The Emperor's heart is won, she sits on the Phoenix Throne! The Divine Physician's Eldest

Upon hearing Wang Fu's voice, everyone knelt down and paid their respects.

"I have met the Emperor, the Queen."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

Emperor Changlong, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, exuded an imposing and noble aura without even showing anger.

The Empress, dressed in a bright red palace gown, wore a perfectly measured smile, exuding dignity, grace, and kindness—truly befitting a mother of the nation.

The emperor and empress arrived hand in hand, a perfect couple, a model for all couples.

When they reached their table, Emperor Changlong put down the Empress's hand, looked at her gently, and gestured for her to be careful.

The Empress glanced back at Emperor Changlong, smiled gently, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Rise," Emperor Changlong said, looking at the kneeling crowd.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The crowd expressed their gratitude and rose to sit down.

At this moment, Emperor Changlong's gaze fell on Su Qingshuang. "Qingshuang, I just heard you calling Miss Song's name at the door. What were you talking about? Tell me so I can have some fun."

Just as Su Qingshuang was about to give Song Siyao a good scolding, Emperor Changlong entered.

She was seething with anger, wishing she could tear Song Siyao apart to vent her frustration, when she didn't expect Emperor Changlong to ask her at this moment.

However, she reacted very quickly, a slight smile appearing on her face, her voice charming, and her movements dignified.

"Uncle, Qing Shuang is joking with Miss Song the Second."

Su Qingshuang's aunt, Su Wenxiu, was the virtuous consort of Emperor Changlong. As the daughter personally taught by Grand Tutor Su, the virtuous consort truly deserved the title of "virtuous".

Consort Xian was deeply favored by Emperor Changlong, and as a result, Su Qingshuang also gained his favor.

Throughout the court and among the common people, only Su Qingshuang addressed Emperor Changlong as her uncle.

Su Qingshuang looked at Song Siyao when she said this, assuming that Song Siyao wouldn't dare tell Emperor Changlong the truth.

So if she says it's a joke, then it is a joke.

Emperor Changlong then looked at Song Siyao, "Second Miss Song, what kind of joke were you just making? Tell me."

Su Qingshuang gave Song Siyao a cold warning, and Song Siyao stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, Miss Su was teaching me manners, saying, 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black.'"

Everyone at the table had heard her conversation with Su Qingshuang.

She cannot deceive anyone, otherwise it would be tantamount to deceiving the emperor.

However, she couldn't tell the whole truth. Given Emperor Changlong's favor towards Su Qingshuang, he wouldn't make things difficult for her in the end.

But today is the Empress's birthday banquet. If she ruins the banquet by saying something, the Empress will definitely be unhappy with her.

Song Siyao is now all alone, without anyone to rely on, and her power is not yet fully developed, so she cannot make any enemies.

Therefore, she can only tell the truth, but not all of it.

"Oh, Qing Shuang even knows the rules. Does she have any deeper insights into the saying 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black'?" Emperor Changlong's tone was somewhat amused.

“Your Majesty, Miss Su was just about to begin her detailed explanation when you entered, and I was unable to hear the rest of her wonderful explanation,” Song Siyao said.

"Then it seems I've come at the wrong time." Emperor Changlong wasn't angry. "Qingshuang, why don't you say it again in front of me now?"

Su Qingshuang only just realized that Song Siyao had so blatantly dug a pit for her.

What special insights does she have about the saying "one is influenced by one's surroundings"?

Song Siyao not only set a trap for her, but also publicly ridiculed her.

She realized she had underestimated Song Siyao.

But now that Emperor Changlong has asked her, and Song Siyao has dug a pit for her, she has no choice but to jump in.

In desperation, she turned her pleading gaze to Consort Xian, who was not far away.

Consort Xian sat on the other side of Emperor Changlong. She knew her niece well enough to tell at a glance that Su Qingshuang was speechless.

"Your Majesty, let the young girls enjoy their fun. Today is the Empress's birthday banquet. Let's not let the children's play disrupt the banquet."

With a polite smile, Consort Xian gently persuaded Emperor Changlong and even poured him a cup of wine herself.

"Sister, you're overthinking it. Since it's a birthday banquet, it should be lively and festive. Seeing the children so excited makes me happy too. Let them enjoy themselves."

The Empress had a kind face and a gentle voice.

"Your Majesty the Empress is so kind and loving, which is a blessing for the children. But I am petty and will not allow them to act so recklessly."

Consort Xian feigned anger, coquetry, and a smile, concealing her true intentions.

"Your Majesty, please stop spoiling Shuang'er. Otherwise, she will become even more unruly. With her lively nature, if you continue to indulge her, she will start climbing trees. She doesn't behave like a girl at all. She has caused her grandfather a lot of worry."

Anyone with eyes could see that Consort Xian wanted to help Su Qingshuang, and even brought up Grand Tutor Su.

Logically speaking, having Su Qingshuang explain the principle of "one who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black" in front of everyone would be a good opportunity to showcase her talent.

As the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor, she should have been more poised and graceful, rather than constantly making excuses.

The reason she doesn't dare to speak is probably because she doesn't know how.

How could someone as shrewd as Emperor Changlong not know the intricacies involved?

However, he still did not give Consort Xian any face.

"You're a young lady, so it's fine to spoil you a bit. Qing Shuang, speak your mind. Whether what you say is good or bad, I will forgive you."

Consort Xian dared not speak up again, lest she anger Emperor Changlong and suffer a loss. She gave Su Qingshuang a look, reminding her not to say the wrong thing.

Having exhausted all hope of getting help, Su Qingshuang had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin to speak.

“Your Majesty, Qing Shuang believes that ‘one who is near vermilion gets stained red, and one who is near ink gets stained black’ means that one becomes a good person by following good people and a bad person by following bad people.”

Su Qingshuang had read some books, but not many.

"Does Qing Shuang think I am a good person or a bad person?" Emperor Changlong asked Su Qing Shuang.

“Uncle is of course a good person, the best and most enlightened ruler in the world,” Su Qingshuang answered without hesitation.

"If that's the case, then why are there still corrupt officials, treacherous ministers, and rebels in my court?"

As soon as Emperor Changlong finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire Qiwu Palace changed instantly.

Su Qingshuang had never seen such a scene before. Seeing Emperor Changlong's serious expression, which didn't seem like he was joking, she panicked and stammered, "This humble woman believes...this humble woman thinks...it should be..."

"Miss Song the Second." Emperor Changlong interrupted Su Qingshuang and directly called out Song Siyao's name.

“Your subject is here,” Song Siyao replied.

Emperor Changlong said casually, "You tell me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Song Siyao stood upright, his face calm and composed, his voice like a clear mountain stream.

"The saying 'One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black' is not wrong in itself. However, it involves two issues. One is quantity. If there is much more red than ink, then red will not turn black when it comes into contact with ink. On the contrary, it will make the black disappear."

"Secondly, it is a matter of people. If a person's will is firm enough and he always has a sincere heart, even if he is in a quagmire, he will not be polluted, just like a lotus flower that rises from the mud unsullied."

Emperor Changlong then asked, "There are treacherous ministers in the court, but Miss Su just said that I am a wise ruler. According to your view, it is because I am not righteous enough that I cannot turn them into the same kind of ruler as me?"

"No, Your Majesty. Everything in the world is interconnected and mutually restraining. Some people are born bad, some will turn from good to bad, and some will turn from bad to good. We cannot judge a person, let alone a group of people, based on a single statement."

Song Siyao explained, “The Emperor is like the sun, shining brightly and illuminating the whole world. But there are always scoundrels and scheming people hiding in the shadows. These people need the help of all the officials in the world to get rid of them.”

Snapped! Snapped! Snapped! !

Upon hearing this, Emperor Changlong clapped, and when others saw that he was clapping, they followed suit.

In an instant, applause echoed throughout Qiwu Palace, deafeningly loud.

Emperor Changlong waved his hand, signaling the applause to stop, and said, "With a daughter like you, Marquis of Zhenbei has a worthy successor. I am very pleased."

This statement was so significant that it made everyone present think highly of Song Siyao.