That's one big, round cuckold's hat

Xiao Jinyi had not intended to attend the Qionglin Banquet. As a military man, he had nothing to talk about with those scholars. He would only sit there doing nothing, so he might as well not go.

But his elder brother, Crown Prince Xiao Yuanqi, insisted on inviting him along, saying that the Top Scholar was very interesting and that he wanted the two of them to meet.

At the mention of the Top Scholar, Xiao Jinyi remembered finding him rather interesting earlier. Though he had originally been unwilling to go, he let himself be persuaded and accompanied Xiao Yuanqi to the Qionglin Banquet.

Xiao Yuanqi and Xiao Jinyi's arrival brought the Qionglin Banquet to its peak, and everyone hurried to pay their respects.

Xiao Yuanqi smiled warmly at everyone and raised a hand slightly, signaling for them to rise. "Rise, everyone. Please sit and carry on. Don't mind Prince Jing and me."

Hearing this, everyone relaxed a little, though they did not dare let their guard down completely. The Crown Prince was merely being polite; they could not take his words at face value.

Xiao Jinyi took the seat below Xiao Yuanqi, poured himself a cup of wine, then strode over to Shen Shixu with the cup in hand.

Shen Shixu had just finished dealing with a whole round of scholars and several ministers. He was about to eat some pastries to fill his stomach when his view suddenly darkened, a tall shadow falling over him.

He put down the pastry in his hand and looked up. He felt as though he had plunged into a pool of icy water, and his slightly tipsy mind cleared in an instant.

"Your Highness, Prince Jing!"

Shen Shixu rose and bowed to Xiao Jinyi. Taking in his appearance, Xiao Jinyi paused, surprised that this year's newly appointed Top Scholar was so handsome.

Shen Shixu wore an ivory brocade robe. Since he had not yet come of age, his jet-black hair was tied half-up with a ribbon of the same color. A jade pendant carved with green bamboo hung at his waist.

His brows resembled distant mountains, his eyes clear autumn waters. His features were softly defined, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward. Everything about him was as gentle and clear as water.

Xiao Jinyi's appearance was the complete opposite. He stood tall and straight, with sharply defined features, deep-set eyes, and a cold gaze, like a walking snow-covered mountain.

"I have a difficult case on my hands. I heard that you saw through a human trafficker's disguise at a glance today. Perhaps bringing you on board will lead to new discoveries in this case."

Shen Shixu had not expected news of his catching human traffickers during that afternoon's procession to have reached Prince Jing's ears. For a moment, he was taken aback.

It took him several seconds to grasp what Xiao Jinyi wanted him to do. "If Your Highness needs me, I would naturally be willing to offer whatever help I can."

Xiao Jinyi was very pleased with his answer. "Then come to Prince Jing's Residence first thing tomorrow morning. I will inform the Ministry of Personnel. For now, you will serve as acting Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

Shen Shixu felt as though an unexpected windfall had fallen into his lap. Beyond the delight, however, came fear. He had done nothing, yet he had suddenly jumped several ranks to become Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. It left him deeply apprehensive.

Just as he was fretting, 011 suddenly popped up.

[Bro, I've found another juicy bit of gossip. Want to hear it?]

Shen Shixu desperately needed some gossip to soothe his poor, startled heart. [Yes! Who's it about?]

Xiao Jinyi suddenly heard a voice he had never heard before, followed by another that sounded somewhat familiar. He had just spoken to the owner of that familiar voice.

Instinctively, he looked at Shen Shixu, who was seated below him, and immediately noticed something wrong. Shen Shixu's lips had clearly not moved, so why could he still hear his voice?

[I desperately need some gossip to calm my nerves. Whoever it's about, I'm listening!]

Xiao Jinyi suddenly began to understand what Xiao Yuanqi had meant by "interesting." He looked at Xiao Yuanqi, signaling for an explanation.

Xiao Yuanqi leaned toward Xiao Jinyi and said quietly, "This is the interesting thing I told you about. That voice you've never heard before belongs to someone called Gossip System 011. He suddenly appeared today and bound himself to the Top Scholar, Shen Shixu.

"We've verified that all his gossip is true. During morning court today, he exposed Vice Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue for trying to frame Vice Minister Li.

"Then there was Vice Minister Li's son-in-law, the former Top Scholar Sun Minghao, who abandoned his wife and child. Vice Minister Liu also bribed him to plant incriminating items and forged account books in Vice Minister Li's residence.

"Now there's more gossip. Who knows who it's about this time? Either way, we're in for a show."

Xiao Yuanqi even had the leisure to speculate with Xiao Jinyi about who had been targeted. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the target was him!

[This gossip is about His Highness the Crown Prince. He has a fiancée, but despite their engagement, they still haven't married. The reason is that his fiancée has long had another man on the side.]

The instant 011 finished speaking, Shen Shixu heard several cups shatter and looked up.

The emperor had already sent someone to warn those ministers: under no circumstances could they let Shen Shixu discover that they could hear his thoughts and the system's voice.

Seeing Shen Shixu look their way, they hurried to make excuses, terrified of being found out. "Oh dear, I've had a little too much to drink. Couldn't hold my cup steady."

"Same here. Seems our tolerance isn't what it used to be. We'll have to work on it from now on."

As those officials began lamenting the passage of time and how their tolerance for alcohol had declined with age, Shen Shixu slowly withdrew his gaze and continued questioning 011.

[Go on, Xiao Yi. I'm really curious what woman could be bold enough to cheat on His Highness the Crown Prince!]

Xiao Yuanqi had still been clinging to the hope that he had misunderstood. But hearing Shen Shixu's words now, he felt his head buzzing.

Xiao Jinyi looked at Xiao Yuanqi with sympathy as 011 continued.

[The Crown Prince's fiancée is Yang Wenhui, the daughter of the Marquis of Yongping. Yang Wenhui doesn't like the Crown Prince. She likes her cousin on her mother's side. The two of them have long been having a secret affair, and Yang Wenhui even became pregnant with her cousin's child. The baby was born just three days ago.

Everyone in the Marquis of Yongping's household knows about this, but to secure an alliance with the Crown Prince for the entire household, they silenced everyone else who knew by killing them.

To keep the imperial family from noticing anything amiss, the household's old patriarch swallowed poison and killed himself. They wanted to use the mourning period to buy themselves three years to erase every trace.

That's why the Crown Prince and Yang Wenhui still haven't married, even though their wedding should have taken place half a year ago.]

At this, Shen Shixu could not help looking at the Crown Prince in the seat of honor. Xiao Yuanqi's face was pale, his gaze unfocused, and he looked utterly devastated.

[Why does His Highness the Crown Prince look a little strange? Does he know he's been cheated on? But how could he have found out while attending this banquet?]

Just as Shen Shixu began to grow suspicious, Xiao Jinyi helped Xiao Yuanqi to his feet and told the ministers, "His Highness the Crown Prince has had too much to drink. I'll take him back first. Please carry on!"

With that move, Xiao Jinyi dispelled Shen Shixu's far-fetched suspicions completely.