After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

He bribed a servant in the Crown Prince's study and accidentally obtained the information, but forgot that he had broken the rules.

But she wasn't that fool, Situ Qiang. She bit her lip, looked up at the Crown Prince with a pitiful expression, and said, "Father, I know I'm wrong, but I just wanted to help you. I really don't want to see you so troubled..."

In the end, she even managed to squeeze out a few tears.

The crown prince looked at her for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "If only your elder sister were as sensible as you."

"..." Upon hearing this, Situ Wei knew she had passed the test and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Mother is right. Father doesn't like smart people, but he hates stupid people even more.

What she did did not touch upon her father's sensitive areas.

"Father, my elder sister is your first child, so it's only natural that you and Mother would favor her a little more. Besides, she's still young; she'll understand when she grows up."

"I hope so!"

The crown prince looked at her and made his decision: "You shall come with me tonight!"

Situ Wei's expression brightened: "Your daughter obeys!"

...

Night falls!

The Crown Prince took Situ Wei out of the palace.

Tang Rui and her family also came out at this time.

There were two large carriages, the one in front being larger, carrying Situ Che, Qin Zhiyan, Gu Ruoxue, and Tang Rui.

The carriage behind carried Consort Zhu, Consort Zhang, and Consort Li.

The streets were bustling with activity, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream.

Colorful lanterns hung in every corner, decorating the entire city like a dream.

Tang Rui leaned against the car window, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the lanterns outside, occasionally letting out a gasp of amazement.

Looking at her adorable appearance, Situ Che couldn't help but smile.

Qin Zhiyan chuckled and teased, "Rui Rui, you like lanterns so much, you should pick out a few more later."

Tang Rui nodded vigorously and said, "Okay, okay, I want to bring home the prettiest ones!"

Gu Ruoxue also came over and said, "Rui Rui, let's go guess riddles together later. Maybe we can win some small prizes."

Tang Rui's eyes lit up even more as she grabbed Gu Ruoxue's hand, saying, "Mother Gu, you have to win more for me."

Situ Che looked at the group of girls and said with a smile, "Then I'll go with you later and see if I can be of any help."

Qin Zhiyan teased deliberately, "Oh! Your Highness is so learned and talented, we have no use for our skills."

Gu Ruoxue covered her mouth and chuckled, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "Yes, once the prince makes a move, we all have to step aside."

Situ Che shook his head with amusement: "It's not as exaggerated as you all say. Consort Gu, before you were married, you were a famous talented woman in the capital, with extensive knowledge. Even Scholar Zhou often praised you."

"Your Highness...so you knew..." Gu Ruoxue was unusually embarrassed.

She thought that Situ Che had never paid attention to her, just as she had never paid attention to Situ Che.

did not expect…

Actually, she was overthinking it.

Situ Che had already had someone investigate the backgrounds of several women in the mansion.

After all, they will be people in his household from now on. He can't be completely clueless and know nothing, can he?

What Gu Ruoxue didn't know was that Situ Che had always been aware of her affair with the Crown Prince.

I'm just too lazy to care.

The occasional messages released to her were all fake news.

He knew everything, including what happened between her and the Crown Prince on the day of the Princess Consort of Xiang's birthday.

Mingyue secretly followed Tang Rui whenever he had free time, and nothing that happened around Tang Rui escaped his eyes.

Gu Ruoxue's behavior was unusual; a little investigation would reveal the reason.

He knew that Gu Ruoxue was the little girl who accidentally fell into the dry well back then. What he didn't expect was that Gu Ruoxue had always regarded the Crown Prince as her savior.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Even opera troupes wouldn't dare to perform like this, would they?

Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped.

"What happened?" Situ Che asked.

The guard outside whispered, "Your Highness, it's the Crown Prince's carriage."

He had barely finished speaking when the Crown Prince's voice drifted in: "Seventh Brother, are you also going to the Zhencui Pavilion?"

Situ Che lifted the carriage curtain and looked expressionlessly at the Crown Prince, who was also lifting his curtain in front of him: "Crown Prince, what a coincidence."

Through the carriage curtain, the Crown Prince saw Qin Zhiyan, Gu Ruoxue, and Tang Rui sitting inside, and couldn't help but scoff, "Why is Seventh Brother bringing his family along?"

Situ Che rolled his eyes at him, not wanting to talk to him.

But Tang Rui, always eager for a good show, poked her little head out just as Situ Che was about to lower the carriage curtain, smiling adorably at the Crown Prince: "Uncle Crown Prince, a family should always be together! Didn't you bring your Crown Princess Aunt?"

The subtext is: Your family isn't complete!

"Zhaohua, are you cursing me?" The Crown Prince understood, his eyes twitched, and his tone became slightly somber.

Tang Rui feigned an innocent and bewildered look: "Huh? A curse? Zhao Hua doesn't have one. Zhao Hua is just curious and asking."

"Zhaohua!" Situ Che, fearing that the Crown Prince would use this as an excuse to make trouble, interjected, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak. Go inside and stay there."

"Okay, okay!"

Tang Rui sighed like a little adult, pulled her head back, and her voice could still be heard coming from the carriage: "I really don't understand you adults. It's just a simple greeting, how did it become a curse! That Crown Prince Uncle always has 'lonely' on his lips, isn't he cursing himself? Scholar Zhou said that 'lonely' means to die alone."

Crown Prince: "??"

Crown Prince: "..."

His face darkened completely, and he was speechless.

Qin Zhiyan, who was in the carriage, covered her mouth and almost burst out laughing.

Gu Ruoxue couldn't hide her smile either, and tapped Tang Rui's little nose. The more she looked at the child, the more she liked her.

This girl is far too intelligent; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's almost supernaturally intelligent.

Situ Che's eyes were also full of smiles: "Your Highness, my daughter is young and her words were offensive."

Such a young girl talking nonsense is just part of their natural tendency to be silly sometimes.

If you, as an adult, are going to hold a grudge, then you're in the wrong.

The crown prince glared at him, then angrily lowered the carriage curtain: "Let's go!"

The coachman drove the carriage away.

Situ Che also shrank back, deliberately stern-faced, and tapped Tang Rui on the head: "He's the most petty person. If you offend him, you'll regret it."

Who knew…

Tang Rui suddenly blurted out, "So, Father, why don't you try your best and usurp the throne to become the Crown Prince!"

Situ Che's eye twitched: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I didn't!" Tang Rui crawled to his side like a puppy, sat down with her bottom swaying, and began to reason with him: "A prince who doesn't want to be emperor is not a good prince. The Crown Prince and Grandfather are nothing like each other, nor are they wise and powerful. I don't think he can be a good emperor."

"Nonsense!" Situ Che reprimanded sternly, "How can the position of Crown Prince be changed so easily? Don't say such things again!"