Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

But Old Duan's efforts were ultimately in vain; how could she possibly withstand the power of the True Word Gu?

Under the intense gazes of Hai Qiongyan, Grand Tutor Hai, the Crown Prince, and Ying Yufu, Old Madam Duan finally spoke:

"...The last Chihuo Gu, Jinlang asked us to plant it in Emperor Cangxuan."

Upon uttering these words, Old Duan broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with terror.

Both Hai Qiongyan and the Crown Prince were utterly shocked.

[Ding! The face-slapping mechanism has been triggered. Please secretly help Emperor Cangxuan remove the Chi Fire Gu and slap the face of the mastermind, Jin Lang.]

The system's voice rang in my mind.

A glint flashed in Ying Yufu's eyes. "Little Dian, you said earlier that Emperor Cangxuan only had three months to live, and that it was an acute illness. Could this Chihuo Gu be the culprit?"

Xiao Dian: [Host, it seems that's true now, but the system can't guarantee there aren't other reasons. It's best to be cautious.]

Xiao Dian's statement was rather conservative.

[Okay, I understand.] The most urgent task is to remove the Gu poison from Emperor Cangxuan.

The crown prince was horrified.

He was first shocked to learn that his father had also been afflicted by the Chi Fire Gu, and then he was even more shocked to learn that Fu'er was having a conversation with her divine artifact.

My father only has three months to live?

Isn't that after the Lunar New Year?

How could this be?

"Your Highness, this matter cannot be delayed." Hai Qiongyan was also feeling lingering fear at this moment. Fortunately, Liao Kong was able to cure the Gu, so he did not lose his composure too much.

The Crown Prince snapped out of his daze and grabbed Ying Yufu's hand. "Fu'er, take Kong with you and come to the palace with me."

Ying Yufu nodded and said to Hai Qiongyan, "Lord Hai, the effects of the Truth Gu will wear off after two hours. You may continue the interrogation."

After saying this, she quickly left with the Crown Prince.

After leaving the Hai family residence, they first went back to the Mu residence to pick up Kong, and then went to the palace together.

On the way, the crown prince remained silent, looking tense.

Seeing that his face looked really bad, Ying Yufu reluctantly spent another 350 points to buy him a Star Fruit.

"Your Highness, have some fruit. Don't worry too much. His Majesty will be fine once the time comes."

When the Crown Prince saw her eagerly handing over the Star Fruit, her clear and bright eyes filled with concern, he felt a pang of tenderness in his heart.

He didn't refuse her kindness and took the star fruit, eating it slowly.

Ying Yufu saw Kong Hei's dark eyes looking at the fruit with some curiosity, and a thought struck her.

Liao Kong was once treated as a Gu child by Xuan Jing. At such a young age, his body may have been damaged. It is unknown whether eating the Star Fruit will be effective.

Never mind, the little guy's curiosity was so strong, he probably wanted to eat it too.

Ying Yufu immediately bought another Star Fruit for Kong.

[Ding! The system deducted 100 points for the purchase of one True Word Pill and 700 points for the purchase of two Star Fruits. The total deduction is 800 points, leaving a balance of 7040 points!]

Ying Yufu: "..."

She held out the Star Fruit to the air, "Here, have a taste."

Liao Kong looked at her in surprise. He could also tell that this fruit was extremely precious, and his sister would not usually take it out unless absolutely necessary.

They actually gave him one.

Seeing that Kong didn't take the fruit, but instead looked at her, Ying Yufu felt ashamed.

"I should have taken care of your health a long time ago, but I've been neglecting this. Eat this; it's good for your health."

A hint of warmth flashed in Liao Kong's dark eyes. He took the fruit and ate it with her.

He took a bite and was shocked; this fruit... was really delicious.

[Host, this is too extravagant! You could have easily bought a bottle of Life Essence Liquid or some other potion. You're being far too wasteful!]

Xiao Dian's voice echoed in my mind.

Ying Yufu said, "Oh, Xiao Dian, you don't understand. Liao Kong clearly wanted to eat fruit just now. It's no big deal for me to buy one for him to try; it's not like I'm wasting my points."

[Alright, but host, you'd better be more careful in the future. Don't forget, you still have to save the crown prince!]

[I remember, Little Madman, how many points do I need to save the Crown Prince?]

"100,000 points!" Little Madman said ruthlessly.

Ying Yufu's eyes widened instantly.

【Wh-what...】 Ying Yufu was completely dumbfounded.

[Hmph, host, now you know you need to use your points carefully, right?]

Ying Yufu suddenly felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her. She glanced silently in the direction of the Crown Prince and saw that he was still quietly eating fruit. She felt like crying but had no tears.

[Little Dian, I have a feeling the Crown Prince is that legendary money-devouring beast...]

We can't afford to raise them anymore, we really can't afford to raise them!

The crown prince, who appeared to be eating fruit but was actually eavesdropping, thought to himself: "..."

The carriage quickly entered the palace, and Ying Yufu and the Crown Prince had time to go directly to the Hall of Diligent Governance to see Emperor Cangxuan.

Ever since he learned that the late Empress had also died from the Chi Fire Gu, Emperor Cangxuan's expression had become somewhat frightening.

At this moment, all the ministers who were discussing state affairs in the Hall of Diligent Governance dared not even breathe loudly.

Their emperor is usually very easy to talk to.

But he seems to be in a really bad mood today, which is a bit scary.

Some ministers who spoke up for the second prince were even subjected to a death stare from Emperor Cangxuan.

Grand Secretary Zheng Liang was rather quiet today and didn't say much.

After the ministers who had spoken earlier about the Second Prince finished speaking, the Second Grand Secretary Gong Qian spoke up again: "Your Majesty, the trip to Yuzhou has been delayed for a long time. The refugees there are causing trouble, and the situation is very serious."

"As a prince, Your Highness should be concerned for the safety of Bei Xuan. I suggest that Your Majesty immediately dispatch the Second Prince to Yuzhou without delay."

This time, the Second Prince kept saying that he could find the treasure of Jade Plate Mountain, but the treasure was never lost at all. He only found a dozen or so boxes of bricks and stones, which was really embarrassing.

This greatly damaged the Second Prince's prestige in the court, and he needed another opportunity to make a contribution and restore his image in the court.

Perfect timing! The trip to Yuzhou that we had agreed on earlier hadn't materialized yet, so now they could bring it up.

After Gong Qian finished speaking, he glanced at Zheng Liang out of the corner of his eye.

Normally, Zheng Liang would step forward and speak at times like this.

After Zheng Liang finished speaking, Emperor Cangxuan would usually agree.

But this time, no matter how he looked at him, Zheng Liang kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he were deaf.

Gong Qian's expression turned strange.

Suddenly, he felt a chill on his head. He looked up sharply and saw Emperor Cangxuan staring at him with cold, unsettling eyes.

Gong Qian's scalp tightened. What... what's going on?

Something's not right about me today.

Emperor Cangxuan's expression softened suddenly, and he agreed, "Gong Qing's words make sense. I approve your proposal. Tomorrow morning at court, I will announce the Second Prince's trip to Yuzhou."

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Anguo have arrived, and there's even some free time with them."

Why bother going forward to report?

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cangxuan's expression shifted slightly. He looked at the assembled ministers and said, "You may all go about your business."

"We take our leave!"

After the ministers left, the Crown Prince, Ying Yufu, and Liao Kong quickly entered.

Emperor Cangxuan looked at the Crown Prince: "Why do you look so rushed?"

The crown prince looked at him, his eyes filled with lingering fear and relief.

The expression on Emperor Cangxuan's face changed slightly, as if he had guessed something.