System: [Haha, look at this part. The female lead from Shu asks him who he is, and the second prince tearfully says, “He is a noble from Chen whose illegitimate brother stole his family fortune. He is determined to build up his strength, return for revenge, and prove himself to his philandering father!” Hahaha, when you’re out in the world, your identity is whatever you make it!]

Yuan Ruan: [Pfft, hahaha, not bad, not bad. This move is called “diverting trouble to the east.”]

System: [Hahaha, I just remembered the eighteen concubines he made up for your brother. It’s hilarious. Even in such a dire situation, he still didn’t forget to give your brother a green hat when fabricating his identity. Such dedication!]

The emperor’s face instantly darkened.

The crown prince struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from curling up.

The court officials desperately held back their laughter: The original hilarity level was 100%, but after connecting it with His Majesty’s past scandals, the hilarity level skyrocketed to 1000%.

…

Yuan Ruan: [Huh? What’s wrong with Male Mommy? Why is his face all red and sweaty?]

System: [Maybe he’s worried? Scared? Look at your brother’s face, Yuan Ruan. It’s so dark and unpleasant. I wonder what kind of treasonous things the second prince wrote in that letter he submitted.]

Emperor: …

[What the second prince wrote was all proper. The real treasonous words are the ones you’re saying right now.]

The emperor barely managed to maintain his composure and said, “Well, we’ll discuss his matter later. Do any of you have anything else to report?”

Many court officials began lowering their heads and rubbing their faces, trying to regain their composure as quickly as possible.

At this moment, the head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau stepped forward and bowed, “Your Majesty. The Grand National Preceptor of Chu has sent a message stating that he will personally preside over this year’s Spring Sacrifice.”

The court officials were stunned.

Emperor: “He’s coming personally? Does this mean he’s not planning to participate in the Four Nations’ Preceptor Competition?”

The head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau hesitated for a moment before replying, “Your Majesty, the Grand National Preceptor of Chu mentioned that since the location of the Spring Sacrifice might change, to avoid missing the auspicious time, he hopes to hold it thirty days earlier than planned.”

Yuan Ruan, who had been yawning, suddenly jolted awake.

Yuan Ruan: [What? Thirty days earlier? That means the Spring Sacrifice competition is just around the corner! I’m still one national fortune point away from unlocking a new divine ability!]

System: [Ugh, this Grand National Preceptor of Chu is so shameless! How can he just change the date like that?]

Seeing Yuan Ruan’s displeasure, the court officials also spoke up:

Minister of War: “A so-called Grand National Preceptor is just a title Chu gave itself. We’re just being polite. In reality, who does that old man think he is? How dare he dictate terms to Da Xia? If he dares to come, fine! If he can leave Da Xia’s borders afterward, I’ll offer my head as a guarantee.”

The Minister of Rites gave the Minister of War a look of disbelief and bowed, “Your Majesty, I disagree. Without propriety, nothing can be accomplished. If we act as the Minister of War suggests, all four nations will accuse us of being the perpetrators, and we’ll be besieged by enemies. Da Xia is a nation of propriety. If we must kill, it should be done before they enter the capital.”

Minister of War: …

Yuan Ruan burst out laughing, even blowing a baby bubble: [Hahaha… well said, well said. A nation of propriety indeed. Very proper. I feel much better now. But System, we still need to get that national fortune point as soon as possible.]

System: [Don’t worry, Yuan Ruan. I’ve been slacking off lately and haven’t uncovered many scandals. I’ll reflect on that. Let me scan again, starting with Male Mommy.]

Wu Yi: …

A chill ran down his spine.

The court officials silently prayed: Please let the national fortune mission be triggered before my scandal is exposed.

System: [Wait, this little scandal about Wu Yi is related to you. Let me tell you. During his recent western inspection, Male Mommy noticed that many children in the Xiongnu region wore furry hats. He thought of you and specially embroidered a pair of little gloves for you, complete with cat ears. Surprise!]

Yuan Ruan: [What! Such good news!]

Everyone: [!!!]

The emperor and crown prince stared at Wu Yi in shock.

The court officials also turned their heads, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Wu Yi, the general known for his ruthless efficiency on the battlefield, feared as the “Butcher of Men,” had privately embroidered a pair of gloves for the little national preceptor? And they had cat ears?!

Was this appropriate?!

Many military officials who had fought alongside Wu Yi struggled to maintain solemn expressions, fearing they’d face the general’s iron fists after the court session.

Wu Yi felt like he was on fire, too embarrassed to lift his head, and could only close his eyes.

System, still excited: [I never expected Male Mommy to care so much about you. Even while protecting the crown prince during his western tour, he didn’t forget to make you a pair of gloves. Ah, the reason is written here. Male Mommy had a blue-eyed, white-furred kitten when he was young. This must be a case of transference. He even carries the gloves with him, hoping to give them to you as soon as possible when the weather turns cold. He’s truly… I’m moved to tears!]

Everyone: !!!

What? He brought them to court?!

The court officials’ eyes began scanning Wu Yi’s body up and down.

Yuan Ruan: [Really? Well, who can blame him? I’m just too adorable. I can’t wait for the court session to end.]

System: [Really, I can see them right there in his pocket. My Yuan Ruan is the cutest.]

As the system spoke, the court officials’ gazes collectively shifted to Wu Yi’s lower body.

Wu Yi: …

He awkwardly shifted his hips.

Yuan Ruan: [There’s not much on the agenda today. Not many people are reporting anything.]

The emperor gave a eunuch a subtle signal.

The eunuch immediately stood up and announced, “If there are no further matters to report, the court is adjourned.”

The court officials didn’t rush to move, as the system was still scanning for scandals. They wanted to delay as long as possible, not wanting to end up like Wu Yi, socially embarrassed early on.

At this moment, the emperor gave the crown prince a look.

His intention was to prevent the court from falling into silence for too long, so he wanted the crown prince to start a conversation or call on someone to avoid raising the little princess’s suspicions.

However, the crown prince had become too accustomed to covering up lies and smoothing things over recently, especially now that the system had mentioned triggering a national fortune mission. Combined with the eunuch’s announcement of “the court is adjourned,” the crown prince misinterpreted the emperor’s signal.

The crown prince naturally bowed and said, “We bid farewell to Your Majesty.”

The other court officials were stunned. Were they getting off work this early today? Didn’t the little national fortune say she was going to scan for scandals?

The court officials also knelt and said, “We bid farewell to Your Majesty.”

Emperor: ?

Wait, Crown Prince, you misunderstood my intention!

For a moment, the emperor wasn’t sure whether to sit back down or remain standing. He decided to rise, thinking, ‘Fine, I’ll hold a smaller court session later to let Yuan Ruan pick a scandal.’

At this moment, the crown prince turned around and casually said, “General Wu Yi, before coming here, you lamented not being able to attend the ninth princess’s inauguration ceremony. You mentioned wanting me to pass on a congratulatory gift to her after the court session. Now that the session is over, hand it to me.”

Court officials: Ah, so the plan is to pin the hopes of triggering the national fortune mission on Wu Yi.

Wu Yi: …

‘Your Highness, it’s been a while since I last saw you, but your ability to fabricate stories on the spot has only improved.’

Under the intense gazes of everyone, Wu Yi, with an unnatural expression but swift movements, pulled out a pair of tiny white furry gloves. Each glove had two little ears on the back, making them look incredibly adorable.

Yuan Ruan: [Wow! So cute, super cute!]

System: [As expected of Male Mommy. Hugs! I miss those broad chest muscles.]

Yuan Ruan: [I miss them too! I want to bury my face in them! So warm! Hug!]

Wu Yi looked at Yuan Ruan, who was tilting her head slightly, her sparkling big eyes blinking, and her two chubby little hands reaching out. He wanted to hug her but didn’t dare.

At this moment, the system suddenly exclaimed: [Wait, Yuan Ruan, these gloves triggered a national fortune mission!?]

Everyone: !!!

What?!

A national fortune mission was successfully triggered!

Another day without social embarrassment, and the little national fortune is happy too. Double happiness!