Lin Yuxin rarely dressed up. She would wear a simple-colored outfit with an unembellished hairstyle and head out.

Even when Xiaodie wanted to help her get dolled up, she found it too troublesome.

Wearing so many hair accessories was heavy and uncomfortable.

She preferred to collect gold and silver jewelry rather than wear them.

“Stop flattering me. Let’s go!”

Lin Yuxin rolled her eyes at Xiaodie and said.

When she arrived at the front hall, she saw Zhao Hanya and Lin Chenglie waiting for her.

“When you enter the palace, don’t speak recklessly, understand? And don’t even think of any disrespectful thoughts in your head! Got it?”

Seeing Lin Yuxin come out, Zhao Hanya grabbed her hand and reminded her anxiously.

The last time at the state banquet, she had been terrified.

This girl had been thinking all kinds of improper thoughts—if she accidentally said them out loud and offended the emperor, their entire Zhao family would be doomed!

“I know! Don’t worry!”

Lin Yuxin didn’t understand why her mother was so insistent that she shouldn’t even think certain things, but she wasn’t afraid.

As long as she didn’t say them out loud, she could curse in her mind all she wanted!

Zhao Hanya could tell from her expression that this girl wasn’t taking her words seriously.

“Mother, don’t worry. I will escort my sister into the palace and keep an eye on her.”

Lin Chenglie reassured her from the side.

He knew his sister was fearless, and he just hoped she wouldn’t stir up any more trouble today.

Lin Yuxin got into the carriage, escorted by Lin Chenglie, while Zhao Hanya watched them leave anxiously as they headed toward the palace.

Since she had been to the palace once before, Lin Yuxin wasn’t as curious this time.

She and Lin Chenglie were led to the entrance of the imperial study, where they had to wait.

With no seats available, they stood for nearly half an hour.

[What’s wrong with this emperor?! He called me over this early just to leave me standing here? Is the morning court session still not over? My god, my legs are going to break! The palace really is a place that eats people alive!]

Lin Yuxin stood there with a bitter expression, shifting her weight from one leg to the other to relieve the soreness.

Lin Chenglie watched his sister fidgeting restlessly and felt speechless.

If someone didn’t know better, they would think she had fleas the way she kept moving.

And he was sure she was grumbling to herself again.

“Sister, just bear with it a little longer!”

Lin Chenglie couldn’t hold back and whispered a reminder, hoping she would behave.

“Oh…”

Lin Yuxin sighed and switched legs again, looking completely deflated.

After another fifteen minutes, just as Lin Yuxin had lost count of how many times she had mentally cursed the emperor, he finally arrived!

[Wuwuwu! Your Majesty, I’ve been waiting for you for so long! You’ve finally come! Any later, and I would’ve died! Receiving a reward is such a painful ordeal!]

Lin Yuxin looked at the emperor walking toward the imperial study with excitement, as if she were looking at her savior.

Following behind the emperor were Li Xiaocheng and five high-ranking officials dressed in court attire.

Anyone summoned to the imperial study usually held an important position—they were the backbone of the Xia Kingdom.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Lin Chenglie hurriedly bowed in respect.

Lin Yuxin also stiffly curtsied as the emperor approached.

She couldn’t help it—after standing for so long, her legs had gone numb. It was a miracle she could still bow at all!

“Hmph! Rise. Follow me inside!”

The emperor, Cheng Dexun, glanced at Lin Yuxin and snorted coldly.

Did she think he couldn’t hear the insults she had been throwing at him in her mind?

Then he turned and strode into the imperial study.

Li Xiaocheng followed behind him, casting a glance at Lin Yuxin, who was lowering her head in an attempt to look respectful.

A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes—this girl was certainly good at pretending.

Lin Yuxin heard the emperor snort and looked up in confusion at his back.

[Was the emperor angry just now?! Did I do something to offend him? Or did something bad happen during court? Or… is it that time of the month for him?]

Lin Yuxin pouted but didn’t dwell on it.

She obediently stood up and followed the ministers inside.

The emperor, hearing Lin Yuxin’s inner monologue, was speechless.

Since when did he have a “that time of the month”?

Lin Yuxin quietly stood with her brother, waiting for the emperor to speak.

For some reason, the emperor didn’t call on her right away.

She stood there for quite a while without being acknowledged.

“News from the north states that it hasn’t rained for a month. What do you all think of this situation?”

Sitting at his desk, the emperor asked the five ministers before him in a deep voice.

These five were all close to the emperor—Prime Minister Hou Mingyuan, Grand Tutor Ji Qiulin, and three ministers: Minister of Works Shi Peng, Minister of Revenue Geng Zhiwei, and Minister of Personnel Qi Wenxian.

Half of the six ministries’ ministers were present. No one knew exactly what the emperor intended to discuss.

Would her presence here be inappropriate?

“Your Majesty, perhaps we should wait a little longer? A month without rain might not be a serious problem yet.”

Prime Minister Hou Mingyuan bowed and attempted to console the emperor.

“Not serious? If there’s no rain for two months or three months, how will the crops survive? How will the people survive?”

Grand Tutor Ji Qiulin frowned at Hou Mingyuan, questioning him.

It had already been a month without rain—how was this not serious?

“Perhaps we should send officials to investigate the situation before making a decision?”

Minister of Revenue Geng Zhiwei suggested a more cautious approach.

“That sounds reasonable. It has only been a month, and the real consequences have yet to emerge. We should assess the situation before taking action.”

The Minister of Works nodded in agreement.

Li Xiaocheng remained silent, observing the situation.

The emperor grew increasingly frustrated with his ministers.

They weren’t offering solutions—just empty words.

[The north? Could it be Jibei City? If it’s Jibei City, there’s no need to investigate. A drought is unavoidable—it won’t rain there for six months, causing total crop failure and famine.]

[This disaster will cripple Xia Kingdom. And at the same time, we’ll be at war with Qi Kingdom, leaving our resources drained. We’ll lose several cities. In the end, Li Xiaocheng will lead a desperate battle to victory, but those lost cities will never be recovered.]

[At least Qi Kingdom hasn’t declared war on us yet—that’s a relief. But if the drought isn’t addressed now, another month will pass, and people will start starving. The consequences will be even worse.]

[And… the Crown Prince and Third Prince will take advantage of the crisis to amass power, making the people suffer even more, leading to countless deaths!]

Lin Yuxin glanced at the emperor, who looked serious and tense. If he knew about this, would he be furious?

The emperor, hearing her thoughts, clenched his fists and his eyes flashed coldly.

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince…

How wonderful! Such good sons he had!

He had called Lin Yuxin here precisely because of this.

Ever since he discovered her ability to foresee events, he had realized her value.

And he had secretly investigated the child Lin Yuxin had brought back—it was indeed his and the empress’s child, who had been swapped at birth by Concubine Xiao.

But he wasn’t in a hurry to reclaim the child yet.

With Concubine Xiao returning soon, keeping the child safe outside the palace was the best choice for now.