"Have you told anyone about this?" Gu Zhan suddenly grabbed Xu Nian's hand. This was a very important matter; even the emperor probably didn't know that the crown prince he favored was not his newborn son.

Xu Nian shook her head; how could she dare!

I was terrified when I first heard the news. Curiosity killed the cat. I wish I hadn't spent that extra money.

General Gu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but after thinking about it, he still found the matter too unbelievable. "Do most of the emperor's sons have imperial decrees?"

“Only a very small number of people are exempt from the Emperor’s mandate; it’s practically a miracle,” Xu Nian explained, hoping the story was just a hoax.

But on her way back, she deduced the Crown Prince's birth date and time from memory again. He was a wealthy and leisurely man with a harmonious marriage and two children. He was not destined to become emperor at all.

What a huge surprise!

So, what exactly is the Emperor's Mandate?

The so-called "imperial destiny" refers to the destiny to become emperor. Generally, princes born to the emperor are born with this destiny, because no one knows who will ultimately emerge victorious. If a prince doesn't have it, and even after becoming crown prince, he still lacks the imperial aura, then there's a 99.9% probability that he is not the emperor's biological son.

[Holy crap, did the Empress have an affair, or did someone switch the prince with a fake one?]

"Who would know?" Xu Nian pouted and complained. She didn't know whether to say she was lucky or unlucky. She came out to experience tribulation and encountered a power struggle.

She just exposed these palace secrets like that. If others find out, who knows what their fate will be.

Gu Zhan noticed her worry and stepped forward to pull her into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Just remember this: if anyone asks you to tell their fortune again, make sure you know what to say and what not to say. If you really can't, just make excuses and come back to me to discuss it."

The general didn't like incense, and Xu Nian leaned on his shoulder, her breath filled with the scent of the green bamboo in his courtyard.

It made me feel very safe, and I unconsciously snuggled even closer into their warm embrace. "I know. Don't worry, I have to protect myself for your sake."

Under the lamplight, two bodies were pressed tightly together without any gap.

The next morning, Xu Nian woke up in her room. Before she could wash up or get ready, Gu Zhan came to the backyard and walked straight in.

"I still need to tell Liuyun and the others later. You can't do this every time." Xu Nian didn't think anything of it before, but now that she understands her own feelings, she doesn't want her sweetheart to see her looking oily-faced after sleeping.

She covered her face and huddled under the covers, unwilling to see anyone.

Gu Zhan was taken aback, puzzled. "What? You just helped me get rid of my concubine yesterday, and today you're already tired of me and won't even let me in the door?"

"Who's stopping you from coming in?" Xu Nian said in a muffled voice. "I haven't washed up yet. You can go out first, and I'll let you in later."

It would take about half an hour. Gu Zhan practiced a set of boxing moves in the courtyard before Xu Nian opened the door.

Her fiery red skirt swayed, and she wore an exquisite and beautiful lotus crown on her head. Even though Gu Zhan had become accustomed to seeing Xu Nian dressed up these days, he still couldn't help but feel his heart pounding at this moment.

The girl skipped over to him, twirled around, and asked with a radiant smile, "How is it? Does it look good?"

"Beautiful." At this moment, all words seemed inadequate; he couldn't think of any words to describe her stunning beauty, leaving only a dry, unspoken word.

Xu Nian was very happy to receive the praise and told her with a smile that it was something the emperor had bestowed upon her yesterday.

At this point, Gu Zhan suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit this morning. "Perfect timing, I've prepared a congratulatory gift. Go to the Prime Minister's residence today. This morning, Eunuch Wang from the palace came to announce the imperial decree that the Emperor has betrothed Miss Su to the Crown Prince."

"So fast?!"

She had her birth chart checked yesterday, and it's already finalized today?

Thinking of another imperial decree bestowing marriage, Gu Zhan's eyes darkened slightly. "Perhaps it's to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. The Third Prince was also betrothed today to the daughter of Minister Liu."

"Liu Qingmei?" Xu Nian frowned, recalling the arrogant look on that day and the shyness she showed when facing Jiang Yuanlang, and understood.

It's likely that the Liu family had already received the news by then, and Liu Qingmei was already considering herself the Third Prince's consort.

Having lived in ancient times for so long, although I still don't really like to read people's minds, I have learned quite a bit. "The Emperor's move is really clever. He's given the daughter of the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister's family on one side, and betrothed the daughter of the Minister's family on the other. He's creating a balance between the two and making his sons fight to the death."

Suddenly remembering something, Xu Nian looked up at Gu Zhan, "Right, doesn't he have two sons? The fourth prince and the fifth prince?"

Gu Zhan sat down on the stone bench in front of her and pulled her onto his lap. Xu Nian was shy and moved to sit on the bench next to her.

Even through layers of clothing, you can feel the lingering coolness.

General Gu shook his head helplessly, holding his fiancée's hand. "The Fourth Prince left a letter a couple of years ago and went off to travel the world. I don't know when he will return."

"The Fifth Prince had some trouble a few years ago. His Majesty granted him the title of Prince of Anyang and he left the capital. He can only return once a year during the Spring Festival."

This effectively prevented him from succeeding to the throne.

"Just how disliked did this Fifth Prince do?" Xu Nian's lips twitched. "Even Jiang Yuanqing, who was the weakest, was given the possibility of succession by His Majesty. Yet this one was directly kicked out of the running?"

Gu Zhan lightly tapped her forehead and said irritably, "Walls have ears. Even in the manor, remember to be careful what you say. Although I don't know what happened to the Fifth Prince, it should be related to his birth mother."

I looked up at the sky; even the best stories can't be told all day.

He pulled Xu Nian up and straightened her slightly wrinkled skirt. "I'll tell you about this later. You should go to the Prime Minister's residence. Their house is probably overflowing with congratulatory gifts right now."

As Gu Zhan said, when Xu Nian arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, she saw servants and maids from other households who were people she had never seen before.

The gatekeeper already recognized her face. Upon seeing her arrive, he hurriedly called for someone to come forward. "Greetings, County Princess. My young lady knew you were coming and specially sent me here to wait for you. Please come with me."

Handing the items to another servant, Xu Nian followed him into the Prime Minister's residence amidst the scrutiny of the crowd.