The young officials stared anxiously at Yuan Ruan.

Yuan Ruan: ?

She smiled sweetly, waved her tiny hand, and babbled, “Eeya eeya.”

The crowd nearly fell over. This is not the time for acting cute!

At that moment, the curly-haired wealthy woman spoke up, “This is my dowry. Let me show you my sincerity.”

With that, she boldly dragged the large wooden box she had brought with her and tipped it over, letting its contents clatter to the ground. To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t filled with gold or jewels but stacks of documents.

The crowd was puzzled.

The Minister of War was just about to scoff, ready to say, “Our Daxia has no use for Chu Kingdom’s currency.”

But before he could speak, the mysterious voice echoed in their minds:

[Ruan, this woman is such a lovesick fool! These aren’t just documents—they’re land deeds for mines and detailed maps of their locations. Do you have any idea how much this is worth?]

What?!

Land deeds and mine locations? This wasn’t just wealth—it was staggering wealth!

The Minister of War stumbled, barely keeping his balance as his mind raced. His mouth practically watered at the thought.

The Minister of Revenue nearly lunged forward but restrained himself, clutching the Minister of War’s arm tightly. “If you can snatch those, I’ll approve a salary increase for the War Ministry.”

The Minister of War rolled his eyes. “Get lost. If I do snatch them, the funds will go straight to the War Ministry. Why would I need your approval?”

The others all turned in unison to look at the Crown Prince.

Maybe… just maybe… you could claim this one? Adding a concubine isn’t the end of the world, right?

The Crown Prince: …

How dare they think so little of him? He was the Crown Prince of Daxia, not someone who could be swayed like this!

He turned to look at the Emperor, expecting his father to back him up, but the Emperor had a contemplative expression on his face.

The Crown Prince was so frustrated that he nearly laughed from sheer anger.

With a sharp sense of crisis, he declared, “You seemed sharp in business negotiations, but I didn’t expect you to be this foolish. Do you even know who you shared a bed with that night? It wasn’t me. It was the man who traveled with you all the way to Daxia—Murong.”

Yuan Ruan’s eyes widened in shock:

[Wait, so the Crown Prince knew the truth all along? Could it be that all his actions were part of a deliberate setup? Was this a trap to catch them red-handed?]

The crowd: ???

What deliberate setup? Catch who red-handed?

Even the Emperor, a man seasoned in palace drama, began scrutinizing Murong’s features. After careful observation, he noted that Murong didn’t have blue eyes or any features resembling the royal family.

The curly-haired woman frowned and said, “Impossible! The Crown Prince is a scholar of great learning. There’s no way an illiterate savage could have impersonated him!”

She paused, her tone tinged with disappointment. “I thought people in your Central Plains valued integrity and courage. But it seems all your book-learning has gone to waste, as you’re nothing more than a cold-hearted, ungrateful man.”

[Yuan Ruan, they say most heartless men are scholars. Don’t let a good education cloud your judgment!]

Yuan Ruan: [Hmm, true.]

The learned crowd: …

This is the first time we’ve been discriminated against for being well-read.

Meanwhile, Murong, still kneeling, kowtowed repeatedly before speaking with righteous indignation: “Your Highness, though I am of humble origins, I would never defile your woman. If Your Highness doubts me, I am willing to prove my innocence with my life!”

The crowd hesitated, uncertain.

Yuan Ruan’s voice rang out in their minds again:

[Oh no, if he uses his life to prove his innocence, wouldn’t that leave the blame squarely on the Crown Prince? After all, men don’t have a concept of chastity to defend.]

[Wait, there’s a way! Strip him of his shirt!]

The crowd: !!!

What? There’s a way to prove it? Could men somehow demonstrate their chastity?

The Crown Prince, trusting the mysterious voice, gave the Minister of Justice a meaningful look before announcing, “Daxia is a land of fairness and reason. There is no need for you to die. The Minister of Justice is a skilled investigator; he has a way to prove your innocence.”

The Minister of Justice looked briefly startled before realizing the Crown Prince wanted him to implement the mysterious voice’s suggestion.

Rising to the occasion, he declared loudly, “Your Highness, it’s simple. Just strip him of his shirt, and we’ll know the truth!”

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd:

“Stripping his shirt can reveal whether he’s a virgin?”

“Big Ox, take off your shirt and let me see!”

“Get lost! What are you even looking for? Whether I’ve been to the brothel?”

[Wait, did that person just imply they know how this works? Looks like they’re in on the secret!]

The Minister of Justice, emboldened by the mysterious voice, continued, “Take off your shirt and test your virginity…”

[What?! Ancient methods can determine if someone’s a virgin? This is so advanced!]

The young officials all looked at the Minister of Justice speechlessly.

The Minister of Justice stumbled, quickly correcting himself: “Of course, we can’t use this method to verify virginity.”

The crowd: …

Good save.

The commoners erupted into chatter:

“If it doesn’t prove virginity, then how does it show he’s guilty?”

“It’s probably nonsense.”

“Sir, you must provide evidence!”

The Minister of Justice began to sweat profusely, silently cursing himself. Why did I let myself get carried away?

He looked at Yuan Ruan with apprehension, his voice evasive. “As for the evidence… well, this…”

Yuan Ruan: [System, the Minister of Justice is still holding back. Why? Can you explain?]

System: [What evidence is needed for this? Murong Ji, in order to please the woman, engaged in rather twisted whipping games with her. This woman uses a unique pale purple polish on her nails that looks washed off under normal light but reveals faint blue streaks in the dark. If the Minister brings this up, it’s irrefutable proof. My guess? He’s too proud to explain.]

The young officials, who had been watching with curiosity, suddenly realized what was happening. A few couldn’t help but envy the Minister of Justice for having the good fortune to stand out.

The Minister of Justice, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears.

Too proud? No, he simply didn’t know!

With a heart full of gratitude, he repeated the system’s explanation in refined bureaucratic prose and then ordered Murong Ji to be forcibly disrobed.

Murong Ji, kneeling on the ground, calmly removed his clothing. In the sunlight, nothing was visible on his skin. However, when the Minister brought him into a dark room, faint blue and purple streaks became visible on his back. They resembled marks made by fingernails or whip lashes.

The crowd gasped, their pupils dilating. It was just as the Minister had said—Murong Ji had some peculiar tastes.

The curly-haired woman hesitated before cautiously stepping forward. “Why… why do you have these marks on your body?”

Tears abruptly streamed down Murong Ji’s face as he exclaimed, “I truly don’t know! I’m just a commoner, hauling coal daily to make a living. Sometimes, I’m driven away with whips. These marks must be old scars from those days.”

The curly-haired woman stared at him for a few seconds before declaring, “You’re lying.”

Murong Ji, still pitiable, turned indignantly to the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, I swear on my life that I didn’t do this. But if you require it, I will admit to it.”

The curly-haired woman didn’t look at him but instead saluted the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, I, Zhou Niang, am not so unreasonable. If you can provide more evidence proving my mistake, I’ll admit my fault and leave. If not, I expect an explanation!”

The crowd murmured in approval. This woman was surprisingly straightforward.

System: [What a shame! The lovestruck woman is quite rational, but she’s already fallen into the rebel’s trap.]

The initially relaxed onlookers froze.

Who? Who’s the rebel?

Wait… was this the trap the system had mentioned before?

The young officials widened their eyes, some even rolling up their sleeves in preparation.

With a wave of his hand, the Emperor signaled over a hundred hidden palace guards to emerge, sealing off every possible exit.

The Crown Prince’s expression turned serious as he commanded, “Men, seize this traitor plotting to overthrow Da Xia!”

The curly-haired woman was stunned.

Murong Ji’s expression flickered with panic but quickly regained composure. He stepped protectively in front of Zhou Niang and bowed. “Your Highness, I’m merely a humble commoner who transports coal to the Western Regions under your orders. I have no money, no power, and no one by my side. How could I be a rebel? Your Highness, you are known for your kindness and fairness. Why sully your reputation by falsely accusing me over a personal matter?”

The Crown Prince glared. “You still dare to argue?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Murong Ji replied, bowing deeply again. “But such baseless accusations will only force me to admit guilt. Today it’s me; tomorrow it will be countless innocent citizens.”

The crowd buzzed with shock.

This man was indeed a rebel, skilled at manipulating public opinion in a crisis.

Sensing that the nearby commoners were beginning to waver, the young officials grew anxious.

Was there no other way to prove that Murong Ji was the one involved?

Several officials discreetly glanced at Yuan Ruan, silently praying for another divine hint from the mysterious voice.

System: [Hmm, maybe a DNA test for semen? Nope, too many days have passed—it wouldn’t work.]

DNA testing for semen?

Could this be a divine artifact from the heavens?

If even a divine artifact couldn’t work, did that mean there was no other way?

Hearing this, the crowd fell into despair.

The Crown Prince’s face darkened further.

The Emperor, calm and steady, swept his gaze over the assembly before finally resting his eyes on the Crown Prince. So young, so inexperienced. He still needs more training, the Emperor thought.

Raising his hand, the Emperor signaled for the palace guards to prepare for action. Shields were hoisted, swords unsheathed, and longbows drawn. The guards were moments away from storming in to subdue the rebel.

The curly-haired woman’s sharp instincts kicked in. She suddenly exclaimed, “Quick! Run!”

“What?” Murong Ji almost collided with her in confusion.

“Ugh!” The curly-haired woman clutched her stomach and doubled over in apparent pain.

System: [Wait! I just remembered another method!]

The crowd collectively turned their heads: !!!