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

In comparison, Consort Lan was much more dignified.

Emperor Qianwu's expression softened slightly.

"Consort Lan is indeed very thoughtful."

Consort Lan glanced at Emperor Qianwu. After all, he was the person she had loved for a lifetime in her past life. Consort Lan quickly lowered her head, not wanting to see him so anxious and insecure about another woman.

It's just too eye-catching.

After Consort Lan left, only Emperor Qianwu, Zhou Mingyi, and a row of anxious-looking imperial physicians remained in the tent.

"His Majesty."

Zhou Mingyi's voice was weak, "I'm so scared!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianwu hurriedly pulled her into his arms, but dared not use too much force, loosening his grip slightly for fear of squeezing her lower abdomen.

Zhou Mingyi didn't speak, but simply nestled obediently in Emperor Qianwu's arms.

Noticing that Emperor Qianwu seemed to want to hug him but didn't dare, Zhou Mingyi couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

dog man!

"Your Majesty, hold me tight, and I won't feel cold anymore."

Emperor Qianwu, lost in thought, tightened his embrace slightly, but quickly loosened it again.

Suddenly, she heard a soft sobbing sound coming from her arms.

Emperor Qianwu frowned sharply. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Mingyi's face was streaked with tears, glistening like pearls, making her exceptionally endearing. Emperor Qianwu asked helplessly, "Why is my beloved concubine crying?"

"Am I very ugly now?"

"Does His Majesty no longer like his concubine?"

The imperial physicians looked at each other, at a loss for words.

They can't just stand there and watch the emperor and his concubines being all lovey-dovey, can they?

I felt a little awkward.

Fortunately, Emperor Qianwu waved to them, "You may leave now."

The imperial physicians, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, we take our leave."

"etc."

Emperor Qianwu added, "The pulse of Consort Zhen should not be publicized for the time being."

The imperial physicians pondered for a moment and immediately understood.

Emperor Qianwu had been disappointed countless times, and naturally he did not want to be disappointed again.

If this matter hadn't spread widely, then even if Consort Zhen hadn't actually been pregnant in the end, His Majesty wouldn't have been disappointed, nor would he have become a laughingstock.

"Yes, we understand."

As soon as the imperial physicians left, Emperor Qianwu suddenly realized that there was no movement in his arms.

He tightened his embrace slightly, and the woman in his arms trembled gently. "My beloved concubine is not ugly."

"If even you are ugly, then wouldn't everyone in my harem be as ugly as Wu Yan?"

Zhou Mingyi burst into laughter through her tears.

"Your Majesty always knows how to make me happy."

Emperor Qianwu patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, I have instructed the Imperial Hospital to prepare the best ointment for you, it will definitely not leave any scars."

Zhou Mingyi scoffed inwardly.

Fortunately, she was reborn, and she had long since stopped trusting men.

If Emperor Qianwu truly cared for her, he should severely punish Princess Chaoyang to avenge her.

But she was his only biological daughter, his precious darling.

How could Emperor Qianwu bear to punish him so severely?

He only hoped that Zhou Mingyi wouldn't be ungrateful and insist on causing trouble for the princess.

Zhou Mingyi understood this, which is why she wanted to act.

She buried her face in Emperor Qianwu's arms, not raising her head, but her voice sounded listless.

"Your Majesty...is this truly not a child I'm carrying?"

Her voice carried a distinct bitter smile.

Emperor Qianwu's heart naturally tightened.

"Ah Chang, I dare not even think about it..."

Although he was an emperor, he was also a man.

For many years, he and his mother pleaded for an heir, but more than twenty years later, only Chaoyang was born.

He had long since resigned himself to his fate.

Even if the Empress Dowager outwardly refused to give up, wasn't she secretly resigned to her fate?

Just recently, the mother and son had discussed something.

Is the emperor truly willing to hand over the throne, which he had worked so hard to obtain, to Xie Jing, his adopted son?

Emperor Qianwu was naturally aware of Xie Jing's behind-the-scenes methods.

But if you put yourself in Xie Jing's shoes, what would you do if you were in Xie Jing's position?

He would also be eager for the person sitting on the dragon throne to die quickly, so that he could make room for him.

Anyone sitting in the crown prince's seat is the same.

This is also why Emperor Qianwu did not immediately punish Xie Jing.

After all, if it wasn't his own son, if it wasn't Xie Jing, it could have been some other member of the imperial clan...

To be an emperor without an heir, leaving the empire without a successor, is a grave taboo!

Therefore, even if it wasn't Xie Jing, he still had to appoint a crown prince.

The crown prince is the foundation of the nation!

Therefore, for Emperor Qianwu, it didn't make much difference who the crown prince was.

But he was unwilling to accept it!

Even if all else fails, he and the Empress Dowager had considered that when Princess Chaoyang found a husband and had children, the child would carry their own bloodline.

It was precisely for this reason that the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianwu treated Princess Chaoyang with exceptional favor.

He even allowed her to keep male lovers.

Anyway, she's a woman, and no matter what man she's with, she'll be the one who bears the children in the future.

There is virtually no chance that bloodlines will be confused.

Thinking about it this way, having a princess doesn't seem like a completely hopeless situation.

Unexpectedly, before he and the Empress Dowager could even take any action, Consort Zhen was suspected of being pregnant...

This instantly disrupted Emperor Qianwu's plans.

With this child, there is more hope.

Even a princess has more options.

If he were lucky enough to give birth to a prince, wouldn't his and his mother's current predicament be easily resolved?

Emperor Qianwu hoped more than anyone else that Consort Zhen's pregnancy was real.

But he was more afraid of disappointment than anyone else...

He didn't like Chen Shi, but now he had some fondness for Zhou Mingyi.

Both are his children, but one was born to a woman he loved, while the other was born to a woman he didn't love.

There are still differences.

But this child hasn't even been born yet, how can it compare to the rising sun?

What if the diagnosis was wrong?

Or perhaps, it's uncertain whether the child will be born safely.

Therefore, after weighing the options, Emperor Qianwu could only pretend to be stupid.

Zhou Mingyi's voice was soft and gentle.

"Your Majesty, I dare not even dream of such a thing. What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve it?"

"No."

Emperor Qianwu could not bear to hear her belittle herself like that.

"My Chang is wonderful; you are a treasure bestowed upon me by Heaven. If..."

Emperor Qianwu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his body trembled slightly. "If only we could have a child."

Zhou Mingyi then said softly, "I will take good care of myself and try my best to make Your Majesty's dream come true."

"But I didn't use any despicable means..."

Emperor Qianwu covered Zhou Mingyi's lips, "Don't talk nonsense!"

There are still some differences.

Emperor Qianwu believed that she had not used any despicable means.

After all, if, like Kim Mi-ren, one doesn't actually have a child, the truth will eventually come out.

Therefore, if it really is not true, then it must be that the quack doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy made a mistake.

However, with this news, Emperor Qianwu felt a little more hopeful. Even when Zhou Mingyi deliberately tried to seduce him, he was unwilling to easily cross the line.

Zhou Mingyi feigned ignorance, "His Majesty said he doesn't mind me, but he still does."

"In the past, His Majesty would have pounced on me long ago, but now he completely ignores me!"

Emperor Qianwu was both amused and exasperated. He held Zhou Mingyi's soft little hand and tapped her forehead.

"You heartless little brat! I was afraid of hurting you, hurting your stomach, and you actually turn around and blame me?"

"Wait a little longer. Once it's confirmed, I'll compensate you."

Zhou Mingyi pretended to be obedient and compliant, but inwardly clicked her tongue.

However, he did not bring up the matter of today again.

Emperor Qianwu breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a pang of guilt.

He will investigate this matter thoroughly.

The secret guards reported that Zhou Mingyi was simply selecting horses at the stables when she happened to bump into Consort Chen and Princess Chaoyang. It was Consort Chen and her daughter who had instigated the incident.

Emperor Qianwu's expression darkened.

"This Chen woman, relying on my favor towards the princess, is truly reckless."

Thinking that Zhou Mingyi might be carrying his child, this foolish woman didn't take the opportunity to openly complain.

Emperor Qianwu's heart was completely devoted to Mingyi.

Ultimately, it was he who wronged her.

Emperor Qianwu looked at Fuquan and said, "By imperial decree, Consort Chen, for condoning the princess's violent acts, is a mother of no virtue and is hereby demoted to the rank of Consort."

Fuquan immediately accepted the decree.

Consort Chen received the imperial decree, trembling with rage. Her eyes widened. "What? His Majesty wants to demote me?"

"How is this possible?"

"Could it be...?"

Could it be that the vile Consort Zhen really has His Majesty's bloodline?

This is impossible!

Consort Chen instinctively did not want to believe it.

Princess Chaoyang, on the other hand, looked surprised, but quickly calmed down.

"Mother, Father's decree has been issued. We may not know for sure whether Zhou is pregnant or not, but can we be sure in the long run?"

Consort Chen's eyes were bloodshot. "We can't let her give birth to the child!"

Princess Chaoyang: "Mother, I still don't believe it. Father has been childless for so long, so many years. Besides you, who else has conceived Father's child?"

Consort Chen: "But... if that Zhou woman didn't exist, your father would definitely not..."

Consort Chen knew that she held little importance in Emperor Qianwu's heart.

But his own daughter, Princess Chaoyang, definitely had that kind of weight.

Now, His Majesty has publicly demoted her. Does His Majesty not care about the princess's dignity?

Unless, of course, that bitch is really pregnant.

Princess Chaoyang: "Mother, you must calm down."

"Whether it is or not, will it still be uncertain in three months?"

"Besides, even if it's born, whether it can be raised to adulthood is another matter entirely. There's no rush..."

Consort Chen subconsciously turned her head to look at her daughter, and suddenly felt that her daughter looked somewhat unfamiliar.

She asked blankly, "You mean...?"

"No, if that slut is really pregnant, and we lay a hand on her, even if it's you... your father and grandmother will not let us off."

Princess Chaoyang, however, was confident.

"Even if it's true that she's pregnant, as long as we act discreetly and eventually get rid of that bastard, Father and Grandmother will still only have me as their child. Do you think they can kill their son?"

Consort Chen: ...

She calmed down completely.

Even if Lady Zhou were to give birth to a prince, although she would be demoted to the rank of concubine, if Lady Zhou were to die, she could still fight for the right to raise the prince.

In this palace now, the only high-ranking concubines are her, Consort Lan, and Consort Zhen.

She raised a princess; who can compare to her?

Thinking this way, Consort Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

There are escape routes on both sides, so we're safe.

However, Consort Chen immediately sent someone secretly to inquire with the accompanying imperial physician.

In the end, they found out nothing...