Marquis of Chengguo cast a glance at his two sons and suddenly composed himself, his expression turning cold and resolute.

At this time, the young men on stage were performing, while below, Yuan Ruan’s gaze repeatedly wandered to Cheng Weining.

Cheng Weining straightened his back as much as possible, trying to appear reliable, but Yuan Ruan would always shift her gaze away soon after.

The officials glanced around, but their eyes ultimately settled on Marquis of Chengguo, who remained silent and unmoving.

As all the young men finished their performances, Yuan Ruan was about to present the flower crown. Cheng Weining grew anxious.

He had admired the Second Princess since becoming the Third Prince’s study companion and had liked her for years.

Not wanting to let this opportunity slip, Cheng Weining stepped forward. He exchanged a glance with his friend standing nearby.

That friend immediately understood, stepped forward, and shouted loudly, “What! You brought this evidence to prove it was you who saved the Second Princess from the runaway carriage and not your brother, Cheng Yian? Are you saying your brother set you up? How could he be so despicable?!”

Cheng Weining hadn’t expected his friend’s voice to be so loud. He felt awkward for a moment but still firmly replied, “Yes. If Father cannot give me justice, I would rather leave the Chengguo estate with my mother and start anew.”

Everyone: ???

What’s going on? Is he faking evidence now?

Suddenly, an official slapped his thigh in realization: This man is brilliant!

By exposing Cheng Yian’s true colors in a “reasonable” manner, Cheng Weining not only cleared his name but also made it clear that he was willing to sever ties with the messy Cheng family. This would surely ease Yuan Ruan’s concerns about his unreliable family background, essentially giving his romantic prospects a boost.

At that moment, the system’s voice rang:

[Wow! So Cheng Weining really has evidence to prove himself! Host, all your worries about the scummy father and brother secretly sabotaging him are unfounded now. Pick him! Pick him! It’s a God-given match!]

Yuan Ruan: [Hmm… but will the Marquis agree to this?]

The officials all turned their heads in unison to look at the Marquis of Chengguo.

Hurry up and agree!

The Marquis of Chengguo, surprisingly composed, took a decisive step forward and knelt before the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, this servant—this old servant never intended to bring up family matters here. However, since my younger son has spoken of justice, I might as well resolve this matter once and for all. I humbly request Your Majesty’s approval for Cheng Weining to inherit my title.”

Cheng Weining looked at the Marquis in disbelief. His father had always prioritized the title above all else, with his elder brother coming second. Why would he choose to pass the title to him instead of simply punishing Cheng Yian? Declaring him the heir would suffice.

Everyone: !!!

The Emperor narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to nod in agreement, Yuan Ruan’s inner thoughts interrupted:

[System, isn’t this completely different from what you said? You told me the Marquis would beg for Cheng Yian to inherit the title and spoil him, leading to the tragic deaths of 30,000 soldiers. Why is he suddenly giving the title to Cheng Weining?]

The system seemed confused: [That’s strange. This wasn’t supposed to happen.]

The officials, with their deadpan expressions, glared at the Marquis of Chengguo: You’re making the little Nation Preceptor suspicious! Clean up this mess quickly!

The Emperor, squinting, asked coldly, “Why?”

The Marquis of Chengguo suddenly broke into sobs. “Your Majesty, I was blind and foolish! When investigating the Huachuan Opera troupe, I thought myself lucky to escape unscathed. But I didn’t realize… the troupe owner had an affair with my concubine 20 years ago! Cheng Yian… he is not my biological son!”

Everyone: !!!

What the—! Is this for real?!

Yuan Ruan: [System! How could you not tell me about such a massive scandal?!]

System: [I didn’t know either! The Marquis of Chengguo has too many scandals. I didn’t have time to open this one!]

Meanwhile, Cheng Yian, who had just regained consciousness, seemed struck by lightning. He screamed, “This is impossible! My mother and you were childhood sweethearts! She would never betray you!”

The Marquis sneered, “It’s true. I didn’t want to believe it either, but this was discovered through the Second Prince’s informants. When the Crown Prince confirmed its credibility, I had no choice but to accept the truth.”

The Crown Prince’s mouth twitched slightly at this familiar blame-shifting tactic.

The officials were equally stunned: Oh, we get it now. The Marquis is just bluffing!

By publicly tarnishing his own reputation and sacrificing his son’s dignity, the Marquis was trying to salvage the situation. Truly, a ruthless man willing to do anything.

Even the Emperor was momentarily caught off guard by the Marquis’s desperate gambit. But soon, he realized this was an attempt to protect Cheng Yian’s life by cutting him off from inheritance.

After a long silence, the Emperor finally nodded. “I understand. Marquis, return home and handle your family matters. Tomorrow, present your formal request for the inheritance title in court.”

Cheng Yian, now panicked, shouted, “No! Father, it must be that despicable person tricking you! Father, you must—”

A sharp slap from the Marquis silenced him. As Cheng Yian reeled, the Marquis turned dryly to Cheng Weining and said, “Weining… I didn’t know…” His voice trailed off before he added awkwardly, “Come home early. Your mother and I will be waiting for you.”

Cheng Weining merely replied, “Yes.”

After the Marquis left, everyone secretly observed Yuan Ruan. Just then, the system spoke:

[Who would’ve thought the Second Prince’s meddling actually did some good!]

Yuan Ruan: [It was just luck. The real credit goes to my dear nephew for setting things right! With no scummy father or brother causing trouble, I can finally give out the flower crown with peace of mind.]

Cheered by this thought, Yuan Ruan happily pointed in Cheng Weining’s direction. “beep, bab, bab!”

In an instant, over a hundred pairs of eyes turned in unison.

The palace maid responsible for handing out the flower crown hesitated briefly before tossing it to Cheng Weining. He reached out with both hands, caught it, and held it securely.

His face lit up with joy as he looked up at the Second Princess. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she thought to herself that his expression reminded her of the puppy her elder brother had once gifted her.

At that moment, the system’s cheerful voice rang out:

[National Fortune Side Mission: Ensure Cheng Yian is stripped of his status (Completed). National Fortune Points: +2!]

[National Fortune Side Mission: Ensure Cheng Weining marries the Second Princess (Completed). National Fortune Points: +1!]

System: [Hooray! Yuan Ruan, you’re just one point away from unlocking the next divine ability. Great job! You look tired; take a rest and charge ahead tomorrow!]

The onlookers, hearing the announcement of mission completion, collectively sighed in relief, as though they had just finished a marathon.

System: [Oh my, look at the Second Princess and Cheng Weining! Their gazes are practically glued together!]

Everyone immediately craned their necks to look. Their expressions were filled with amused curiosity as they observed the couple’s rosy cheeks.

Yuan Ruan: [Ah, mutual affection. How wonderful! I feel like I’ve accomplished something amazing!]

Cheng Weining and the Second Princess exchanged a tender smile, gratitude evident in their eyes as they looked at Yuan Ruan. Without her, their future would have been fraught with hardship.

System: [Wait, I just realized something odd about the National Fortune missions.]

Yuan Ruan: [What is it?]

Everyone perked up, straining to hear.

System: [Think about it! Every time the Princess is in danger, Cheng Weining invents some groundbreaking tool to save her. Now that they’re married and blissfully happy, won’t he lose the drive to create more advanced equipment?]

Yuan Ruan: [Oh no… that actually makes sense! ‘Beauty is the grave of heroes,’ indeed.]

Everyone: !!!

The officials, especially those from the Ministry of Revenue and Works, exchanged knowing glances before turning toward the flower crown in Cheng Weining’s hands.

Their faces betrayed their internal struggle: Should we create a bit of trouble to reignite his passion?

Clutching the flower crown tightly, Cheng Weining glared at them, fully aware of their scheming expressions.