Chapter 13

Yan Yiming was unaware of the conversation between Nan Gongye and the Empress in the palace. She was more concerned about the rising favorability of Nan Gongxuan.
At this moment, just about half a quarter of an hour after the steward had left, there was only one reason for Nan Gongxuan's emotional fluctuation and the increase in his favorability: the steward must have relayed her words exactly as she had said them. If the steward had been particularly skilled, he might have even embellished the story, perhaps claiming that Yan Yiming had disdainfully dismissed the Crown Prince's concern or that she was shamelessly trying to sedge the Fifth Prince.
Another five percentage points had been added all at once. Yan Yiming could easily imagine just how furious Nan Gongxuan must be at this moment.
So, men were just like that, especially someone like Nan Gongxuan, who held himself so high and never regarded anyone with importance. Even the most casual praise from him could make countless people weep with gratitude.
No one had ever dared to defy him, let alone Yan Yiming, who had once admired him so deeply.
Back when Yan Yiming had chased after him every day, Nan Gongxuan hadn't given her a second glance. Now that she no longer followed him but instead chose to stay by another's side, it seemed Nan Gongxuan had finally realized that there had once been such a person around him.
Angry as he was, his favorability had still risen. More accurately, Nan Gongxuan had finally come to realize that he actually liked Yan Yiming.
Sixty percent was a critical point, but Nan Gongxuan's favorability toward Jian Yu'er was currently at seventy percent. Now that Yan Yiming's favorability had also reached this level, it meant she now had the ability to compete with Jian Yu'er.
Little A nervously monitored Nan Gongxuan's emotional fluctuations until they finally began to settle down. Letting out a long sigh of relief, it marveled at the sudden surge in favorability, exclaiming inwardly how thrilling it was.
“So, should we continue to provoke Nan Gongxuan?”
“Of course, but we're only a little bit away now.”
Little A humbly asked, “And after that little bit?”
“An unexpected twist is indeed good, but if we keep provoking him relentlessly, it might backfire and do more harm than good. Nan Gongxuan is too proud and possessive, which is why our methods have been so effective. But if we don't know when to stop, there are only two possible outcomes: he'll lose interest or even grow disgusted, or he'll fly into a rage and have me killed outright.”
Little A couldn't help but shudder. Yan Yiming chuckled and continued, “So, to keep him constantly intrigued, it's not enough to just show dislike. At the right moments, we need to show a little affection too. You have to make him feel that you like him and yet don't, keeping him guessing and unable to grasp your true feelings, that's how to maintain the freshness.”
So, after consistently showing dislike and reaching the peak of that effect, Yan Yiming would then pull off a dramatic reversal?
Damn, that's even more thrilling than before!
Little A was stunned, letting its imagination run wild about the future scenarios. It could only sigh in admiration at Yan Yiming's skill in playing the game, but...
It asked with a hint of melancholy, “Won't Nan Gongye be driven to tears by this?”
Lately, Yan Yiming had spent quite a bit of time with Nan Gongye. Little A, following closely behind her, had been observing up close and had recently grown quite fond of the little wolf dog.
For Nan Gongye, this process would undoubtedly feel unfair no matter what, but for the sake of the mission, Yan Yiming had no other choice. Temporarily setting aside Nan Gongye, Yan Yiming asked Little A how many diamonds she had saved up recently.
“Right now, it's 444.”
Yan Yiming twitched her lips, trying her best to ignore the inauspicious number. “That's a bit low, not even enough for an eleven-draw.”
‘Power and Majesty’ was a gacha game, and drawing cards wasn't something you could do as you pleased.
Drawing cards required diamonds. Every 100 diamonds saved allowed for one draw, but if you saved up 1,000 diamonds for a ten-draw, you would get an extra card with a guaranteed SR card. Generally, most players opted for the 1,000-diamond eleven-draw.
Little A glanced at the diamond count and reminded Yan Yiming, “Even if you wanted to draw now, you couldn't. You have to wait until this card is fully completed. Besides, why can't you draw? You can draw four times! As the saying goes, 'single draws bring miracles!'“
Yan Yiming flatly refused, “There is no miracles for me. Forget it, this isn't urgent. 440 would be one thing, but why 444? Where did the odd number come from?”
Where did diamonds come from? Pay-to-win players spent money, free-to-play players grinded, but someone like Yan Yiming could only rely on progressing through the storyline. Completing key plot points would grant corresponding diamond rewards, and every increase in favorability would also yield rewards. Once a card's favorability reached its maximum, meaning the card was fully completed, there would be additional rewards.
All of these were fixed rewards, and the diamond amounts were always whole numbers. For example, every 10% increase in favorability gave 50 diamonds, and every completed plot point gave 30. So how did it end up as 444?
“Because there are extra rewards!”
Extra rewards? Yan Yiming motioned for Little A to continue.
Little A thought for a moment and organized her words. “You know that Jian Yu'er is a bit of a do-gooder, right? She goes around helping people wherever she goes.”
“Of course I know. If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have picked up Jiang Yi when they were kids, making him remember her all these years.”
“Exactly!” Little A was pleased that Yan Yiming understood so quickly. “In the game, every time Jian Yu'er helps someone, she gets diamond rewards. It's the same for you, well, not exactly the same. You also have to help people, but it doesn't count if you help just anyone. You have to help the characters in the game, meaning Jian Yu'er and the four male leads, to get extra rewards.”
Yan Yiming was baffled. “When have I ever helped them?”
“Of course you have! According to the original plot, on the fourth day after Jian Yu'er came to the Yan residence to apologize, she would have sprained her ankle. But because you met her and changed the timing, the brick that would have caused her to sprain her ankle was fixed, preventing her injury. So the system granted you 24 diamonds as a reward.”
Yan Yiming: “...”
Yan Yiming truly didn't know what expression to make. It was rare for her to be left speechless like this.
So in order to draw cards in the future, Yan Yiming still had to find ways to get closer to Jian Yu'er and the four male leads.
She had to advance ten diamonds to check the exact times Jian Yu'er would be out and about recently. When Nan Gongye mentioned going to a teahouse for tea, she chose a location near where Jian Yu'er would pass by.
These past couple of days, Nan Gongye had been visiting Yan Yiming less frequently. According to Yan Yiqi, since Nan Gongye was young and the Empress's son, the Emperor doted on him excessively. Even though the Sixth Prince, who was the same age, had already begun participating in court affairs, Nan Gongye still did as he pleased.
To put it bluntly, if Nan Gongye felt happy or bored, he might do some work.
But recently, for some reason, the Emperor suddenly declared that Nan Gongye was no longer a child and began involving him in court politics. As a result, the time he could spend playing with Yan Yiming had drastically decreased.
The timing was just too coincidental, making Yan Yiming suspect that Nan Gongxuan was behind it.
However, upon second thought, participating in court affairs was more beneficial than harmful for Nan Gongye. If he could accomplish a thing or two, his princely title could be confirmed sooner.
After all, Nan Gongye was Nan Gongxuan's only full brother, so he would naturally not harm him.
By the time Yan Yiming arrived at the teahouse, Nan Gongye hadn't shown up yet. Yan Yiming called for Lu Mei and sent her out to buy some things, then leaned back in her chair to enjoy the scenery.
The teahouse was exquisitely and uniquely designed. In the main hall on the first floor, there was a calligraphy piece by the current Grand Tutor, and many talented scholars of the capital had also left their own writings. The second floor was quieter and more luxurious than the first, mostly frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles who preferred not to be seen. When Yan Yiming went upstairs earlier, she had even run into a few young ladies who had gathered for tea.
At that moment, while marveling at how open-minded Chenxia was, Yan Yiming listened as Little A vividly relayed the conversation of the noble young ladies two rooms away.
Back when Lady Yan had publicly confessed her feelings to the Crown Prince, while some admired her, more looked down on her behavior.
If a woman liked someone, she could have her family send a matchmaker to propose. No one had ever seen someone like Yan Yiming, who boldly declared her love without any restraint.
At the time, this incident sparked heated debates among scholars. Some praised Yan Yiming for breaking free from convention and daring to express her love, while others scorned her for being shameless and immodest.
Yan Yiming hadn't experienced the intense debates of that time, but now, listening to the chattering discussions of the young ladies, she found it quite amusing.
For example, that Miss Li, who had just greeted her affectionately as “Sister Yan,” was now waving her handkerchief and sneering, saying that Yan Yiming had brought shame upon the Ding Duke's residence and that the old face of the Duke had been utterly disgraced by her.
And that other young lady, who had earlier acted dignified and aloof, was now chattering nonstop in a delicate yet incessant voice, “Back then, the suitors for the Ding Duke's residence nearly wore out the doorstep. Now, who would dare to marry her? What's even more ridiculous is that she chases after the Crown Prince every day, and he never pays her any attention. I heard that last year, the Empress even brought it up, but the Crown Prince personally rejected it.”
Someone else asked, “Then who could Yan Yiming possibly marry in the future?”
The same Miss Li who had spoken earlier sneered, “She said herself that she would marry no one but the Crown Prince.”
After saying this, all the young ladies burst into laughter, with Miss Li laughing particularly joyfully. “Of course, other families in the capital look down on her, but she is, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ding and the number one beauty in the capital. If she can't be the principal consort, there's always the position of secondary consort. Who knows, she might actually agree just for the chance to marry His Highness the Crown Prince...”
“Then who do you think Yan Yiming is waiting for today? His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“How could that be? His Highness doesn’t have that kind of free time. Could it be she’s alone?”
“If she’s alone, she might as well stay home and have tea. Don’t tell me His Highness has finally given up on her and she’s meeting someone else?”
“We’ll find out when we bring the tea over later...”
The chatter suddenly quieted down, and Little A instantly stopped relaying the conversation. The door creaked open, and Nan Gongye strode in with his long legs. Dressed in dark robes, his handsome features stood out even more strikingly. His cold expression melted away the moment he saw Yan Yiming. He walked slowly over to her, smiling as he looked at her, his voice carrying a childlike, coquettish intimacy as he asked,
“Her Majesty detained me for half an hour, which is why I’m a bit late. Are you upset with me, A’Ming?”