Title: Transmigrated as the Foolish Maid: My System Feeds the Empire
Chapter 7: The Beggar Aristocrats
[DING! Main Quest Initiated: Overthrow the Usurper and End the Famine.] [Current Shock Points: 28,000. System Shop Level 2 Unlocked.]
I stared at the floating blue interface hovering over the dusty canyon, a cruel, satisfied smile curving my lips. Overthrow a usurper? Feed an empire? It sounded like exactly the kind of impossible, high-stakes game I loved to play in my past life.
Only now, I had cheat codes.
"System," I murmured in my mind, "What's the best mode of transportation twenty-eight thousand Shock Points can buy?"
[Processing... Recommend: The 'Emerald Cloud Palanquin'. Cost: 10,000 Shock Points. Comes with four Level-3 Wood-Golem Bearers, perpetual climate control, and a self-replenishing iced fruit platter.]
Purchase.
The canyon floor trembled. Madam Ye, who had just begun to stir from her fainting spell, let out a choked shriek as the dry earth split apart. Four towering, eight-foot-tall humanoids made of dense, interwoven ironwood vines pulled themselves from the dirt. They were completely silent, faceless, and radiated an aura of terrifying physical strength.
Together, they hoisted a massive, breathtaking palanquin onto their broad wooden shoulders. It was carved from flawless white jade, draped in shimmering emerald silks, and radiated a wave of cool, floral-scented air that clashed violently with the oppressive heat of the wasteland. Inside, soft velvet cushions surrounded a low table laden with dripping, ice-cold grapes, sliced honey-melons, and chilled wine.
Captain Zhao and his surviving guards dropped their jaws so hard I thought their mandibles would snap.
"Young Master," I said, turning to Ye Chen. He was still standing, marveling at the strength in his newly healed legs. I extended my hand to him. "Shall we ride?"
Ye Chen looked at the divine palanquin, then at my extended hand. A deep, reverent flush crept up his pale, impossibly handsome face. In the span of an hour, I had gone from his drooling, foolish maid to a terrifying goddess of life and death. He took my hand gently, bowing his head.
"Anywhere you go, Your Highness. I will follow."
I stepped into the palanquin, pulling him up with me. The sheer contrast between the brutal, blood-stained dust outside and the heavenly, air-conditioned luxury inside was staggering. I lounged back against the velvet cushions, popping an icy, impossibly sweet grape into my mouth.
"Wait! Ah-Zhu... Princess! Wait for us!"
I peered over the jade railing. Ye Wan was dragging her semi-conscious mother toward the palanquin, her face streaked with dirt and blood from her broken nose. "You can't leave us out here! Let us in! I'm your sister! Well, your young miss! We're family!"
I let out a sharp, mocking laugh that echoed through the canyon. "Family? You made me sleep in the pigsty during a blizzard. You fed me rancid water while you drank fresh tea. Your mother just tried to have me executed."
I leaned over the edge, my golden eyes flashing with raw Dragon Qi.
"Captain Zhao!" I barked.
Zhao, nursing his magically splinted, broken arms, scrambled forward like a terrified dog. "Y-Yes, Imperial Fairy! Your servant is here!"
"Tie Madam Ye and Ye Wan to the back of the palanquin," I ordered coldly. "They walk in the dust. If they fall, drag them. If they complain, whip them. As for you and your men? You are now our pack mules."
"Yes! Thank you, Fairy, for your infinite mercy!" Zhao wept, bowing furiously. He was so terrified of being turned into a blood-soaked stalagmite like the assassins that he practically sprinted toward the two aristocratic women, a cruel, desperate glint in his eyes. He had suffered under Madam Ye's arrogance for a month. Now, the tables had turned.
"Get up, you old hag!" Zhao snarled, violently kicking Madam Ye in the ribs. He grabbed rough hemp ropes from the camp and began tying them around the wrists of the former Prime Minister's sister and her pampered daughter.
"How dare you touch me!" Madam Ye shrieked, finally snapping awake. "I am a first-rank nobility! The Emperor will flay you alive!"
Smack!
Zhao slapped her across the face with his cast-bound arm, sending her sprawling into the dirt. "Shut up, you stupid bitch! The Fairy is our master now! Walk, or I'll feed you to the wild dogs!"
I smiled, pulling the silk curtains shut. The golems began to march, their heavy, synchronized footsteps shaking the earth. Behind us, the wails of Madam Ye and Ye Wan echoed into the sweltering desert air.
Karma is a bitch, I thought, taking a sip of chilled wine. And so am I.
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