On the Golden Throne Hall, all officials stood solemnly.
“If there is anything to report, speak. If not, dismiss the court—”
Eunuch Wang Dehai elongated his voice.
Feng Zeyuan stood in her usual spot on time, her expression calm, though anticipation flickered in her eyes.
【System, hurry—scan it!】
【Any fresh gossip today?】
The system’s radar spun rapidly, sweeping across the hall.
Finally, it locked onto a group of officials from the Ministry of Personnel.
【Holy crap! Host!】
【A super big scoop!】
【And it’s a rare species!】
Feng Zeyuan instantly perked up, eyes brightening.
【Spit it out! Stop teasing!】
【That newly appointed Assistant Minister of Personnel, Shen Bowen—see him?】
【The one who looks decent but is secretly touching his butt right now!】
Feng Zeyuan followed the system’s direction.
Sure enough, she saw a young official in his twenties standing a little awkwardly.
His face showed a barely noticeable grimace.
Yet on that same face was a strange, satisfied smile—
like a thief who had stolen honey but feared being discovered.
【What’s wrong with him? Hemorrhoids acting up?】
【Or did he eat something bad last night?】
【No!】
The system was barely containing its excitement.
【He got whipped by his wife last night!】
【His legs are still weak from it this morning!】
【He even fell flat on his face in the hall earlier!】
【Several colleagues saw it—but pretended not to see anything!】
Feng Zeyuan widened her eyes.
【What?! Domestic violence scene?!】
Shen Bowen, who had just been named, suddenly felt an invisible gaze fall upon him.
It felt as if it could see through everything—piercing straight into his most hidden secrets.
His knees went weak, and he almost performed a full kowtow on the spot.
“Minister Shen, are you alright?”
A colleague beside him asked quietly in feigned concern.
“I-I’m fine…”
He forced himself to stand straight, but cold sweat covered his forehead.
Suddenly, Feng Zeyuan had a bold guess.
【Could it be… he likes being whipped?!】
【Hehe, I’ve seen this kind of gossip before.】
The system let out a meaningful chuckle.
【Host… you’re half right!】
【This story goes back a long way… to his wedding day…】
Feng Zeyuan’s eyes lit up even more.
【Tell me! Tell me everything!】
【Not a single word can be missing!】
The ears of all civil and military officials subtly perked up.
Even the elderly ministers who had been dozing suddenly became alert.
The system cleared its throat and began storytelling mode.
【This Assistant Minister Shen was originally forced into an arranged marriage.】
【On the wedding night, he didn’t even lift his bride’s veil and directly left her, sleeping in a separate room.】
Many young officials nodded in agreement.
Marriage under parental arrangement—what a regretful fate.
Who wouldn’t want to marry someone they truly love?
【His friends even gave him advice: “So what if you don’t like her? Just take a concubine later when you meet someone you love!”】
【“Wife handles household matters, concubine handles emotions—that’s how a man should live!”】
Several married officials nodded deeply in approval.
Feng Zeyuan rolled her eyes internally.
【Tch. Classic scumbag starter pack.】
【Birds of a feather indeed.】
The system continued, even more excited.
【Then, while traveling outside, he really met a woman who made him fall in love at first sight.】
【It was in a spring peach blossom forest.】
【A woman in pink sat under a flowering tree playing the zither.】
【The music was gentle, petals falling around her—like a fairy stepping out of a painting.】
Shen Bowen was stunned on the spot, losing his soul halfway.
The officials became alert.
Here it comes—the real plot!
Even Emperor Xiao Juechen adjusted his posture slightly, leaning forward to listen.
【He eagerly brought this “true love” back home, intending to make her a noble concubine.】
【He even held a three-day banquet to announce he had found his love.】
【But from the old master to the gatekeeper, everyone had strange expressions.】
【Some were holding back laughter, some embarrassed, some wanted to speak but didn’t dare.】
【The entire mansion atmosphere was extremely strange.】
【Why? Was she ugly beyond reason?】
Feng Zeyuan asked curiously.
【No.】
The system answered, gleeful.
【Because the “true love” he brought back… was actually his legal wife, Madam Liu, whom he had never formally met!】
【He didn’t even know what his wife looked like—and brought her home as a new lover!】
The entire court froze.
Heads filled with question marks seemed to float over everyone.
Even Feng Zeyuan was stunned.
【What the hell?! There’s such an operation?!】
【He doesn’t even know what his own wife looks like?!】
【How face-blind can you be?!】
【He suffers from severe face blindness.】
The system explained.
【He can only remember very obvious features.】
【Like who has a mole, who is missing a finger.】
【As for faces? To him, they’re all a blur.】
【He embarrassed himself all the way back to his ancestors!】
【Then what happened?!】
Feng Zeyuan urged impatiently.
The system continued:
【He was humiliated and furious, feeling like the biggest joke in the capital.】
【He packed up overnight and went to a countryside estate to isolate himself.】
【He stayed there for three months and refused to return no matter who persuaded him.】
【But not long after… he met a tea-picking girl nearby who made him fall in love again…】
【Don’t tell me… it’s his wife again!】
Feng Zeyuan already had a bad feeling.
【Congratulations, host—you’re right again!】
The system announced cheerfully.
【That tea-picking girl in coarse clothes and a straw hat, working in the tea fields…】
【He was struck by “love at first sight” again.】
【He brought her back triumphantly, determined to redeem his humiliation and prove he hadn’t mistaken her this time!】
【And then…】
【He was publicly executed in front of the entire household again.】
This time, the hall could no longer hold back.
Suppressing laughter erupted like a flock of gagging ducks.
A young official laughed so hard he squatted down and was dragged back up by others.
Emperor Xiao Juechen’s lips curled uncontrollably, sleeves trembling with suppressed laughter.
If not for imperial dignity, he might have already fallen off the dragon throne laughing.
【Because of severe face blindness, Minister Shen twice mistook his own wife for a stranger.】
【And both times, he personally brought her home!】
【After that, he began memorizing every detail of his wife.】
【Height, posture, walking style, voice… even habits and preferences were written down.】
【But then he discovered something terrible—whenever he went out again, every woman looked dull to him.】
【Because his mind was full of his wife’s image.】
【Isn’t this just self-inflicted suffering? Should’ve done that earlier!】
Feng Zeyuan’s sharp commentary struck precisely.
【But the most outrageous move is still coming!】
The system’s tone turned even more excited.
【He couldn’t bring himself to reconcile—after all, he had twice personally mistaken his wife and brought her home as a stranger.】
【So he came up with a terrible idea…】
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