The Empress’ Livestream

Xinro Bingqing: “So the plan dies at the very beginning?”

The audience was laughing at her, but Jiang Pengji was not annoyed. Instead, her lips curved cunningly.

“Langjun, have you thought of something?” asked Xu Ke. He secretly hoped she would seek help from Liu She. Purchasing piles of grain would not be a problem for the affluent family.

In his opinion, it was reasonable for her, the future master of the family, to ask for Liu She’s assistance. Everything of the Liu’s would belong to her sooner or later. The illegitimate son in the backyard could only inherit no more than ten percent of the family’s wealth and some antiquity.

Gaining Liu She’s approval would mean they were halfway to success.

“I’m thinking that perhaps we can get something more out of nothing.” Jiang Pengji’s smile was neither too intimate nor distant.

“What would that mean?” Xu Ke was confused.

Toudu Feiqiu: “I have goosebumps every time the host smiles like this. I feel like someone’s going to have bad luck.”

The viewer had followed her channel from the first day of her livestream and knew her very well. Her style was both decisive and discreet, and she never ended her enemies’ lives before confirming twice that she had taken every possible advantage of them. If they were still useful at the moment, she would keep them alive until their values were all used up.

Jiang Pengji squinted. “Xiaoyu, do you know where the culprit of the mess in Meng is hiding right now?”

Xu Ke could not see why that would matter.

“The Meng’s are one of the wealthiest houses in Dongqing. I bet they won’t mind saving their legitimate son with some grain.”

Xu Ke’s eyes widened, and he could only utter a complete sentence after a moment. “You mean… the Langjun is here?”

Jiang Pengji opened her fan to cover her smile when she added, “He came to us yesterday.”

“Is the plan to pretend to be kidnappers and threaten the Meng’s? That’s too dangerous. What if Meng Liang reveals the truth when he returns home?” Xu Ke shook his head with disapproval. But as soon as he paused, he thought of another possibility.

The few days he had spent with his new master were enough to make him recognize a fact: Jiang Pengji would never leave potential risks.

“Silly boy! Do you think I’m such a fool?” Jiang Pengji asked with contempt. “Of course I will ask Meng Liang to write the letter himself and have it delivered by his close servant. All we need to do is arrange for receiving the grain. As for Meng Liang… Ha! He cannot live after what he has done in Cang and Hejian.”

The ancient people said only the dead could keep a secret, especially those with the corpse unfound. While that contradicted common sense in the future, where dead people could actually tell more than the living did, that remained true in that underdeveloped world. No one could blame her for murdering Meng Liang without evidence.

Xu Ke spoke with difficulty, “You mean after we use him, he will…” He made a hand to gesture cutting his neck.

Jiang Pengji snorted. “I’ll do more than that.”

Xu Ke’s mind was blank. Why could not he understand? “What then?” he asked.

Jiang Pengji shook, as if disappointed by her bookkeeper. “Don’t you know the basics of scheming? Our image must remain as pure as white lilies after gaining all the benefits. So the next step is to make people point their fingers at others instead of us.”

Before Xu Ke responded, the audience started a wave of bullet screens.

Da Zhuangzhu Furen: “Only the host can link pure lilies and unscrupulous schemes together.”

Zixun Zhentan Juanmao’er: “Hi, I’m new to the channel! Though I’ve heard about Meng Liang’s disgusting crimes, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for his bad luck to be the host’s target.”

Shenjun Honglian: “I agree. He won’t even know why the host is going to do that to him.”

Jiang Pengji was no caring, kind girl, yet that was exactly what attracted her viewers, and she would design others for her own advantages. Still, her acts, which defied social conventions, brought the audience novelty and thrill.

Naiyouwei Xiangguazi: “(laughcry) Am I the only one who notices she said ‘basics?’ Can’t imagine the advanced skills. (pray for Host’s future rivals)”

Jiang Pengji’s plan also caused a headache to the System, and it asked, “What if you accidentally leave clues and they find out you are behind this?”

The host made an uncaring reply in her mind, “We must find a way to get our food.”

The computer analyzed her expression and suggested hesitantly, “Host, your dad’s very rich, right? And you’ve got a list of wedding gifts… erm, personal properties. That includes plenty of food in granaries.”

Apart from that, she could buy grain from the System. Why did she choose the riskier way instead?

Jiang Pengji explained, “I’ve decided to provoke the Meng’s because of three reasons. First, Liu She and I are separate individuals. I don’t want to use what he has saved throughout the years. Second, purchasing from you will rouse suspicion in Liu She. Just because I’m his daughter doesn’t mean he will trust me completely.

The last reason is the most important one––I want to make things more interesting. Things that are easy to obtain feel less precious. I want to add extra value to my gain.”

In other words, she made the decision mostly for the stakes and the excitement in the process. All of that meant more to her than the results.