The princess was ordained by Heaven.

The emperor, unable to bear it any longer, kicked Xia Wan away.

Wow, that leg-lifting motion is interesting, kind of stylish.

The emperor's anger abruptly ceased. He stood with a stern face, hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, exuding an air of noble disdain that captivated the young concubines.

Xia Wan tried to rush over, but Li Xiaojun quickly stopped her and covered her mouth tightly.

Not wanting to look at those two unlucky things, Zheng Xun turned to the beautiful concubines.

Suddenly, her gaze abruptly stopped.

Following her gaze, Zheng Jin saw the highest-ranking concubine in the harem who was practically nonexistent—Consort Liang.

Consort Liang was the Empress's half-sister.

The two used to have an excellent relationship; they were not only sisters but also best friends.

Consort Liang should not have entered the palace.

The Empress's father, Marquis Chang Le, doted on his daughter. Having already lost an Empress, he naturally did not want Consort Liang to be imprisoned as well.

However, an unexpected incident led to physical intimacy between Consort Liang and the Emperor.

Even so, Marquis Chang Le was unwilling to send her to the palace. He had seen too many tragic stories of former empresses and concubines whose beauty faded and whose favor waned, and he was unwilling to let his daughter repeat the same mistakes.

Despite the pressure of rumors and gossip, Marquis Chang Le found a scholar with good character and talent and wanted to marry Consort Liang to him.

The scholar, having received favors from the Marquis of Chang Le, was naturally willing. However, Consort Liang's birth mother was unwilling for her daughter to suffer in a poor family and forced Consort Liang to enter the palace by threatening suicide.

Perhaps resentful that her family had failed to protect her, Consort Liang broke with the Empress after entering the palace.

The Empress felt guilty towards her, so she often secretly took care of her. Consort Liang rarely caused trouble and was happy to live a peaceful life in her secluded corner.

The Empress trusted her and entrusted her with a portion of the palace power without any reservations. She lived up to the trust and did an excellent job in whatever she was in charge of.

This is a talented person, and also a ruthless one.

Zheng Xun made a casual comment to himself.

Consort Liang looked back at Zheng Xun, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Consort Liang looked away first.

"Let's go." She turned and left, and the young eunuch beside her followed her with small steps. The two of them talked about something, both with smiles on their faces. Then, their figures gradually disappeared outside the courtyard wall.

Zheng Xun withdrew his gaze and went to chase after the emperor.

The emperor was supporting the empress, and the atmosphere between them was just right. However, Zheng Xun was not one to be oblivious to social cues, so he did not rashly interrupt.

"Not looking for Ah Jin?" the emperor asked in surprise.

"Originally, yes, but now I'm also coming to you, Father. Do you know why Xia Wan has become like this?"

The emperor made a joke: "Because she has a brain ailment."

Zheng Xun didn't smile; he stared at him expressionlessly.

The emperor shifted his gaze awkwardly and said seriously, "Speak."

"There is a bookstore in the capital that is called Guanshupu."

Zheng Xun looked at Zheng Jin, whose expression shifted slightly: "What happened to Yiguan Bookstore?"

"There are some books in the bookstore that are disguised as normal stories or travelogues, but the content is all garbage."

Zheng Jiao patted her head: "You don't like it? Why don't I buy that bookstore and you can sell whatever you like there."

Zheng Xun: ...

Even the Second Prince wasn't this arrogant.

Also, are they close? Something seems fishy about them.

She gave Zheng Jiao a wary look, which made him angry and embarrassed: "What kind of look is that?"

"Is something the princess has asked you about?"

Zheng Jiao sighed deeply in anger: "What are you calling me, Princess? I'm your older sister, call me Big Sister. And can't I call you that for no reason?"

Zheng Xun blinked: "Of course."

[It's not like this is my first time being a sister. I've lived for ten years. Why am I suddenly expected to be the good older sister?]

[The older sister might be having a fit of madness.]

Zheng Jiao laughed in anger. Was it wrong for her to be nice to her?

However, what she said seems to make a lot of sense.

She scratched her head in frustration and sighed that her third sister was hard to approach, but she never liked to give up halfway through things. It didn't matter; time would tell.

Zheng Xun didn't know what Zheng Jiao was thinking. She glanced at Zheng Jin and said, "Second sister should know something about Yiguan Bookstore."

Zheng Jiao: ? ? ?

Why is she the second sister?!

Both the Emperor and Empress looked at Zheng Jin.

They knew that their daughter had lived with an elderly couple before she was recognized, but they didn't know much about the specifics. They were quite surprised when they heard that she had a connection with Yiguan Bookstore.

Zheng Jin hesitated for a moment between lying and giving a perfunctory answer.

She still had some concerns. Her skills and wealth were her fallback options, and she always wanted to keep some trump cards up her sleeve. However, her father and mother treated her very well, so she couldn't lie. There was also Zheng Xun here who could see through everything, so she couldn't hide anything from him either. Therefore, she finally chose the third path—to confess.

"The money was spent on reading books, naming the daughter, writing inscriptions, and making incense. It was just an ordinary business relationship, not particularly close."

"Second sister is too modest. Second sister may not be aware of the reputation of the Hermit of Still Water among scholars and literati. Yi Guan Bookstore has done quite a lot by using your name." Zheng Xun's tone was indifferent, but of course this was not directed at Zheng Jin, but at Yi Guan Bookstore.

"My Ah Jin is truly remarkable. I've heard of the name 'Quiet Water Hermit' before. Is it Ah Jin? Ah Jin must have endured many hardships to have to worry about making a living," the Empress praised.

Zheng Xun: ...

There's a kind of suffering that your loved ones feel you're suffering from.

However, it's understandable, as the Empress had just reunited with her daughter and was overflowing with maternal love at that time.

Zheng Jin had no intention of responding to the Empress's praise, and frowned slightly: "Has Yi Guan Bookstore done something wrong?"

"In the bookstore, many anti-revolutionary books were sold."

Ordinary unorthodox ideas wouldn't warrant much attention, but the fact that they were specifically brought before the emperor indicates that the content of those books had caused extremely negative consequences.

"Xia Wan loved reading storybooks since she was a child. Of course, there were no bookstores back then. Those storybooks were passed from one person to another and spread quietly."

"The content of the book is nothing more than love and romance, but there is always an important character who is from the Brown Country. Even if the background is fictional, there must be a character who comes from a place similar to the Brown Country. The author is quite capable, the content is full of ups and downs, and the love between men and women is tender and poignant... Of course, it is precisely because of this that people can't help but keep reading."

"On the surface, the story is about men and women, but there is always a hidden thread that tells readers that the Brown Kingdom is not so terrible. There is no deep hatred between Dayong and the Brown Kingdom. Under the rule of the Brown Kingdom, the people live in peace and the army is disciplined. If there is a plot of the Brown Kingdom invading, it must be because the people are treated well and the turbidity is cleansed."

This kind of thing is generally called cultural invasion.

[The Brown Kingdom has been laying this plan for nearly twenty years, always operating covertly. However, since they borrowed the name of the Hermit of Still Water, the new emperor of the Brown Kingdom has become impatient. Therefore, the plan has been brought into the open. That fool thought that hiring some illiterate henchmen would prevent it from being exposed. So stupid, no wonder he won't stay on the throne for long.]