【Goodness, not taking the initiative, not refusing, not taking responsibility—Prince Consort has truly mastered these three tricks to perfection. Honestly, it makes people want to bow down in defeat.】

　　【I thought Princess just had the emperor issue an edict for the marriage, but turns out she actually asked Prince Consort for his opinion beforehand. I really can't stand people who have opinions in their hearts but still say things like "anything's fine, no problem" out loud, making others think you're really willing, only to nitpick afterward and make them doubt themselves...】

　　【What's wrong with you!】

　　Chancellor Dawson was listening with great interest, his gaze drifting now and then to Prince Consort, silently echoing in his heart: Say more! Say more!

　　Although Evan Foster couldn't hear others' thoughts, Chancellor Dawson still pretended to cheer for him openly.

　　Prince Consort's actions especially struck a chord with him—reminding him of that mess with the crown prince, and the more he thought about it, the more stifled he felt.

　　Princess Grace was also so upset she could barely catch her breath, feeling as if everything she'd thought and believed over the past eight years had been overturned.

　　So it wasn't her fault after all?

　　Princess Grace said nothing, but her dazed expression already sent a chill straight to Prince Consort's bones.

　　Clearly, no one present had said anything against him, yet a cold intuition seeped into his heart, stirring panic and making him feel as if he'd fallen into an ice cave.

　　It felt like something had changed.

　　Prince Consort finally no longer looked so confident, and couldn't help but call out softly, “Princess...” But he said nothing more, just called out and then stubbornly stood there, straighter than pine or bamboo.

　　A long, long time ago, Princess Grace had fallen in love at first sight because of this very look of his. Now, her heartstrings were plucked once again. She pressed her lips together, and in the next moment—

　　“Father,” Princess said softly, “no matter what, if he hadn't become Prince Consort, he would have had great prospects in officialdom. It's my fault for ruining his future...”

　　“You still want to plead for this unfilial beast?!”

　　“Yes...”

　　The Old Emperor was so angry... he looked at Evan Foster.

　 Go on, say something!

　　Evan Foster was baffled by the look. He had no experience in political intrigue and could only guess blindly.

　　【The Old Emperor cares about his reputation and doesn't want today's events to get out, but he can't just kill a bunch of high-ranking officials, so maybe he'll kill me, a minor official, as a warning to others?】

　　The high-ranking officials: “...”

　　What deterrent is there in killing a ninth-rank minor official?

　　The Old Emperor was almost knocked over by anger at Evan Foster. He just wanted to poke Evan Foster's forehead and say: Stop overthinking these political matters. With your level of cunning, you wouldn't survive three days in officialdom!

　　After venting, he immediately turned his head away, pretending he was just looking around.

　　【Eh? Now he's looking at Chancellor? Maybe he really was just glancing around earlier.】

　　The Old Emperor's expression relaxed, but he still felt a bit uneasy.

　　After being the all-powerful Emperor for so long, he was actually being affected by a minor official.

　　But...

　 He still couldn't bring himself to really kill Evan Foster.

　　Evan Foster could die, but if he did, would the artifact "system" that recognized him as master seek revenge and bring disaster to Great Xia?

　 Or what if Evan Foster survived and escaped, using the artifact "system" to spread royal secrets everywhere, turning the royal family into a laughingstock?

　 Or were there other side effects he couldn't tolerate?

　 Maybe it was better to keep things balanced as they were now—though Evan Foster might embarrass them socially, his inner thoughts had also brought them quite a few benefits!

　 The Old Emperor secretly convinced himself, grunting gloomily, and decided to be a magnanimous Emperor and not fuss with the younger generation.

　 He also fretted: Sigh, I wonder if Evan Foster will keep targeting Prince Consort. His daughter’s muddled head is all thanks to Evan Foster stirring things up.

　 And Evan Foster was indeed interested in Prince Consort.

　 【Great prospects?】

　 The rising intonation made Princess Grace's heart tremble—she had never been so afraid of anyone before.

She almost wanted to raise her voice and question: What kind of glib talk are you trying now!

The Old Emperor tried not to look too gloating, but he just couldn't suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Evan Foster's tone was full of confusion—

【Good at calligraphy, painting, and poetry... but what does that have to do with having great prospects in officialdom?】

【Besides, being Prince Consort just means he can't enter officialdom, not that he can't write policy essays or discuss state affairs. If he really had any talent for governance, wouldn't his position as Prince Consort make it even easier to get his ideas to The Old Emperor?】

【So it's strange—after all these years, he hasn't come up with a single useful policy. Why does he think that not being Prince Consort would guarantee him a meteoric rise?】

“Pfft—”

The Old Emperor swore he didn't do it on purpose, but he really couldn't help laughing.

The Foster Boy's mouth, honestly...

Princess Grace's red lips pressed even tighter.

She racked her brains trying to find a flaw to refute, but the more she searched, the more flustered she became.

There was nothing she could do—absolutely nothing to refute! After all these years, Prince Consort really hadn't proposed a single policy.