The princess was ordained by Heaven.

[How strange, nothing's happened. Could it be the butterfly effect? ​​Should I remind them of the culprit? But speaking up rashly will only arouse suspicion. I need to think about it.]

The braised pork knuckle was delicious today, but it was a bit cold; I feel like eating it might give me diarrhea.

[Alas, this jade hairpin is so perfect for Zheng Jin. It's a pity she doesn't know that the eunuchs who maintain jade hairpins usually wipe them with saliva.]

Zheng Jiao: Although it's a bit immoral, luckily her hairpin was replaced.

And what about Zheng Jin?

Zheng Jin's face turned green.

She wrapped the jade hairpin in a handkerchief and took it off, saying, "This hairpin is so beautiful. I don't want to treat Mother's heartfelt gift lightly. I will definitely keep it safe when I get back."

The Empress hadn't expected her gift to be so offensive. She whispered to the palace servants to investigate, and said apologetically, "It's my fault. I will make it up to you many times over later."

She had been recuperating for too long, and the evil spirits in the palace were becoming increasingly rampant!

It's alright, she'll make sure they tighten their skins properly.

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of the dignified and kind empress. She, who had stood firm in the palace and given birth to two sons and a daughter, was by no means a bodhisattva.

The palace banquet continued, and the emperor, regaining his composure, nodded to Li Xiaojun, the chief eunuch behind him.

Li Xiaojun's thoughts were still lingering on the heartfelt words she had just heard.

He had served the emperor for many years and had seen all sorts of storms; he believed he was now able to keep his emotions in check.

However, he had never seen such a storm before.

But he is highly competent, and even with a multitude of thoughts on his mind, it doesn't prevent him from getting down to business.

He announced the lavish rewards the emperor had prepared for Zheng Jin, a long list that seemed to be making up for the fifteen years he had missed.

[I'm rich! My second sister became a millionaire overnight! No wonder he's my father, so generous!]

The Crown Prince coughed lightly: "Big brother doesn't know what little sister likes. I received two pots of red coral a while ago. One pot each for my eldest and second younger sisters. If you want anything in the future, just ask your brother!"

[The Crown Prince must be heartbroken. He even cried his eyes out today when he carried the coral out of the storeroom. He's so poor he's almost starving. If it weren't for the Crown Princess taking pity on him and secretly giving him some money, how could he be living so comfortably? His eyes lit up when he saw the gold bricks in the main hall. I seriously suspect he wanted to sneak in and steal a few.]

emperor:……

He hasn't mistreated his eldest son, so why is he so poor and stingy?

The Crown Prince secretly grabbed the Crown Princess's hand: "Thank you, my dear. It is my fault for not fulfilling my responsibilities as a husband, causing you to suffer."

The Crown Princess smiled gently: "Husband and wife are one, there's no need for thanks."

The second prince stepped forward, suppressing a laugh. His gift was simple and unpretentious: two boxes of silver notes. "Sister, go buy whatever you like. If you don't have enough money, just tell your second brother. Your second brother has plenty!"

Crown Prince: You think you're so great and noble? You think you're so important just because you're rich? We're all brothers and sisters, why don't I get a share?

The second prince, feeling sorry for his elder brother who was staring at him so intently, secretly slipped him a few silver notes.

Crown Prince: Second brother, you're so generous! You're my own brother! My brother is the best in the world! An older brother with a younger brother is like a treasure! Yes!

He was excited, but as the crown prince, he had to save face, so he only thanked him politely.

The second prince sighed helplessly and turned to sit down.

The Second Prince is such a spendthrift, it's a pity I don't know him well.

The second prince's smile froze.

Yes, he also has a third sister.

Why does he always forget? She's his sister, after all; he can't favor one over the other...

[The eldest and second brothers are truly brothers, their relationship is so good. It's a pity that the Crown Prince died tragically from poisoning, the Crown Princess's family was accused of treason and died in childbirth, and the Second Prince had his limbs cut off while escorting grain supplies. He was then tied to a horse and dragged to the capital of the Brown Kingdom by those despicable people.]

The second prince touched his hands and feet; thankfully, they were still there.

He belatedly realized that he was covered in a cold sweat.

By this time, the Crown Princess was already more than a month pregnant with her first child.

Crown Prince: *&*&...

I was surprised, delighted, and scared all at the same time!

His emotions were so volatile that his face was contorted.

The Crown Princess touched her belly, exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince, and instantly understood each other's meaning.

"Qingqing, what's wrong?" The Crown Prince suddenly stood up and shouted, "Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!"

Upon hearing his shout, Zheng Xun immediately put down his chopsticks.

[Holy crap! Is there poison in the food?]

The sound of chopsticks hitting the ground filled the hall instantly.

Zheng Xun quickly checked the system.

[Oh, it's not poisonous. Then why is the prince yelling like that? Did he scare me? Isn't my life important?]

other people:……

I really believed her nonsense!

Countless glares fell on Zheng Xun, but she was completely unaware.

The imperial physicians arrived very quickly. After all, palace banquets are prone to accidents, and the experienced Imperial Hospital was well-prepared.

The imperial physician took the Crown Princess's pulse, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly knelt down: "Congratulations, Your Highness and Crown Princess! It's a slippery pulse; the fetus is already over a month along!"

Physician Li was delighted.

Today is a great day; he's sure to get a hefty reward.

He silently counted in his mind: "One, two, three, here comes the reward!"

"Watch and enjoy!"

His thoughts overlapped with those of the Crown Prince, and the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince were overjoyed.

Smile more, because once the country falls, there won't be any more chances to laugh.

Everyone:...

When it comes to pouring cold water on things, no one can beat you!

However, the fact that both of these sentiments were subsequently confirmed suggests something.

This suggests that Zheng Xun's inner thoughts may indeed be a prophecy!

Very well, this time, no one can really laugh.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, in particular, were worried and frowning, yet they had to force themselves to maintain their composure and attend to social obligations; it was truly pitiful.

The Empress believed most of what the Empress had said. Her voice was hoarse as she said with a glimmer of hope, "Let's see. Maybe it's a coincidence. No, it must be a coincidence."

This is a shared desire in everyone's heart.

The emperor loosened his fist, revealing a bloody mess in his palm.

He calmed down, waved his hand, and allocated a bunch of rewards to the Crown Prince. The banquet came alive again, with people offering their congratulations and compliments. However, a shadow had already formed over everyone's heads, which could not be ignored.

At this moment, Zheng Xun closed the system panel.

This is the cheat system she came with after transmigrating from the apocalypse into a book—the gossip-eating system.

This system requires special abilities to function; if those abilities are exhausted, the system will crash.

She is constantly in danger and never uses up all her superpowers; tonight, that's it.

And so, her inner voice fell silent.

The banquet was still lively, but there was a sense of forced politeness amidst the clinking of glasses.

……

No sleep for one night.

The next day, the emperor suddenly announced the end of court sessions.

The investigators spent a whole day squatting down and finally caught a glimpse of him wiping jade artifacts with saliva.

This eunuch was in charge of the Empress's private treasury, someone Zheng Xun could never get close to, but Zheng Xun's words came true once again.

However, after searching for a whole day, they finally found the person who replaced the hairpin, only to discover that the maid's body had floated to the surface in a pond.

Because of this incident, the four concubines who were in charge of the palace were reprimanded, and for a time, everyone in the palace felt insecure.