"Susu? A fitting name." Shen Qi nodded, carefully examining the kneeling palace maid who was paying her respects. She was not breathtakingly beautiful or astonishingly striking, but there was something ethereal and simple in her demeanor that set her apart from the heavily made-up women in the Imperial Palace. The young palace maid before him was dressed in plain maid's attire with no lavish jewelry. Her jet-black hair was held simply with a plain silver pin, and her bare face was as lovely as that of a Flower Fairy.
He had never shown much interest in female charms, yet something about Susu, so different from the standard opulence and heavy makeup of the women in the harem, suddenly piqued his curiosity.
Su Zhiruan said nothing, merely keeping her eyes lowered, allowing the ruler of this world to survey her as he wished.
Suddenly, Shen Qi waved his hand, "That will do. You may leave now, and call Little Fuzi in."
"Yes, this servant will take her leave." Su Zhiruan complied with the order, bowed, and then hobbled away.
After she left, the chief eunuch Little Fuzi entered and paid his respects, "Your Majesty, what would you like to command?"
"What's the matter with that maid's leg? A palace maid serving in front of the Emperor should not come to work sick - it would look as though I were oppressing my servants to observers outside!" Shen Qi's eagle-like eyes swept over Little Fuzi, his jade ring finger flicked by his long fingertips.
A cold sweat broke out on Little Fuzi instantly.
Others might not know, but having served the Emperor for over twenty years, how could he not understand the implication behind those words? He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the maid just now was Susu, transferred from Chuxiu Palace to serve before you. They say she's meticulous and honest in her work and has never made a mistake, but today, she just so happened to..."
He paused mid-sentence, warily observing the expression of the man seated above.
Shen Qi showed no emotion. "What happened today?"
"Today, when she went out, she bumped into the Noble Consort. The Noble Consort was in a rage and made her kneel as punishment." Little Fuzi kept his head lowered, finishing his explanation. The Emperor's inquiry about Susu indicated that the sovereign had taken an interest in her, but now that the Noble Consort was involved, it was likely the Emperor's interest would be halved.
"Bumped into the Noble Consort?" Shen Qi knew without thinking that it must have been the Noble Consort who had provoked the incident.
At present, there were no heirs in the harem, nor was there an Empress, rendering the entire harem effectively non-functional.
His feeling toward the Noble Consort was indifferent, but she was, after all, the niece of the Empress Dowager. With no children in the harem, keeping a Noble Consort would at least give the Empress Dowager someone to talk to.
As for Susu, even if she possessed some beauty, she was still merely a palace maid — it was not worth the effort to make a fuss over a servant.
"Alright, you're dismissed."
Little Fuzi left, and the Imperial Study Room was once again filled only with the lingering fragrance of tea.
After leaving, Su Zhiruan returned to her own small room.
Serving before the Emperor was a job fraught with mental stress; it was said that serving the Emperor was like living with a tiger.
But for a palace maid assigned to menial tasks like her, it was more relaxed, as long as the cleaning was properly done.
With some free time at hand, she decided to study the system.
"Are you always in my mind?" Su Zhiruan heard the system's voice. While massaging her knee, she asked, "Will you appear whenever I call you?"
[Not exactly, Host. Besides the Newbie Gift Package, the system has no Golden Finger to gift to the host. Its functionality isn't strong, mostly dormant in your consciousness]
[Your performance just now perfectly blended into this world. You have strong adaptability]
[Previous hosts have tried various methods to garner the favor of children of the plane, including openly challenging imperial authority, drugging and seducing, and revealing the system only to be treated as a Monster. It's unexpected that you chose to follow the original plot]
"I used to be just an ordinary worker; getting by as circumstances demand was what I did best. Of course, there's another important reason – which is the most fundamental," Su Zhiruan's voice was soft, arousing the system's curiosity.
"If I had started off as the Emperor, maybe I could have acted with the authority of an Emperor. But right now, I'm just an insignificant and plain palace maid," she smirked, not waiting for the system to respond before she lay down on her bed, "Being a personal palace maid to the Emperor allows for a closer proximity than a concubine could. Slow and steady."
The system nodded in agreement.
As the saying goes, it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mouse.
Although this Su Zhiruan seemed ordinary and preferred to take it easy, as long as she completed the task, she would be the angelic Host Lady in its eyes.