SBCEJM -Chapter 64 Marrying-Daughter Strategist — She Even Outwitted a Prince Until He Limped Away!

Zhao Defu’s mind went completely blank.

A pilot program?

Why was it starting from his household?

He had advocated for the new policy and pledged to be the Emperor’s blade—so why was that blade turned on him first?

He had forgotten something crucial: the man sitting on the dragon throne was the Son of Heaven.

One sentence was enough to decide life and death.

The fat under Zhao Defu’s official robe began to twitch uncontrollably, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

He dropped to his knees and crawled forward, banging his head repeatedly on the ground.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

“This policy is meant to benefit all people! My household only has one son and one daughter—why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?!”

Xiao Juechen didn’t even lift his eyelids.

“Wang Dehai.”

The chief eunuch, Wang Dehai, straightened instantly, steadying the brush dipped in ink above the imperial decree.

“Draft the edict.”

The Emperor’s voice carried no fluctuation at all, yet every word fell like a blade.

“All females aged fifteen who have come of age and are not yet married shall be subject to compulsory selection of spouses by the authorities.”

“Add another clause: all males aged fifteen who have come of age and are without wives—once verified—shall be forcibly conscripted into military service.”

He paused, then let his gaze fall on Zhao Defu’s ashen face, as if admiring a piece of art.

Then he added the final sentence.

“This law shall first be implemented in the household of Minister of Revenue Zhao Defu for ten days.”

“If results are satisfactory, it shall be extended nationwide.”

Zhao Defu opened his mouth, but met the Emperor’s glance.

Cold. Absolute. Final.

As if saying: one more word, and your perverted son will be sent to the frontier immediately.

All words died in Zhao Defu’s throat.

【Wow! So the Emperor was waiting here all along! That’s terrifying but kind of satisfying!】

Feng Zexuan clapped her mental hands.

【Hahaha, Zhao Defu just shot himself in the foot—ask for trouble, get trouble! I’m dying of laughter!】

【System, quick! While he’s down, finish him off! Dig up more dirty secrets from this Zhao family. My intuition is screaming—they definitely have more than one freaky son!】

The system paused briefly, then gasped.

【Wow! Host, your intuition is basically the top fortune-teller of the capital! The Zhao family isn’t a garden of melons—it’s a wholesale melon market!】

Feng Zexuan’s eyes lit up.

【I want wholesale! Bring me a whole cart!】

On the Golden Luan Hall floor, the officials who were still shaken by the Emperor’s ruthlessness now all subtly perked up their ears.

【Zhao Defu has many wives and concubines, but only one son and five daughters. He is mediocre as an official, but as a father, he’s… extremely “dedicated.”】

【To cater to his son’s twisted preferences, he even came up with the court’s forced matchmaking policy. That’s how far he went.】

Feng Zexuan curled her lips.

【And he didn’t neglect his five daughters either—each one was personally trained and strategized for. He’s basically the “number one marriage strategist of the capital.”】

【Oh? All five daughters have stories? Start with the eldest!】

Xiao Juechen waved his hand, dismissing the dazed Zhao Defu.

He returned to the dragon throne and sat down slowly.

That posture didn’t look like he was governing—it looked like he had become an audience member, choosing the best seat for the show.

Zhao Defu stumbled back into the ranks like a hollow shell.

The system began reporting.

【His eldest daughter, Zhao Tianyao, 41 years old. Twenty-three years ago, she married the Prince as his principal consort.】

【The Prince only chose her because her profile and silhouette resembled his “white moonlight.”】

【After marriage, he discovered reality didn’t match fantasy, and began neglecting her. He also took many concubines—each one resembling a different feature of his beloved white moonlight… nose, eyes, and so on. He basically turned love into a puzzle.】

【Zhao Tianyao lost favor and returned to her family in tears.】

【Wait… the Prince… isn’t he the Emperor’s own elder brother? And his white moonlight is…?】

Feng Zexuan’s curiosity exploded.

【Host, you’ll never guess.】

【The Prince’s white moonlight… is the current Empress, Lady Liu Mengli!】

【PFFT—cough cough!】

Feng Zexuan nearly choked mentally.

【What the heck! The royal brothers have the same taste?! No brotherly harmony, but “brother sharing wife”? That’s wild!】

“CRACK—”

A sharp sound echoed.

One claw mark appeared on the golden armrest of the dragon throne.

The temperature in the hall dropped again.

Prince.

So that’s how it is.

His elder brother… dared to covet his Empress.

【So what did Zhao Defu do? Did he kill someone?】

【No. His method was far more vicious than killing.】

【He spent a large sum buying a courtesan from Yangzhou who resembled the Empress, then trained her for a year to imitate her mannerisms perfectly.】

【Then he arranged for her to pose as a nun and staged a chance encounter at the Prince’s favorite temple.】

【The Prince, obsessed with Taoism, believed he had met a soulmate and pursued her relentlessly.】

【And the courtesan played him perfectly—push and pull, refusing yet tempting, driving him completely obsessed.】

【Then what?】

【The fake nun advised him: if love is real, power is meaningless—better to abandon everything and become a wandering couple in the mountains.】

【And he actually fell for it?】

【Host, never underestimate romance scams. He already had no interest in politics and immediately decided to abandon the throne and leave.】

【But Zhao Tianyao wasn’t simple either. She demanded he leave behind a legitimate heir before he could go.】

【So the Prince reluctantly consummated the marriage a few times and left behind a son.】

【And now?】

【The Prince is traveling freely with his “nun,” while Zhao Tianyao controls the Prince’s household, wealthy and powerful, even keeping several lovers in secret.】

【Wow… in a way, the Zhao family is kind of successful? Everyone got what they wanted—love, power, freedom. A triple win!】

The entire court felt a chill crawl up their spines.

Such thinking directly challenged their moral worldview.

Feng Huai’an silently panicked: Daughter… please don’t learn this…

“BANG!”

Xiao Juechen slammed a memorial onto the desk.

The sound shook the entire hall.

So his brother had “seen through the world” and gone into seclusion?

Turns out he was just running off with a fake Empress and living freely behind everyone’s back.

In the end, he—the Emperor—was the only fool left holding the empire.

The once-scornful gazes toward Zhao Defu now carried deep fear.

A man who could manipulate even a powerful prince… was not someone human.

【Second daughter! Hurry up—what about the second daughter?! This old fox definitely has more disgusting schemes!】