Can a System Have Bad Intentions? - Chapter 168

The Emperor’s anger froze on his face as he stared at the Crown Princess. He looked like he wanted to blurt out something nonsensical but managed to swallow it back.

After a pause, the Emperor’s anger vanished, replaced by a wide, exaggerated grin.

“Are you serious?”

Ignoring the Emperor’s overly dramatic smile, the Crown Princess calmly nodded.

“Initially, I thought Tang Tang was a boy, but today, I felt something was off. Then, I suddenly realized that Tang Tang now looks exactly like the Sixth Prince’s wife did back then.”

The Sixth Princess used to dress as a man while serving in the military. It was only after marrying the Sixth Prince that she gradually appeared in public in female attire. However, she was used to the dashing style of men’s clothing, so she often wore a neat long robe.

The Emperor’s gaze shifted to the Sixth Princess.

The Sixth Princess cupped her fists and said, “The moment I saw Little Tang, I knew she was a girl. I dressed as a man from a young age and am very familiar with this. I mentioned it to the Crown Princess, and she agreed with me.”

The Crown Princess added, “Third Sister-in-law cast a spell on Little Tang. According to her, the reaction was peculiar, something that only a girl would have. If it were a boy, it would be different.”

Hearing this, the Emperor’s doubts were completely dispelled.

Ha!

My ninth daughter-in-law is a girl!

What could be more delightful than this?

Of course, there is something better~

That is to marry her into the family quickly.

As long as there are enough princes and grandsons, one will surely be capable of taking over!

However, the Crown Princess quickly added, “So, now we are unsure whether the Ninth Prince likes the second young miss of the Qiao family or the young master of the Qiao family.”

The Emperor’s smile froze.

Uh…

Lu Tang finally turned out to be a girl. But if his son had a problem… well, this couldn’t be considered a problem, as some people are just born that way, and they shouldn’t be looked down upon. But it would be hard for the Emperor to accept if it were his own son.

Rubbing his forehead in distress, the Emperor waved his hand impatiently. “Ask him. Make it clear. Don’t ruin a good girl’s life. By the way, where is the Ninth Prince?”

“When the matter with He Yujiao came up, Song Qingzhan and the Ninth Prince went directly to her estate in Fengtai.”

The Emperor’s face darkened, his thoughts returning to the main issue.

“Interception of an official document over eight hundred miles isn’t something one person can do alone. She couldn’t have managed it by herself. As soon as the case came to light, Gu Zongming immediately tried to protect her, indicating a significant entanglement of interests between them. However, when she caused the scandal of harboring people from Zhao Kingdom, Gu Zongming quickly distanced himself from her.”

The Emperor sighed deeply, “Investigate thoroughly. Ensure that everything related to He Yujiao is dug up.”

Although the Emperor’s sons were incompetent, his daughters-in-law were all highly capable, and he relied heavily on them.

Only one thing dissatisfied the Emperor.

With such capable daughters-in-law, why didn’t they incite their husbands to compete for the throne?

He had never seen such harmonious sister-in-law relations.

Couldn’t they have a bit more ambition, a desire to become the empress?

Seeing the Emperor’s wistful gaze, the Crown Princess and the sixth princess immediately realized he was about to start his lecturing mode and quickly excused themselves before he could start.

Oh, heavens!

How terrifying!

Who would want to be the empress?

Even playing cards, one could only choose partners from the palace concubines!

The world outside is so vast, why confine oneself to this small space?

Only a fool would want to be the Emperor!

Ignoring the Emperor’s continuous sneezing in the study, the Crown Princess and the sixth princess muttered as they left the small courtyard and joined the other princes and princesses waiting outside.

He Yujiao was sent to the Imperial Prison. The case should have been handled by the three judicial departments, but the Emperor appointed the Magistrate Zhao as the chief judge.

Although the Magistrate Zhao ‘s position was not as high as the Minister of Punishments, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, or the Censor-in-chief, he sat in the chief judge’s seat with unwavering confidence, looking perfectly suited for the role.

His determined gaze and solemn expression exuded an aura of strict impartiality, as if he would spill blood to prove his commitment to justice if there were any wrongful convictions.

This made the usually upright Minister of Punishments seem a bit overshadowed.

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple looked at the Magistrate Zhao with a complicated expression and nudged the Minister of Punishments. “What’s up with him? He looks pretty scary.”

The Minister of Punishments shook his head. “I heard he suddenly became like this today. Did he have a grudge against He Yujiao before?”

The Censor-in-chief scoffed, “What a joke. He Yujiao has a grudge against everyone.”

He Yujiao, relying on her status as a national hero and the Emperor’s tolerance, strutted around the capital daily. Although she did not provoke the officials, she bullied many of their family members.

The Magistrate Zhao ignored the discussions of the higher-ranking officials around him, holding his head high with a righteous glow, and slammed the gavel. “Bring in the prisoner, He Yujiao!”

He had no intention of discussing with the other officials.

Fortunately, these officials were not petty. Although they thought he was acting strangely, they had no solution, so they tolerated it.

In these times, who doesn’t have a bit of strangeness!

He Yujiao was soon brought in by the jailers, stripped of her silk and satin clothes and dressed in a simple white prison uniform. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes filled with fierceness as she glared at the Magistrate Zhao. “I want to see the Emperor.”

“Kneel!” the Magistrate Zhao ordered without looking at her.

“You dare!” He Yujiao shouted angrily. “Even though I am a prisoner, I am still a county princess conferred by the Emperor. As long as this title is not revoked, I do not need to kneel to you. Who do you think you are!”

Before she could finish speaking, two people entered from outside.

One was the Crown Princess, the other was the sixth princess.

“He is unworthy? How about me?” The sixth princess flicked her wrist, sending a peanut flying and striking He Yujiao’s knee.

He Yujiao screamed in pain and fell to one knee.

The Crown Princess rolled her eyes at the sixth princess. “Did you take that peanut from Little Tang’s table? You’ve been holding it for a long time.”

She then threw her ring to the sixth princess. “I don’t want this anymore.”

The sixth princess happily caught it and flicked her wrist again.

With another scream, He Yujiao’s other knee hit the ground.

The sixth princess walked over, picked up the ring, and said, “I love dealing with people like you who refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. So stubborn.”