The emperor first ordered the captain of the palace guards to take the Director of Water Affairs Bureau into custody.

Then, without speaking to anyone, he silently returned to Yangxin Hall.

He sat there, lost in thought, for the entire afternoon before summoning the empress for a candlelit conversation late into the night.

Deep into the night, the empress, overcome with exhaustion, handed a flower to the emperor and said, “When you’re indecisive, why not leave it to the heavens? Your Majesty, pluck the petals—one for pardon, one for execution. Whatever’s left at the end will decide.”

The emperor’s expression turned stern. “Nonsense.”

The empress yawned. “This was the little national preceptor’s idea. If Your Majesty isn’t willing, just forget it.”

The emperor choked slightly. “Only you would treat me with such disregard.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” the empress quickly replied, massaging his shoulders. But as she massaged, she fell asleep.

The emperor was speechless. He silently looked at the flower for a while before picking it up and tearing off one petal.

And so, for the rest of the night, the chief eunuch outside the hall scrambled to find flowers to hand to the emperor.

The chief eunuch really wanted to complain: Your Majesty! If you like plucking petals so much, why not let us bring them all in at once? Asking for one flower every few cups of tea’s time is truly strange.

The next morning, Yuan Ruan was groggily carried onto a carriage.

When she opened her eyes again, she found the sun high in the sky, and herself lying in a place both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

Unfamiliar, because of the palace maids and the hall’s ornate decorations. Familiar, because the bed was covered with jade.

The Seventh Princess approached her, sporting dark circles under her eyes, and whispered, “Ninth Sister, Mother Consort said that while we can’t compete with the empress, we might still stand a chance against Virtuous Consort De. When the time comes, I’ll come pick you up early.”

Yuan Ruan immediately touched the Seventh Princess’s cheek:
[I’ll miss you! Mwah!]

Wu Yue’s cold expression softened with a smile. She gently kissed Yuan Ruan’s cheek and said, “The empress is currently entertaining the wives of court officials. She won’t be back for another two hours. I’ll stay with you until then.”

After saying this, she took a bowl of milk from a maid and personally fed Yuan Ruan.

“Mmm, it’s a bit fishy,” Yuan Ruan commented.

Wu Yue paused and deliberately said, “Ninth Sister frowned— it must be fishy.”

She sent someone to the small kitchen to have a fresh bowl of milk prepared.

As she continued feeding Yuan Ruan, she also gave the maids detailed instructions about Yuan Ruan’s living habits.

The maids, astonished by the sheer volume of information, eventually had to jot it all down with a brush.

Yuan Ruan was deeply moved. After finishing her milk, she couldn’t help but kiss Wu Yue again:
[You’re so thoughtful. I’ll miss you.]

The system chimed in: [Indeed. But the empress doesn’t seem bad either. Just look at this room—decorated entirely with jade. Tsk, even your little jade bed was moved here. The empress must have consulted Consort Rong for details about you and is definitely going to treat you well.]

Yuan Ruan nodded cheerfully.

Wu Yue played with Yuan Ruan until lunchtime. When Consort Rong arrived to call for her, Wu Yue left with a promise to return later.

Yuan Ruan asked the system:
[System, is my National Fortune Main Mission completed?]

The system replied: [Not yet! But there’s no sign of failure either. It seems the Director of Water Affairs Bureau is still in prison.]

Yuan Ruan rolled on the bed in frustration:
[What a pity—that’s 8 points! If I could get them, I’d be so close to the next divine ability.]

The system sighed: [Indeed! Speaking of divine abilities, I can’t forget how you once used a Level 1 electromagnetic field to manipulate attraction and repulsion, creating a visual effect even Level 9 divine abilities couldn’t achieve. Truly impressive—the king of flair, destined to outshine all!]

Yuan Ruan chuckled smugly.

After a nap, she woke up and was carried outside by a maid for some fresh air.

Noticing that the maid was bent over, her forehead dripping with sweat, Yuan Ruan gently pushed her away and began supporting herself on walls and doors, inching forward to exercise her legs.

At that moment, she heard a commotion up ahead.

“Hyah! Charge!”
“You useless slave, you’re weaker than a dog!”

Peeking out from behind a pillar, Yuan Ruan saw an eight-year-old boy in fine robes, wielding a wooden sword as he rode on the back of a crawling eunuch.

Opposite them were a group of kittens and puppies, battered and barely alive from being poked by the wooden sword.

Yuan Ruan was furious:
[How dare he! This brat must be taught a lesson!]

The system agreed: [Exactly! Teach him a lesson!]

The boy turned around, his delicate features twisted into a smug, contemptuous grin. “Who’s this ignorant little…?” A nearby eunuch whispered in his ear, and his expression changed slightly.

He urged the eunuch beneath him to crawl closer, looked Yuan Ruan up and down, and said, “So, you’re the little national preceptor. Hmph. Come here and sweetly call me Fifth Brother, and I’ll let you ride my mount.”

Yuan Ruan smiled faintly and held out her chubby little hand.

The Fifth Prince clicked his tongue. “So delicate.” He also extended his hand.

The next second, he screamed, his whole body trembling as his hair stood on end like a hedgehog.

The eunuchs, stunned, scrambled—one ran off to get help while another knelt and begged Yuan Ruan for mercy.

“You—you just wait!” The Fifth Prince glared at Yuan Ruan, trembling with rage. “How dare you do this to me! Father will kill your whole family!”

“Impudent!” A deep voice boomed suddenly.

All the maids and eunuchs dropped to their knees in unison.

The emperor, dressed in a dragon robe, strode over. Without sparing a glance at the pitiful Fifth Prince, he scooped up Yuan Ruan and asked, “The Fifth Prince is reckless and unruly. Ah Ruan, are you hurt?”

The Fifth Prince almost spat blood. “Father! I didn’t do anything! I was greeting her kindly, but she shocked me!”

Yuan Ruan huffed:
[If he hadn’t been torturing cats and dogs in the garden, I wouldn’t have been so angry!]

The emperor’s face darkened. He slapped the Fifth Prince. “Still making excuses? I saw you abusing animals again. Go kneel in the ancestral hall. You can get up when you’ve learned your lesson.”

The Fifth Prince shuddered. “Father, I didn’t…”

The emperor ignored him and walked away with Yuan Ruan in his arms.

As the emperor’s figure disappeared, the Fifth Prince, who had been pitiful seconds earlier, smacked a eunuch in fury. “Didn’t I tell you to hide everything?!”

The eunuch looked at the already-cleaned garden, bewildered as to how the emperor had known, but dared not say a word.

Meanwhile, the system encouraged Yuan Ruan:
[Well done! Brats like him need to be shocked into sense. Next time, keep zapping him!]

Yuan Ruan agreed: [Mhm!]

The system added: [That brat definitely has secrets. Want to dig them up?]

Yuan Ruan replied: [Of course… wait, why is Big Brother bringing me to the council chamber? Oh no, Big Nephew and the ministers look so serious. Why is the Director of Water Affairs Bureau kneeling in the center? System, forget the brat’s secrets—focus here.]

At that moment, the crown prince and the others turned to Yuan Ruan, their expressions puzzled.

The crown prince stood and saluted. “Father, what is this…?”

The emperor rubbed his temples, looking solemn. “I have a new idea, but…”

The system suddenly updated:
[Host, haha, here’s some fresh melon about the Director of Water Affairs Bureau. Your big brother sent a substitute to be executed at the Meridian Gate. The Director will live out his days anonymously, building canals. This way, his book boys might also serve Daxia.]

The emperor: … Wonderful. You’ve stolen all my lines! What else can I say now?

The crown prince and the others suddenly understood, barely holding back their laughter as they looked at the emperor’s exasperated expression.

Yuan Ruan asked the system:
[Big Nephew’s intelligence network is incredible. System, is my National Fortune Mission completed now?]

The system replied: [Not yet. The mission system is rigid—if the substitute dies, it still counts as death. But the book boy brothers serving Daxia might trigger a better mission later when you meet them.]

Yuan Ruan nodded: [Alright then.]

The system added: [Actually, the emperor didn’t need to use a substitute or guard so heavily against the Director. He wasn’t spying voluntarily. A small trick could completely win him over.]

The emperor and the crown prince exchanged glances: What?

The emperor, crown prince, and ministers thought in unison: He wasn’t spying willingly? And there’s a way to win him over completely? Such a thing exists?