"Report, Your Majesty, Xia Ziwei, who is imprisoned, is making a scene and demanding to see you. She says that Your Majesty will regret it if you don't see her, and that she has something to tell you about Xia Yuhe."

Since we'd already been delayed for so long, led by the Emperor, everyone decided to take a day off and stayed at Baoyue Tower to have dinner.

A few girls were playing, while a few men were chatting, casually keeping an eye on the girls playing on the side.

The next sentence silenced everyone, and they all looked at the Emperor.

The group of people couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, wondering how they could have forgotten about Ziwei.

The main problem is that so much has happened recently, and they are preoccupied with the illness, leaving them no time to care about Xia Ziwei in prison.

Chen Nian whispered a few words to Ying'er, who was waiting to the side, and then Ying'er left Baoyue Tower.

Perfect timing. Since so many things have happened recently, my mental resilience has improved a lot. Let's resolve this matter as well.

"Bring the person up."

Seeing the changed expressions on the faces of those around him, the Emperor frowned and spoke in a cold voice.

What are these children hiding from him?

Ziwei was brought up quickly.

Seeing Ziwei covered in wounds, her face no longer as pretty as before, and her eyes dull and stained with filth, the group felt no emotion whatsoever.

People who reap what they sow do not deserve sympathy.

“Your Majesty, I am the real princess. Xiao Yanzi has taken my place. Moreover, Xiao Yanzi and the Fifth Prince have already developed feelings for each other.”

Looking at the emperor sitting on the throne, Ziwei dropped a bombshell.

The explosion made the heads of the few people besides Chen Nian and his group who knew about it throb.

The Empress was momentarily stunned.

Will these two be able to pass Consort Yu's approval?

The first thing the Empress did after realizing this was to consider whether the two of them could get past Consort Yu.

After spending so much time together, Xiao Yanzi had won her favor.

Moreover, getting past the Empress Dowager wouldn't be easy either.

She never expected that something she had doubted for so long, something she had stopped worrying about, would be revealed to her so easily.

"Father, I'm sorry..."

Little Swallow knelt directly before the Emperor.

"Father, Little Swallow didn't mean it..."

Since his beloved had already knelt down, Yongqi naturally followed suit.

The Emperor looked incredulously at Xiao Yanzi kneeling below him, and Yongqi kneeling beside her. He looked at one and then at the other.

Good heavens, these two? They really are just as he thought!

Contrary to Ziwei's expectations that the Emperor would be furious, the Emperor was only somewhat shocked. He had long noticed Yongqi's different attitude towards Xiaoyanzi and had a vague guess in his heart, but he dared not think about it.

Even if he could accept it, the Empress Dowager couldn't. She was worried about the two of them for a while, and then she gave up on herself.

Having witnessed so many stories of Ertai, Qing'er, and Yongxuan becoming a couple, he couldn't bring himself to separate them. But now that Xiao Yanzi isn't a princess, he can grant them a marriage.

Hey, he's paired up another couple. He's the real matchmaker, he's so great!

However, dealing with the Empress Dowager is not a good idea!

Never mind, let's deal with the immediate problem first.

"Is what Ziwei said true?"

The Emperor asked seriously.

He was secretly enjoying the show, but with so many younger generations around, he absolutely couldn't ruin his image as a dignified and authoritative ruler of a nation.

"Yes, Father Emperor, Xiao Yanzi didn't mean to hide her identity. She was afraid of losing her head at first, but later, it's just that, it's just that Xiao Yanzi has never experienced fatherly love since she was a child. Father Emperor, you've been too good to Xiao Yanzi, making her crave this father-daughter relationship..."

Blah blah blah, Little Swallow rattled off a string of words, managing to bring tears to the Emperor's eyes, which had been feigning seriousness.

He truly loved Xiao Yanzi; she brought him a lot of joy...

"Father, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it's alright, Father is here. But, are you and Yongqi really together?"

As they talked, Xiao Yanzi's rapid-fire delivery dispelled the Emperor's seriousness, and the topic veered off course.

"this……"

The Emperor immediately stopped Xiao Yanzi in her tracks with his question.

"Tell me quickly, is it true? If you tell me, I'll discuss it with the Empress Dowager and ask her to grant you a marriage as well." Tell him personally, is what he swore really true?

Although Ziwei said that the two had feelings for each other, he still wanted to hear the parties involved admit it themselves.

"Um."

The subsequent conditions moved Xiao Yanzi, who blushed and spoke in a low voice that was almost inaudible.

But the Emperor was a martial artist, so he naturally heard it.

"Hahaha—, Hanxiang, the pair I've been shipping is real."

Having achieved the result he wanted, he was so excited that he blurted out his thoughts and shared his joy with Hanxiang.

Empress: ...

Everyone:……

Huh—disdainful. I never expected the Emperor to have this side to him.

emperor:……

It's over, it's over! His image is ruined, his tall and dignified image is gone, gone!!!

How should he face these children?

The group glanced disdainfully at the emperor, whose face showed a momentary hint of unease, before quickly averting their gazes before he could glare at them.

He looked left and right, up and down, but refused to meet the emperor's gaze.

emperor:……

These brats!!!

They don't even respect him as the ruler of a country; they've been spoiled rotten by him.

Yes, he definitely needs to be more serious from now on, he absolutely needs to!

He wants to salvage his image.

However, when faced with two girls who were not afraid of him at all and even kept staring at him, the emperor's hard-won serious expression broke down.

"Little Swallow, Niannian, you two, I've really spoiled you rotten! What are you looking at? I've watched you grow up, so what if you stumbled a little? Don't forget, I haven't given you the imperial decree for marriage you wanted yet!"

When they looked at each other, the two still wouldn't look away. The emperor got angry and unleashed a torrent of words, successfully seizing control of their lives.

Ertai Yongqi, who had been letting his wife watch as she pleased, became agitated upon hearing the imperial decree of marriage and immediately covered his wife's eyes with his hands.

The emperor is a bit of a scoundrel; he actually holds their lives in his hands.

Ziwei, who hadn't expected this outcome: ...

He stared blankly for a while as the group joked and laughed, feeling extremely indignant, and spoke up again, seeking a sense of existence.

“Your Majesty, Xiao Yanzi is an imposter; I am Xia Yuhe’s real daughter.”

"Come on, how dare you call yourself the real princess? Do you really think no one knows what you've been doing? You've only learned a half-baked skill, yet you come out here to cause trouble, and you think you have leverage to negotiate with us?"

The room was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Chen Nian felt wonderful, and everything was going in a positive direction. How could she not be happy?

He was thoroughly enjoying the play when this sudden change of pace left him feeling uneasy, unable to bear Ziwei's constant attempts to get her attention.