【What? Elaborate!】

System: 【Let me see. When she was a consort candidate, she was envied for her beauty and had her name removed early on. But she didn’t give up. She secretly used her brother’s name to threaten the person in charge, forcing them to relent. Ultimately, Consort Rong successfully joined the selection process and gained favor.】

The emperor’s expression darkened slightly. He decided to find everyone involved in the incident, remove them from their positions, and investigate thoroughly.

Junior Director: !!!

Ah, ah, ah! I’m going to be ruined by this little sister of mine.

The other officials nearly burst out laughing. Watching others’ drama is always delightful—the more outrageous, the better. This situation was no exception. It seemed Consort Rong’s job of taking care of the little National Preceptor is probably over.

【Wow, Lady Rong is really proactive, and she hasn’t been discovered all this time—truly impressive. But wait, doesn’t this mean the palace isn’t as safe as it seems?】

The emperor: …

He felt as if his face had been thoroughly slapped.

He cast a chilly glance at the Junior director, who looked as though he’d already dug his own grave.

【Hahaha, and Consort Rong’s story gets even better! This one’s about her younger brother.】

Junior Director: ???

Consort Rong has a brother? How come I didn’t know?

The emperor: !!!

This is about Lady Rong’s brother!

He didn’t like overly flamboyant personalities, yet he tolerated consort Rong partially because of the man who had claimed to be her brother but had been missing for a long time.

Was the mystery about to be revealed?

【More gossip? Tell me!】

【Her younger brother, well… here’s the shocking part: her younger brother isn’t a man.】

The emperor was stunned. Impossible!

The officials immediately perked up their ears.

【Huh? Is it like Little Yueyue—disguised as a man?】

【Hahaha, yes and no. Remember how consort Rong wanted to find out the emperor’s preferences and went around asking questions? But she didn’t dare use her own appearance to gather information. So, she applied makeup that made her look androgynous, added height to her shoes, donned men’s clothing, and became a strikingly handsome young man.】

The emperor: !!!

What? The person claiming to be Consort Rong’s brother was actually Consort Rong herself?!

The officials exchanged indescribable looks and stole glances at the Junior Director: How exactly is your family raising your daughter?! This is beyond outrageous.

Even the official who didn’t like the junior director couldn’t resist commenting: “I just didn’t want your sister raising the young National Preceptor. I didn’t mean for her to die.”

Junior director: “Get lost.”

Yuan Ruan: 【What? But how could a fake brother with no background, and a sister who wasn’t favored, gather information about the emperor in the palace? Does no one in the Grand Xia Palace have any sense of vigilance?】

The emperor’s face showed a hint of awkwardness.

The officials couldn’t help but feel curious. Yes, His Majesty wasn’t someone easy to approach. In the past, a newly selected consort had tried to spy on the emperor’s schedule to stage an accidental encounter but was nearly sent to the Laundry Bureau to wash clothes for life. Luckily, her father’s influence saved her.

There were more than a few women who had suffered severe punishments for similar actions. With such examples, who would dare defy the emperor’s taboo by leaking his preferences to a strange young man?

System: 【Hahaha. That’s why Consort Rong directly approached the emperor.】

The emperor: …

The officials wobbled in their seats, looking like corn stalks after a fierce windstorm.

The Junior Director finally collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Yuan Ruan’s big, round eyes widened:

【What?! She, she approached the emperor directly? So bold?】

System: 【Exactly. ConsortRong might appear delicate, but she’s incredibly strong. Even though her disguise as a young man was somewhat feminine, the moment she lifted a 200-pound iron hammer, no one doubted she was a man.】

Yuan Ruan cupped her face in astonishment: 【A 200-pound iron hammer?! She’s like Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree! No wonder she wasn’t discovered. I like her.】

System: 【Exactly. She embodies that saying perfectly. She was lucky, too. Disguised as a young man, she followed the emperor into the hunting grounds during the winter hunt. The emperor was hard to approach, but Consort Rong seized her chance when a wild boar charged out. She swung her hammer to deflect the emperor’s arrow, killed the boar with a single strike, and then shamelessly claimed she had saved his life, thus earning an introduction.】

The emperor: …

He suddenly recalled the strongman from the wild boar hunt. He never imagined that determined young man, filled with ambition, was actually Consort Rong in disguise.

He had even praised the youth’s ambition and advised him to stay focused and persevere. Now, realizing that her target was him—the emperor couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.

Meanwhile, Yuan Ruan was laughing internally:

【So, so clever! And then? Did Father recognize his savior right away?】

System: 【Not quite! The book mentions that the emperor saw through Consort Rong’s life-saving trick immediately. With just a few words, he deduced that she was trying to learn his preferences for her sister’s sake. The emperor, who admires loyal and strong-willed individuals, shared his preferences with her, despite not being particularly fond of Consort Rong herself, and even promoted her rank.】

【Hahaha, Brother, Brother! You value talent so much that you sacrificed yourself!】

The emperor: !!!

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Especially when he noticed the suppressed smirks on the officials’ faces. Furious, he clenched his fists, tempted to spank the little princess.

Yuan Ruan couldn’t suppress her gossip-loving heart:

【And then? What happened between Brother and her? When did he discover the truth about consort Rong’s brother?】

System: 【He didn’t. If he had, with his tyrannical temper, she would have been charged with deceiving the emperor and executed. Consort Rong feared being exposed. Once she realized she couldn’t extract anything useful from the emperor, she claimed her brother had left to roam the world.】

Yuan Ruan, her chubby head tilting with laughter:
【What? Brother got used and discarded? Ghosted? And Brother believed it?】

System: 【Not entirely. The book also mentions that the emperor discovered the “brother” had last been seen in Consort Rong’s chambers. He also confirmed that the Junior Director’s family had no younger sons. However, because Consort Rong and her “brother” looked so alike, the emperor didn’t suspect an outsider but speculated that the brother was an illegitimate brother Consort Rong didn’t want to acknowledge and had killed. This suspicion caused the emperor to take issue with her and prevented her from advancing rank.】

The officials: …

For the first time, they felt helpless as officials. Suppressing laughter was impossible!

【Oh no, hahaha… What a backfiring scheme!】

Nestled in the emperor’s arms, Yuan Ruan let out clear, cheerful laughter, oblivious to his darkened expression above her.

Standing in the courtyard, the officials felt confident of their victory.

An ambitious concubine with endless schemes was utterly unfit to teach the young National Preceptor—let alone accompany her.

The officials enthusiastically began recommending their own daughters. To appear fair, they occasionally even recommended each other’s daughter.

For a moment, the scene was lively and bustling.

The emperor lowered his eyes in thought.

The Junior director, resigned to his fate, prayed only that His Majesty would spare his family.