Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

The crown prince, who had just been dubbed a fool, froze.

If it were anyone else, he would have already clamored to exterminate their entire family.

But he didn't dare utter a sound, and his head almost went into his crotch.

Oh, my ancestors, can you please let him go?

Previously, the emperor thought the crown prince was mediocre, but after listening to An'an's words, he found the crown prince increasingly stupid and felt extremely disgusted with him.

Ji Yueru smiled, thinking that the only person in the entire Ming Dynasty who could say the Crown Prince was an idiot was her An'an.

Sitting opposite him, Xiao Ce looked like a kindred spirit and nodded in agreement.

It seems he's not the only one who thinks the crown prince is stupid.

Princess Changping almost burst out laughing. The Crown Prince is stupid, and it's a wonder the little guy could say such a thing.

The sound stopped, and the prince, whose back was soaked with cold sweat, immediately relaxed.

He'd accept being called stupid, which is better than saying something that could kill him.

"Oh, Mother, I saw Gao Jin and Liu Shi sitting next to him. They're the two who killed my aunt."

The emperor and empress couldn't immediately recall who Gao Jin was.

"Where are they sitting?"

Sitting diagonally opposite, with a goatee, was Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue; behind him sat Gao Jin and his wife.

With An'an's instructions, everyone in the royal family looked behind the Minister of Revenue, especially Minister Liu and his wife sitting in front.

The two men's legs were trembling under the table. Could they be being watched? But they hadn't done anything wrong.

Once they identified who it was, the Emperor and Empress withdrew their gazes, and the others followed suit.

With the pressure suddenly relieved, Minister Liu lowered his head and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, as did his wife.

On the long table behind the two, Liu Man had accidentally spilled water on her sleeve, and Gao Jin was wiping it off with a handkerchief, unaware of the stares directed at him by everyone.

The emperor and his entourage now want to know who the little guy's aunt is, as they've never heard of her before, and how Gao Jin killed her.

As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Gao Jin was not qualified to attend today's palace banquet.

But he also has another identity: the son-in-law of the Liu family. Today, he is attending the palace banquet as a member of the family of the Minister of Revenue.

If he had known that coming today would cost him his life, he probably wouldn't have come even if he had been beaten to death.

[Mother, how long will it take for us to kill Gao Jin and send him down to join my aunt? My aunt is still waiting for him at the east side of Yingyue Lake.]

Those in the royal family present secretly noted the location of Yingyue Lake East, intending to have someone investigate who died there later.

"If Gao Jin has done anything corrupt or illegal, we should report him to the authorities, preferably in a way that results in immediate execution."

It seems there isn't one, Mom. My aunt made several million in assets when she died.

She was pregnant at the time and begged Gao Jin and Liu Shi. She didn't want anything, she just wanted to live with the child in her womb, and all the family property she earned would go to them.

In the end, the two men didn't let her go either, and ended up taking her life.

Even if they had spared her life so she could give birth to her unborn child, my aunt wouldn't still be trapped in Hudong, unable to understand what's going on.

The Emperor and Empress did not know who the woman from the Gao family was who died when she was pregnant and about to give birth, but Princess Changping understood after hearing the story.

Ji Qianqian, Gao Jin's ex-wife.

After Gao Jin became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he became involved with Liu Man, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. He later demoted his wife to a concubine, having heard that Liu Man was a remarkable woman.

She made a fortune as a peasant girl, but in the end, it all benefited the Gao family.

Wait a minute, her surname is Ji. If she hasn't forgotten that the Lady of Anshun Marquis also has the surname Ji, could there be some connection between the two?

But she had someone investigate beforehand, and Ji Yueru had no other daughters in the Ji family besides Ji Chunjiao and the deceased Ji Xiaocao. Could it be that she was adopted from outside?

Since she is the little guy's aunt, all the family property left by Ji Qianqian should belong to the little guy.

The Emperor's expression remained impassive, but in his heart he had already ruled Gao Jin out. What kind of good person could someone be who would lay a hand on a woman who was about to give birth to his child?

"But Mother, I just remembered, last year, in order to get promoted, Gao Jin gave exam questions to the sons of several high-ranking officials at the Imperial Academy. I wonder if that's enough to get him beheaded?"

"That's enough, that's enough. When we get back, Mom will have someone write a letter of complaint."

The emperor was furious; what he hated most was anyone interfering with the imperial examinations.

He remembered that the Minister of Revenue was the chief examiner last year, so he knew without asking where the exam questions had been leaked from.

【Great! Once we send the letter of complaint to the Kyoto Prefectural Government, Gao Jin will probably be sent to keep my aunt company very soon.】

The Prefect of the Capital had no idea that a hot potato was about to be handed to him.

[Why does the palace banquet take so long, Mother? Doesn't your back ache?]

Ji Yueru felt a warmth in her heart.

"fine."

The emperor and empress also realized that the time for today's palace banquet had already passed.

The Emperor coughed.

"Today's palace banquet is now adjourned."

The ministers all breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress."

After the emperor and empress, along with their concubines, left the main hall, the ministers and their families gradually emerged from the hall.

The three pregnant women sitting below the emperor did not move. Ji Yueru planned to wait until they left before going out, so as not to bump or hurt the baby in her belly.

The other two were so frightened that they really couldn't move.

When most of the people had left, Ji Yueru stood up, and Zhiyi and Shuyi quickly went to help her.

Just then, the heir of the Duke of Yu came to pick up his wife.

"Your Highness, wait a moment, my legs are numb and I can't get up."

The heir of the Duke of Yu has a very good temper.

"I'll massage it for you in a bit."

Today, he felt very uncomfortable with his wife sitting below the emperor. Just look at what happened one after another. He wanted to help his wife back home and find a doctor to check on the baby in her womb.

This is their first child, so they can't be careless.

[What a pity. The heir apparent of the Duke of Yu's mansion seemed like a good person, but the moment her child was born was the moment she died.]

After being reminded by An'an, Ji Yue Ruyi remembered that in her previous life, the heir apparent of the Duke of Yu's mansion had indeed died in childbirth.

The child was eventually born, and later the heir of the Duke of Yu's mansion married his cousin.

At first, people felt sorry for the child, but after his second wife gave birth to three more sons, the child became like a little cabbage in the field, a pitiful little thing in the Duke of Yu's mansion, unloved and uncared for by anyone.

Thinking of this, I couldn't bear to leave.

"Princess Consort Xiao, I know a few midwives who are quite skilled. Shall I introduce you to a couple?"

Princess Xiao was about to refuse.

Princess Changping, who deliberately lagged behind and wanted to say a few words to Ji Yueru, spoke first.

"Madam Hou is truly kind-hearted. However, if you need a midwife, you should keep her for yourself. As for Princess Xiao, I will have someone find two to send to her."