After hearing her gossip, all the civil and military officials went crazy.

Chapter 15 The eldest prince's daughter disguises herself as a man.

Fang Lingchu also arrived at the palace with a pattering sound.

Soon everyone lined up and entered the court, took their places, and waited for Emperor Chongde to arrive.

Soon Emperor Chongde arrived with his eunuch.

After shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times, they began to have normal discussions about national affairs.

As the adults discussed national affairs, Fang Lingchu felt a little drowsy.

At this moment, the system asked: [Host, would you like to eat some melon seeds to wake yourself up?]

After Fang Lingchu nodded for the fifth time, the system couldn't stand it anymore.

Fang Lingchu mumbled, "Tell me about it, see if it interests me."

The system asked: "What kind of gossip do you want to hear, and whose gossip are you following?"

Fang Lingchu asked with little interest, "What's fun about it?"

Yesterday's gossip was all so heavy; she almost got assassinated. Today, I just want to eat something happy.

The system said regretfully: "Today's gossip is about the First Prince, Long Chengli. He's also a love-struck fool, but he's considered one of the more normal love-struck fools among princes and members of the imperial family."

Fang Lingchu only became slightly interested after hearing that it was normal romantic thinking.

Fang Lingchu frowned slightly, looking a bit annoyed, and said, "Tell me about it."

The system announced: "Here you are."

The eldest prince is not the emperor's child.

The system's single sentence sent shockwaves through the entire court. All the officials kept their eyes downcast, not daring to look at the emperor above them.

They overheard the emperor's secret; will they be silenced?

Fang Lingchu was also surprised and said, "[The emperor has been cuckolded again. He really is an unlucky emperor. Why is there always someone in the harem trying to cuckold him?]"

The Imperial Concubine's father, the Crown Prince's tutor, was so frightened that he knelt down immediately. His face was pale, and his hair was turning gray. The tutor almost fainted.

The emperor had begun to get used to Fang Lingchu's way of addressing him.

As for the eldest prince's identity, the emperor already knew.

The system said: "No, no, no, host, you've misunderstood. The eldest prince is the child of the emperor's sister, and the only child of the protector princess."

Upon hearing the system's explanation, Fang Lingchu exclaimed in surprise: "[That female general/princess who fought on the battlefield to help the emperor ascend the throne, and later died on the battlefield?]"

The system said: "Yes, you have a saying: 'Women are not inferior to men.'"

Fang Lingchu also greatly admired this princess.

The eldest prince over there wasn't surprised to hear this; he had just come of age (14 years old) when the emperor told him.

He just didn't know much about his mother or his father.

Fang Lingchu asked curiously, "Who is the Prince Consort? Is he still alive?"

The emperor didn't actually know this; he had asked his elder sister, but she didn't tell him.

The system sifted through the data and said: [Dead. He was a great general of the Zhou Kingdom. Their relationship was like that of Romeo and Juliet; they were a loving couple in private, but enemies on the battlefield. A pair of unfortunate souls.]

The emperor's face showed a fleeting sadness. He had more or less guessed what was going on, but he hadn't expected it to be the famous general of that time.

The eldest prince was also slightly surprised that his parents were both so capable.

Fang Lingchu echoed, "Both are heroes, but I wonder how the First Prince is?"

The system voice said with some disappointment: "Not very good. No particular hobbies, just eating, drinking, and having fun every day. Aside from a bit of language talent, he's neither good at anything."

Fang Lingchu asked, "Didn't you say the melon on the Crown Prince's body was fun? What's so fun about it?" The system replied, "Listen to me, this Crown Prince used to have no one to play with except for his nanny and maids, which led him to develop a peculiar hobby."

When the eldest prince heard the system mention his fetish, he was completely dumbfounded. How could that gossip know about such a private matter?

He desperately wanted Fang Lingchu to keep quiet; he was utterly humiliated.

Fang Lingchu's curiosity was piqued as well. [What kind of fetish?]

The system stated directly: "[He enjoys dressing as a woman to perform songs and dances. Furthermore, when everyone in the royal family was dead and war raged, he proclaimed himself king in his fiefdom, using his original Dragon Kingdom title, providing shelter for the people, though this only lasted two years.]"

Upon hearing that he had proclaimed himself king in his fiefdom, his legs went weak and he immediately knelt down, saying, "Father, your son did not..."

The eldest prince looked nervously at the emperor and the crown prince, trembling with fear.

The emperor and the crown prince knew what was going on but didn't care; it was just that his actions attracted Fang Lingchu's attention.

Fang Lingyan immediately stopped observing and asked the system, "What happened? Why did the First Prince kneel down?"

Fang Lingyan's sudden attention made everyone tense.

The emperor also looked at the eldest prince with a dark expression, his eyes saying: You'd better have a good excuse.

The third prince and the crown prince standing nearby were also very nervous.

Everyone's gaze, whether intentional or not, fell on the eldest prince.

The eldest prince became even more nervous.

The Emperor asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness? What happened?"

The eldest prince was so nervous he almost wet his pants, and stammered, "Your subject, your subject..."

Seeing that the eldest prince was so frightened he was about to faint, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, get up quickly."

Fang Ling first asked the system: [What were they talking about that scared the Crown Prince so much?]

The system said: "He didn't say anything, but the eldest prince has always been timid; it's normal that he was frightened by just one look from the emperor."

Fang Lingyan was curious: "How did someone so timid manage to declare themselves king?"

When the eldest prince heard Fang Lingchu mention his self-proclaimed kingship again, he felt like he was about to kneel down once more.

The Third Prince and the Crown Prince, who were standing nearby, already knew about their elder brother's condition. They each supported him from the left and right to prevent his legs from giving way.

The system said: "[Because he has an incredibly capable wife, do you want to hear about their love story?]"

The eldest prince? His love story with his wife?

Madam, when did he get a wife?
Fang Lingyan asked with some curiosity: "[He can still have a wife? There's even a story behind it, unbelievable]"

The system chuckled and said, "[Didn't I tell you? The Crown Prince likes to dress up as a woman and dance at the Little Palace of Arts, becoming its top performer. A year ago, while he was dancing, a bully took a liking to him. Because he kept this hobby a secret from everyone, the bully forcibly took him away, and he was almost raped.]"

Fang Lingchu glanced at the dashing and upright First Prince, nodded, and said, "[This isn't going to be another hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress trope, is it? This isn't some romance novel, is it?]"

Everyone: What is a "Begonia Literature"?

The eldest prince lowered his head slightly. Was his fondness for men about to be exposed?

The system said: "[Listen to me. After being rescued, the Crown Prince fell in love at first sight.]"

Fang Lingchu asked curiously, "Who saved him?"

The system laughed again and said, "See for yourself."

Fang Lingchu looked at it and then burst into loud laughter, so loud it was almost deafening.

Everyone was extremely anxious, and only ate half of the melon.

(End of this chapter)