The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Hua Manman left the Prince Mansion with Si Yun and took a carriage to the palace gates.

She showed her Token to the guards at the gate. The guards immediately became much more polite and asked her purpose for entering the palace.

Hua Manman answered truthfully.

"I wish to see Hua Jieyu. She is my sister."

The guards were in a difficult position. According to the rules, women of the inner palace were not allowed to meet outsiders casually. But Lady Hua held an imperial Token, so they did not dare to be disrespectful.

Unable to make a decision, they could only report the matter up the chain of command.

The news passed through several layers of bureaucracy before finally reaching Zuo Ji’s ears. As it happened, the Emperor was not busy at the moment, so Zuo Ji reported the matter to him.

The Emperor had some recollection of Lady Hua and learned that she had come to the palace to see her sister.

Seeing their deep sisterly bond, the Emperor was rather appreciative. He did not object, but simply nodded and gave his permission.

With the Emperor’s nod, the rest was easy.

Hua Manman and Si Yun proceeded unimpeded to the Moon Viewing Pavilion.

Hua Jieyu now lived here.

Hua Qingqing was pleasantly surprised to learn that her younger sister had come to the palace to see her.

She didn’t even bother to comb her hair or change, running out directly in her loose-fitting, casual housedress.

The moment she saw Hua Manman, Hua Qingqing felt a prickling in her nose, on the verge of tears.

She had only been in the palace for a few months, but in that short time, she had already come to deeply understand the bitter sorrow of living deep within the inner palace with no one to rely on.

"Second Sister, you... why are you here?"

Si Yun knew the sisters had much to say after their long separation, so she tactfully withdrew.

Hua Manman deliberately huffed.

"I’ll come if I want to. You can’t stop me!"

Seeing her sister’s awkward little pout, Hua Qingqing temporarily forgot her sorrow and couldn’t help but laugh.

Hua Manman grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What are you laughing at?"

In Hua Qingqing’s eyes, although her second sister was sharp-tongued and a bit awkward, she was very kind-hearted.

Not like the women in the palace, who all appeared gentle as water but were, in secret, more ruthless than the last.

Hua Qingqing smiled and said, "It’s nothing. Please, sit."

Hua Manman plopped down onto the low couch with a swagger, her eyes darting around.

The Moon Viewing Pavilion wasn’t large, but it was tidied up elegantly.

Hua Qingqing spoke as she brewed tea for her.

"This is a floral tea I made myself. See if you like it."

Hua Manman took a sip. The tea was fragrant and carried a hint of sweetness. She quite liked it and couldn’t resist another sip, but she still put on a look of disdain.

"It’s not good at all!"

Seeing this, Hua Qingqing smiled again. Without exposing her sister’s act, she called Xi Xiang in, handed her a few pieces of broken silver, and instructed her in a low voice.

"Go to the Imperial Kitchen and bring back some pastries. Make sure they’re fresh."

Xi Xiang nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

There were many rules in the palace. Even the daily food allowances for the Concubines were strictly allocated.

For a Concubine, due to her lower rank, there were no extra fruits or pastries provided beyond her three daily meals.

As for things like a private kitchen, that was even more out of the question.

Therefore, if low-ranking Concubines in the palace wanted to eat something nice, they had to spend their own money to buy it.

Money makes the world go round; that truth was universal.

Hua Qingqing looked at her second sister again and asked curiously.

"Why did you suddenly come to the palace? Did something happen at home?"

"Grandmother is very worried about you. She specifically asked me to come and see how you’re doing."

At this, Hua Manman deliberately pouted and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Grandmother only ever thinks of you. She’s so biased!"

Hua Qingqing thought of the grandmother who had doted on her since childhood, and her heart filled with longing. It was a pity the palace walls were too high. She couldn’t fly out, unable to see her grandmother even once more.

She said in a soft, quiet voice.

"I’m doing well in the palace. Tell Grandmother not to worry. By the way, how is her illness? Has it gotten any better?"

Hua Manman didn’t know if she should tell the truth.

Seeing her hesitation, Hua Qingqing immediately grew anxious. "Did Grandmother’s condition worsen? Tell me the truth, quickly!"

After much hesitation, Hua Manman decided to tell the truth.

"Yes, Grandmother’s condition has indeed worsened."

’If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want someone to hide the news of a loved one’s grave illness from me.’

’Even if I knew I couldn’t do anything to help, at least I shouldn’t be kept completely in the dark.’

Hua Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then she shot to her feet, her eyes red as she murmured.

"Grandmother... Grandmother, she..."

Fearing she might do something foolish in the heat of the moment, Hua Manman quickly reached out and grabbed her.

"What are you doing? I only heard that Grandmother was gravely ill. I’m not sure how serious it is. Maybe there’s still hope. Don’t jump to conclusions."

Hua Qingqing choked back a sob.

"Last night I had a dream. I dreamt that Grandmother was crying to me.

She said she was leaving and wanted to see me one last time.

I thought it was just a dream.

But now it seems it wasn’t a dream. It was a warning from the heavens.

If I don’t go back now, I’ll never see Grandmother again!"

Hua Manman remembered that when she read *Palace Intrigue*, there was a similar plot point about a dream. Hua Qingqing saw her grandmother in a dream, thought it was just a dream, felt sad for a while after waking up, and then forgot about it.

But unexpectedly, in the end, her grandmother really did pass away.

By the time Hua Qingqing got the news and rushed home, all she saw was a cold, unfeeling coffin.

She hadn’t even been able to see her grandmother one last time.

Recalling the scene in the original text where the female lead knelt before the memorial altar, crying her heart out, Hua Manman’s hand loosened its grip unconsciously.

’If I put myself in that situation, if I couldn’t see my own grandmother one last time, how devastated would I be?’

’It would be a huge regret that I could never get over for the rest of my life.’

At the same time, a long-unheard system notification suddenly rang in Hua Manman’s mind—

"BEEP! The host has successfully triggered an important main storyline mission!"

Hua Manman’s heart sank. She immediately had a very bad feeling.

’This dogshit system always pops up at the most critical moments to cause trouble!’

This was followed by a long, mechanical voice from the system.

"Please prevent Hua Qingqing from returning home to visit her grandmother!"

"Mission time limit: one day. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with one lucky bag."

"If the host fails to complete the mission on time, the mission will be deemed a failure, and the host will receive the Heartbreak Penalty."

"Please do your best to complete the mission!"

...

Hua Manman nearly jumped up and started spewing profanities.

’That dogshit system is so inhuman, trying to dig a pit for me again!’

Given the deep bond between Hua Qingqing and her grandmother, if Hua Manman were to stop her from going home and cause her to miss seeing her grandmother one last time, Hua Qingqing would definitely hate Hua Manman to death!

’As everyone knows, people who oppose the female lead in a novel never have a good ending.’

’I’ve barely managed to survive until now. I’m not about to go court death!’

The system sensed her resistance and immediately issued a warning.

"Does the host wish to accept the punishment of having your heart twisted by a knife?"

The moment Hua Manman thought of that heart-wrenching pain that was worse than death, she immediately caved.