Everyone looked up and exclaimed, "Wow, Prince Yuansheng is still as bold as ever!"

Their hearts skipped a beat as they recalled their previous speculation: Could Xiao Zhixing really be the emperor's daughter?

They suddenly realized why the emperor disliked Zhao Lin and favored Xiao Zhi so much.

He remained calm even after being cuckolded, because there was a better offspring here, which extinguished his anger.

At this moment, they heard the emperor say, "You're so protective of your own, aren't you afraid I'll blame you?"

Xiao Zhixing smiled and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler and has already reached a conclusion in your heart. I am merely following the trend."

Zhao Yunqi smiled, remained silent for a few moments, and then said, "The Zhang family's property has been confiscated, and the entire family has been exiled to the northern frontier. Zhang Zhong's merits and demerits have been offset, so he is exempted from punishment. Zhao Lin has changed his surname to Zhang. The eldest prince has reported his death from illness. Xu Shi has returned home and is free to remarry."

Zhao Lin—no, Zhang Lin—kowtowed, “Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!”

Xu Zhen'er silently shed tears.

Zhang Rengui's eyes rolled back and he fainted.

The Emperor System said, "I don't believe Xiao Zhixing didn't get involved in this matter. Zhang Lin did go and see her."

Zhao Yunqi didn't care. "This solves Zhao Lin's identity problem, making the Crown Prince plan even more legitimate, right?"

The Emperor System scoffed, "You just can't wait for Xiao Zhixing to take the throne."

Zhao Yunqi sighed, "Yes, I hope to hand over the heavy responsibility sooner and enjoy a couple of days of peace and relaxation."

Xiao Zhixing reserved his opinion on the conversation between the two.

On that day, the news of the Crown Prince's death successfully dominated the trending searches in Shengjing.

Strangely, no one in the entire court discussed it, and when someone inquired about it out of curiosity, they were brushed off.

The eldest prince's funeral was simple and meager, and he was eventually buried with Consort Zhang.

In a courtyard in the northern district of Shengjing, Zhang Lin personally greeted Xiao Zhixing's people.