More children, more blessings, starting from marrying a wife to fight for world hegemony

The Empress Dowager's bedroom.

The hall was dimly lit, with fine agarwood burning in a gilded incense burner. Wisps of smoke rose slowly and dissipated in the sunlight filtering through the window. The beautiful Empress Dowager leaned against a soft couch, her hand supporting her forehead, while the fingers of her other hand unconsciously tapped the edge of the couch. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she were deep in thought.

After a moment, she spoke to the guards who were bowing and waiting for orders in the hall. Her voice was neither hurried nor slow, but carried an unquestionable authority.

"Are you sure it's Princess Yun'an's sword?"

The guard immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it cannot be confirmed at the moment. However, the sword box that Princess Yun'an's maid was carrying is indeed the sword box used to store the Demon-Slaying Sword. Moreover, the spies from the princess's residence have also found out that the Demon-Slaying Sword is not with Princess Yun'an at present. Therefore... the rumors are very likely true."

Pei Shuhua did not respond immediately. She raised her eyes and looked at the rising smoke from the incense burner, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

Why would Ji Yunmeng give her own sword to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion at this time?

Ji Yunmeng isn't stupid; does she not know the Zhou royal family's attitude towards the Zhennan Prince's Mansion?
When facing the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, the entire Zhou royal family was united in their opposition—both the puppet emperor in the palace and the Empress Dowager hoped that the Prince of Zhennan, a prince of a different surname, would completely disappear from the Great Zhou.

Ji Yunmeng, the first princess among the Zhou Emperor's children to receive a title, not only does she not share the Zhou Emperor's burdens, but now she has even given her own sword to the Prince of Zhennan.

The Demon-Slaying Sword is no ordinary sword. It is Ji Yunmeng's personal sword, and the act of giving her this sword undoubtedly demonstrates her stance of siding with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion.

How could a royal princess like her stand on the side of the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion?
Pei Shuhua slowly sat up straight, her fingers resting on the armrest of the soft couch, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"Summon Princess Yun'an to the palace."

Her voice betrayed no emotion, but the eunuchs in the hall immediately lowered their heads. Pei Shuhua was eager to know what Ji Yunmeng was thinking and why she would do such a thing. She even suspected that it was the Emperor Zhou who had ordered it.

Could it be that Emperor Zhou is plotting something again? Is he still restless?

Ji Yunmeng's behavior was indeed too unusual, and this unusualness must be taken seriously.

The guard bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." He took two steps back, turned, and left.

One hour later.

The palace door was gently pushed open, and sunlight poured in, casting a long, thin shadow on the floor tiles. Ji Yunmeng stepped over the threshold and stood in the palace.

Today she wore a moon-white long dress, her black hair was tied in a simple bun, and she only wore a white jade hairpin. She glanced at Pei Shuhua on the soft couch, her gaze calm, and then curtsied, her movements standard yet distant.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Pei Shuhua leaned back on the soft couch without moving, and said calmly, "Get up."

Ji Yunmeng straightened up and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "I wonder what brings Your Majesty here?"

Pei Shuhua looked up at her, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"I heard that you gave your personal sword, the Demon-Slaying Sword, to the Prince of Zhennan? Is that true?"

Ji Yunmeng's expression remained unchanged. She knew this couldn't be kept secret—Lu Chen would use the Demon-Slaying Sword one day, and she had never intended to hide it. Moreover, she needed people to know that she stood with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion. This would benefit her future plans.

Once the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion weathers this crisis, it will be seen by others as part of her faction. At that point, it will be easier to control the powerful families in the south.

She raised her eyes and met Pei Shuhua's gaze with composure.

"That is indeed true."

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Shuhua slammed her hand on the armrest of the soft couch, the sharp crack echoing jarringly in the empty hall. Her phoenix eyes flashed with authority as she rebuked her sharply:
"Foolish!!!"

Do you even know what you're doing?!

She stood up, her skirt trailing on the ground, and walked step by step toward Ji Yunmeng. Her gold-embroidered shoes made a soft sound on the floor tiles, and each step carried an air of authority.

"As a member of the royal family, how dare you side with a prince of a different surname? Don't you know that your father has always wanted to eliminate the Zhennan Prince's Mansion!"

Ji Yunmeng stood rooted to the spot, not even taking a single step back. She raised her head, looking at the powerful Empress Dowager before her, her voice neither servile nor arrogant:

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, is it your father who wants to eliminate the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion, or is it you who wants to eliminate the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Shuhua's beautiful face showed a hint of anger. She stared at Ji Yunmeng with increasingly sharp eyes.

She increasingly felt that Ji Yunmeng's unusual behavior was at the behest of the Zhou Emperor.

Indeed, the Zhou royal family did not want a king of a different surname to exist, but the imperial decree to send Lu Chen to the Zhengui Division was not the Zhou emperor's intention. Rather, it was Pei Shuhua who had someone obtain the imperial decree from the Zhou emperor, and sending Lu Chen to the Zhengui Division was mainly her idea.

Could it be that Emperor Zhou still hopes to use the Zhennan Prince's Mansion as an ally to turn his fortunes around?
He's just a puppet emperor. Instead of staying home and cultivating, he's thinking about regaining power.

Pei Shuhua gave a cold laugh, her voice turning icy.

"Is this your father's intention?"

Ji Yunmeng shook her head: "No. Giving the Demon-Slaying Sword to the Prince of Zhennan was my own idea. I am fond of the Prince of Zhennan..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Shuhua angrily interrupted him: "Enough!"

Pei Shuhua took a step closer, looking down at her.

"I thought you were a chosen one, with high standards. I never imagined you'd only improve your cultivation level but not your brain. You actually fell for a piece of trash!"

Her voice was filled with undisguised contempt.

"I have indeed heard that the Prince of Zhennan's son is the most handsome man in the capital, but the world is so vast, what kind of man is not there? If you only like his appearance, I can have someone find you someone even more handsome than him."

Ji Yunmeng's lips moved slightly: "Your subject—"

"From this day forward, you are confined to the Princess's residence. Without my order, you are not to go anywhere." Pei Shuhua gave her no chance to speak, her voice cold and resolute. "Furthermore, your people are not allowed to go to the Zhennan Prince's residence."

She turned around, her back to Ji Yunmeng, and waved.

"Go back and reflect on your actions. Send Princess Yun'an out of the palace."

The eunuchs and maids on both sides of the hall immediately stepped forward and stood with their heads bowed.

Ji Yunmeng stood still for a moment, then curtsied, her movements still standard yet distant.

"Your subject takes his leave."

She turned, her skirt sweeping lightly across the floor tiles, and walked step by step toward the palace gate. The sunlight cast a long shadow of hers until she crossed the threshold and disappeared into the light outside.

The palace doors slowly closed.

Pei Shuhua stood in the hall, looking at the closed door, and suddenly chuckled softly. The smile didn't reach her eyes; instead, it carried a hint of coldness.

She turned her head, her gaze passing through the palace buildings and landing in the direction of the Hall of Longevity.

"It seems you're still not satisfied."

In her view, Ji Yunmeng's actions today were almost certainly at the behest of Emperor Zhou. Emperor Zhou was now isolated and helpless—he did have ministers in court who supported him, but the Pei family was too powerful. If he wanted to regain power, he needed the support of a strong figure.

Currently, many powerful figures in the Zhou royal family at the Earth Realm level are on the Empress Dowager's side. If he wants to seize power, he can only rely on external forces. Among these external forces, only the Zhennan Prince's Mansion has the strength to rival the Zhou royal family.

A cold glint flashed in Pei Shuhua's eyes.

Lu Chen must be eliminated as soon as possible. The Zhennan Prince's Mansion must be completely destroyed. The Zhennan Prince's Mansion must not be allowed to collude with the Zhou Emperor.

To destroy the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, there's no need to send troops directly. Just eliminate the Zhennan Prince's only heir, and once the Zhennan Prince dies, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion will naturally fall apart.

She turned and walked towards the soft couch, giving instructions to the eunuchs waiting in the hall:

"Go to the Pei family and bring Duke Pei to the palace."

The eunuch bowed in agreement and quickly withdrew.

—The news that Ji Yunmeng had been confined to her quarters quickly spread throughout the capital.

This was expected. As a member of the royal family, she didn't stand with the royal family, but instead gave her sword to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, going against the royal family—it was already good enough that she wasn't stripped of her princess title.

at the same time.

Wanshou Hall.

The hall was even darker than the Empress Dowager's bedroom. Heavy curtains hung down, blocking out most of the sunlight, with only a few rays of light leaking in through the gaps and falling on the floor tiles like solidified frost.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black and gold dragon robe sat upright on a futon. His eyes were closed, his face calm and expressionless.

Before him knelt a eunuch who had just finished reporting the day's events.

After listening, Emperor Zhou remained expressionless. He showed neither worry about Ji Yunmeng being confined to her quarters nor anger at her for acting on her own initiative.

Beside a pillar at the corner of the hall, a dark figure appeared out of nowhere. The shadow was elusive, like an illusion created by distorted light, or perhaps the outline of some kind of being.

Emperor Zhou did not look at the shadow, but simply said, "Go out."

The eunuch kowtowed and said, "Yes." He stood up, bowed his head, and left the hall.

The doors of the Hall of Longevity slowly closed, shutting out the last ray of light.

The hall was plunged into darkness.

Emperor Zhou kept his eyes closed, his face hidden in the shadows. His voice echoed in the empty hall, low and calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Her mother died for me back then. Now, she's standing up again for me, openly opposing that one." (End of Chapter)