Mother Wei had initially been quite displeased when she first heard that the eldest branch of the family her daughter was to marry into was planning to adopt a daughter. After all, aside from the tricky relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the dynamic between sisters-in-law was equally fraught.

But today, upon seeing the situation, she had to admit that her husband had excellent judgment. The future husband he had chosen for their daughter was not only talented and handsome but also came from a top-tier family.

She resolved to persuade her daughter to break things off with Xu Shao as soon as possible—missing out on such a good match would be a shame.

Madam Wei silently apologized to her elder sister in her heart. She couldn’t reveal Xu Shao’s identity as her sister’s illegitimate child, born from an elopement—such a scandal would tarnish their reputation.

The most she could do was privately support him and ask her husband to take Xu Shao, then still a mere scholar, as his student under the pretense of repaying a debt to an old friend.

Father Wei was the deputy head of Jingting Academy, where the three Yu brothers studied.

The eldest son of the Wei family, Wei Jin, currently held a fifth-rank official position.

Father and son had been engrossed in conversation with their friends and colleagues when suddenly, a young girl’s voice rang out as if right beside their ears.

Before they could even process it, they heard their family’s darkest secret laid bare.

The two nearly smashed their wine cups in fury. Their first thought was that this had to be slander—how could their virtuous daughter possibly be involved in such disgraceful behavior?

Just as they were about to stand and confront the rumor-monger, several pairs of hands pressed them down.

The others at the table signaled for them to stay quiet, sternly instructing them to pretend nothing was amiss and continue their meal without another word.

Under the weight of the curious, pitying, and disdainful glances from those around them, the two men felt their faces burn with humiliation.

Whether the accusation was true or not, the Wei family’s reputation was now in ruins!

The voice continued, "As I recall, even by the time the Great Yan Kingdom fell, Xu Shao had only risen to the rank of a provincial scholar. No wonder she had to hide her bastard child in the Yu Family—his birth father was such a failure!"

Hearing this, the Wei father and son felt their scalps prickle with dread. The emperor himself was seated just ahead—who dared speak so recklessly of the kingdom’s downfall?

"Sister-in-law, elder brother, our Yu Family…?"

Gradually emerging from their shock and rage, the two realized that only a daughter of the Yu Family would refer to them this way.

To speak so boldly in front of the emperor and so many officials—did she not care about the lives of her entire clan?

Was this girl harboring some deep-seated grudge against her own family?

With that thought, the scandal about their daughter or sister having an illegitimate child raised in the Yu Family suddenly seemed trivial in comparison.

At least that disgrace wouldn’t cost their entire clan their lives.

What baffled the Wei father and son was how the others at their table could remain so calm after hearing such shocking revelations.

Aside from them, the guests at their table were all colleagues holding ranks between fifth and fourth grade.

The four seated closest to them pretended to chat while subtly restraining the two men, preventing them from making any rash moves.

Though their expressions were composed, the gleam of excitement in their eyes betrayed their inner thrill at the unfolding drama.

The other colleagues, however, were genuinely engrossed in lighthearted conversation, seemingly unaffected.

With the emperor present, someone had dared to speak of the kingdom’s downfall and their family’s scandal—yet these men acted as if nothing had happened, showing neither sympathy nor scorn.

Nor did they pale in fear like some others. Instead, they casually discussed trivial matters like the new courtesan at Huichun Pavilion.

Even in the main hall, neither the emperor nor the high-ranking officials made any move to reprimand the speaker. The whole situation was eerily bizarre.

[Exactly! By then, your elder brother had already reached the fifth rank, yet this woman secretly bore another child with Xu Shao. Your poor brother even believed the girl was his. Out of their three children, two were actually Xu Shao’s.]

"Outrageous! I must inform Grandmother and the others—we can’t let my brother raise another man’s child. Let the real father take responsibility!"

[Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. But how about I share another juicy piece of gossip to lighten the mood?]

"Is it fresh, ripe, and scandalous?"

[Absolutely!]

"Perfect! Come on, Little Pearl, spill the tea!"

By now, even the slowest among them would have noticed something amiss. The voices sounded as if they were right beside them, yet there were no young girls nearby.

Glancing around, some guests seemed oblivious, while others perked up, clearly hearing the same eerie voices.

"It’s exactly what you think," whispered one of Wei Jin’s close colleagues. "Brother Wei, don’t make a scene. And… you’d better start thinking about damage control. The Yu Family isn’t one to cross lightly!"

He couldn’t help but pity Wei Jin—what a golden opportunity wasted!

If it were him, he’d be drowning in regret by now.

To have such a shameless sister was truly the Wei family’s misfortune!

The sympathy in his colleague’s eyes weighed heavily on Wei Chen. Their family’s reputation was already ruined by his sister’s actions.

As for his unmarried siblings… he dreaded to think how this would affect their future prospects.

Wei Shujun had brought disaster upon them all.

[Master, do you see that lady in the pale pink dress outside? The one with the gold ‘Magpie on Plum Branch’ hairpin? That’s Lady Liu, wife of the Imperial Censor Liu.

They’re currently arranging a marriage for their youngest son—with the daughter of that sharp-faced Madam He at the next table, the one in the dark red brocade. Her husband is Secretary He from the Ministry of Revenue.]

Those who heard the system’s words subtly glanced in the direction of the two women.

Lady Liu, having heard the voice, understood why people were looking at her. Madam He, however, remained oblivious and grew uneasy, double-checking her appearance for any flaws.

Secretary He, unlike his wife, had heard the voice. His mind raced—was there something wrong with the Liu family’s son that the divine artifact had singled them out?

The Liu couple shared the same worry. Though anxious, they dared not make a sound, fearing what damning revelation might come next.

"What’s ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‍so special about this? Both families have unmarried children—arranging a match is perfectly normal. Is this really worth mentioning?"

This was fresh gossip even to Yue Fuguang.

[The Liu son is betrothed to the He family’s legitimate daughter, but he’s actually involved with one of their illegitimate daughters.]

In its system space, the system was practically giddy with excitement. If it could eat, it would’ve already cracked open some peanuts and poured itself a drink.

No wonder it used to be a gossip system before—even now as a virtue system, its love for juicy drama remains intact!

Yue Fuguang hadn’t expected there to be secret dealings involved, so she voiced the question everyone else was dying to ask after overhearing the whispers.

"Since the Liu family’s young master is in love with the He family’s illegitimate daughter, why did he propose to the legitimate daughter instead?

Though the He family’s status is slightly lower than the Lius’, it’s unthinkable for sisters to share a husband. What could he possibly gain from this?"