A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

"His Majesty will surely understand your good intentions."

"It's a soft voice," Zhu Lan said.

The Empress Dowager sighed slowly.

"I am old, but I always think of the Emperor. If the Emperor could have his own offspring, I would gladly go to see the late Emperor immediately."

Zhu Lan comforted the Empress Dowager, "His Majesty is blessed with great fortune; Your Highness and His Majesty will surely have their wishes fulfilled."

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, "I hope so."

"Over the years, I don't know how many methods I've tried, or how many days and nights I've prayed before the Buddha."

She looked at Zhu Lan, then changed the subject, "But I have a feeling that this time I will get my wish."

"The abbot of Hanshan Temple said that the chosen one is in Hanshan Temple."

"Those hateful court officials! Knowing that the Emperor and I are in seclusion at the temple, they still didn't come! Humph! Isn't it because they're afraid I'll choose their daughters?"

Aunt Zhulan sighed inwardly.

The Empress Dowager and His Majesty share a deep mother-son bond, and she herself has accompanied the two masters from their humble beginnings to the present day.

When the Empress Dowager was young, she was not a high-ranking concubine, nor was she favored; she was just a minor concubine.

She was incredibly lucky; she conceived the emperor after only one night with the late emperor.

The late emperor had two empresses, several high-ranking concubines, and countless other young concubines like the empress dowager. As a result, his descendants prospered, and the struggle for the throne was particularly brutal.

There were three legitimate sons alone.

At that time, the Empress Dowager only wanted to protect herself and her son, Mingzhe.

But being in the inner palace, one has no choice in what one does.

If the mother and son don't fight back, no one will believe them.

His Majesty was assassinated at that time.

He was poisoned by a "strange poison" that, it is said, does not impair male virility but affects his offspring.

The Empress Dowager was furious. After failing to obtain the antidote, she personally skinned and dismembered the concubine who had poisoned the concubine, and scattered her bones to the winds!

When His Majesty ascended the throne, he was seventeen years old. In the third year of his reign, Consort Chen, who was then a concubine, is now the Noble Consort Chen.

At that time, she and the Empress Dowager both thought that the so-called "poison that kills off offspring" was nothing more than that, and that the vile woman was just exaggerating or that they had been deceived.

Your Majesty will surely have many descendants.

Who would have thought that, now, twenty years after His Majesty ascended the throne, he still only has one daughter, Princess Chaoyang.

They then realized that Princess Chaoyang was the unexpected one, and the strange poison had indeed come true.

Zhu Lan knew how hard His Majesty and the Empress Dowager had worked to reach their current high positions.

But if one has no offspring, wouldn't it be like exhausting one's life's work and making a wedding dress for someone else?

Not to mention the Empress Dowager and her son, even Zhu Lan felt aggrieved just thinking about it.

With the emperor having no heir, it's understandable that court officials, thinking of their own daughters, were unwilling to send them into the palace.

"It is their daughter who is not fortunate enough to give birth to a prince for His Majesty."

Zhu Lan said sincerely.

The Empress Dowager was indeed pleased to hear this.

"Bamboo and orchid deeply touch my heart."

She had originally thought that the abbot had said the chosen one was inside Hanshan Temple.

If the emperor were to encounter the daughter of any minister, he would welcome her into the palace in great pomp and circumstance.

If she can successfully give birth to a prince, even if her status is lower, she can still become empress.

Who knew they would be so ungrateful!

The Empress Dowager had no choice but to select a virtuous and beautiful unmarried woman from a respectable family within a ten-mile radius of Hanshan Temple.

The woman's mother was very fertile, so she must be quite capable herself.

However, to ensure that no accidents would happen, the Empress Dowager immediately decided to let the Emperor and the woman consummate their relationship in a side room of the temple.

The emperor was no longer the boy who was protected under the empress dowager's wings. He was a man of great talent and ambition, with a deep mind and strong opinions.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager gave him and the woman an aphrodisiac.

"I believe that if the chosen one and the emperor could unite under the Buddha's protection, it would surely help us both achieve our wishes!"

Zhu Lan said, "The Empress Dowager's heart is compassionate, and Buddha will surely understand."

She spoke, her expression hesitant.

Zhu Lan had been by the Empress Dowager's side for decades, and the Empress Dowager knew her very well.

"Speak your mind."

Zhu Lan paused before saying, "His Majesty and that woman have been together for over an hour..."

"Your Majesty is so valiant; this is the woman's first time. I wonder if she can withstand it..."

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, then said, "Have Fuquan take some men and keep an eye on things to prevent any accidents from happening."

Zhu Lan lowered her eyes, bowed, and said, "Yes."

……

To ensure the performance was convincing, Zhou Mingyi redeemed an aphrodisiac pill from the system shop.

This aphrodisiac has amazing effects; it not only arouses desire but also makes Zhou Mingyi exude an irresistible warm fragrance when she is aroused.

Even so, Zhou Mingyi still felt soreness and weakness in her lower back and knees.

Didn't they say the emperor is thirty-seven this year?

Why does he seem so much stronger than the 24-year-old crown prince in my previous life?

Zhou Mingyi sat on Emperor Qianwu's lap, her jade-like arms draped around his neck. Her soft, boneless body trembled incessantly, like a branch with nowhere to lean on.

Emperor Qianwu's hand gripped her slender waist tightly, the force so great that it left a shocking, ambiguous red mark on her snow-white, delicate waist...

Outside the side room, Fuquan was getting impatient.

His Majesty is so valiant that few of the concubines in the harem can withstand him; most faint within half an hour.

Right now... they've been making a ruckus inside for almost two hours!

Although... if something were to happen to that woman and spoil His Majesty's mood, it would be the servants who would suffer.

Just then, Aunt Zhulan, who was by the Empress Dowager's side, came over.

Fuquan immediately poured out his grievances to her.

"It's been almost two hours! His Majesty and that young lady... no, Her Majesty, haven't come out yet. Aunt, what should we do?"

Fuquan was the most capable eunuch serving Emperor Qianwu, deeply favored by the emperor, and naturally understood Emperor Qianwu's thoughts.

Even though the Empress Dowager was involved this time, His Majesty is deep in thought and has extremely strong self-control.

This indulgence proves precisely how much he likes that woman.

That young lady... that's an incredible stroke of luck; she's destined to enter the palace as a concubine or imperial consort.

Aunt Zhulan moved a little closer and heard the woman's sweet and seductive voice, like a nightingale emerging from a valley, occasionally punctuated by His Majesty's hoarse and passionate moans...

For a moment, I didn't know how to deal with it.

Just then, a royal guard brought a woman with him.

The woman's mouth was gagged, and she looked terrified.

Aunt Zhulan had served the Empress Dowager for many years and had long since developed a composure that remained unmoved even in the face of a collapsing mountain. However, upon seeing that girl, her expression suddenly changed.

"you……"

What are you doing here?

Upon hearing this, Fuquan also sensed that something was amiss.

Aunt Zhulan hurriedly brought the person to the Empress Dowager.

The young and pretty woman turned deathly pale upon seeing the Empress Dowager.

He knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Please spare my life, my lord!"

"This humble woman has a sweetheart and is not unmarried; it is her parents who have secretly arranged for her to marry..."

"Please, sir, spare my life!"

The Empress Dowager suddenly tightened her grip on the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.

She looked at Zhu Lan, "What happened?"

Aunt Zhulan recounted how she was ordered to deliver a message, but unexpectedly witnessed His Majesty's personal guard taking the woman.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed. "Who was that in the side room with the Emperor?"

Aunt Zhulan's forehead was covered in large beads of sweat.

"This... when I went there, His Majesty was in high spirits, and that young lady..."

The Empress Dowager suddenly smiled.

"This is fate!"

"Zhu Lan, do you believe this is fate?"

"Quickly, investigate that girl's background."

"yes!"

Aunt Zhulan arrived quickly; she had already roughly figured out Zhou Mingyi's situation.

But upon hearing that the young woman had come to pray for her brother, the Empress Dowager's impression of her improved somewhat.

This at least shows that she wasn't someone with malicious intent who deliberately arranged this.