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

After hearing about what Ji Yunmeng had done, Emperor Zhou assumed that she had done it for his sake. As for the idea that Ji Yunmeng liked Lu Chen, he simply did not believe it. Ji Yunmeng was a woman of exceptional talent and privilege; how could she possibly like a good-for-nothing?

Emperor Zhou had indeed considered winning over the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, then overthrowing the Empress Dowager and eliminating the Pei family's power, but the Prince of Zhennan suddenly fell ill.

Moreover, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion only has Lu Chen as his heir. If something happens to Lu Chen and the Zhennan Prince dies, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion will fall apart. Therefore, Emperor Zhou gave up his original idea.

At this moment, the candlelight in the Hall of Longevity flickered slightly, causing the shadows of the curtains inside to tremble. The dark figure stood beside a pillar, half of its body hidden in the shadows, with only a section of its black robe visible. The voice emanating from the dark figure was cold and crisp, devoid of any emotion, "Does Your Majesty think that Princess Yun'an's actions are for Your Majesty's sake?"

The Emperor Zhou's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, which was polished smooth and gleamed darkly in the candlelight. "Don't you think so?"

In Emperor Zhou's view, Ji Yunmeng must be aware of her situation, so she wanted to win over the Zhennan Prince's Mansion to fight against the Empress Dowager's faction in the court. After all, he, as her father, had just bestowed a title upon her not long ago, so it was normal for Ji Yunmeng to return the favor. Surely his daughter couldn't have really sent her sword to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion for their sake, could she?
The woman's voice drifted out from the shadows again, "Has Your Majesty never considered that she might have other intentions?"

Emperor Zhou said, "She does have some ambition, but that's irrelevant."

Emperor Zhou wasn't stupid. Ji Yunmeng was, after all, a favored daughter of heaven, and she also had her own power base. Emperor Zhou knew that Ji Yunmeng was ambitious, but he didn't think that her ambition was big enough to want to take that position. In his opinion, Ji Yunmeng just wanted more power.

Emperor Zhou never believed that it was wrong for someone to be ambitious and want power. Therefore, in Emperor Zhou's view, Ji Yunmeng's actions this time were also for her own benefit. If she could help him regain power and return to the court, then she would be the one to make the greatest contribution. At that time, her power as a princess would definitely be second only to the emperor. As for making her the crown princess, Emperor Zhou had never even considered it.

Upon hearing Zhou Huang's words, the dark figure took half a step forward, revealing a profile hidden in the shadows, its outline illuminated by a thin, bright edge in the candlelight. "In that case, what do you plan to do next?"

Upon hearing this question, Emperor Zhou fell into deep thought. A breeze blew through the eaves of the hall, causing the window frames to creak softly. In his view, given the current state of the Prince of Zhennan's residence, there was absolutely no need to win him over. If the Empress Dowager were to believe that he had orchestrated all of this, it would only make her aware of his ambition and think that he was still restless and wanted to regain power.

This is not good for his plans.

However, on the other hand, if he does nothing, it might make the Empress Dowager always wary of him, as she has never given up testing him.

Ji Yunmeng's gift of the sword to Lu Chen will surely make the Empress Dowager think that she wants to improve relations with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion. However, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion has now declined and is no longer a threat. As long as Lu Chen, the only heir, is eliminated, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion will also fall apart. This will greatly reduce the Empress Dowager's vigilance, making her think that the emperor has lost his mind and would actually place his hopes on the already declining Zhennan Prince's Mansion. From this perspective, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion can attract the Empress Dowager's attention and also reduce her vigilance.

After regaining his senses, Emperor Zhou raised his hand and waved, "Send someone to lift the confinement order on Yunmeng."

Upon hearing this, the shadowy figure seemed to understand Emperor Zhou's thoughts. Emperor Zhou was deliberately diverting the Empress Dowager's attention to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, making the Empress Dowager mistakenly believe that he really wanted to rely on the Prince of Zhennan's mansion to make a comeback. In this way, he could carry out his schemes elsewhere.

Just then, Emperor Zhou suddenly turned his head, staring at the dark figure, his gaze falling on the face that was not clearly visible in the shadows, "Does your Tianxuan Palace truly wish to lend me a hand?"

Upon hearing this, the figure in black nodded slightly, the movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible. "Of course, but I hope that Your Majesty will not forget your promise once you regain power."

Emperor Zhou calmly said, "As long as I return to that position, I will never forget my promise. However, I am very curious, why did you choose me instead of that woman?"

The woman Zhou Huang spoke of was naturally the Empress Dowager. Now that the Empress Dowager held power, if Tianxuan Palace wanted to cooperate with Great Zhou, they could simply choose the Empress Dowager; there would be no need for all this trouble. The shadowy figure was silent for a moment, just as the candlelight in the hall crackled and popped. "You don't need to know that. You just need to fulfill your promise."

Emperor Zhou didn't ask any more questions. He didn't think Tianxuan Palace was stupid. The most likely reason Tianxuan Palace wanted to become the state religion of the Great Zhou Dynasty was for the dynasty's fortune. Although he was just a puppet emperor, the dynasty's fortune was still connected to him. If Tianxuan Palace wanted the dynasty's fortune, it could only choose to cooperate with him, the puppet emperor.

Thinking of this, a look of contempt flashed across Zhou Huang's face. The smile only appeared at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were icy cold. It seemed that everyone really regarded him as an easy target.

……

After Ji Yunmeng returned to the princess's residence, she was placed under house arrest. She did not leave the princess's residence for the next few days, nor did she send anyone to the Zhennan Prince's residence.

Originally, she planned to send someone to the Zhengui Division to make a message, but because of the Empress Dowager's order, the entire Princess's residence was now being closely watched by the guards sent by the Empress Dowager. Those guards stood outside the gate, their backs straight, their hands on the hilts of their swords, their eyes fixed on the people coming in and out, making it impossible to send anyone to the Zhengui Division.

However, Ji Yunmeng believed that the people from the Zhengui Division would know what to do after seeing her give the sword to Lu Chen.

To become stronger, she stayed in the Town of Ghosts for a long time, and recently she has been helping the Town of Ghosts investigate the evil spirits that massacred the village. Everyone in the Town of Ghosts respects her. After the Town of Ghosts learns that she gave her sword to Lu Chen, they will understand that she is on Cao Shiyun's side and will not make things difficult for Lu Chen.

Of course, if other important figures put pressure on the Zhengui Division to make things difficult for Lu Chen, then her title of princess might be useless.

The Yun'an Princess's residence was quiet. The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, casting flickering shadows on the ground. Ji Yunmeng sat in the pavilion in the courtyard, a cup of cold tea beside her. She looked at the few peonies outside the pavilion that had already withered, their petals lying listlessly on the ground, pondering what she should do next.

She was placed under house arrest, and she didn't know when the order would be lifted. She had a feeling that the Empress Dowager would not lift the order until Lu Chen was eliminated, to prevent her from ruining their plans against the Zhennan Prince's Mansion. She was afraid that the order would only be lifted when Lu Chen died.

Just as Ji Yun was dreaming about how to help the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, a eunuch entered the princess's mansion with an imperial edict. The eunuch walked quickly, lifting the corner of his robe, causing the fallen leaves under the corridor to swirl around.

Xiao Qi rushed to Ji Yunmeng in front of the eunuch, her forehead beaded with sweat, and called out from outside the pavilion, "Your Highness, His Majesty has issued a decree!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yunmeng frowned slightly. She didn't think it was a good thing for her father to issue an imperial edict at this time. She even suspected that her father was going to strip her of her title. After all, as a royal princess, she had openly stood against the royal family.

Ji Yunmeng immediately stood up from the stone bench. The eunuch who delivered the decree had already walked to the pavilion. He had a smile on his face, his fleshy face was squeezed together, and his eyes were curved into two slits. He said to Ji Yunmeng, "Your Highness, His Majesty is right to say that you are in love with the Prince of Zhennan. Therefore, the confinement order will be lifted."

At this point, the eunuch handed the imperial edict to Ji Yunmeng without even reading it aloud.

Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Ji Yunmeng was stunned for a moment.

What does her father mean by this?
Is this an encouragement for me to help the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion? (End of Chapter)