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

Emperor Qianwu: ...

"Mother..."

The Empress Dowager would never let this possibility slip by.

Her face was kind yet resolute. "Your Majesty, I have finally managed to move Master Jingming. He is willing to give my son and me a glimmer of hope."

"Whether it's the Zhou family or the Jin family, in my eyes they are both troublesome."

"But if any of them, regardless of who it is, can bear you a child, then even if Zhou Shi truly had an affair with Shen Kuo or... as long as the child is yours, I will accept it!"

"If it were Jin, her personality would be even more superficial, flamboyant, and easy to manipulate."

The Empress Dowager, though weathered by time and still possessing a certain charm, now wore a face full of calculation.

Emperor Qianwu was moved.

"Mother..."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, "I am useless; there is so little I can do for you, Emperor."

Emperor Qianwu immediately said, "If it weren't for my mother, I wouldn't be who I am today."

He didn't use "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the emperor"), but instead used "我" (wo, meaning "I" or "me").

Clearly, the person standing before the Empress Dowager at this moment was not a middle-aged emperor, but a middle-aged man whose son was still suffering from the lack of an heir.

The Empress Dowager then changed the subject, "But you haven't even met Lady Jin yet. What if she's the chosen one?"

Emperor Qianwu fell completely silent.

……

Inside Weiyang Palace.

Shi Liu said happily, "Fortunately, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager believe in Your Highness. Otherwise, if Consort Chen had framed Your Highness like this, we would have been doomed."

Zhou Mingyi knew in her heart that Emperor Qianwu and the Empress Dowager did not believe her at all.

The separation was for the sake of the royal family's dignity.

She was secretly rescued, a matter that concerned the dignity of the royal family.

If everyone knew that Consort Zhen of Emperor Qianwu was once sent to the Qingzhou military camp, she not only almost encountered the coachman's coercion on the way, but also met Shen Kuo and the Hu people, and was finally found with Shen Kuo at the bottom of a cliff.

Is this something to be proud of?

Moreover, this matter is also related to Princess Chaoyang.

Princess Chaoyang was Emperor Qianwu's only child.

Before the birth of her other children, she held an absolute position in the hearts of Emperor Qianwu and the Empress Dowager.

Whether it was for the sake of the royal family's dignity or to avoid implicating Princess Chaoyang in the end.

The fact that she was sent to Qingzhou must be defined as "completely fictitious".

As for Jin Baolin, she thought that neither the Empress Dowager nor Emperor Qianwu would do anything to her.

At least until it is confirmed that she cannot conceive, Emperor Qianwu and his mother will not do anything to her.

It's even quite possible that Emperor Qianwu will soon sleep with her.

But she didn't tell Shiliu any of this.

Shiliu's simple and honest nature has its advantages.

As someone in a position of authority, not everyone around you is intelligent, calm, or possesses all the virtues of leadership.

Instead, those in positions of power should be able to recognize and appoint capable individuals, making full use of their strengths.

"His Majesty is a wise and sage ruler, and the Empress Dowager, as His Majesty's mother, is naturally also a person with keen hearing and sharp eyesight."

Shiliu added, "My daughter is truly blessed. I never dreamed she would become a concubine in the palace!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sharp sound came from outside.

"His Majesty has arrived."

Zhou Mingyi immediately tidied her appearance and greeted Emperor Qianwu.

Today is the auspicious day for her to enter the palace and be granted the title of Consort. It is only natural that Emperor Qianwu would come to her Weiyang Palace to show his love and respect for Consort Zhen.

Sure enough, he came to her place.

"Your Majesty, I, Consort Zhen, kowtow and pray for Your Majesty's long life and

On his way here, Emperor Qianwu kept thinking about what the mother and son had said in the Empress Dowager's palace.

Although she still came to Consort Zhen's palace according to her own wishes, she thought she should be a bit cold and not let this young woman become arrogant because of her favor.

But when he saw her, he was met by a soft, gentle, and stunningly beautiful woman who knelt and greeted him in a soft voice, and his heart softened.

What normal man could harden his heart when he sees such a beautiful woman?

He immediately supported her, took her hand, and helped her up.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

"How did the palace servants take care of you?"

Zhou Mingyi's face was flushed. "Your Majesty, I'm not cold. It's just that my hands and feet get cold when the weather gets cool; I've had this problem since I was little."

Emperor Qianwu raised an eyebrow.

Over the years, having no children, and as the saying goes, "a long illness makes a good doctor," Emperor Qianwu had gained some understanding of medical principles.

Having cold hands and feet is not a good sign for a woman to get pregnant.

"Oh?"

"Then the imperial physician should take a good look at it."

"Someone, summon the imperial physician to give Consort Zhen a proper check-up and treatment."

Zhou Mingyi's eyes flashed, showing no resistance. Instead, her eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for thinking of me. I am deeply grateful."

"When we were little, my older brother was often troubled because he heard that it was bad for a woman to have children if she had cold hands and feet."

"How important children are to a woman..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Qianwu's face darkened slightly.

Everyone knows that he was an emperor who died without an heir.

How can an emperor who is destined to have no children not become a laughing stock of the world?

Even though his mother had the concubine who poisoned him reduced to ashes and made the matter public, nothing changed.

All the people in the world know is that Xie Jinghong is infertile.

As for why he cannot have children, or whether he is a victim, that is completely unimportant.

Zhou Mingyi feigned a panicked expression, instantly covering her mouth with her hand and cautiously asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

Emperor Qianwu said in a deep voice, "You did not say anything wrong."

"But do you know that by following me, you are destined never to have your own children in this lifetime?"

Although he and the Empress Dowager placed their hopes on the Zhou and Jin families.

But only he knew that he had long since given up hope.

So many years have passed, and among the many beautiful women in the imperial harem, there has never been a shortage of women who were considered "fertile" by the common people.

However, only Chen bore him his only child.

It's a pity she's a princess.

All of this seemed to be silently telling one fact—Xie Jinghong was infertile!

Emperor Qianwu was once resentful and complained to God, asking why he was given the supreme imperial throne he had always dreamed of, but had to exchange it for the extinction of his lineage.

However, Emperor Qianwu was ultimately an extremely rational person.

His childlessness was not due to natural causes.

Instead, they were drugged.

He wasn't at fault.

No one dared to make him abdicate and hand over the throne to a worthy successor simply because he had no heir.

They could only force him to adopt a son from the royal family to become the crown prince.

Just then, Emperor Qianwu felt his hand being enveloped by a pair of small, soft, and slightly cool hands.

"Your Majesty, this is not your fault."

Zhou Mingyi's voice was soft, with a soothing magic.

"I already knew from among the common people that Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and works diligently to govern the country. It is only because of the matter of having offspring that you have been plotted against."

"Is Your Majesty aware of the 'Witchcraft Persecution' that occurred during Emperor Wu of Han's later years?"

"Crown Prince Liu Ju was benevolent, filial, virtuous, and without fault. However, due to the treacherous minister Jiang Chong's framing, fearing that Jiang Chong would settle his crimes after ascending the throne, he used the despicable pretext of witchcraft to incite the emperor's suspicion, ultimately leading to the killing of father and son and the suffering of their own flesh and blood."

"The root of this disaster lies not in the discord between Emperor Wu and the Crown Prince, but in..."

"It's all because of treacherous people like Jiang Chong, who, for their own selfish gain, did not hesitate to destroy the foundation of the country and disrupt the natural order."

Zhou Mingyi paused, making no mention of the fact that the late emperor's descendants were numerous and that the struggle for the throne was inherently brutal.

"Your Majesty is the sovereign and father of the nation. The wicked men fear Your Majesty's wisdom and the imperial heir's virtue and ability, which is why they have resorted to this vicious scheme to wipe out the family line."

"This is the evil of petty people, not Your Majesty's fault."

"If Your Majesty were to blame yourself for this, wouldn't that play right into the hands of treacherous people, causing pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies?"