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

Gu Nanyu followed her father-in-law into the palace!

Coincidentally, Tang Rui also entered the palace.

She heard from Situ An that the emperor liked to drink bubble tea, so on this day, taking advantage of the Imperial Academy's day off, she specially asked Rong Momo to make a lot of bubble tea to take to the palace, and also specially made a few small cakes for the emperor to enjoy.

I'll also send some over to Situ An and the Imperial Concubine.

Situ An always took care of her. The Imperial Concubine knew that she loved to eat, so she would occasionally ask Situ An to bring some of the palace's food to the Imperial Academy for her to try.

Since the other party intended to befriend her, Tang Rui couldn't be ungrateful.

However, when she entered the study, she found the atmosphere there to be... very strange...

The crown prince stood aside, filled with righteous indignation.

Gu Nanyu knelt, his eyes slightly lowered, his long eyelashes casting large shadows, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes.

The emperor remained expressionless, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Only when Tang Rui entered did a hint of tenderness appear in the emperor's eyes: "Zhaohua, what brings you to see me?"

"Um...Grandpa, Zhaohua made some snacks and milk tea, and wanted you and Consort Gui to try them!" Tang Rui said, then her eyes darted around, glancing at Gu Nanyu, who was kneeling upright. "Grandpa, what's wrong? Did Gu Nanyu make you angry?"

"..." It wasn't Gu Nanyu who angered me; it was clearly the Crown Prince, that rebellious son.

After investigating for so long, they actually traced it back to one of my own men.

The emperor looked at the crown prince, his gaze inscrutable.

In recent years, we have been fighting against the Northern Barbarians and guarding against sneak attacks from the Eastern neighboring country. The Great Xia has been recruiting soldiers and horses, which has greatly depleted the national treasury.

Unfortunately, under his rule, the Great Xia Dynasty enjoyed peace and prosperity. His officials were either incorruptible or corrupt, making it impossible for him to find anyone to confiscate from the state treasury to replenish the wealth.

So the emperor thought, this can't go on, we need to make some money to replenish the national treasury.

But what kind of talk is it for a ruler of a country to engage in business, given that the social classes are scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants?

The emperor finally decided that he needed to find a reliable person to handle these matters.

The Dragon Guards are no good; they're not tactful enough and not cut out for business.

Chen Defu... Forget it, if we really send him, wouldn't everyone in the world know that this emperor is doing business?

By chance, the emperor changed into civilian clothes and strolled around the Imperial Academy, where he encountered Gu Nanyu.

During their conversation, he discovered that the boy was eloquent and knowledgeable, unlike a child his age.

Most importantly, this kid is wicked at heart, but he has a bottom line.

Isn't this just a typical businessman?

So he chose this child and secretly managed his business for him.

That's how Zhencui Pavilion came to be.

The Xiaoyao Pill incident was also a scheme he orchestrated to depose the crown prince.

Now, things have gotten even worse; Gu Nanyu has been exposed by the Crown Prince.

The emperor was about to utter a phrase from the national essence.

When asked to handle serious matters, the Crown Prince is utterly incompetent.

When it came to investigating things that shouldn't be investigated, his cleverness immediately came into play.

The Emperor waved his hand, thinking that Tang Rui wouldn't understand even if he told her: "He didn't do anything wrong. Zhaohua, go find the Imperial Concubine. I'll be there in a bit."

"Oh, alright!" Tang Rui didn't dare to disobey the emperor, so she could only try her best to plead for her friend: "But Grandpa Emperor, Gu Nanyu is still a little kid. If he has made a big mistake, please be lenient. Rui Rui doesn't want to lose such a good friend."

Finally, Tang Rui managed to squeeze out two drops of horse urine.

Looking at the chubby face that resembled the seventh prince's, the emperor's mood inexplicably improved, and a smile appeared on his lips.

However, before he could agree, the Crown Prince's untimely voice rang out: "Zhaohua, children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs. Gu Nanyu has committed a grave mistake and should be severely punished as a warning to others."

Tang Rui asked curiously, "Then... what mistake did Gu Nanyu make?"

The Crown Prince said coldly, "The Great Xia Dynasty has clearly prohibited officials and their families from engaging in business for profit. Gu Nanyu has violated the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty. He is the behind-the-scenes owner of Zhencui Pavilion. What else could this be but a violation of the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty? Moreover, he passed the provincial examination a year ago and is a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination). His crime is aggravated."

"Wow!" Tang Rui exclaimed in surprise as she looked at Gu Nanyu, her eyes widening in disbelief. Her focus instantly shifted to the North Pole: "Gu Nanyu, you own Zhencui Pavilion? And you're a scholar?"

Hey, scholar!

She had already rummaged through her master's books and discovered that the imperial examination system in the Three Kingdoms period was similar to that in modern history, with examinations divided into prefectural examinations, provincial examinations, metropolitan examinations, and palace examinations.

The provincial examination, also known as the children's examination, was a path to becoming a scholar (秀才), or a student (生员).

Once one enters this social class, they enjoy privileges such as exemption from corvée labor and not having to kneel before officials.

Although the academy exam was the easiest compared to the other three exams.

However, many students, even in their seventies or eighties, have taken the exam for countless years and still haven't passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations.

How old is Gu Nanyu? He's already a scholar?

"Gu Nanyu, you're amazing! You're incredible!" Tang Rui gave him a thumbs up.

Even the usually composed Gu Nanyu was a little embarrassed by her praise, and awkwardly looked away: "It wasn't difficult at all, just a casual test, and I didn't expect to pass."

"Hahaha..." The emperor clearly appreciated this aspect of Gu Nanyu, praising him with a smile, "You can get second place in the academy exam with just a casual attempt, so if you take it seriously, how could the provincial and metropolitan exams possibly stump you?"

Gu Nanyu cupped his hands in greeting, remaining calm and composed: "Your Majesty flatters me!"

Seeing that the topic had veered off course, the Crown Prince objected: "Father, shouldn't we be discussing Gu Nanyu's violation of the law?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor performed a smile-disappearing act on him, and became increasingly annoyed with this son.

Even without looking at Rui Rui's little darling, you could tell he was unhappy. Was he deliberately changing the subject?

Why bring this up again?

Is it because you have too much free time that you keep worrying about these trivial things?

Seeing that the Crown Prince wouldn't let go of this point, and the Emperor's displeased expression, Tang Rui tilted her head and asked innocently, "Then... what about Uncle Crown Prince, Aunt Crown Princess? And Aunt Princess Chen, Aunt Princess Xiang, and all the female relatives of the civil and military officials, etc., who doesn't own one or two shops? Doesn't that count as doing business?"

The prince opened his mouth... then choked...

Yes!

Which family doesn't have a few shops owned by the women?

Even their husbands own shops.

If we really want to investigate, every single official in the court, and even the royal family, would be implicated.

and many more!

No, I almost got tricked by Tang Rui.

The Crown Prince straightened his expression and spoke nonsense with his eyes wide open: "Zhaohua, you mustn't talk nonsense. Having shops and being a merchant are not the same thing."

Everyone has their own business dealings, but none of them bring them into the open.

If Tang Rui wanted to pursue the matter, wouldn't she offend every official in the Great Xia Dynasty and even the royal family?

He didn't believe she would dare!

Tang Rui actually dared to do it!

She's a princess, and there are only a few people she needs to please. Why should she have to worry about other people's opinions?

However, at this moment, Gu Nanyu calmly took over the conversation: "Your Highness is right. I have violated the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, so I am willing to accept the punishment and contribute the profits of Zhencui Pavilion for the next ten years to replenish the national treasury."