After several months, System 55 once again walked into the lobby of the Administration.

The little system was crying, refusing to look at the screen.

Even without looking, he knew Bai Yu's score must be a disastrous sight to behold.

Dragging out a process that was supposed to result in a rapid exit into several years, giving the little cat kisses, hugs, and lifting him high in the air—the only "abuse" being getting stitches and being fed medicine—and deceiving the Duke so thoroughly that he couldn't tell north from south, eagerly rushing to become his wife. If the score could still be high after all that, the scoring system was definitely broken.

But System 55 had to admit that he couldn't bring himself to do it either. Heaven knew that when Bai Yu approached the little cat with a cold expression while holding a needle, his electronic heart almost stopped beating.

The Main Brain looked at him gently: "Alright, System 55, this is the third time you've barely passed."

System 55: "QAQ"

Feeling utterly down, he floated dejectedly in the lobby, looking as if he was going to burst into tears the next second: "I'm sorry, Lord Main Brain, I've disappointed you."

Hearing this, the Main Brain slowly sighed and comforted him, "I can't blame you."

"I chose Bai Yu. I didn't look closely at his resume; that was my problem. This novel was locked, so the full plot couldn't be seen. I also shouldn't have assigned it to a newcomer; I should have chosen a system that had taken on more missions."

System 55: "QAQ"

Even though the Main Brain was comforting him, it only made him want to cry more.

System 55 forcefully held back his sad feelings and cheered up: "Lord Main Brain, please assign me the next mission! I will do it well."

"Mhm." The Main Brain nodded as countless streams of data flashed across the screen. Looking at the extremely depressed little system, he carefully made a selection: "How about this one? It's a novel where an NPC is reborn. The difficulty is very low; it can be considered a vacation-type mission. And your host is the NPC himself."

When a system wanted to rest but didn't want to do absolutely nothing, they could choose a minor vacation-type mission. It required no real operation or skill level, just easy and pleasant work.

This kind of mission wasn't originally meant to be assigned to newcomers, but rather to exhausted veteran systems. However, the Main Brain judged that System 55 desperately needed a little achievement to boost his confidence, so he deliberately picked a simple one.

System 55's dim screen lit up bit by bit. He looked at the Main Brain expectantly: "The NPC himself?"

"Yes. Right at the beginning of the plot, this NPC is reborn. He had a grievance with the protagonist in his previous life, so he naturally harbors a monstrous hatred towards the protagonist, wishing he could eat his flesh and swallow his bones. You just need to give him appropriate plot guidance to ensure he hits the correct plot points, and he will smoothly complete the storyline."

The failures of the previous times were, fundamentally, due to the host's high affection level for the protagonist. For example, Bai Yu naturally liked the little cat and completely couldn't bear to abuse him. But if the host originally resented the protagonist, then it would be different.

Little stars appeared on System 55: "Who is it?"

The Main Brain spoke slowly, "The fourth emperor of Daqian, Xiao Shao."

"He utterly detests the novel's male protagonist and will complete the mission properly."

In the winter of the third year of Yongning, Xiao Shao dismounted from his horse, bypassed the mottled and graying side door, and stepped into Fuyou Temple.

Although named "Fuyou" for "Blessing", Fuyou Temple was actually a residence for imprisoning sinners. Usually, the main gate was kept tightly shut. Only when Xiao Shao arrived did a monk scurry forward with quick steps to unlock the temple gates.

There had been a light snowfall today. The snow, caught between melting and freezing, was trampled by black boots, crushing it into dark sludge.

Grand Eunuch Fu Dehai hurriedly grabbed an umbrella and held it over Xiao Shao's head, smiling apologetically. "It's cold and the roads are slippery. This place is remote, and the servants haven't had time to sweep the snow yet. Please take it slow, Your Majesty."

The temple was built mimicking the style of Jiangnan gardens, with white walls and dark tiles, and winding paths leading to secluded spots. A few plum blossom branches were planted in the corners of the walls. Xiao Shao strode through the connecting corridors, looking for this hidden small courtyard. He raised his hand and pushed the door. The old wooden door creaked, shaking off a bit of snow.

It was freezing cold everywhere, but this room was exceptionally cold. Just standing here for a brief moment was enough to make one shiver from the chill.

A lamp was lit in the room. A low bed sat in the corner, covered with a thin slate-blue quilt. The bedding was damp and could barely fend off the slightest chill. Looking closely, one could see a hint of raven-black hair peeking out from the quilt, tied loosely at the back of the head with a hairband of the same color.

Judging from the shape, it was actually a person.

And a beauty at that.

A beauty reduced to mere skin and bones, with wrists more fragile than the ribs of an umbrella, unable to withstand any further devastation, with only a few days left to live.

Hearing the sound, the person raised a pair of eyes. The shape of his eyes was beautiful, with the outer corners drooping slightly, inherently looking as though he were smiling yet not quite smiling. A teardrop mole adorned the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, his eyes were clouded over with white cataracts—he was blind.

However, this blind man looked toward where Xiao Shao stood without any hindrance. He struggled to support his body to a half-kneeling position, and then smiled. The teardrop mole lifted slightly with his movement, like a white crane spreading its wings, looking as though it were about to weep.

"In the dead of winter, why has Your Majesty left the palace and found your way here?"

Xiao Shao sat down at the only low table in the room. Hearing this, he sneered, "Naturally, to see how you die."

He looked the person on the bed up and down, saying playfully, "Director Qi was glorious in his time; did you ever think that one day, you would die here?"

Xiao Shao's appearance was exceedingly striking—wild and intense, exactly the look most favored by the noble ladies of the capital. Yet, as he heavily pressed down his brows at this moment, he exuded a measure of the unpredictable, imposing aura of an emperor.

For a moment, one could hear a pin drop in the room. Fu Dehai and the group of palace maids and eunuchs lowered their eyes, holding their breaths, none daring to make a reckless move.

This secluded temple in the northwest corner of the capital surprisingly held the powerful eunuch of the previous administration, the man who had controlled the winds and rain in the imperial court and whose word was absolute—Qi Yan, Director Qi.

Qi Yan supported his body, covered his lips, and coughed twice, smiling. "Your Majesty has a precious body. If you wanted to see how I die, you could have just ordered someone to carry me into the palace and place me before the hall for your viewing pleasure. Right now, there is an epidemic raging in the capital. For you to risk coming here through the snow just to watch this lackluster play of mine is hardly worth it."

He hadn't had hot water for a long time, so his throat was as rough as sandpaper, but his tone of speaking was slow and gentle, possessing a strange kind of tranquility.

Xiao Shao frowned, displeasure surging in his heart, though he smiled outwardly. "Since the Director can still joke with me, it seems this Fuyou Temple is a good place. A person like you should have been locked up in the Imperial Prison back then, and subjected to every single torture method there is—only that would have been a fitting match."

Qi Yan rested his head on his arm. This was a residence for sinners, so naturally, there were no pillows. His black hair draped limply on the ground, but he was too lazy to tidy it, only saying, "Then Your Majesty has come too late. With my current body, unless you enjoy whipping corpses, I'm afraid you won't be able to derive any pleasure from it."

He was right.

Qi Yan was gasping for his last breaths, only a step away from death. Let alone torture, even just carrying him to the Ministry of Justice would be enough to claim his life.

Xiao Shao: "What a pity. Qi Yan, do you know what my biggest regret is?"

He grabbed Qi Yan's chin with both hands, forcing him to look up, his fingertips leaving pale green bruises on the skin.

Xiao Shao paused after every word: "Back when we were selecting personal eunuchs, I should have chosen you one step ahead of my royal brother. I should have kept you by my side to torment you day after day, using whips and wooden boards to meticulously shatter every bone in your body, just to see if your mouth would still be as stubborn as it is today."

Qi Yan's eyes were already struggling to stay open. He let Xiao Shao grip his chin and smiled: "Just whips and boards? Your Majesty, then I beg of you, when selecting personal eunuchs..."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes, his last words turning into a murmur-like sigh: "Choose me..."

Xiao Shao's fingertips paused.

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

No one answered.

Qi Yan had already closed his eyes.

Amidst the sky full of wind and snow, the warm skin beneath his fingertips gradually turned ice-cold.

In the winter of the third year of Yongning, the sinner Qi Yan died at Fuyou Temple in the outskirts of the city.

Before he died, he left a letter pressed beneath his desk, wishing for his corpse to be burned to ashes and scattered across the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.

Xiao Shao stared expressionlessly at the letter for a moment and said, "Granted."

And so, the powerful eunuch who was once second only to one and above tens of thousands was burned to ashes. His name was sealed within the history books, becoming a past that no one cared about.

For the next sixteen years, Xiao Shao woke up early and slept late, working diligently on state affairs. However, in the middle of a certain severe winter, his life also came to a halt in his prime. On this day, Xiao Shao had a rare nightmare. He dreamed of that teardrop mole dotted on pale skin, like a drop of ink staining rice paper.

In his dream, he heard a strange melody.

"Abused Protagonist NPC System loading, 1%, 5%... 100%."

"Loading complete. System 55 at your service."

Xiao Shao: "?"

The voice exploded directly beside his ears, as if someone were talking inside his brain.

Xiao Shao did not believe in ghosts and spirits, but the tone of this voice was bizarre, devoid of any fluctuation, and interspersed with pauses and crackling sounds, just like something from beyond this world.

Then, someone asked softly by his ear, "Do you want to go back to the past?"

"Do you have unfulfilled regrets that you want to make up for?"

"Having died a sudden, unexpected death, do you want to extend your life and live to be 99?"

"Bind with System 55, complete the system's missions, and reach the pinnacle of life... ah no, you're already at the pinnacle, sorry."

System 55 wiped away non-existent cold sweat.

The emperor of Daqian should be considered the pinnacle, right?

"Host, please press your finger here to complete the agreement!"

Xiao Shao: "?"

Almost all emperors exhausted themselves in pursuit of immortality. Although Xiao Shao didn't care much for talk of ghosts and gods, no one could resist the temptation of living a second life. Death was a terrible thing. He pondered for a moment, raised his hand amidst a stretch of white light, and pressed his finger on the bottom right corner of the screen.

"Contract completed. The jump is about to begin. Please prepare yourself, Host. 3, 2, 1—"

A strange sound rang out, and large patches of color twisted and deformed before his eyes—

Rebirth complete.

The emperor raised his eyes and saw the bright and beautiful spring willows of the prince's residence.

The willow trees adorned the view outside his window, their branches gently swaying. It was as if he had suddenly awakened from an afternoon nap, his arm completely numb from being slept on.

Fu Dehai was waiting at the door.

He was a eunuch left behind by Xiao Shao's imperial mother and was later assigned to him. He could be considered an elder who had accompanied the emperor all the way to ascending the ultimate throne.

Xiao Shao held his aching forehead. "What time is it now?"

Fu Dehai pulled his outer coat tight and tied on a cloak for him, isolating the chill of early spring, before replying, "You slept for two shichen, it is already mid-afternoon."

Saying this, he skillfully began to massage Xiao Shao's numb arm. "Someone came from the Imperial Household Department. They said a new batch of eunuchs has finished their training and asked you to pick one that catches your eye. Will you go now, or should I tell them to wait?"

...

It was actually this exact time.

Xiao Shao raised an eyebrow, then immediately got out of bed and slipped on his shoes. "I'll go now."

If he was a step too late, Qi Yan would be picked by someone else, and he wouldn't be able to torment him.