Did the Seventh Prince attend court today?

Prime Minister Su is a great Confucian scholar, and countless noble sons have begged and pleaded to become his students, but none have ever been chosen. Now, the Emperor has made the erring Seventh Prince a student of Prime Minister Su with just a word?! You must know that when other princes wanted to become Prime Minister Su's students, the Emperor stood by and did nothing.

And Prime Minister Su, who always used to say he was too old to teach, why is he so decisive this time?

This is not over yet.

Emperor Wulong then said, "My son must be proficient in both literature and martial arts. I am very confident in entrusting the literary aspect to Prime Minister Su, and the martial aspect to the Duke of Zhenguo. My son, do not fail your father's expectations and good intentions."

A deer jumped up and down, shouting, "I won't—"

Emperor Wulong grabbed him and covered his mouth, not giving him a chance to refuse.

Cang Shuyue glanced at the fuming boy, but surprisingly did not refuse.

Everyone: "..."

Your Majesty, take a look at the Third Prince. Do you really think the Seventh Prince still needs to learn martial arts?

The die is cast, and the deer nearly fainted, its eyes rolling back in its head. "My life is over."

He didn't faint, but the Third Prince really did faint—he fainted from anger.

The third prince was carried away by the guards.

Yi Qiuwei dared not utter any harsh words in front of Emperor Wulong. He glared at Youlu with a gloomy expression and chased after the Third Prince as he left.

Seeing this, the other ministers all took their leave and hurriedly left this place of trouble.

Qin Tan walked out with the crowd, but suddenly Emperor Wulong's voice came from behind her: "Minister Qin, please wait."

Qin Tan was startled. What was His Majesty going to do now?

He has already offended the Third Prince and the Minister of War by testifying for the Seventh Prince today. Why won't His Majesty let him go?

Qin Tan looked distressed and obediently turned around. Before he could speak, Xu Zheng and Prime Minister Su lifted him up on either side and said with a smile, "Minister Qin, don't be in such a hurry to leave. His Majesty has something to discuss with you."

Emperor Wulong, with his youngest son in tow, mounted the imperial carriage, raised his chin, and said, "Prepare for the Imperial Study."

Helpless, Qin Tan: Help!

The imperial entourage departed in a grand procession. The eldest prince stroked his chin, pondering, "Why do Father and the others seem so secretive? Uncle, why don't we follow them and take a look?"

Cang Shuyue glanced at him lightly, "Aren't you most afraid of your father, the Emperor?"

The eldest prince said awkwardly, "I wasn't afraid, I was in awe."

Before he could say anything more, Cang Shuyue had already started to leave, heading straight for the Imperial Study.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Qin Tan stood there trembling, while Prime Minister Su and Xu Zheng circled around him, looking him up and down, making his hair stand on end.

He swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty, "Prime Minister Su, Lord Xu, why are you both looking at me like that?"

Prime Minister Su stroked his long beard and solemnly asked, "Has Lord Qin had his face examined by someone?"

This completely unrelated statement left Qin Tan utterly bewildered.

Xu Zheng chimed in, "It's better to believe it's true than not. Lord Qin should have someone take a look. Fortunately, our young prince is an expert in fortune-telling; why don't we ask him to take a look?"

"Ah? This, this isn't a good idea, how could I trouble you..." Qin Tan hesitated before speaking, unsure of what these two foxes were up to.

"Eh~~ Lord Qin, you are mistaken." Prime Minister Su interrupted him, saying firmly, "Lord Qin is a pillar of the nation. Helping you solve your problems is relieving His Majesty's burdens. The young prince is more than happy to help with this."

Youlu, who was led behind the imperial desk, looked at the scene with a puzzled expression. What were Prime Minister Su and Old Xu up to?

Emperor Wulong cleared his throat and whispered in his ear, "My secret guards have found something suspicious about Qin Tan's wife, but they can't find out the details. Since you can read faces, why don't you take a look for me?"

Youlu suddenly realized.

No wonder Father Emperor wanted to bring Lord Qin here for no reason. It turns out he also found out that something was wrong with Madam Qin. He was just getting halfway through his gossip, so now he can catch up on it.

You Lu was secretly delighted, without ever doubting the truthfulness of Emperor Wulong's words.

Without hesitation, he agreed to Emperor Wulong's request, mimicking the appearance of the Star Lord of Destiny, putting on an unfathomable expression, straightening his neatly arranged clothes and cuffs, and walking towards Qin Tan with a pigeon-toed gait.

The Pixiu cheered and clapped: "Boss, you're so cool!"

At this moment, Eunuch Kang came to report: "Your Majesty, the First Prince and the Duke of Zhenguo request an audience."

"What are they doing here?" Emperor Wulong clicked his tongue impatiently. "Let them in."

After receiving the order, Eunuch Kang left, and soon after, Cang Shuyue and the First Prince entered the Imperial Study one after the other.

At this moment, Youlu had already walked up to Qin Tan. He pretended to circle around Qin Tan, shaking his head and counting on his fingers as he walked.

Emperor Wulong, who was eager to hear the juicy gossip, was speechless for a moment. This kid is really dramatic.

The eldest prince was surprised. What was his seventh brother doing?

He turned to look at Cang Shuyue, only to find his uncle staring straight ahead, his face indifferent, as if he were detached from the situation.

Finally, Youlu stopped in front of Qin Tan and said slowly, "Lord Qin is thirty-six years old this year. His parents are alive and well, and he has both a son and a daughter. He has the face of great wealth and honor."

He wasn't talking about anything secret, but rather something that everyone knew, so Qin Tan didn't take it to heart. He simply bowed politely and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Seventh Prince."

"But—" Lu changed the subject, "I observe that although Lord Qin is destined for wealth and honor, his marital palace is dim and lackluster, indicating that he is destined to be a widower. This suggests that you lost your wife early in life and have not remarried since."

Qin Tan was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously shouted angrily, "Nonsense!" Her fair face turned red with anger.

Emperor Wulong, who was watching the show while holding a handful of melon seeds, found it strange that the Minister of Rites, who was usually approachable and kind, would actually get angry with someone.

Qin Tan quickly calmed down. His ingrained manners and upbringing prevented him from resorting to violence. He flicked his sleeve and said, "I don't know when I offended the Seventh Prince, that he would curse my wife and me like this!"

Seeing Qin Tan's anger, the eldest prince, worried that You Lu might offend someone, quickly advised, "Seventh brother, you mustn't speak recklessly. Madam Qin is still alive, though a little weak. Lord Qin and Madam Qin are a loving couple, so you can't joke around like that."

Prime Minister Su and Xu Zheng also reassured him, "Lord Qin, please calm down. It's not too late to draw a conclusion after the young prince has finished speaking."

Qin Tan raised his hand in a gesture of refusal to communicate and said coldly, "If the Seventh Prince wants to humiliate me, there is no need for such measures."

"You flatter me, Minister Qin," Emperor Wulong said at the opportune moment.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave." Qin Tan bowed and prepared to depart.

Youlu quickly stopped him, "Hey, don't rush, I haven't finished yet. Your wife has been claiming illness and bedridden for over ten years, and you haven't shared a room with her. Haven't you ever had any doubts?"

Qin Tan felt a chill run down her spine and stopped in her tracks.

How did the Seventh Prince find out about this?

Although he and his wife did not sleep in separate rooms, they had indeed not consummated their marriage for more than ten years. However, even the servants who served him closely and his children did not know about this. How did the Seventh Prince find out? Could it be that he really could read faces and tell fortunes?

With a mysterious expression, You Lu paced back and forth, then said, "Twelve years ago, your wife went back to her parents' home for a visit. After returning, she fell seriously ill and developed a chronic illness. You sought out many famous doctors but could not cure her. Madam Qin then proposed to separate rooms on the grounds of her frail health and even tried to arrange for you to take a concubine, but you refused in the end. Is this true?"

Qin Tan's eyes flickered, "It is indeed true."

Before he could speak again, Youlu pointed to himself, "I can cure it."

"Really?" Qin Tan's face lit up with joy. He changed his previous harsh tone, bowed deeply, and said earnestly, "Please, Your Highness, lend me your help. I will be eternally grateful."

"Of course, of course." Youlu helped Qin Tan up, thinking to himself: [I'm sorry, Lord Qin, all that talk about healing is nonsense. I just want to capture that man who's impersonating Madam Qin; he's a spy from an enemy country!]

Emperor Wulong and his two companions, who were eating melon seeds and drinking watermelon, were shocked. What? That was actually a spy from an enemy country?!