The Minister of Revenue might have bumped into the table. When he raised his head, blood was streaming down from his temple.

The Minister of Revenue staggered a few steps, wiped his face, and said: “Your servant, your servant accidentally missed his footing. Your servant, your servant will now continue reciting the Book of Songs.”

Yuan Ruan: [Disabled but determined!]

The System: [Disabled but determined!]

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince exchanged a smile: This was a self-inflicted injury to make a reasonable exit.

The Crown Prince, being kind-hearted, said: “Ahem, then you may go back first. Today will…” Before he could finish saying “be called off,” the Minister of Revenue immediately interjected: “Grateful for Your Highness’s grace, your servant knows that the Grand Scholar did not attend court today. Perhaps he could replace your servant in reciting the Book of Songs for the little princess.”

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince were momentarily stunned.

You really know how to redirect trouble.

The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead: “Fine, go and call him.”

The Minister of Revenue immediately stood up, but after taking two steps, he pretended to be weak again, leaning against the wall as he walked. However, from the angle where the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were sitting, they could clearly see the slight curve of his lips.

Soon, the Grand Scholar hesitantly walked in, cupping his hands and saying: “Your Highness, does your servant need to recite, recite the Book of Songs?”

The Crown Prince happened to see Yuan Ruan’s eager gaze. He gave the Grand Scholar a pitying look and waved his hand: “Yes. Or anything else you’re good at.”

“Alright!” The Grand Scholar secretly glanced at Yuan Ruan.

He regretted once again: If only I had known how extraordinary the little National Fortune was, I would have been more determined in competing for her guardianship back then. Fortunately, it’s not too late now. The National Fortune’s residence is almost completed. If I make a good impression now, it’ll be easier for my sister to gain favor later.

It was because of this thought that the Grand Scholar agreed without much hesitation when the Minister of Revenue came to fetch him.

The Grand Scholar said: “Your servant’s favorite is the ‘Nine Songs.’ ‘On this auspicious day, at this auspicious hour, we respectfully entertain the Supreme Emperor…’” These poems expressed the people’s faith in and sacrifices to the gods. By reciting these, the Grand Scholar was clearly trying to curry favor with Yuan Ruan.

But unfortunately, Yuan Ruan had forgotten most of it after university. It was like casting a flirtatious glance at a blind man.

Yuan Ruan yawned: [System, does this guy have any juicy gossip?]

The System: [Of course he does, and quite a lot. Let me pick one at random. Hmm, it says here that the Grand Scholar often wears robes with several patches. Once, when the Imperial Guards investigated his residence for a case, they couldn’t find a single valuable item. Since then, the image of the Grand Scholar’s poverty has been firmly established. But in reality…]

Yuan Ruan: [I’ve seen this episode before. Did he hide gold in the garden walls?]

The Grand Scholar, who was in the middle of reciting, nearly stumbled.

Especially when he noticed the suspicious glances from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince below, he desperately waved his hands in secret, almost swearing to the heavens that it was impossible.

The System: [No, he’s genuinely poor. His undergarments are frayed, and he refuses to throw away spoiled food, forcing his family to eat it, which has led to them getting poisoned.]

The Grand Scholar’s face turned bright red, but he also felt a bit proud. Doesn’t this further prove his poverty?

Yuan Ruan: [Ah, I misunderstood. He really is poor. But my impression of him has worsened. “Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.” The first step is to cultivate oneself and regulate the family. If he can’t even manage his own family, leading to them being poisoned, can he really handle state affairs? It’s hard to say.]

The Grand Scholar’s smile stiffened slightly.

The System: [Exactly as Ah Ruan said. The Grand Scholar’s son, probably scared of poverty, often uses his father’s reputation to accept bribes after coming of age. The pond at the Grand Scholar’s residence and the surrounding area have been almost hollowed out, filled with layers of gold and silver.]

Yuan Ruan: [I knew it. Extremes often lead to extremes. Wait, if the land is filled with gold, it won’t have much nutrients, and the shrubs will go bald, right? That’s so obvious. Hasn’t the Grand Scholar noticed?]

The Grand Scholar: !!!

What? Impossible! My son can’t even fart properly. How could he do something so audacious?!

But as he thought about the pond and the surrounding land at his residence, he realized that many areas had indeed become barren, and the plants he tried to grow often died.

The Grand Scholar’s face grew darker, but then he suddenly thought of the jujube tree in his garden. He calmed down again. No, the jujube tree has always been thriving, with large, sweet fruits that we can’t even finish. I still eat dried jujubes every day.

The System: [All the other shrubs have died, but the Grand Scholar’s son, emboldened by his wealth, has caused several deaths. Afraid of going to prison, he buried the bodies under the jujube tree and its surroundings. The garden has one lush spot, so the Grand Scholar didn’t suspect much. He especially loves the jujube tree and often sits there reading and eating jujubes.]

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince were almost covered in goosebumps: !!!

The Grand Scholar’s face turned pale: !!!

The Grand Scholar’s hands trembled slightly, but he forced himself to continue reciting the Nine Songs.

Gradually, sweat began to bead on the Grand Scholar’s forehead, and his voice carried a slight tremble. Yuan Ruan looked up: [Heavens, the Grand Scholar looks so weak.]

The System: [Yeah, Da Xia is really overworking people. His health is so poor, yet they won’t let him rest.]

The Crown Prince’s mouth twitched slightly: If it weren’t for you exposing the gossip, he’d still be full of energy.

At this moment, the Crown Prince spoke up: *
“Grand Scholar, you may go back and rest now.”

The Grand Scholar forced himself to say: “I don’t…”

The System: [Going back to keep company with corpses? Might as well stay here where the yang energy is strong.]

“Yue…” The Grand Scholar vomited on the spot.

The Seventh Princess quickly scooped up Yuan Ruan and retreated to the far end of the room.

Yuan Ruan was stunned: [This, this… Da Xia really overworks people.]

The Crown Prince shook his head helplessly and quickly ordered the eunuchs to carry the weakened Grand Scholar out. He also instructed them not to rush him back to his residence but to take him to a side hall in the Eastern Palace for proper care.

This move earned unanimous praise from Yuan Ruan and the System.

After watching one or two scenes of drama, Yuan Ruan couldn’t resist her drowsiness and fell asleep again.

When she woke up, she heard the System’s excited voice:

The System: [National Fortune Side Mission: Make the Emperor value and wear the gloves presented by Wu Yi for a full day in court. Reward: National Fortune Points +1 (Completed)]

The System: [Ah Ruan, my dear, a new divine ability is here! You’ll never guess what it is. It’s really exciting.]

Having experienced the previous abilities of flying and lightning, Yuan Ruan was calm: [Hmm, a watered-down divine ability, I get it.]

Not only was Yuan Ruan calm, but the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince waiting outside to dine with her were also calm.

The System: [No! You will become omnipotent!]

The Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince: !!!

Omnipotent?!

What kind of divine ability dares to make such a bold claim?