Chapter 236

Chapter 236

The emperor and his ministers had already arrived ahead of time. Since they didn’t intend for the meeting to be overly formal, they’d chosen an open garden where casual conversation could take place.

Before the two arrived, the emperor and his ministers had been casually discussing other matters when they soon heard some movement.

They turned their heads and saw the two holding hands and looking cozy.

At that moment, the emperor thought, *Why doesn’t the empress ever act like this with me in public? I want to show off our relationship too.*

As for the ministers—

*Wait, what?! Doesn’t Bai Xingshu already have an Alpha boyfriend?!*

The ministers were no fools. Upon learning the agenda and attendees for today’s meeting, each had quickly dug up more dirt on this Bai Xingshu character.

Because of the Fourth Army reforms during the Long Vacation, Bai Xingshu’s name wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to them. This time, it was just a matter of filling in the gaps with more details to avoid any unexpected situations during the talks.

So…

They all knew that Bai Xingshu had a publicly known Alpha boyfriend—who ranked first in Shoujun’s Combat Command Department this year.

And yet, here he was, hand-in-hand with the crown prince?

—Shen Geng’s presenting as an Alpha instead of a Beta hadn’t been officially announced yet.

Humans’ love for gossip is an instinct that transcends class and status. These ministers immediately cooked up a soap-opera-worthy drama completely different from what the guards at the gate had imagined.

But none dared to show it. Instead, they side-eyed the stone-faced emperor before falling silent.

Clueless, Bai Xingshu only briefly wondered, *Weren’t they just laughing a second ago? Why so serious all of a sudden?*

But Bai Xingshu easily dismissed the thought—it wasn’t important. He immediately shifted his attention to the emperor himself.

More precisely, to his appearance.

*Hmm… a coldly handsome man in his middle years, with a killer vibe. Totally different from the face he wore back at Wuhe District’s residence.*

After all, that face had been custom-made to match Shen Geng’s looks.

Only now did Bai Xingshu catch the joke behind it and bite back a laugh.

Still, he didn’t forget propriety. After Shen Geng gave a slight nod and murmured “Father,” Bai Xingshu saluted the emperor with a military gesture. “Captain Bai Xingshu reporting in, Your Majesty.”

Bai Xingshu had never learned royal protocol, so he simply mimicked Shen Geng’s mannerisms. But in truth, it didn’t matter—given his position, a military salute was perfectly acceptable, and no one would bat an eye.

Two years ago during the Long Vacation, the emperor had already interacted with Bai Xingshu. With his sharp eye for people, he could easily read Bai’s personality. One glance at the young man’s eyes told him exactly what he was thinking.

*Teasing kids is just for fun—how could it be embarrassing?*

Unlike his blush-prone son, the emperor, despite his age, was cool as a cucumber. Facing Bai Xingshu, he calmly nodded. “Have a seat, kids.”

With those words, the adults present immediately caught on.

That single word “kids” lumped Bai Xingshu together with the crown prince, clearly signaling that the imperial family recognized him as the future prince(ss) consort.

Bowing their heads respectfully, the ministers quietly cooked up another scandal.

*Another royal swooping in on a taken man.*

The emperor knew his ministers well. Seeing these sharp minds hesitate before speaking, he could roughly guess what they were thinking.

"Everyone here is in the inner circle, so I’m sure you’ve all pieced it together. But regarding the Crown Prince studying at Shoujun, let’s keep it quiet and allow him to finish his last semester in peace," the emperor said casually, his tone light.

His rare display of paternal feeling was enough to make him step in and protect his son’s precarious reputation.

As for whether anyone had actually figured it out—well, he was the emperor. If he said they had, then they had.

The ministers quickly processed the emperor’s words and grasped their true meaning.

In an instant, Bai Xingshu’s alleged lover became synonymous with the Crown Prince.

The quickest among them spoke up before others could get a word in, smiling as he said, "Even if people didn’t know His Highness was the Crown Prince, his show at the Changying exhibition matches a few days ago would’ve blown his cover anyway."

Laced with teasing, the remark was clearly meant as praise—the minister was a smooth talker.

The other ministers joined in, glancing at Bai Xingshu and Shen Geng with good-natured ribbing. "Come to think of it, I heard Changying is considering a proposal where each school handles its own mecha during exchange events."

Still in internal discussion, this minor proposal was news to the emperor. He waved it off immediately. "Out of the question. Denied. Military academies hold multiple competitions every year—exchange leagues are routine, and some years even have special events. Having mechas flying overhead constantly? No way."

In the emperor’s view, all military academies were one, feeding new recruits into different legions annually. It hardly mattered whose mecha was where.

The ministers chuckled, nodding along. "Yes, yes, Your Majesty is wise."

Bai Xingshu sized up the room. In such an environment where buttering up came so easily and felt utterly natural, it was no small feat for the emperor to stay sharp and make sound decisions.

But the flattery didn’t last long. After a few more exchanges, the conversation smoothly shifted to special abilities.

As usual, Bai Xingshu showed off his trick first. Then the Omega minister who had pulled off the same feat opened his palm.

Everyone saw something tiny bounce on the ground before a couple dirt specks appeared in his hand.

This was old news, and the others were about to jump in when Shen Geng pulled out a tree bud.

He closed his eyes and focused.

Following Bai Xingshu’s earlier instructions, he visualized the bud in detail.

Knowing his ability was growth, he’d experimented a little on the way from the dormitory. So—

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the clearly rootless, waterless bud perked up right then and there, sprouting a new leaf with a tiny *snap*.

"This is today’s new discovery," Bai Xingshu told everyone.

Those who had assumed these new powers were limited to moving objects: "..."

Every plan they’d prepared for this meeting went straight out the window.

Though not exactly overworked, the ministers were dying inside.