook Chapter 177 Breakthrough Round (2)
Chapter 177 Breakthrough Round (2)
When Gu Shijiu was first thrown into the world, she felt another sharp pain.
The pain... made her feel a little strange.
She had cancer and knew what that kind of internal pain felt like.
This pain was similar to, but not exactly the same as, the pain in her internal organs. It was a pain she had never experienced before, accompanied by strange sensations in her lower body.
The viewers in the live stream were quite excited.
"The plot summary says it's my favorite palace drama, so my expectations are through the roof."
What is a palace intrigue drama?
"Oh dear, it's just a show about a bunch of women fighting over a rotten cucumber."
"What's so interesting about this... I think I'll go look at something else."
"Hey, don't go! Do you really expect us to act out this kind of plot? You'd be lucky if you didn't break the cucumber."
"That's true, I'll take another look."
"That's a bit tragic. What is she doing? Why hasn't she killed all these people around her yet?"
"She... seems to be spacing out."
"You're quite tolerant of pain. Watching you makes my whole body ache. How could you not scream?"
"Yes, the characters in these palace dramas are all very weak. She doesn't have any cultivation right now and can't block out pain nerves, yet she can endure it so well."
"I didn't expect him to be such a ruthless person."
......
Gu Shijiu moved twice, and a surge of heat flowed from her lower body.
Hmm, is this menstruation? This girl's menstrual cramps seem quite severe.
She then dismissed her guess, because something else was flowing out with the blood and getting stuck in her lower body.
That thing has a shape, and it's completely different from the blood clots that shed the uterine lining during menstruation.
Could it be a miscarriage? Do I need a D&C? Gu Shijiu was still in a daze.
A sarcastic voice came from the side: "You all saw it, this is the price of seducing the emperor."
Everyone should take this as a warning. If anyone else does it, they'll end up like her, hehehe.
The last few laughs were high-pitched and sounded quite pleasant.
Gu Shijiu couldn't quite tell whether the person was male or female.
The man continued speaking: "Once this lowly slave wakes up, let her go to the laundry department to report for duty herself."
If she doesn't make it through, that's her fate. As usual, after cremation, just throw her ashes into the well.
Okay, everyone stop huddling together. Have you all finished your work?
"I'll be leaving now. You all tidy up here. You're still busy, aren't you? Ah, what can I do when my master can't be without me for even a day?"
Those below nodded in agreement.
Gu Shijiu's brain, which was like paste, was still trying to sort out the threads.
She looked like a palace maid who had been severely punished, beaten half to death, and still had to go to the laundry department.
What kind of place is the Laundry Department?
The person in front of her seems to be here to deal with her. Wait, why did he leave?
Gu Shijiu was even planning to seek revenge on the murderer; what a deep grudge!
But the person had already walked away. She looked up and saw that the person's clothes indicated that he was a man.
Several people dressed in similar clothes followed behind him, bending over and bowing their heads.
The men in the palace were all eunuchs, so she must have been a palace maid.
Because it's a qualifying round, the script is much richer this time.
The previous palace intrigue champion, the Empress Dowager, is enjoying her later years, and the current emperor is her son.
Gu Shijiu's current identity is a palace maid who has been in the palace for over ten years, named Yao Sanniang.
Yes, as a daughter of a respectable family selected from a remote rural area, she only had a surname when she entered the palace.
Because she was the third child in her family, she was called Yao San Niang.
She wasn't the only one; around this time of year, almost all the girls called her that.
Her father, Yao Daqing, came from a farming family, but the family was relatively well-off. With many sons, his parents decided to support his education.
None of the brothers objected; each contributed a little, and they managed to help Yao Daqing pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
At that time, many people relied on the combined resources of their families to get their children into school.
If we can support one child, then the whole family will have hope.
Passing the imperial examination at the county level was already a stroke of good fortune for the Yao family, but what was even more impressive was that Yao Daqing actually passed the provincial examination and became a scholar, thus gaining an official position.
Now all the brothers' children in the family have started going to school.
If one or two more are found to be successful in the future, the Yao family will have completely changed its social standing.
Everyone in the family was very happy, except for Yao San Niang's mother, Li Shi.
Because her husband had never returned to that rural area since he was sent to work in another province, and only sent money back regularly.
When Yao San Niang was around ten years old, she hadn't been home for a full ten years.
Since the Yao family did not divide the family property, the money was naturally in the hands of the mother-in-law.
Li and her three daughters struggled to make ends meet in the Yao family, where anyone could bully them.
Until rumors circulated in the village that Yao Daqing, after becoming an official, had climbed the social ladder by marrying a high-ranking official and had abandoned his wife to marry another.
This time, a local gentryman went to the capital on business and happened to meet Yao Daqing. He then inquired along the way and discovered the matter.
It is said that Yao Daqing has now established himself in Beijing, serving as a high-ranking official and living a very comfortable life.
Upon learning this, Li immediately took Yao San Niang to the capital to find her husband.
Her purpose was clear: if it were true, she wouldn't dare to compete with the daughter of a high-ranking official.
The eldest and second daughters were sold by the Yao family, and the youngest daughter was only ten years old.
If she could get some money, she would agree to a divorce and use the money to buy her two daughters' freedom.
Otherwise, if word gets out, Yao Daqing's reputation will be ruined, and he certainly won't be able to keep his official position.
Li had a good plan, but as a country woman, she underestimated the wickedness of human nature.
Less than three days after entering the capital, Li died unexpectedly.
Yao San Niang, a little girl, was tricked into being sold to the palace.
Being a palace maid is not a good career path these days.
Apart from a very few who might be chosen by members of the royal family, the rest are assigned to dirty and strenuous work and may even be abused.
More importantly, it doesn't bring any benefits.
If they are lucky enough to return unharmed, they will not be able to bring back any property, their age is uncertain, and they will face difficulties in life.
Therefore, most people were unwilling for their daughters to be selected as palace maids.
When elections come around, families with girls over 13 years old may even panic and scramble to find a husband.
Some capable families will find ways to have other girls take their place.
Gu Shijiu played Yao Sanniang, who was tricked into entering the palace when she was only 14 years old.
Six years have passed in the blink of an eye. Logically, there should have been a certain period of service, but it hasn't.
When to release the people depends entirely on the emperor's mood.
It's quite normal to spend decades in the palace.
Gu Shijiu lay in a pool of blood, receiving the plot unfold, and was fairly satisfied.
This time, the character finally has a backstory.
Many people around her were pointing and whispering about her, but she didn't care.
As for the man who looked like a eunuch saying that her crime was seducing the emperor, she didn't care at all.
What's wrong with a poor 20-year-old girl wanting a better life?
Emperors are entitled to have many women, aren't they?
Gu Shijiu couldn't understand why seducing the emperor would result in such a severe punishment.
Thousands of starving palace maids were placed here. The rule was that the emperor could have his way with them at will, but the maids were not allowed to provoke the emperor.
That's insane! The palace maids are so pitiful.