The adults present who could hear the inner voices were also in a state of near-collapse. Although they had already anticipated it, clearly hearing that the royal family, or rather their Emperor, had been cuckolded and was raising someone else's son, it was really hard to imagine a good outcome!

The father - son duo of the Zhou family were in an even worse state. If someone hadn't held them up in time, they would have collapsed to the ground by now.

Both of their faces were now tinged with a faint aura of death. Mixing up the royal bloodline, the heads of the entire Zhou family wouldn't be enough to be chopped off!

Regardless of how ugly the expressions on the faces of the people below and Emperor Mingxi were, the conversation on Yue Fuguang's side continued.

Stabbing in the back? This was just the beginning!

"You said that the Twelfth Princess is an illegitimate child. What about the Ninth Prince? And later, Emperor Mingxi still wanted to pass the throne to him?"

Emperor Mingxi: Who am I? Where am I? Why was I so stupid in the future!

The ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‍Crown Prince, Xie Zhiyan, subtly glanced at his shocked father. He wondered if his father had this thought when he was still alive or after his death.

[The Twelfth Princess was conceived when Consort Xian had a night of passion with that lover during the birthday celebration. To cover up this matter, that very night, she seduced the drunk Emperor Mingxi into her bed. So, when the Twelfth Princess was born, no one, including Emperor Mingxi, suspected anything.]

"Is it possible that the child is actually Emperor Mingxi's?"

Emperor Mingxi: Yeah, they went to bed on the same day. Why couldn't it be his child?

[Emperor Mingxi was too drunk during the birthday celebration. He was getting old and wasn't up to the task. So, in fact, they just slept in the same bed without any physical intimacy that night. But the drunk Emperor Mingxi didn't know. He was drugged by Consort Xian and had a wet dream. When he woke up and saw himself and his beloved consort naked, he thought they had slept together. In fact, it was all just a dream!]

"Getting old and not up to the task! It was all just a dream..." These words kept echoing in Emperor Mingxi's ears.

He remembered that sometimes when he went to Consort Xian's place, he would feel extremely sleepy at night. While they were being intimate, he would fall asleep. When he woke up the next day and saw their state, it seemed like they had slept together. So... he always thought he was still capable!

This was also the reason why he doted on Consort Xian so much, because she made him feel... capable!

Emperor Mingxi gritted his teeth in anger.

After today, it seemed that his sexual ability issue couldn't be hidden anymore!

"This... Isn't Consort Xian the most favored concubine in the harem? Why would she do such a thing? The Emperor doesn't seem to be lacking in that aspect!"

Emperor Mingxi: Thank you for your kind words!

He almost rubbed a hole in his dragon robe with his hands. If it weren't for wanting to know who the lover was, he wouldn't be enduring the embarrassment of being publicly ridiculed by his officials and the equivalent of a public execution right now.

The strange atmosphere in the main hall also affected those who couldn't hear the inner voices. Although they didn't know what was wrong with their colleagues every day, smart people knew that it wasn't the time to talk too much.

They didn't say much, but they couldn't let the hall fall into silence. Otherwise, the Grand Tutor would definitely notice something was amiss.

In order to continue hearing the inner voices, several high - ranking officials exchanged glances. Finally, Minister You Mingmin of the Court of State Ceremonial reported on the arrangements for the envoys from various countries during this birthday celebration.

Some officials who were in the dark thought: Is Minister You getting senile? Wasn't this matter settled just two days ago? Why is he bringing it up again?

If there's nothing else, they could just adjourn the court. There's really no need to keep talking about the same thing over and over again.

[When Consort Xian was still a young girl in her boudoir, she had a soft spot for delicate scholars, commonly known as "pretty boys". After reading too many romantic novels about scholars and young ladies, she developed a preference for that type of man.

Emperor Mingxi was a man who had been on the battlefield in his youth. He was of the heroic and valiant type, which did not match Consort Xian's aesthetic.

Moreover, she already had a lover before entering the palace as a consort. She harbored deep hatred for Emperor Mingxi and the Zhou family, who had torn them apart.

She knew that once her affair was exposed, not only she and her children but also the Zhou family would not be spared. However, she was determined to do it anyway.]

"Is her lover from Beili and among this group of envoys?"

[Yes, my lord will definitely never guess who that person is. His identity is really interesting!]

The system seemed to be keeping Yue Fuguang in suspense, but in fact, it was piquing the curiosity of everyone present.

Among them, You Mingmin, the Minister of Rites in charge of foreign affairs, had gone through the more than a hundred people from Beili in his mind over and over again. He intuitively suspected that the Third Prince of Beili was the most likely one.

After all, this Third Prince was twenty - seven years old this year, about the same age as Consort Xian. In terms of status, he was more suitable. A powerful man was more likely to win the heart of a girl he fancied.

"Could it be the Third Prince of Beili? He seems quite suspicious in every aspect."

Not only You Mingmin, but also Emperor Mingxi and a group of officials first thought of the Third Prince.

Hearing Yue Fuguang voice their speculation, they all nodded vigorously in their hearts. He was indeed the most suspicious one.

[That person is indeed related to the Third Prince, but he is not actually the lover.]

"If it's not him, then is it one of the officials who came with him?"

[Hahaha, it is an official, one of his 'wives'!]

Wives?

Everyone was completely confused. What did "wives" mean? They knew what an official was, but they had never heard the word "wife" before!

In the Dayan Dynasty, elderly women were called "old ladies" or "grandmothers". Did the Third Prince have a preference for old women?

An old woman couldn't have made Consort Xian pregnant twice!

[Seven years ago, the Third Prince Beiyue led a group of envoys from Beili to the capital. Among them, he brought a person, a new favorite named Chonghua, whom he had just obtained and doted on very much, taking him everywhere.

Everyone in the envoy group knew that the person who served their Third Prince personally was his lover. They didn't find it inappropriate to have such a person in the group. Their highness had had this kind of preference for a long time.

Others might not know, but they themselves were very clear.

At least with such a person around, their Third Prince wouldn't be so desperate as to harass the guards in the escort team.

Seven years ago, Chonghua accidentally saved Concubine Xian Zhou, who was being harassed in a dark alley by some men when she was forced there. The two of them took a fancy to each other at first sight.

Especially since Chonghua always appeared in the guise of a learned and delicate scholar. His every gesture was exactly what Zhou Xianfei found appealing.

After they secretly met each other a few times in private, their relationship grew even deeper.]

"Wasn't this Chonghua Beiyue's lover? How could he also like women? Does he like both men and women, or does he have ulterior motives because of Zhou Xianfei's status as a daughter of an official family?"

[At first, Chonghua didn't like men. He was originally a scholar in the Beili Kingdom, but because of his good looks, he was taken by the Third Prince by force and brought into the mansion.

For the sake of his own life, he didn't dare to do anything usually. That time, they had left the country, and there was a young and charming official's daughter from the Dayan Dynasty who took a fancy to him.

Anyway, it was just for fun. Since this was an opportunity for him to be with a woman and be a real man, how could he be willing to let it go?]

"Doesn't Concubine Xian Zhou know his identity as a Beili person?"

Zhou Yan and Zhou Qingyu, father and son, clenched their fists. They were also eager to know whether their daughter/sister actually knew the true identity of her lover. If she did and still behaved like this, then it would really be...