Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I said nothing, and the young emperor continued:

“I realized a long time ago that something was wrong with the people around me. Some of them appeared out of nowhere, and sometimes I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.”

“Cell phones, the internet, airplanes… I only learned later that you all came from a thousand years in the future. But those ideas you spread-” He paused. “Freedom, equality, rule of law. They are all heresies meant to deceive the masses. If everyone came to believe such nonsense, how could I keep my throne secure?”

“So I had to investigate the identities of the transmigrators. I had to kill you all.”

That sentence made my entire body jolt.

Wait, he was really going to kill us?

But in the next second, the man before me slammed his hand down on the table. He used so much force that I felt like even the dust on the tabletop trembled three times.

The emperor gnashed his teeth. “Never did I imagine that someone would tip you off! And never did I imagine that within the imperial palace, nearly half the people would be so-called transmigrators-including even my consorts and officials.”

“…”

“If I kill you, blood will run through the palace, and I will have to bear the infamy of being a tyrant.” He seemed to take a deep breath. “You people are truly something.”

I understood.

That meant he wasn’t going to kill us.

Those of us raised on reading comprehension questions were best at picking up subtext.

The law couldn’t punish the masses, after all.

Transmigrators were everywhere. There were already this many in the palace alone; who knew how many were outside?

If he killed us all, half the country’s population might be gone. That would be bad.

“Su Cairen, tell me. How should I deal with you people?” the emperor asked again, his voice like a death warrant.

My heart leaped into my throat again. Not killing everyone didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill anyone.

“Your Majesty,” I began cautiously, my useless brain spinning at full speed, “blocking a flood is never as good as channeling it. Why not try thinking about this another way?”

“Oh?”

I might only get one chance to argue my way out of this, so I spoke quickly.

“Your Majesty, the world a thousand years from now is indeed vastly different from the present. By then, men and women are equal, both can attend school, and both can enter official service. But ideology isn’t the only thing that advances over a thousand years. Agriculture, medicine, technology, the military, even entertainment-all of it improves greatly.”

“Your Majesty views us as heretics to be eliminated at once. But with so many transmigrators, there must be talented people in every field among us. If Your Majesty recruits us for your own use, perhaps during your reign, the country’s treasury and population could see tremendous growth. You might even expand the territory.”

I had clearly never held a proper job, yet at this moment, my ability to sell a dream had reached its absolute peak.

I distinctly saw a thoughtful look flash through the emperor’s eyes.

So I went in for the kill. “Why not try it first, Your Majesty? If it works, wouldn’t you become an emperor renowned for all ages…”

No one could resist the temptation of going down in history!

After a long while, the emperor let out a soft laugh. “Su Cairen, you certainly have a silver tongue.”

I chuckled. “You flatter me, you flatter me.”

The emperor left.

For the next two days, there was still not the slightest bit of news.

I slept after waking up and woke up to eat, then ate and went back to sleep.

On the third day, the emperor issued a new decree:

All transmigrators could seek employment according to their own abilities, regardless of gender. So long as they did not commit crimes, they would be spared the death penalty.

My confinement was lifted too.

The palace maids at my side were replaced by the girls who had fled with me that day.

Most transmigrators were released without charges and returned to their original posts, each resuming their duties.

Of course, I suspected it was because the palace was short-staffed.

The few of us chattered away, exchanging information about ourselves.

One was named Zhao Wanning, and the other was Song Qingyun.

I fell silent for a moment. “Those are such female lead names.”

“Right?” Zhao Wanning clicked her tongue. “When I first transmigrated, I thought I’d gotten some grand heroine script. Turns out, after coming here, I’m still in the service industry.”

“What did you do before?”

“I ran a beauty salon.”

“Then having you be my maid is a terrible waste of talent!”

“Not at all.” Zhao Wanning suddenly gazed at me with tender affection. “My dear Cairen, what do you think about us opening a beauty salon in the imperial palace? We split the profits sixty-forty. I get sixty, you get forty.”

“…”

Before coming here, Song Qingyun had been an ordinary office worker. Her whole vibe was a little dead inside.

“I used to bow and scrape to my boss. Now I’m a maid. There isn’t much difference. Living is fine. Dying is fine too.”

“…”