Chapter 542: Chapter-542
The blue holographic lion floated above the carriage table, its pixelated ears drooping entirely. It looked utterly defeated.
[In all the data logs I possess...] the System whispered, its digital voice laced with genuine sorrow, [so many souls actively wish to be transmigrated into this exact era. They want to become the pampered wives of powerful ancient nobles, princes, and ministers. I never... I never thought the reality was this bad.]
Heena leaned her head against the velvet carriage wall, resting her chin on her hand. She merely shrugged her shoulders, her expression completely detached.
"The ancient era isn’t a nightmare simply because it lacks modern technology," Heena said calmly, watching the capital citizens go about their day through the slatted window. "It is a nightmare because the education and the core valuation of human life are so fundamentally degraded."
She turned her gaze back to the glowing AI, her eyes devoid of any romantic illusions.
"The women here are not treated as human beings, System. They are treated as political pawns. They are breeding tools to secure bloodlines, and decorative trophies to hang on their husbands’ arms. For the vast majority of women in this society, being slapped, abused, or entirely neglected is considered perfectly fine, as long as they do not get a divorce or stain the precious family name."
Heena let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"Just think about the absolute hypocrisy. When a man cheats and brings a dozen concubines into his estate, society tells the wife to ’just take it in’ and be a generous, accommodating madam. But when a woman is even rumored to have looked at another man? They literally hang her in the public square. When the Emperor decides a concubine has done something wrong, his ’benevolent gift’ to her is a white silk rope and a cup of poisoned wine so she can quietly execute herself."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping into a harsh, uncompromising reality check.
"Do you truly think this is what a beautiful, romantic fantasy looks like? It is only because the women in this era look so elegant on the outside—dressed in their expensive silks and jade hairpins—that people completely forget to look at the rotting cage they are trapped inside."
Heena thought of the Prime Minister standing on the jade terrace, looking like an ethereal immortal descended from the heavens.
"Just look at the Prime Minister," Heena scoffed. "That bastard is so astronomically handsome and perfectly cultured that practically any noble girl in the capital would happily volunteer to marry him. They are blinded by the beautiful packaging. But as for the absolute monster hiding beneath that green silk? No one will ever dare say a single word."
The System’s core processor hummed as it processed her words. It finally understood the sociology of the era, but its logic circuits were still snagged on one glaring flaw.
[Wait, Host. I have a question,] the System interjected, tilting its head. [Both times, such a massive tragedy happened. The sudden deaths of a Prime Minister’s wives are huge events. How is it that absolutely no one in the capital knows the truth? Doesn’t this era survive on gossip? People love to listen to rumors and spread them!]
Heena looked at the naive AI and offered a cold, entirely cynical smile.
"Rumors only spread when you are not powerful enough to crush them," Heena corrected sharply.
She poured herself another cup of water, her movements flawlessly composed.
"You think their families didn’t know? You think they didn’t suspect?" Heena sneered. "The families of the first and second wives absolutely knew something was wrong. But they kept their mouths firmly shut. Why? Because the Prime Minister paid them in the currency of power."
She tapped her finger against the wooden table, laying out the brutal politics of grief.
"The Prime Minister ensured that the brothers and cousins of both dead wives were heavily compensated. Right now, the male relatives of those two murdered girls are comfortably sitting as high-ranking officers in various Ministry offices. And to those patriarchal families... trading the life of one useless, expendable sister in exchange for generations of official government salaries was a perfectly acceptable transaction."
[They sold their daughters’ justice for promotions...] the System realized, horrified.
"Exactly," Heena nodded. "As for the rest of the capital? The rival nobles and the civil scholars? You can only spread a rumor when it benefits you, and when you can survive the backlash. When the second wife died, the common people did not suddenly start calling him a ’Wife Killer’ because it is far too easy to die for speaking out of turn. There are incredibly powerful political forces backing him now."
Heena looked back out the window as the heavy gates of the Vanguard estate finally came into view.
"Does the royal court know the deaths of his wives are highly suspicious?" Heena murmured, her eyes narrowing into cold, lethal slits. "Of course they do. Every intelligent politician in that courtroom knows exactly what he is. But so what? The truth does not matter if no one has the power to enforce it. If someone actually has the guts to call him a serial killer... they have to walk right up to his smiling face, say it in front of the entire civil court, and actively prove it".
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The blue holographic lion sighed, its digital shoulders slumping heavily in the air.
[Ah...] the System murmured, its voice entirely stripped of its usual upbeat energy. [This world is really hard on women.]
Heena shook her head, her gaze remaining fixed on the bustling streets outside the carriage window.
"Not only on women," Heena corrected quietly. "It is hard on men, too. It is hard on the poor, the sick, and the orphaned. The absolute truth of this era is that if you do not possess the knowledge to see the traps, and the power to stand on your own two feet... this world will simply tear you to pieces and eat you alive, regardless of who you are."
The System processed her words. The sadness in its digital eyes slowly morphed into something else. The blue light flared, burning with a sudden, fierce, and highly uncharacteristic determination. It floated right up to her face, throwing a tiny holographic punch into the air like a tiny warrior ready for battle.
[So, Host!] the System cheered, completely fired up. [Are we going to punish this damn Prime Minister? Are we going to expose him and tear his political faction to the ground?!]
"No," Heena replied.
The word was swift, flat, and completely devoid of hesitation.
The System froze mid-punch, its battle-ready expression instantly glitching into sheer, unadulterated confusion.
[...Excuse me?] the System squeaked.
Heena finally turned away from the window, looking at the dumbfounded AI with a perfectly calm expression. "No. We are not doing anything like that."
The System’s jaw practically hit the wooden table of the carriage.
[But why?!] the System demanded, buzzing frantically around her head. [You just showed me the absolute horrors he committed! You know that bastard is an irredeemable piece of trash! Aren’t you usually the one who punishes these types of people? We should go kill him, or poison his tea, or ruin his reputation!]
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