—

In the capital, Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the news from Ningpei County: most of the people of Ningpei had been successfully relocated to the nearby mountains.

The initial phase of the Ningpei flood incident proceeded smoothly.

The system completed its task and then secretly slipped back into the system space to do its own thing.

Qingyin didn't stop him and let him run away. Anyway, the system wouldn't be of much use, and she wasn't used to relying too much on external things to complete tasks.

In the Imperial Study, the four princesses are now learning literature and martial arts from Lin Chaozong and Wei Chengming, and they have made some progress, especially the most intelligent third princess, Xia Jingyao.

Qingyin was pleasantly surprised when she found out.

Therefore, she happily added a few more memorials to her third sister's collection.

Xia Jingyao: "..."

Although she was used to her emperor brother doing such absurd things, she was still somewhat shocked by his nonchalant attitude in letting them rule as regents.

Isn't he afraid that they will affect his status as emperor?

Under the bright candlelight, Xia Jingyao turned her head and looked at Qingyin with a puzzled expression.

In response, Qingyin gave a pleasant yet obedient smile.

Xia Jingyao: Never mind, it's not the first time.

Xia Jingyao turned her head again, flipping through the memorial in her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips as she lowered her head to hide it.

—

Seeing her sisters quietly reviewing the memorials, Qingyin felt relieved and looked at the memorial in her hand.

Now that the floods have occurred in Ningpei, the food problem naturally needs to be addressed for the time being.

Qingyin thought it was time to have her ministers donate a sum of money.

The next day, the officials in the court looked at the emperor sitting above them like a god, and at the emperor who was always talking about how greedy he was. For once, they felt that the emperor's shamelessness was a waste of his handsome face.

But Wei Chengming, a king of a different surname, stepped forward and offered to donate money, leaving the officials with no excuse to refuse.

Some people who are inherently greedy hate this one who stood up and took the lead even more.

The Eighth Prince's Mansion.

Eighth Prince Xia Chengde angrily walked back to his mansion.

Consort Li, who had been standing guard at the east courtyard gate, lit up when she saw the prince return. She pretended to miss him and clung to him, saying, "Your Highness, you're back!"

But the prince, who usually hugged her with joy whenever he saw her, was acting differently. He angrily pushed Consort Li away.

Xia Chengde said without any mercy, "Alright, stand properly. Don't be so clingy in public."

Upon hearing this, Consort Li stiffened, especially since she happened to see her old rival, the Eighth Prince's wife, passing by the door and witnessing the scene.

She harbored deep resentment towards the prince, but on her face she still feigned an understanding demeanor.

She said pitifully, "Master, what's wrong? This concubine..."

Her voice was incredibly soft, and her fair face was slightly raised, revealing her slender neck, subtly exuding the fragility of a delicate white flower.

Having spent a long time with the Eighth Prince, Consort Li had already figured out the mannerisms that the prince preferred.

Sure enough, not long after, Xia Chengde looked at her like this, and a hint of pity and regret appeared in his eyes.

"Yu'er, I didn't mean it."

With tears in her eyes, Consort Li said earnestly, "Of course I know, Your Highness treats Yu'er the best."

...

After exchanging sweet nothings and engaging in conversation, the atmosphere became ambiguous again.

Having appeased the prince, Consort Li looked smugly at the spot where the Eighth Prince's wife had been standing.

But the next second, her face froze.

The spot where the Eighth Princess had just been standing was now empty; the person had been gone for quite some time.

Remembering that no one had seen her smug expression just now, Consort Li was furious again.

—

Back in her own courtyard, the Eighth Princess quietly pursued the only hobby she had left in the mansion—pruning the potted plants.

Qin Chun, the personal maid following behind the Eighth Princess, looked at her mistress, whose face was calm and numb, and her eyes were full of heartache.

How happy the young lady was at home back then! Now she's being oppressed by a lowly woman who came from a prostitute's background. How wronged she must feel!

"Your Highness, Consort Li has gone too far, bullying you so blatantly."

The Eighth Princess tilted her head, looking at Qin Chun's expression, and said with a light smile, "You know her personality, why bother fighting with her? Besides..."

"The prince's heart belongs to her; you can't win against her."

When the Eighth Princess Consort spoke the last sentence, her tone turned cold.

She had a honeymoon period with the Eighth Prince when she first married him.

At that time, the Eighth Prince was still young, and the late emperor had not yet established a crown prince. The Eighth Prince wanted to compete for that position, so he specially married her, who came from a very good family.

She knew all of this.

Later, the Eighth Prince lost the contest and specially married Li, his "true love," and she also became disillusioned.

She could see it clearly, but the Eighth Prince couldn't see his own stupidity.

Even though he was so stupid, this prince could still stand in the court and express his opinions just like those court officials. This... was too enviable.

That was something she could never do in her entire life.

The Eighth Princess's eyes dimmed, and in her distraction, she didn't even notice that she had accidentally cut off a small branch and dropped it on the ground.

Looking at the potted plant with a missing corner after being trimmed, the Eighth Princess pursed her lips.

In the end, I took the scissors and trimmed it again.

This time, she didn't lose focus. She carefully trimmed the potted plant in her hand before handing it to the maid so that she could arrange it properly.

—

Inside the palace, Lin Chaozong, thinking of his sister, couldn't help but look at Qingyin with expectant eyes after donating his money.

In court, he couldn't tell Qingyin certain things.

But now he teaches the princesses in the palace every day, and when His Majesty comes back occasionally to check on the princesses' learning progress, he will run into His Majesty.

Therefore, this also made it easier for Lin Chaozong to express some of his hidden thoughts to Qingyin.

Qingyin sat in the chair, looking at the several scrolls made by the princesses that Lin Chaozong handed over.

Feeling Lin Chaozong's undisguised burning gaze, he raised an eyebrow.

She looked up and glanced over, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Is something the matter, Minister Lin?"

Lin Chaozong swallowed hard, looking at Qingyin with a mixture of admiration and nervousness. "I know that what I said may be considered treasonous, but Your Majesty, I still want to ask Your Majesty for a favor. If Your Majesty is willing to help me, I will not hesitate to throw me into the imperial prison in the future."

It seems her subject can't wait any longer!

Qingyin put down the scroll in her hand and said with an ambiguous look in her eyes, "Please speak freely, my dear minister. Besides, some things don't deserve to be brought to the Heavenly Prison."