The little lass had a sharp tongue, but her words were quite pleasing to hear.
With Shen Yuxi and the system acknowledging and praising his great achievements, Emperor Xuanzhao felt positively delighted.
The system chuckled twice.
Emperor Xuanzhao suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Everyone else held their breath and listened intently.
One minister needed to fart, but worried the "pfft, pfft" would interfere with enjoying the gossip, he forcibly held back the fart that had already slid to the doorway.
Oh, heavens, holding it in was killing him.
Shen Yuxi and the system were absorbed in their conversation, completely unaware that the discussions in court were growing quieter.
The system sighed. [It's been over a decade. Has the old emperor never noticed that the Third Princess doesn't look anything like him?]
Those words struck like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, stunning everyone present.
Emperor Xuanzhao: "..."
The princes: What does that mean? Could our imperial sister not be Father's daughter?
[Emperor Xuanzhao has three princesses. The Eldest Princess was born to the late empress while Emperor Xuanzhao was still a prince. The emperor doted on her in every possible way, but sadly, she drowned at the age of three.]
[The emperor and the late empress were immersed in the pain of losing their daughter and couldn't move past it for a long time.]
[Only in the third year after losing the Eldest Princess, when the late empress became pregnant again, did the two gradually emerge from their grief.]
At this, the great hall fell deathly silent.
The late empress and the Eldest Princess were His Majesty's reverse scales, wounds that would never heal for the rest of his life.
None of them dared mention them.
The air around Emperor Xuanzhao instantly grew far more oppressive. His thin lips pressed tightly together, his face taut.
Everyone involuntarily sucked in a cold breath for Shen Yuxi.
Minister Shen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, terrified that His Majesty would fly into a rage and punish his youngest daughter.
Shen Yuxi knew nothing of the atmosphere around her and noticed nothing amiss.
She continued talking with the system.
[The Second Princess was born to the emperor's Consort Xi.]
[After the Second Princess was born, both the emperor and the late empress were very fond of her. Consort Xi even volunteered that, if the late empress wished, she could raise the Second Princess herself.]
[Consort Xi actually offered to give the Second Princess to the late empress to raise? Most consorts, after giving birth to the only princess in the entire palace, would wish nobody would compete with them for her.]
[With the emperor doting on his only princess, his love for the house would naturally extend to the crow on its roof, and he would take extra care of the princess's mother.]
[Consort Xi actually didn't think of using her daughter to compete for favor?]
The system explained, [Consort Xi was originally a palace maid whom the emperor inadvertently favored while drunk.]
[The emperor regarded this as a disgrace and felt even more ashamed to face the late empress. Although he had favored Consort Xi, he only granted her the rank of Second-Class Attendant and never visited her palace again afterward.]
[Had Consort Xi not become pregnant with an imperial heir and given birth to a princess, the emperor would never have promoted her.]
[Consort Xi understood this herself, so she minimized her presence as much as possible and worked hard to please the emperor and empress.]
[But the Second Princess still met a tragic end. She was allergic to peanuts, severely enough that they could kill her.]
Shen Yuxi's neck felt a little sore, so she turned it from side to side.
Having read countless palace intrigue novels, she immediately analyzed, [Someone deliberately mixed peanuts into the Second Princess's food?]
[Bingo! Host, you got it right.]
The system asked mysteriously, [Host, guess who harmed the Second Princess?]
[How would I know? Plenty of people were jealous of Consort Xi for having a princess. Every consort in the harem is a suspect.]
[Speaking of which, did His Majesty find the real culprit who murdered the Second Princess?]
[No.]
The system's utterly certain tone nearly made Emperor Xuanzhao lose control.
His hand slipped, nearly knocking over the tea beside him.
His heart filled with disbelief.
Impossible. Back then, I clearly found the person who murdered the Second Princess. It was the wet nurse who had cared for her since she was little.
But now, hearing the system's words, a trace of bewilderment flashed through Emperor Xuanzhao's eyes.
Could I have been wrong?
The ministers below looked thoughtful.
The spirit beside Lord Little Shen seemed capable of seeing through everything.
No wonder His Majesty had insisted on having Lord Little Shen become an official at court.
Judging by the current situation, Lord Little Shen and the system seemed unaware that others could hear their thoughts.
[Who murdered the Second Princess?]
Emperor Xuanzhao abruptly clenched his hands, his heart pounding nervously.
The system answered without hesitation, [The Third Princess's mother, Noble Consort Wei.]
What!
Emperor Xuanzhao's face filled with shock, followed by fury.
The flames of anger surged in his heart.
Never could he have imagined that the murderer was Noble Consort Wei, who had always been so "gentle and virtuous."
Emperor Xuanzhao had no doubt about the system's words, because its very existence had shattered his previous understanding of the world.
Shen Yuxi and the system had saved the Fourth Prince and exposed the culprit who had plotted against Mo Xuanchen.
The court officials were utterly dumbfounded.
Noble Consort Wei was worthy and virtuous. How could she have done such a thing?
The system said slowly, [Since the Third Princess was born, no other princesses have been born in the palace. The emperor's affection for her is second only to his affection for the Fourth Prince.]
[But the emperor doesn't know that the Third Princess isn't his daughter at all.]
Words could no longer describe Emperor Xuanzhao's feelings.
Because he suddenly realized that the Third Princess truly did not resemble him in a single way.
The ministers exchanged looks. Noble Consort Wei had actually dared to muddle the imperial bloodline?
Surely not!
Noble Consort Wei's father, Grand Tutor Wei, staggered, his features twisting with rage.
"You're ly-"
He was just about to step forward to defend his daughter, but those around him had already anticipated his actions.
They held him back and covered his mouth.
"Mmph-"
Grand Tutor Wei was furious.
"Grand Tutor Wei, at a time like this, you had best remain silent. Otherwise, if His Majesty assigns blame, not only Noble Consort Wei but you too might be implicated."
"Indeed, Grand Tutor Wei."
His colleagues earnestly persuaded him. "We don't yet know whether what Lord Little Shen and the system are saying is true. We all know Noble Consort Wei's character. His Majesty is an enlightened ruler. He will surely perceive the finest detail and will not wrong Her Noble Consortship or Her Highness the Princess."
In truth, what they were thinking was that they wanted to hear the rest of Shen Yuxi and the system's conversation.
They were right in the middle of enjoying the gossip. They couldn't let Grand Tutor Wei interrupt.
As those words fell, Grand Tutor Wei raised his head unwillingly.
Emperor Xuanzhao happened to look over.
His imperial gaze was imposing and full of warning.
Grand Tutor Wei shuddered and quickly lowered his head, an inexplicable panic spreading through every limb and bone.
No, no.
Shen Yuxi must be deliberately slandering my daughter.
His Majesty is wise and mighty. He absolutely won't believe Shen Yuxi's nonsense.
Emperor Xuanzhao was so furious that he nearly ground his back teeth to pieces.
Bastard!
Crash-
This time, the teacup beside Emperor Xuanzhao fell to the floor and shattered.
The abrupt sound brought everyone back to their senses and also caught Shen Yuxi's attention.
She raised her eyes toward Emperor Xuanzhao.
[System, does His Majesty have Parkinson's?]
The system performed a thorough scan. [According to my examination, no.]
[The emperor is healthy, lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger. Living to a hundred would be more than manageable.]
[Then why does his hand keep shaking?]
[Probably a hand cramp.]
Emperor Xuanzhao glanced at his right hand. Overwhelmed by grief and fury, he was so angry that his hand shook uncontrollably.
However, he heard the system say he was healthy and would have no trouble living to a hundred.
His mood improved just a tiny bit.
Throughout all the dynasties, what emperor hadn't desired eternal life?
Emperor Xuanzhao was an enlightened ruler. Although he wasn't foolish enough to research the arts of immortality, he still hoped to live a little longer.
Everyone at court: "..."
That system was actually so formidable. It could tell whether someone was ill and even predict how long they would live.
Although they didn't understand what "Parkinson's" meant, from the pair's conversation, they could more or less guess that it was some kind of illness.
If we could have the system examine us too...
Could we take precautions in advance and live a little longer?
In an instant, gazes converged on Minister Shen from every direction.
Every pair of eyes shone so brightly that they nearly blinded him.
Minister Shen swiftly lowered his head, pretending he had seen nothing.
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to report..."
Afraid that Shen Yuxi would notice something amiss, another minister stepped forward to speak at Emperor Xuanzhao's signal.
The atmosphere at court was particularly strange today, but naturally, Shen Yuxi, on her first day in office, couldn't tell.
Back to the matter at hand.