Gu Xingzhao quickly moved closer to take a look, confirming that the content was indeed about the Wu Zetian she knew. It dawned on her that the princess wasn’t reading the books Lu Qing had specifically requested but rather the ones the store had included as freebies.

When she initially glanced through them, she noticed there were no novels among the free books, so she didn’t bother to delete them, thinking it would be too troublesome.

But who would’ve thought such a big bug would be hidden in there? This was a close call!

At this moment, the title displayed at the top of the e-reader was “The Complete Chinese Emperors.”

The princess was reading intently, clearly very interested in the book, which detailed the achievements and faults of over three hundred Chinese emperors throughout their lives in governance. Despite her curiosity, she had many questions.

Gu Xingzhao felt a cold sweat forming on her forehead, her pulse quickening: This shopkeeper really knew how to pick them.

She pondered whether she should retrieve the e-reader and delete these extra books, considering it was indeed inappropriate to have such books in ancient times. But the princess was already reading—would it be wrong to take it back now?

After much internal debate, Gu Xingzhao decided not to take the e-reader away. Well, she thought, it’s just a girl who hasn’t even turned sixteen yet—no harm in letting her read it.

Glancing at the time, she realized it was getting late and decided to return to the modern world for a shower, planning to come back later to retrieve the tables.

Meanwhile, Lu Qing entered the tent only to find that his younger son wasn’t there. He immediately went out to search and finally found him after a while.

Lu Xingyan, with his hat pulled down, was leaning against a tree trunk. Seeing his father approach, he looked slightly surprised. “Father?”

Isn’t Father supposed to be teaching the princess and Youtang how to read at this time?

Lu Qing handed the medicine bottle to his son, “I only found out from the Ancestor earlier that you haven’t been feeling well.”

Lu Xingyan was slightly stunned and looked down at the bottle, realizing it was from the Ancestor. A warmth spread through his heart, and he tightly grasped the bottle. “It’s just a bit of fatigue. Nothing serious.”

Lu Qing wasn’t easily fooled. If the Ancestor had noticed, it couldn’t be just simple fatigue. Judging by the Ancestor’s gesture of sending such a precious medicine, it was clear how much his son was suffering.

“It’s my failure as a father,” Lu Qing sighed deeply, “I’ve brought hardship upon you all.”

He looked at his son with a heavy heart. “Tell me, was I wrong? If I had been more compliant with the emperor, our family wouldn’t have ended up in this state, and you wouldn’t have to endure these hardships.”

At that moment, the old man seemed a bit lost, unsure if he had made the right choices.

As a minister and a father, it seemed he hadn’t done well in either role.

Lu Xingyan grasped his father’s hand. “You’ve always put the people first. The fault lies not with you but with the lack of a wise ruler.”

He wasn’t good at offering comforting words but shared his own somewhat mature thoughts.

The previous emperor had been wise, which was why ministers like his father had served well. The current emperor was foolish, listening only to flatterers.

If everyone merely acted opportunistically, what would happen to the court, the local officials, and the people?

Lu Xingyan’s words struck a chord with Lu Qing. However, he knew that in this lifetime, he might never see the day their family’s name would be cleared. The Lu family would forever bear the stigma of disloyalty and treachery.

Seeing the medicine bottle in his son’s hand, Lu Qing suddenly remembered the Ancestor’s instructions. He urged his son, “Quickly take the medicine. The Ancestor emphasized that this is a very precious remedy.”

Lu Xingyan immediately unscrewed the cap, intending to pour the pill into his hand. However, the pill was too large and got stuck at the bottle’s mouth. He had to shake the bottle to get it out.

“Let me,” Lu Qing frowned, took the bottle from his son, and gave it a few forceful taps against his hand.

The pill finally dislodged but slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground!

For a moment, the night seemed eerily silent.

Lu Qing: “…”

His mind raced with the Ancestor’s words: The medicine is precious; make sure he takes it… The medicine… precious!

He picked up the pill from the ground, cleared his throat, and nonchalantly handed it back to his son, “Take it. Don’t let the Ancestor’s efforts go to waste.”

Lu Xingyan: “…”

Back in the modern world, Gu Xingzhao took a hot shower, feeling relaxed as she settled on the sofa with her phone.

Opening WeChat, she saw several notifications for bank deductions.

• Transmission tax: 2,388 yuan.
• System Mall purchase: 199,999 yuan.
• Projection feature monthly renewal: 13,298 yuan.

“Hmm…”

She picked up her water cup and took a sip, only to spit it out immediately upon seeing the last deduction!

“Pfft!??? What the hell?!”

Gu Xingzhao stared at the last notification for a solid two minutes before yelling, “System, get out here! Why did something cost me thirteen thousand yuan?!”

[Host, you activated the projection feature with a continuous monthly subscription a month ago, allowing you to project ancient figures to the modern world 24 hours a day. The first month’s trial price was 298 yuan/month. The trial has now ended, and the regular monthly fee of 13,298 yuan has been charged.]

Gu Xingzhao ground her teeth. This was an absolute rip-off!

Who in their right mind would have such a huge price difference between the trial and the regular subscription fee?!

She tried to negotiate with the system calmly, “System, I haven’t even started using it after the deduction. Can you cancel it and give me a refund?”

The system’s voice was cold and unyielding, [Apologies, but once the membership fee is deducted, it is non-refundable. Canceling the service now would require you to pay the full month’s fee as a penalty. You would not be able to use the projection feature during the cancellation period, and the cancellation would only take effect on the first of the next month. Would you like to proceed with the cancellation?]

Gu Xingzhao felt like cursing. The system basically meant that canceling now would count as a breach of contract. She wouldn’t get a refund and wouldn’t be able to use the projection feature for the rest of the month!
This was a scam, a complete scam.

How could she have forgotten something so important? She had planned to cancel at the end of the month, but it had slipped her mind, leading to this automatic renewal.

She would never forget this number: 13,298.

Gu Xingzhao: No way!

She immediately activated the projection feature, determined to use it 24 hours a day for the rest of the month to get her money’s worth.

As soon as the projection feature was turned on, she saw Lu Qing drop the pill on the ground, and both men stood frozen for a long moment.

Gu Xingzhao also froze. Nineteen thousand… That was nineteen thousand!

She watched as Lu Qing casually picked up the pill from the ground and placed it in his son’s hand, saying, “Take it. Don’t let the Ancestor’s efforts go to waste.”

Lu Xingyan hesitated for a moment, then, under his father’s watchful gaze, put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it down.

Lu Qing, still worried, took his son’s hand and checked it repeatedly, even making him open his mouth to ensure the pill had been swallowed.

After all, it was a pill the Ancestor had emphasized as highly valuable.

Just as she had feared, Gu Xingzhao sighed silently: “…”

You really didn’t have to be so honest… You could’ve just rinsed it with some water.