novelAbuy Chapter 7 Inspection, Zhang Mansion
Chapter 7 Inspection, Zhang Mansion
Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.
Thinking of this, Yin'e's heart began to beat faster.
He took a deep breath and, using his hand as a pen, wrote Kangxi's name on the page.
"Aisin-Gioro Xuanye".
The moment the words were written, the light on the page flickered a few times, and then lines of text appeared:
Target locked
[Target of surveillance: Aisin-Gioro Xuanye]
[Current Affection Level: ???]
[Unlock condition: The emperor possesses the aura of a true dragon; eavesdropping is not currently supported.]
[Note: The emperor's assessment of you is, "This son is best left unmentioned."]
Yin'e stared at the last line of text and remained silent for a full five seconds.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, "what do you mean by 'this son is best left unmentioned'?"
He originally thought that no matter how bad the original owner of this body was, he was still Kangxi's own son, and his father would at least give him some face.
The phrase "it's better not to mention it" clearly implies that it's embarrassing to bring it up, so it's better not to say it at all.
This is not just ordinary disappointment, it's utter surrender.
Yin'e felt something blocking his chest, he couldn't tell if it was anger or grievance.
Although he was a time traveler, the original body's memories and emotions influenced him to some extent.
That phrase, "Let's not talk about it," was like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, chilling me to the bone.
"Never mind," he waved his hand, suppressing the inexplicable emotion. "If Kang Mazi doesn't like me, then let's try the Crown Prince."
He picked up his pen again and wrote "Aisin Gioro Yinreng".
Target locked
[Target of surveillance: Aisin-Gioro Yinreng]
[Current Affection Level: ???]
[Unlock condition: The Crown Prince is protected by the Eastern Palace barrier; eavesdropping is not currently supported.]
[Note: The Crown Prince's assessment of you is "a tail of the Eighth Prince's faction, not worth mentioning."]
"Not worth mentioning."
Yin'e chewed on those three words, tasting a strong sense of contempt.
If Kangxi's "Let's not mention it" was a sign of disappointment, then the Crown Prince's "Not worth mentioning" was a blatant expression of contempt.
In the Crown Prince's eyes, he wasn't even a rival; he was just a tail trailing behind the Eighth Prince's faction, dispensable and not worth mentioning.
"Good, good, good." Yin'e said "good" three times, but his expression grew colder and colder.
He now understands completely.
In Kangxi's eyes, he was a disgraceful son.
In the Crown Prince's eyes, he was an insignificant tail.
In Lao Ba's eyes, he was an obedient and useful stupid dog.
"So," he muttered to himself, "in everyone's eyes, I, Yin'e, am a joke."
He stared at the few lines of cold, hard text on the page, his heart churning with indescribable emotions.
There was anger, resentment, and grievance, but more than anything, there was a sense of frustration at being looked down upon.
He took a deep breath and suppressed those emotions little by little.
"It's okay. Those who look down on me now will regret it later."
He continued writing down the names of the Ninth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince.
[Target of surveillance: Aisin-Gioro Yinzhen]
Current favorability level: 42.6 (Friendly)
[Listening distance: 30 meters, unobstructed]
[Hint: His "friendliness" towards you depends entirely on Lao Ba's attitude towards you; otherwise, you're nothing in Jiu Ge's eyes.]
[Target of surveillance: Aisin Gioro Yinzhen]
Current favorability level: 39.4 (Friendly)
[Listening distance: 20 meters, unobstructed]
[Hint: In his heart, you're just a brother he grew up with.]
Yin'e looked at these lines of text and sighed.
"That's really disheartening."
In Lao Jiu's eyes, he was Lao Ba's appendage, not even as good as a dog.
In Lao Shisi's eyes, he was just a childhood playmate, someone he couldn't trust or respect.
He suddenly noticed a detail.
Favorability ratings seem to be based on decimal units.
老八从40.3掉到39.9，老九42.6，老十四39.4，都在30到50这个区间徘徊。
In other words, his status in the hearts of these "brothers" was barely passing, not even "good".
"If I could get a resolution of 50 or higher, the listening distance would probably double, right?" he wondered. "What about 80 or higher? 100? Would I be able to hear what they're thinking?"
Thinking about this, he suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for the possibilities of the future.
Although he is facing setbacks everywhere and everyone looks down on him, at least he has a trump card that no one else has.
As long as he can gradually increase his favorability with certain key figures, he can learn their secrets and gain the upper hand in this game.
"Who should I start with?" He closed his eyes and pondered in his mind.
We can't make any rash moves against Lao Ba for now. His favorability has already dropped, and if it drops any further, we might not even be able to maintain the 20-meter listening distance.
The Ninth Brother is a fence-sitter; his favorability depends entirely on the Eighth Brother. So, trying to win over the Ninth Brother is the same as trying to win over the Eighth Brother, and it's not going to work for now.
The fourteenth brother is someone worth trying to win over. Although he only has a score of 39.4, the description of him as a "brother who grew up together" at least shows that he still has some emotional connection with the original owner and is not entirely using the relationship.
"And..." he suddenly opened his eyes, "what about the ministers in the court?"
Zhang Tingyu, Tong Guowei, Ma Qi, Li Guangdi… these people, while not as valuable as those who eavesdropped on Kangxi and the Crown Prince, at least allowed me to keep track of the slightest movements in the court.”
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Although the surveillance system has many limitations, as long as he chooses the right target and proceeds step by step, he can eventually build his own intelligence network.
At that time, he will know exactly who is plotting against him and what they are secretly planning.
"This is the right way to use a cheat system." He smiled slightly, revealing a barely perceptible hint of amusement.
Just as he was engrossed in his plans, the sedan chair suddenly lurched violently before coming to a steady stop.
The curtain was lifted, and Yin De's head peeked in.
"Tenth Master, we're home."
Yin'e snapped out of his daze and flung his hand away.
The movie "Overheard" quickly disappeared into the air.
He straightened his clothes, then responded and stepped out of the sedan chair.
A night breeze swept over me, carrying a hint of coolness.
He looked up at the sky; the dark clouds had not yet dispersed, but he could vaguely see the faint moonlight shining through behind them.
He strode towards the gate of the mansion, with Yin De following closely behind, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
"Speak your mind," Yin'e said without turning his head.
Yin De hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Tenth Master, today at Eighth Prince's residence... I noticed you didn't look well when you came out. Was it because Eighth Prince and the others...?"
"It's nothing," Yin'e waved his hand, "I'm just a little tired."
He paused, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Yin De.
"Yinde," he said, "how many years have you been in my household?"
Yin De was taken aback, then quickly replied, "Reporting to Tenth Master, it has been eight years."
"Eight years." Yin'e nodded. "That's not a short time. I know how loyal you are to me."
Yin De was flattered and quickly bowed, saying, "This servant dares not accept such praise; it is only this servant's duty."
Yin'e chuckled.
"These days, it's rare to find someone who can do their job well."
"Go and tear down that theater for me tomorrow."
"Sir, are we not going to renovate this theater? Didn't you say you wanted to invite the Emperor over for your birthday?"
"I'm not going to repair it. Go and inspect the remaining wood and stone. I have a use for them."