Chapter 524
“I didn’t have time to savor the flavor, but Old Cai was right. My whole body feels warm and cozy. These past few months, I’ve been so busy with the war that my meals have been irregular, and my stomach hasn’t been doing well. I already feel much better.”
Many others shared the same experience as Cai Xian and Huo Ying. They were all impatient by nature, and because they trusted Yue Fuguang completely, they swallowed the flower petals they received without letting them linger for even a moment.
“Mine was sweet. Huh? My back feels better!”
“Mine was spicy. Eh? My legs, which have been cold and aching for twenty years, feel much better too!”
“My presbyopia…”
“Mine was a golden peanut! Hahaha, now I can afford to buy my daughter some flowers to wear!”
“Mine was a golden peanut too! I’m going to enshrine it properly!”
After Yue Fuguang flew her vehicle once around the capital and harvested another huge wave of faith points, she directly took Emperor Mingxi, his son, and the father-and-son duo from the Yu family back to the Yu residence.
Standing atop the city wall and watching the flying vehicle disappear into the distance, the assembled officials exchanged glances. They knew their Grand Preceptor far too well.
As expected, the ancestor was too lazy to come down again and had simply abducted His Majesty and the Crown Prince to her home.
Time passed slowly as the women of the Yu family insisted that Yue Fuguang had lost weight and needed to be properly nourished—and immediately put that conviction into action.
For the next two days, a steady stream of food and other treats was sent to the Brightmoon Pavilion. Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress came along to join in the fun.
Yue Fuguang ate and drank to her heart’s content while the system watched enviously.
【Host, where exactly have you lost weight? Could it be that you’re simply growing? With how much you’re eating, aren’t you afraid of actually getting fat?】
Yue Fuguang tossed another candied peanut into her mouth and mumbled, “I have slimming pills. What’s there to fear from a little indulgence? If I really do get fat, I’ll just take a pill and lose the weight painlessly.”
【If the folks back home heard you say that, they’d drown you in spit!】
Yue Fuguang rolled her eyes without the slightest trace of grace. “System, if you don’t sell me out, who’s going to find out?”
“Also, are we really going to expose him at court tomorrow?”
She hadn’t expected to return home and spend only two lazy days lounging around before the system handed her another mission. Sure, it was giving her points for free, but its inexplicable insistence on not letting her relax made her want to quit on the spot.
【It’s a system mission, and the points are free. How can we refuse them?】
“It’s only the eighth year of the Yuankang era. Why are we in such a hurry to deal with him?”
【Because we’re about to find the lair of Panshan, and it’s time to pull out the mole in Dayan too.】
“How come you didn’t notice there was something wrong with him before?”
【It seems his identity was hidden by the workings of fate, so the Gossip-Eating System didn’t detect anything suspicious about him at the time.】
Perhaps it was precisely this hidden identity that had caused so many transmigrators to fall.
Even the two of them had almost misjudged him, treating him like some insignificant nobody.
“All right, then. It’s been a long time since I’ve given Dayan’s ruler and his officials some gossip. This time, let’s give them a big one.”
The system was getting excited too. It hadn’t accompanied Dayan’s ruler and officials in a gossip session for several months, and it was genuinely looking forward to seeing their reactions when they heard this huge, thoroughly confirmed piece of news.
【Master, it’s been months since you attended court, but the emperor and the officials are still exactly the same!】
Yue Fuguang once again sat in her usual spot, with tea, fruit, and pastries carefully selected to suit her tastes by Eunuch Qian arranged before her.
The moment the system began, the emperor on the Dragon Throne and the officials below all felt that familiar sensation.
“Of course they are. What changes did you expect them to make?”
【There have been some changes. That shower of flower petals you sent down a few days ago helped cure or ease quite a few people’s old and new ailments. Look at the man in the green robe, third from the left in the second-to-last row. I’ve always suspected he was nearsighted. Now look at his eyes today. Aren’t they much clearer?】
“You spent all that time describing his location, when you could’ve just said he’s the man behind my big brother, Yu Qingyu.”
【Hehe, you were about to fall asleep, so I thought I’d liven things up a little!】
The green-robed junior official whom the system had appraised had a flushed face. Though he had been reduced to a mere member of the atmosphere-setting team, he was inexplicably thrilled.
All of them, including his fellow graduates—and Yu Qingyu, the Grand Preceptor’s own elder brother—had spent three years compiling books in the Hanlin Academy before finally earning the right to attend court.
Unfortunately, their timing had been poor. Just as they became qualified to participate in court, the Grand Preceptor had left the capital to oversee flood relief, so they had never had the chance to see her at court.
Only today, upon meeting her for the first time, did they learn that the secret concealed by the entire court was actually…
“Little Zhu, you’re right. This morning court is just as boring as ever. I’m practically falling asleep listening to it!”
【Master, would you like to hear some gossip to wake yourself up?】
“Gossip? Whose?”
At the mention of more gossip, some people grew excited, while others wore worried expressions.
Whenever the Grand Preceptor indulged in gossip, it inevitably dragged a whole string of incidents into the light. The problems were indeed solved, but each time, the officials genuinely felt as if they had taken a stroll around the gates of the King of Hell.
Wei Ping and Cai Xian exchanged a knowing glance. The same three words were written all over both their faces:
We’ve got work!
【It’s royal gossip. Want to hear it?】
When Emperor Mingxi and his officials heard the words “royal,” their hearts sank completely.
Emperor Mingxi couldn’t help tightening his grip on the armrest of the Dragon Throne. The divine artifact had nearly stripped him down to his underwear already—what other gossip could there possibly be left in the royal family?
The Crown Prince and several of the other princes were likewise filled with apprehension. The second, third, fifth, and sixth princes each carefully thought over their recent actions. Even during the months when the Grand Preceptor had been away from the capital, they had behaved themselves quite well.
The only difference was that the Fifth Prince had recently started hovering around several members of the Yu family, acting so obsequiously that he seemed to have forgotten he was a prince.
There was also the Sixth Prince’s wedding to the princess of Nanyue, which had proceeded in a perfectly proper and conventional manner.
The Seventh and Eighth Princes, who had only recently begun attending court and participating in government affairs alongside Yu Qingyu and the others, silently leaned closer together, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful.
Seventh Prince: Auntie, please let us off! [Picture of a pleading expression]
“Royal gossip? Of course we have to hear that!”
Yue Fuguang’s excitement nearly burst through the roof. Emperor Mingxi silently rubbed his forehead, thinking that this ancestor had probably forgotten she herself now counted as half a member of the royal family.
【Master, do you remember who Dayan’s last ruler was—the one who led it to ruin?】
Gasp!
Hiss!