Several officials finally couldn't hold back and rolled their eyes. The imperial physicians swiftly began treating those affected, while those not yet attended to had to rely on their colleagues for emergency aid.

After all, these were men who had studied for over a decade—basic medical and pharmacological knowledge was something they all vaguely understood.

Faced with colleagues fainting one after another, the officials who couldn’t hear the inner voices finally couldn’t withstand the relentless silent assault. They felt the last thread of their composure snap!

The world suddenly seemed utterly deranged and chaotic to them. The eunuch’s monotonous recitation of gift registries became the only background noise in the hall.

The officials who rolled their eyes fainted with remarkable elegance. Aside from a few who made slight noises, most simply slumped over their desks as if drunk and taking a nap.

By now, it would be impossible for Yue Fuguang not to notice the peculiar scene unfolding before her.

She asked her system, "Little Pearl, what’s wrong with these officials? Did they drink too much?"

[I detect that they seem to have fainted from shock!]

"They passed out just from listening to the eunuchs read the gift list? Is there something unusual in that list?"

[Not really. Unless they were overwhelmed by the high-yield crop seeds that produce four dan per mu?]

Here, Yue Fuguang steered the conversation toward her main objective—one of her missions, worth three hundred points, equivalent to three years of scattered work!

She remarked, "Still, some people don’t seem bothered at all. Look at that official sitting diagonally across from my grandfather—he’s still drinking and eating as usual."

[That’s Marquis Changqing, Zhou Fushan. He’s quite the figure—there’s a massive scandal about him. Would you like to hear it, Master?]

"Do you even need to ask? I’ve already got my metaphorical popcorn ready! Little Pearl, spill the details for this lord!"

Yue Fuguang seemed genuinely intrigued, and the few officials still conscious were just as eager as her, drawn in by the system’s tantalizing words.

Though most of them already believed about seventy to eighty percent of what they’d heard, their cautious nature demanded one final verification.

If the divine artifact’s revelations about Marquis Changqing Zhou Fushan were true…

Then the future events it had foretold about the Great Yan Dynasty must also be ninety percent credible.

In that case, the emperor and his court would have to dedicate every effort to prevent the kingdom’s impending destruction a decade later!

If they knew in advance and prepared thoroughly, yet the Great Yan still fell, then it could only mean they were utterly incompetent!

Unanimously, they brushed aside thoughts of those who would die early or surrender, each convinced they themselves would meet a tragic end.

[Not only did Zhou Fushan neglect his lawful wife in favor of his concubine, but he also elevated that concubine to the status of official wife less than two months after his first wife’s death.]

Yue Fuguang was a little disappointed. She had expected something far more scandalous.

Her tone inadvertently carried that letdown. "That’s it?! In ancient times, this isn’t exactly unheard of, right? I bet many of the officials below have done the same!"

Her crystal-clear eyes swept casually over the crowd.

Those caught in her gaze stiffened, especially the guilt-ridden ones who wished they could shrink into invisibility, silently praying the young immortal lord wouldn’t single them out.

They weren’t ready to be publicly exposed and humiliated before the emperor and their peers just yet.

The system continued, [But that’s not all. Zhou Fushan himself has no idea he’s been cuckolded—the second son he doted on and raised isn’t even his own flesh and blood.]

"Hahaha, this Zhou Fushan is so desperate to raise another man’s son that he suppresses his own legitimate eldest son, all just to pass his noble title to his 'second son.'

He even lets his marchioness, Zhou-shi—that concubine he elevated to wife, Zuo Yu—abuse and scheme against his eldest son in every way possible."

Yue Fuguang couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the Zhou Family’s eldest son and remarked, "There are actually parents worse than Yu Qinchun and Madame Sun from the Yu Family’s third branch!

Her methods are quite similar to Zhou Dazhuang and his wife, and they even share the same surname, Zhou. Could they be distant relatives from five hundred years ago?"

Once again being called out, Yu Qinchun and Madame Sun instinctively shrank their necks, already dreading what awaited them after the banquet!

["Pure coincidence! Let’s not dwell on Zhou Dazhuang for now. As for the Marquis Changqing’s household, this is just the beginning—there’s even juicier gossip ahead!"]

"Oh, do tell! Little Pearl, while you’re at it, refill my snack pouch with some melon seeds."

["Coming right up!"] The system’s voice chimed cheerfully, its excitement rivaling that of completing a major mission.

Though this little system was brand-new as a virtue-points system, its predecessor had been a gossip-fueled one.

For some unknown reason, it had been reformatted, transforming from a gossip system into a virtue system.

But remnants of its old functions remained, and its innate love for scandal hadn’t faded.

["The real bombshell about the Zhou Family is this: Concubine Hua, Zhou Fushan’s current favorite, whom he brought into the household less than two years ago, is actually his son’s elder sister—meaning his beloved concubine and his favorite son share the same biological father!"]

Yue Fuguang was so stunned she forgot to chew her melon seeds.

She pressed, "Mortals really play this dirty? And did their real father know about this?"

["He didn’t—until two months ago, when he found out. And then…"]

"And then what?" Yue Fuguang voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

Meanwhile, sidelong glances kept darting toward Zhou Fushan, who remained blissfully unaware.

Noticing his colleagues looking his way, Zhou Fushan raised his wine cup in a toast, only drawing more pity—not just for being cuckolded without realizing it, but also because his family’s scandals were now exposed.

His history of favoring concubines over his wife and elevating one to marchioness had happened over a decade ago, before the current emperor’s formal ascension.

But given His Majesty’s strict emphasis on legitimacy and birth order, there was no guarantee he’d overlook it.

Normally, such matters would’ve been swept under the rug, but now, with this scandal resurfacing in broad daylight?

No matter how wild their private affairs, keeping them discreet was one thing—but airing them publicly? That was a whole different story.

["Then the man took advantage of Zhou Fushan’s absence to summon his biological son (the Zhou Family’s second young master), his daughter Concubine Hua, and his old flame, Marchioness Zuo Yu, for a private meeting.

Oh, I forgot to mention earlier—Concubine Hua, being the current favorite, had been constantly targeted by the former favorite, Zuo Yu.

After all, Zuo Yu had climbed to power as a favored concubine herself, so she feared nothing more than losing favor as her beauty faded. Naturally, she was extra wary of newcomers."]

Yue Fuguang nodded. "Makes sense. If she could walk that path, so could others."

["So the man gathered them to mediate—on one side, his old lover; on the other, his daughter; and standing nearby, utterly clueless, his 'son.'"]

The man quickly revealed his objective—to have the three of them join forces and seize complete control over the Marquis Changqing's estate and Zhou Fushan.

"Wouldn't the eldest son of the Zhou Family be in danger then? His father already turns a blind eye to his stepmother's schemes, and now with outside help, won’t they try to eliminate this stumbling block?"

"Exactly. The eldest son of the Zhou Family is a skilled craftsman. Since childhood, he has loved creating intricate mechanical devices, and now he’s developing a new type of crossbow.

By now, he should have completed his research and presented the finished product to his father, Zhou Fushan, expecting him to report it to the imperial court. However, in order to secure credit for his second son, Zhou Fushan handed the invention over to his most favored child instead.

The second son, recognizing its potential for military use, informed his own father about it.

After examining the device, his father was deeply impressed and believed that with further refinement, it could become a formidable weapon on the battlefield.

Under the scheming of the marquis’s wife, Zuo Yu, the eldest son would then be falsely accused of assaulting Concubine Hua and driven out of the Zhou Family by Zhou Fushan. The matter of reporting the invention to the court would also be forgotten."