If one day he displeased this man as emperor, would the man kill him too?
At that thought, the emperor immediately summoned Wang Quan and whispered a few words in his ear. Wang Quan nodded.
Wang Quan returned to his original position, beckoned to one of the guards, and sent him to investigate Liu Guangxu.
The emperor wanted to verify once more whether the things Song Yaoyao mentioned in her thoughts were true.
Meanwhile, Song Yaoyao continued asking:
[Guagua, do you think Duke Zhenguo knows about these things Liu Guangxu did?]
[He does. Before marrying off his daughter, he investigated several generations of Liu Guangxu's ancestors thoroughly.]
[Guagua, isn't Duke Zhenguo's Estate afraid that once Liu Guangxu gains power, they'll meet the same end as Master Li's family?]
[Duke Zhenguo is supremely confident. He doesn't consider Liu Guangxu a threat at all, so of course he isn't afraid!]
[Keeping a wolf like that by his side-Duke Zhenguo will have plenty to cry about someday.]
Everyone looked at Liu Guangxu's family, then at Duke Zhenguo's family. Their expressions remained perfectly normal, as though they could not hear Song Yaoyao's thoughts at all.
Everyone wondered why some people could hear Song Yaoyao's thoughts while others could not.
By then, the singing and dancing in the great hall had ended.
Everyone was still waiting for more gossip, but Song Yaoyao's thoughts never sounded again.
The empress continued entertaining the ladies and young misses, while the emperor found an excuse to take all the ministers present away to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Once they reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the emperor spoke first:
"My ministers, did you all hear Assistant Minister Song's second legitimate daughter, Song Yaoyao's...?"
The emperor wanted to say "inner thoughts," but the words caught in his throat. It felt as though someone had seized him by the neck, and he could not utter them no matter how hard he tried.
His face flushed crimson, and he began coughing involuntarily.
Wang Quan hurried forward to pat the emperor's back.
The ministers hurriedly asked as well:
"Your Majesty, are you all right?"
The emperor waved his hand. He tried several times, but whenever he attempted to say words such as "inner thoughts" or "mind reading," he experienced that same suffocating sensation.
He also realized that he simply could not say terms such as "inner thoughts."
Only after taking a long while to recover did the emperor continue:
"Did you all hear it at the banquet just now?"
Some ministers were bewildered by the question. Hear what? Why would His Majesty not make himself clear? Others nodded knowingly.
Several ministers also tried to say "inner thoughts," only to feel as though someone had grabbed them by the throat. They began coughing violently, unable to utter the words.
Only then did they understand why the emperor had coughed so badly earlier!
Seeing their reactions, the emperor continued:
"Those who could hear it, stand on the left. Those who could not, stand on the right."
Before long, they had separated into two groups.
Those who could hear and those who could not each accounted for half.
The emperor waved his hand.
"Those who could not hear it may return to the banquet hall first."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Once everyone on the right had left, the emperor turned his gaze to Assistant Minister Song.
"Assistant Minister Song."
"Your servant is here."
"Tell us about Song Yaoyao!"
Song Xiuyuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Yes, Your Majesty.
"Ever since my daughter Song Yaoyao was born, we have been able to hear her xx. My wife, our other three children, and I can all hear it, but the maids, older serving women, and manservants in our household cannot.
"The system called Guagua has been with my daughter since her birth. From her conversations with Guagua as she grew up, we learned that she was reincarnated into our family with her memories of her previous life.
"Moreover, we have verified it many times over the years. Everything my daughter and Guagua mention is true."
Hearing this, the ministers below began discussing it.
"Then the stories about Liu Guangxu murdering his mentor, his fiancée, his wife, and his daughter are true?"
"You would never have guessed Liu Guangxu could be so ruthless!"
"We'll all have to keep our wits about us, serving at court alongside a man like that."
"How could anyone have the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog, lower than even a beast?"
"A man like that is utterly unfit to hold office!"
The emperor waved his hand, and the ministers immediately fell silent.
The emperor continued asking:
"Why can some people hear it while others cannot?"
"Your servant does not know either."
"Have you kept Song Yaoyao confined to your estate ever since she was born?"
"Yes, Your Majesty.
"The system called Guagua knows far too many other people's private secrets. For my daughter's safety, your servant had no choice but to do so."
The emperor nodded, then asked:
"How much do you know about Song Yaoyao's previous life?"
"Occasionally, my daughter mentions a word or two, but my family and I cannot understand those conversations between her and Guagua at all. Thus, your servant has no way of knowing what her previous life was like."
"I am rather curious about the 'airplane' Song Yaoyao mentioned today. What is it? A chicken that can fly?"
"Your servant does not know."
"Never mind. There will be plenty of opportunities to find out in the future.
"As for Liu Guangxu, I have already sent men to investigate. We will soon know whether those things are true.
"Regarding your ability to hear Song Yaoyao's xx, warn your families when you return home. She must never find out about it herself. Anyone who disobeys will be beheaded without mercy."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When the ministers left the Hall of Mental Cultivation and returned to the banquet hall, the empress noted how late it was and dismissed everyone.
Upon returning to the estate, Song Yaoyao was once again ordered by her parents to remain inside and forbidden to go out.
Song Yaoyao had thought that, since she had visited the palace today, her parents would no longer keep her confined. She had never expected things to remain just as before, and her heart went ice-cold.
[Guagua, I just don't understand. I'm already twelve years old. Why can't I go out?]
[When I was little, they said they were afraid kidnappers would carry me off. But now that I've grown up, they're still fobbing me off with the same excuse.]
[That said, plenty of young girls get kidnapped too. Your parents are only doing this for your own good.]
[Guagua, whose side are you on, anyway?]
[Of course I'm on your side. But your parents aren't wrong either. Think it over.]
[I suppose that's true. There are plenty of cases of young girls being abducted and sold. A beautiful girl like me, adored by everyone and making flowers bloom wherever I go-it's understandable that someone would set their sights on me!]
[It's all this damned charm of mine. I'm just too irresistible!]
Guagua rolled their eyes dramatically at Song Yaoyao. This host of theirs had not the slightest self-awareness and was admiring herself again.
[Host, although your parents mean well, you still need to find a way to persuade them to let you leave the estate.]
[We've already feasted on everyone's gossip here. We've even dug into the gossip about that dog by the kitchen door.]
[If we don't get some fresh gossip soon, I won't be able to replenish my energy.]
[Got it. I'll think of something.]