Yue Fuguang continued to complain, "This place isn't just underdeveloped—it's completely undeveloped! Take food and transportation, for example. The same few dishes keep repeating, and there’s barely any seasoning. And those carriages—no basic shock absorption at all, not to mention the terrible roads. It’s unbearably bumpy. Forget airplanes that can travel thousands of miles a day or even trains that cover hundreds. Just give me a car that can manage a thousand miles a day!"

[Master, even if I gave you a car that could travel a thousand miles a day, the roads here are so poorly built that you’d barely make a few hundred. Covering a thousand or two in a day is impossible.]

"What if I could get them to build proper roads first? Wide, smooth roads would let me 'cross the seas by morning and reach the mountains by dusk.' Imagine having breakfast in the capital and dinner at the Taoist temple with Master Yuzhen—wouldn’t that be wonderful?"

Yue Fuguang dared to say this because the system’s marketplace actually had these things.

The merit system she was bound to didn’t restrict purchases based on the technological level of the world she was in.

In her marketplace, as long as she had enough points, she could buy anything—immortal pills and talismans from the cultivation world, modern society’s conveniences, even futuristic tech from the interstellar era.

Too bad she didn’t even have 300 points yet. All she could do was browse.

[Master, no one here would listen to a little girl like you. If you want to ride in a car for fun, you’re better off thinking about food.]

Speaking of food, Yue Fuguang spat out the bite of apple she’d just taken.

She frowned. "Ancient apples are just as awful as ever. I thought the ones in the palace might be better, but nope—same as the ones back home."

[Without improved cultivation methods, the taste shouldn’t be much different from what you had in your residence.]

"Little Pearl, since my mortal body can’t handle immortal realm food right now, at least get me something tasty from the mortal world. The stuff on this table is unbearable."

[Master, what would you like?] The system’s voice sounded like an attentive waiter.

"Start with some fruit—something with a mild scent so it doesn’t draw attention."

As she spoke, Yue Fuguang subtly glanced around, her expression like a mischievous child scouting for witnesses—utterly transparent yet oddly endearing.

Of course, no one who could hear her would dare peek in her direction.

And those who couldn’t hear her wouldn’t spare a glance for the Yu family’s neglected "adopted daughter."

The officials seated at the front pretended to toast and chat with colleagues, only occasionally letting their eyes flicker toward her.

Even the emperor’s closest advisors—the Grand Secretaries and the Six Ministers—had already begun raising their cups to His Majesty.

Oddly, among these powerful figures was Old Master Yu, a semi-retired official not particularly favored by the current emperor.

From a distance, it was clear that everyone from the emperor down treated Old Master Yu with unusual respect, their gazes practically glowing when they looked at him.

And why wouldn’t they? From afar, the changes weren’t as obvious, but up close, Yu Chongshan’s transformation was undeniable. He hadn’t exactly reversed aging, but his health had visibly improved.

Old Master Yu’s semi-retirement had been partly to make way for his three sons and partly due to declining health over the past year. Now, it seemed his ailments had vanished.

No doubt this was the effect of the divine artifact’s health-restoring pill.

Envy and jealousy were written all over the officials’ faces. While Old Master Yu secretly reveled in their reactions, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Thank goodness Little Seven had the divine artifact deliver the pill directly into their bodies. If it had been handed over in pill form, it would never have reached their mouths.

To outsiders, the lively exchange between the emperor and his ministers signaled that the banquet was finally settling into normalcy.

The Ministry of Rites officials discreetly wiped their brows. What a relief!

[There are hundreds of fruit varieties. Which would you like today?]

After a moment’s thought, Yue Fuguang listed, "Watermelon, mango, Hami melon, honey peach, cherries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate, lychee—and finish it off with some golden pillow durian."

[Master, durian’s smell is too strong. Let’s save that for when we’re back at the residence.]

"Fine. For the watermelon, I want Qilin melon. Mangoes—small Thai ones. Hami melon has to be from Hami. Peaches should be flat golden peaches. Cherries—big ones. Grapes, Sunshine Roses. Cream strawberries. Blueberries with a floral scent. Tunisian pomegranates and Guiwei lychees."

She rattled off her favorite fruits from modern times—affordable yet delicious.

[Master, should I put them all on the table? There might not be enough space.]

"Just a little of each for now. And set up an illusion array—I don’t want the people around me noticing my food is different."

Hearing the names of so many unfamiliar fruits—and specific varieties at that—even the emperor and empress dowager, who had tasted the finest delicacies in the world, nearly couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Yue Fuguang’s table.

Some even considered "accidentally" passing by on their way to the restroom. But upon hearing about the illusion array, their hopes dimmed—only for curiosity to flare even brighter.

They burned to know: if the divine artifact cast this so-called illusion array, would they truly see something different from what the Yu family’s seventh miss saw?

The urge to investigate grew stronger.

The ministers, still pretending to toast the emperor, stared at him pleadingly, hoping he’d assign someone to check.

Emperor Mingxi met their eager gazes. Did they think he wasn’t tempted to go himself?

But with all eyes on his every move, he had no choice but to relent. After a pause, his attention landed on Yu Chongshan.

Clearing his throat, the emperor murmured, "A grandfather checking on his granddaughter would seem more natural."

Though reluctant to admit it, the others had to agree. Aside from Old Master Yu, anyone else approaching would raise eyebrows.

Then Minister of Revenue Zheng Ziling spoke up: "Your Majesty, while Old Master Yu visiting under the pretense of freshening up would indeed appear more reasonable, having a familiar colleague accompany him would make it even more natural. This humble official volunteers to join him."

Emperor Mingxi considered Zheng’s words. They made sense. Though they all knew the Yu family’s seventh miss was extraordinary, others—including the girl herself—didn’t.

To outsiders, she was just a junior, and no family patriarch would single out one granddaughter for special attention—especially one so recently brought home, with no established bond.

At the thought of their lack of familiarity, the emperor shot Old Master Yu an amused look. The old man instantly understood, his heart heavy with regret. He’d blamed his sons, but hadn’t he failed her too?

"Very well. Minister Zheng shall accompany Old Master Yu. But be discreet."

"As Your Majesty commands!" The two bowed and withdrew.

Descending from the dais, they exchanged a few more words before strolling arm in arm toward the exit.