SBCEJM -Chapter 94 The Emperor’s Divine Assist! My Cover Was Blown, and He Actually Helped Me Pick It Back Up!

“The Prince of Zhenbei is a woman. I… have known that for a long time.”

The moment Xiao Juechen’s words fell, the entire hall plunged into dead silence.

Zhao Yong’s smug expression froze instantly. The officials who had been echoing him moments ago were also dumbfounded.

Feng Zexuan looked up in shock, her brain crashing once again.

The emperor already knew?

【What the hell is going on? The emperor already knew I was a woman?】

【Then why did he try to arrange a marriage for me just now? Was he messing with me on purpose?】

The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt.

【No, no… if the emperor is saying this now, could it be because he wants to…】

Xiao Juechen ignored everyone’s stunned reactions entirely. His voice grew even more imposing.

“The Prince of Zhenbei is a once-in-a-generation genius, unmatched in both civil and military talent. Few men in this world could compare to her. She pacified the Xiongnu, resolved the locust disaster, and rendered unparalleled service to the nation. And yet you people attack a national hero using outdated ancestral rules as your excuse. What exactly are your intentions? In your eyes, are rigid conventions more important than a meritorious servant of the country?”

Every word slammed heavily into the hearts of the officials present.

Not only had Xiao Juechen cleared Feng Zexuan of wrongdoing, he had also taken the responsibility onto himself. At the same time, he once again emphasized her achievements so thoroughly that no one in the hall could refute him.

【HOLY CRAP! System! The emperor is actually covering for me! Waaaah, how can he be such a good person?!】

【I’m officially a fan now! If anyone dares badmouth the emperor in the future, I’ll be the first to throw hands!】

Even the system sounded astonished.

【Host, this is seriously a god-tier assist from the emperor! We don’t even need to use the immunity token anymore!】

Feng Zexuan nearly laughed out loud.

【Aiyaaa! I never expected the emperor to be this magnanimous and wise! I honestly thought he was some tyrant before!】

Hearing her heartfelt stream of praise, Xiao Juechen felt secretly delighted, though his face only became more dignified.

This little girl had finally learned to appreciate him.

Chu Tiankuo was the first to recover. He had long suspected the truth, so he immediately stepped forward in support.

“Your Majesty is wise! Though the Prince of Zhenbei may not stand on ceremony, she carries the nation in her heart. She is truly a heroine among women! I admire her deeply! To serve in the same court as such a legendary woman is the honor of my lifetime!”

The officials who both admired Feng Zexuan and loved gossip finally snapped out of their daze as well, rushing forward one after another to express their loyalty.

“Indeed, indeed! This minister had already guessed the truth long ago. It was merely because His Majesty had not spoken openly that we dared not discuss it!”

“His Majesty recognizes talent regardless of convention—this is truly the blessing of Great Xia!”

“The Prince of Zhenbei’s achievements are extraordinary! She outshines even men and stands as a pillar of the dynasty! We are ashamed by comparison!”

Feng Huai’an’s eyes filled with tears. For a moment, he could not tell whether he felt sorrow or joy. All he knew was that his daughter’s life—and the entire Feng family’s lives—seemed to have been saved.

The emperor was actually helping excuse his daughter, even willing to defy ancestral law to protect her!

This kindness was something the Feng family could never repay, even if they worked like oxen and horses for the rest of their lives.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yong and the other officials who had impeached her looked green and white by turns.

What was going on?

Why was the emperor standing on Feng Zexuan’s side?

And since when were all of you capable of lying with a straight face like this?

If they couldn’t hear inner thoughts, they might actually have believed this nonsense!

Damn it! They’d all been turned into clowns!

Zhao Yong’s earlier confidence quickly turned into panic and embarrassment, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.

He had never expected the emperor to lie outright just to protect Feng Zexuan—and to do so with such righteous grandeur!

How was he supposed to recover from this now?!

If this terrifying woman stayed in court, then after offending her today, would any of them still have peaceful days ahead?

Unwilling to give up, he stubbornly made one last desperate attempt.

“Your Majesty, even so, allowing a woman to serve as an official still violates ancestral rites and customs! The people of the realm will criticize this! It could shake the very foundations of the nation! Once this precedent is set, chaos will surely follow!”

“That’s right! Since ancient times, women were meant to support their husbands, raise children, and follow the virtues expected of them. How can women stand in court alongside men? This is a challenge to heaven’s moral order!”

Another official chimed in, clearly determined to go down swinging.

The fear in Feng Zexuan’s heart vanished, replaced by blazing fury.

【Oh, wow. Keep yapping and my rebellious streak is seriously about to evolve! Why should women have to obey the stupid rules made by a bunch of male chauvinists like you?!】

【So the rules are only there to restrict everyone else while making life convenient for yourselves, huh? “Three obediences and four virtues”? Pfft, spare me!】

【Support husbands and raise children? I spit on that too! You just want to chase me out so you useless sacks of wine and rice can keep your positions! Dream on! I’m staying right here, and I’m gonna piss off every last one of you old fossils!】

Listening to her full-force mental rant, Xiao Juechen’s lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.

In fact, he suddenly felt that if this kind of “provocation tactic” could completely destroy this girl’s desire to run away and make her willingly stay in court to work for him…

Then letting Zhao Yong and the others jump around a little longer might not be such a bad thing.

So he made no move to stop them from continuing their impeachment, instead watching the farce with great interest.

Feng Zexuan, however, was already getting annoyed by how they kept harping on the issue.

【System, remember all their names for me!】

【Heh. Tonight I’m sending them all a “special gift”! I’ll teach them what true social danger means! And what happens when people court death!】

The system sounded both excited and curious.

【Received! So what kind of gift is Host planning to prepare? It sounds thrilling!】

Feng Zexuan gave a sinister smile.

【You’ll find out tonight. I guarantee they’ll be “pleasantly surprised”!】

Listening to her vicious declaration, Xiao Juechen immediately knew these idiots were about to suffer miserably.

His gaze then turned cold as he swept it toward Zhao Yong, who was still talking nonstop.

“Vice Minister Zhao.”

The emperor’s voice was not loud, yet it carried bone-chilling coldness that instantly shut Zhao Yong up.

“Are you questioning my decision?”

Zhao Yong trembled violently, cold sweat soaking through his back.

That accusation was far too severe!

How would he dare question the emperor?!

“This… this minister would never dare! I only speak out of concern for the foundations of Great Xia! My loyalty shines as bright as the sun and moon!”

【Oh wow, talking about the nation’s foundation now? Acting all noble and righteous? More like rotten-hearted than loyal-hearted.】

Feng Zexuan’s mocking inner voice sounded at just the right moment.

【System, this Zhao Yong keeps targeting me nonstop. One look and you can tell he’s not a good person. Got any dirt on him?】

Hearing that, Zhao Yong snorted coldly, puffing out his chest with a righteous expression.

This old man was upright and honorable, completely clean, never doing anything harmful to the nation for personal gain. His conscience was spotless!

He wasn’t afraid at all!

Otherwise, he never would have dared step forward to impeach this disaster incarnate.

The system responded at lightning speed.

【Ding! Zhao Yong’s gossip package has arrived! A-grade scandal! Please receive it, Host!】

Zhao Yong instantly went blank, his face turning deathly pale.

He had gossip?!

What gossip?!

Why didn’t he know about it?!

Impossible! He had always been cautious and never done anything shameful!

【Zhao Yong, Vice Minister of War, a native of the capital. He publicly claims to be extraordinarily brave, and says the scar on his face came from slaying a fierce tiger for the people many years ago. Because of this, he became famous as the “Tiger-Slaying Hero.”】

Hearing this, Zhao Yong’s entire body shook violently. His face went from pale white to sickly green.

It was over!

How had he forgotten about this?!

This was the most humiliating incident of his entire life!

Heaven help him—he suddenly wanted to smash his head into a block of tofu and die from embarrassment!!!