The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Zheng Jin and Zheng Jiao exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes. Their hands, which were flipping through the account books, suddenly slowed to a crawl.

Consort Shu perked up and stared at Zheng Xun with great interest: "Yuanjia, who is prettier, me or your Aunt Consort De?"

Consort De gently patted her arm: "All you do all day is talk nonsense."

"I didn't!" Consort Shu glared at her disapprovingly, then complained to Zheng Xun and the others, "Xuanxuan is such a pedant, she loves to lecture and is so annoying."

Zheng Xun's eyes darted around, and he nodded seriously: "Exactly, I hate people who love to lecture."

Consort Shu blurted out, "Actually, Xuanxuan is the most capable, so this little flaw is completely insignificant..."

Zheng Xun and the others immediately laughed.

You're the one complaining, and you're also the one who can't bear to see her being criticized.

Consort De rubbed her temples helplessly.

She kept their affair a secret. Although neither the Emperor nor the Empress was petty, she dared not gamble on a possibility.

But then, unexpectedly, he encountered Zheng Xun.

There's no way to hide it, and there's no way to kill him; we can only accept our fate.

It was only then that Zheng Jin belatedly realized that Consort De and Consort Shu were a couple.

Her thoughts started to wander, mainly because she was curious about how the two women slept.

Zheng Jiao was much more direct; she asked directly, "Who are you...?"

Consort De replied, "Close friends."

Zheng Jiao didn't know why, but she felt inexplicably excited. She couldn't explain why, and she wanted to ask more, but Zheng Xun's inner voice rang out.

[Liar. They grew up together, and at first, they genuinely thought of each other as very close friends.]

[Until Consort Shu was forced into the palace by her father, Consort De realized with shock that she didn't want to. Consort Shu was a delicate flower she had carefully nurtured, destined to thrive in her home; why was she suddenly being forced to leave her?]

However, she was also well aware of how rebellious her thoughts were, but at this point, she could no longer deceive herself. So she went to Consort Shu, but instead of revealing her feelings, she simply asked if she was willing to leave with her.

[What Consort Shu said at the time was: I have a mother and elder brother to care for, and a younger brother and niece to raise. Now that the list has been finalized, I want to leave with you. But if I abandon my family for my own selfish reasons, how can I have the face to live on in this world?]

Consort De understood her intentions, so she left a stack of silver notes and departed.

To Consort Shu's surprise, three years later, during the imperial concubine selection, Consort De entered the palace. No one expected that the most reserved and composed person would be the most passionate, jumping into the cage without hesitation for the sake of her beloved, thus ruining the rest of her life.

The two sisters reunited and supported each other until the birth of the Eighth Prince. After that, they faded into obscurity in the palace. The Emperor was a heartless man who wouldn't remember you unless you made a fuss about your presence. So, they enjoyed food, drink, and power in the harem, had lovers by their side, and even had children. Their lives couldn't be more wonderful.

Out of caution, the two never revealed their feelings for each other, and lived their lives in tacit understanding. Five years later, the Eighth Prince died of illness while traveling. Ten years later, the country fell, and Consort Shu and Consort De committed suicide.

Consort Shu looked at Consort De, her eyes slightly red.

She knew perfectly well that she was the one who was dragging her sister down.

Although there isn't much infighting in the Emperor's harem, they are already in high positions, and the older sisters above them aren't the type to make things difficult for others.

However, her sister, who should have been a bird soaring freely in the sky, ended up in the palace and had to commit suicide in a tragic way. Just thinking about this made her feel sad.

Consort De squeezed Consort Shu's hand in return, her gaze calm yet firm: "Don't worry, that day will never come."

This is their Great Yong; how dare the people of the Brown Kingdom run wild here?

She wouldn't allow it, her father wouldn't allow it, and the emperor wouldn't allow it.

As long as the court and harem of the Great Yong Dynasty are of one mind, the prophetic ending will never occur. She and Consort Shu can live happily ever after. When the Eighth Prince grows up, they can be taken away and travel together.

When there is no more war, they can find a place to live in seclusion and spend the rest of their lives.

Zheng Xun found something in the gossip system and glanced thoughtfully at Consort De: "Consort De comes from a family with a long history of learning, so it would be a waste. Coincidentally, my second sister has something that hasn't been finished yet, so why don't you go and help her out?"

Although some tasks have been assigned to the sixth member of the Azure Dragon Guard, it is still not enough. We should unite all forces that can be united, after all, protecting Dayong is the responsibility of every Dayong citizen.

Consort De, who had been inexplicably assigned a task before even having arranged any work for the princesses: ...

Zheng Xun thought she was unwilling, so after thinking for a moment, he stretched out his hand and said, "If Your Majesty agrees, I guarantee that Father will not bother you for half a year."

Consort Shu looked longingly at Consort De.

Zheng Jiao burst out laughing. Zheng Jin shook his head helplessly. If Father Emperor knew, he would probably argue with his third sister again.

Consort De ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and nodded.

The three heartless princesses, completely unconcerned that their father was being disliked, happily began their formal studies.

This was no easy task. Even though they weren't stupid, they didn't dare to relax. They weren't released until 3:15 PM.

Zheng Xun outwardly agreed to return to Mingzhu Pavilion, but in reality, he planned to leave the palace and return to Princess Jianyang's residence.

Because she was planning to kill someone that night, leaving the palace was necessary.

However, she was taken to the Imperial Study by her father-in-law who was delivering the message.

When the emperor saw her, he immediately launched into a tirade of abuse.

The tone wasn't harsh, but the nagging was annoying.

Zheng Xun bluntly retorted, "Do you know you owe me, so your fatherly love is overflowing? Why are you so nagging?"

The Emperor almost lost his composure: "You're actually complaining!"

Seeing that he was so angry but showed no intention of making a move, Zheng Xun suddenly became bolder: "Why won't you let your son leave the palace?"

"The palace can't accommodate you?"

What's the point of going to the palace?

"Have you visited Mingzhu Pavilion? Have you seen the newly selected palace maids?"

Zheng Xun chuckled, "No rush, no rush, take your time. I have plenty of time. Please let me leave the palace today."

"You have plenty of time, don't you?" The emperor smiled mysteriously, looking just like a villain plotting a wicked scheme.

Zheng Xun felt a chill run down his spine. Just then, his savior arrived: Liao Hongsheng had something to ask the emperor.

"Lord Liao, you look even more radiant today than ever before!" Zheng Xun smiled warmly.

After performing the ceremony, Liao Hongsheng chuckled and smoothed his hair, saying, "Your Highness is too kind."

He spoke words of praise, but the corners of his mouth were turned up high, and Zheng Xun and the emperor couldn't help but twitch their lips slightly when they saw this.

"Since Father has matters to attend to, then I will not disturb you any longer." Zheng Xun took a step forward, preparing to slip away.

"Stop and sit down," the emperor said in a low voice. Seeing that she complied, he turned to Liao Hongsheng and asked, "Is there a result?"

Liao Hongsheng's expression turned solemn as he presented two bloodstained confessions.