Deliberately teasing, she said, "Little Zhu, look at the second, third, fifth, and sixth princes down there—they keep staring at me. Are they hungry? Do they want the pastries in my hand?"

[Probably. Emperor Mingxi's sons—each of them lost their father and older brother, and in the end, they died horribly one after another. I remember one even starved to death! At this point, they should eat whatever they can get.]

The second, third, fifth, and sixth princes, who had "lost their father and older brother": !!!

Who? Who starved to death?

How horrible is "one after another"?

Don’t just say half and leave the rest hanging! You’re messing with their heads—they’re really going to lose it now!

This is when the twelfth prince should be let loose to throw a tantrum!

Finally, just as the officials were being scolded into lowering their heads and forced to overhear that their emperor would die suddenly, the Crown Prince would likely perish early, the princes would meet tragic ends one after another, and the throne would eventually fall to a useless ruler—Emperor Mingxi finally spoke!

Never had they found their emperor’s voice so soothing.

Emperor Mingxi declared, "Proceed according to the plan drafted by Minister Cai Xian. The primary offender, Marquis Changqing Zhou Fushan, his wife Lady Hu, their son Zhou Ping'an, their daughter Zhou Xiuan, and concubine Hua, are to be executed at noon in seven days at the market square.

The rest shall be exiled three thousand li in heavy shackles, with no pardon granted, and their descendants barred from imperial examinations for five generations. The entire Zhou clan, upon reaching exile, shall be registered as military households, with no change of status permitted for their descendants."

Cai Xian bowed respectfully and replied, "This subject obeys His Majesty’s decree."

By the time the officials concluded the morning court session, it was already mid-morning, and every one of them was starving.

The meager breakfast they had eaten before leaving home had been entirely depleted by the rollercoaster of emotions and shocks.

This court session had been far too intense!

The revelations from the Junior Preceptor had grown increasingly explosive. The thought of enduring such thrilling court sessions in the future made them suddenly feel like the sky itself was flickering between light and dark.

The three Yu men—Yu Chongshan and his sons—were especially surrounded by the crowd, with the other officials eyeing them as if they had something to say but didn’t dare. Yu Chongshan sighed inwardly. What his granddaughter thought was beyond his control!

Hadn’t they seen how mercilessly she exposed even her own family’s secrets?

Originally waiting for Yue Fuguang to leave court together, the three Yu men saw her being escorted away by the Empress Dowager’s senior maid, Yin Liu, so they exchanged polite farewells with the other officials.

In the past, they would have had to tread carefully, fearing a single misspoken word might offend someone.

But now? The worst their family had done was produce Madame Sun and Yu Ningrou.

What more was there to fear? Could anything be worse than the entire household being massacred?

Yu Qinchun had initially considered letting Yu Ningrou—no, Zhou Wuya—remain as an unregistered foster daughter since Madame Sun had raised her. But after today’s events, she ought to follow her real parents into exile.

Regardless of what the Yu family thought, Yue Fuguang followed Yin Liu to the Empress Dowager’s palace.

To her surprise, besides the Empress Dowager, the Empress was also present.

The moment they saw her, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair greeted her warmly, urging her to sit. The Empress Dowager said, "Fuguang, you must be tired after rising so early for court."

The Empress gestured for her maid to bring pastries and asked, "Fuguang, are you hungry? Have some snacks first. The meal will be ready soon."

She then smiled at the Empress Dowager and added, "Today, we’ll sample Chef Feng’s signature dishes. You must try them properly, Fuguang."

Yue Fuguang smiled and replied first to the Empress Dowager, "I slept the whole way here after waking up so early. Sitting in court wasn’t tiring."

Then, to the Empress, she said, "I’ll skip the pastries—I’d rather save room for Chef Feng’s delicacies."

Seeing her so at ease, the Empress Dowager and Empress secretly relaxed, their smiles growing warmer.

One was Emperor Mingxi’s birth mother, the other his principal wife and mother of the Crown Prince—their authority was second only to the emperor himself.

Thus, every detail of the morning court session, including Yue Fuguang’s inner thoughts, had been transcribed and sent to them by Emperor Mingxi.

Upon learning their sons would meet tragic ends, how could they remain composed?

The Empress Dowager had originally planned to invite Yue Fuguang for a meal after court, and the Empress, hearing of this, had come to gather information.

Two mothers destined to lose their sons—already harmonious as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—now found their bond deepening further.

Moreover, the Crown Prince was also the Empress Dowager’s eldest grandson, the future heir of the Great Yan Empire. A politically astute woman, she could well imagine the upheaval his death would bring to the court.

One knew she would lose her son and most accomplished grandson; the other knew she would lose her husband and only son. Though they smiled, their hearts were filled with an anxiety only they could understand.

The meal was soon served—thirty-six dishes for three people, plus two soups. Everything from the skies, land, and waters was represented on that table.

Yue Fuguang even spotted several "legally questionable" but delicious game dishes. Her appetite, already mostly sated, suddenly roared back to life.

Suddenly, recalling her self - crafted persona of a well - informed celestial being, a look of three parts nonchalance and seven parts curiosity naturally crossed her face.

Then, the Empress began to introduce the dishes to her one by one. Sure enough, one - third of the dishes were "illegal" in modern terms, but she loved them!

Well, she carefully took a bite. No wonder some species had been hunted to extinction due to over - consumption; they were truly incredibly delicious.

Seeing that she was enjoying the food, the Empress Dowager said, "Since Fuguang likes these dishes, come to my place after court from now on. Having someone to dine with will make me eat more."

Looking at the table full of dishes, Yue Fuguang naturally wouldn't refuse. She replied, "Thank you, Empress Dowager. With such wonderful dishes, I'll often come here to mooch off your meals."

It was impossible for her to come every day, but coming regularly to improve her diet was definitely doable.

Anyway, with the awesome identity she had given herself, she didn't have to worry about socializing anywhere.

Naturally, she wasn't afraid of any place in the imperial palace. Hehe! Whenever she casually dropped some tidbits of knowledge, it was actually others who were more in awe of her.

Yue Fuguang then said, "I won't take your offerings for free, Empress Dowager. When it gets cold and the vegetables in my sunroom grow, I'll bring some for you to taste."

[Master, you haven't even built the sunroom yet, and you've already promised the vegetables?]

[Well, isn't that your job? You have the seeds and the glass. Can't we build the house?]

[But there isn't enough glass to build a full - glass sunroom.]

[Then make the lower half out of wood and stone and the upper half out of glass. Also, I'm worried that a brick - wood structure won't be warm enough, and lighting a fire inside could easily start a fire. How about we make some cement?

That stuff can not only be used for building houses and roads, but it's also strong, durable, and inexpensive.]

[It's doable, but are you going to make it yourself? If we use it to repair the ancient city walls and apply several layers of cement on the outer surface of the existing walls, it would be incredibly strong.

With the strength of ancient swords, spears, and the intensity of siege weapons like catapults, they'd be nothing more than a scratch.]

[You're talking about the kind of 525 - grade cement. It can't be made with ancient technology, but concrete will be sufficient.

Anyway, I'd rather not use it than make it myself.

Later, I'll just ask my grandmother for a few servants with brick - kiln experience and let them handle it.]

Yue Fuguang didn't think there was anything wrong with the life of having servants at her beck and call. She wouldn't advocate for equality among all people here. Even if she were a celestial being who had descended to the mortal world, it would be too much trouble.

At most, she'd improve the status of the maids around her and subtly find some ways for them to earn money.