"You mean..."

“They didn’t have much of a chance before, but now that the emperor and his ministers are at odds, even I, the Dowager Consort, have heard about it. It’s clear that the matter has already spread. How could Prince Lu not be tempted? Perhaps he has already started to win over the court officials. If we start investigating from this angle, he can’t escape the charge of forming cliques for personal gain.”

"Forming cliques for personal gain?"

Song Xibai's eyelids twitched when he heard this word.

Consort Shu rolled her eyes at her.

"You're such a soft-hearted child. Are you afraid of misunderstandings and being wronged? There's really no need for that. How many people in the court can be considered truly honest and upright? If you investigate, you'll find countless dirt on them!"

Song Xibai humbly accepted the instruction.

"Your Majesty is right. There are many things I don't understand. Please teach me."

Consort Shu immediately perked up.

"Start by investigating the relatives of Princess Lu's family; that should be enough to uncover the truth."

Song Xibai looked up at the right moment, revealing a puzzled expression.

Consort Shu extended her index finger and tapped her forehead.

"Are you stupid? Think about it, I married my foolish son to the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo as his princess. Zhu Yirou was favored quite a bit back then, so why did I arrange for the Prince of Lu to marry her niece?"

"The Cao family may seem noble, but they have no real power. In fact, the Prince of Lu's greatest reliance has never been the Cao family, but the Zhu family."

"With the Cao family leading the way, everyone has overlooked the Zhu family. You should know that the Zhu family has many marriage alliances in the court, and the Zhu family women are all famous beauties... These marriage relationships may seem inconspicuous at times, but they can be very useful at crucial moments."