[Host, how do you know the Third Prince plans to rebel?]
[Looking through thousands of years of Zhonghua history, which prince doesn’t want to become emperor? Any random guess would hit the mark.]
The System admired the Host’s ability to talk nonsense.
[Host, why aren’t you going to court?]
[Going for breakfast.]
[Host, you seem to have no money.]
Xiao Yaozu waved the jade pendant in his hand.
[Eh, Host, where did you get that?]
[Spoils from last night’s fight.]
Riding his donkey cart, he arrived at the Dock Bridge.
He tossed the jade pendant to the shopkeeper – no need to worry about breakfast for the entire month.
The shopkeeper even generously cleared a table for Xiao Yaozu, granting him VIP treatment with his own personal roadside stall table.
Xiao Yaozu was quite satisfied, eating while appreciating ancient culture.
The Dock Bridge had wide roads that ministers had to pass through.
Many officials spotted a familiar figure by the roadside.
The Admonishing Official saw Xiao Yaozu from afar.
His brow twitched, and he quickly put down his medicinal soup, ordering the carriage to slow down and sending his servant to check.
“Is that person the Compiler?”
Yesterday, he had accused him of silent flatulence in front of so many officials. Who knew what trouble he might cause today?
“Sir, it is the Compiler, eating noodles at a roadside stall.”
[System, is that the Admonishing Official’s carriage?]
[Host, he has a big scandal.]
[Guaranteed true?]
[Truer than pearls. The Admonishing Official’s real daughter is about to come find him.]
The Admonishing Official, who had been pretending not to see him, was shocked. Who was this real daughter referring to?
[This matter started over ten years ago. When the Admonishing Official’s wife gave birth to their daughter, there was a fire in the house, causing his daughter to become weak. Everyone doted on the fake daughter, not knowing the babies had been switched. The real daughter was left to wander outside.]
[The fake daughter lived comfortably in the mansion, while his own daughter suffered outside. Before even getting married, she already has a three-year-old daughter.]
[What? Does the Admonishing Official know?]
The Admonishing Official in the carriage was furious, releasing several loud farts.
Those wicked servants dared to switch his daughter, making her suffer so much, and at such a young age she already has a child.
This is utterly outrageous.
[That person has been in the Admonishing Official’s mansion for years, hiding deeply. Naturally, no one would know.]
[I never thought the Admonishing Official’s daughter would share my misfortune. How pitiful. Fortunately, I knew the way and ran back. The Admonishing Official dares to impeach even cabinet members and high officials from the six ministries, but I wonder if he would deny his own daughter because he cares about his reputation.]
The Admonishing Official in the carriage was seething with rage.
Who was it? Why would they do this? How dare they, how dare they!!
[System, I need to warn the Admonishing Official.]
[Host, is he what you call a work buddy?]
[No, it depends on fate. The best candidates are those you can eat with and complain about the boss together.]
The System didn’t understand, but it would record Xiao Yaozu’s words in its notebook.
After finishing his meal, he hurried onto his donkey cart, catching up to the Admonishing Official before court.
Just as Xiao Yaozu was wondering how to start the conversation, the Admonishing Official greeted him first.
“Compiler, good morning.”
“Sir, good morning.” Xiao Yaozu squinted – his colleague was quite friendly.
Since he’s so friendly, it wouldn’t be right not to warn him.
Several officials near the Admonishing Official subtly gathered around.
“Sir, do you like cilantro?”
A remark as unrelated as horses and cattle left several people around baffled.
Only the Admonishing Official nodded, admitting his fondness for cilantro.
“I just heard an amusing story on the street—they say sons resemble fathers. Surely the children in your household also enjoy cilantro, sir?”
The Admonishing Official froze, recalling that during family meals, his daughter had indeed never touched cilantro or similar garnishes. The thought that the daughter he had doted on for over a decade might not be his own caused the excuses he had hastily crafted in the carriage to crumble further. Outwardly, his words and demeanor might have shown anger, but deep down, he still clung to the hope that it wasn’t true. In that short journey, his expression grew heavy.
Seeing that her reminder had taken effect, Xiao Yaozu said no more.
As soon as she stepped into the Jinluan Hall with her left foot, the System immediately displayed the check-in reward.
“Ding—1 life point credited.”
She happily clicked to claim it and took her place where the Emperor had assigned her to stand yesterday. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—amidst this sea of purple robes, her green attire stood out rather conspicuously.
[System, how many life points do I have now?]
[Based on yesterday’s gossip points, the life points wasted last night, and today’s check-in, Host, your current data is -96. Keep striving to be a healthy human.]
The Emperor had not yet arrived. Some officials were adjusting their attire, while others chatted briefly with their neighbors.
[System, check if the Eighth Prince looks even more handsome than yesterday.]
The ethereal Eighth Prince cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Yaozu.
Unaware of the reason, Xiao Yaozu assumed he was greeting her and cheerfully flashed him an eight-toothed smile.
[System, the Eighth Prince seems to have a connection with me. Do you think I should become work buddies with him?]
The court officials didn’t understand what “work buddies” meant, but they grasped that Xiao Yaozu seemed to have improper designs on the Eighth Prince.
This Xiao fellow truly had no fear of death.
The Emperor strode steadily to the dragon throne and sat down, surveying the ministers below. His enthusiasm for the court session seemed slightly heightened.
“What is the progress in investigating the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s case from yesterday?”
“Your Majesty, in the basement of the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s residence, I found an entire room filled with gold bricks, along with ledgers documenting his embezzlement…”
The Eighth Prince stepped forward to report the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s embezzlement of five million taels. His words were concise, yet they clearly outlined the entire affair.
The Emperor ordered the execution of the Salt and Iron Commissioner, his voice carrying the terrifying authority and warning of the dragon.
Xiao Yaozu gave the Emperor a big mental thumbs-up.
[System, did you see that? There are clear signs of a ruler who can become a wise monarch—decisive and with unambiguous punishments.]
In his heart, the Emperor thought, This lad isn’t without merits—his tongue is quite sweet.
“The Salt and Iron Commissioner has been executed. Do any of you have candidates to fill the vacancy?”
The Minister of Revenue bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I believe the Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner, Bai Jingnian, is capable of assuming this role.”
[Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner? Wasn’t this person mentioned yesterday? Let me think…]
The Emperor and the other ministers secretly glanced over.
While Xiao Yaozu was recollecting, the civil and military officials recommended various candidates they favored.
[Ah, I remember! Wasn’t the Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner the one who was drugged with laxatives by the Salt and Iron Commissioner, causing him to lose composure before the court and miss the promotion?]
What? So the Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner had been drugged and missed his opportunity? The Minister of Revenue was furious.
[Host, your memory is quite good! That’s him. He’s highly capable—the Salt and Iron Commissioner usually dumped all the work on him.]
[Whenever he raised questions about problematic accounts, the previous Salt and Iron Commissioner would suppress him. Despite this, he persisted in refusing to collaborate with corruption, and he contributed significantly to Eighth Prince’s ability to uncover so many account books.]
[So it seems Bai Jingnian is a rare talent.]
[Not only that, but because Bai worked diligently and was repeatedly suppressed by his superiors, he even lost his fiancée.]
[What? He lost his wife-to-be? He must have been devastated!]
[Not exactly devastated—he just wept for three days and three nights.]
The ministers struggled to contain themselves; indulging in gossip about others’ misfortunes was truly addictive.