After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

It's the Empress!

She did receive the message and secretly switched the prince's gift.

The emperor reacted almost immediately, looking at her with a cold expression.

The Empress chuckled lightly, a hint of smugness in her voice: "Why is Your Majesty looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"

"Of course!" The emperor withdrew his gaze and raised his hand: "Your Highness is very thoughtful. I greatly admire this item."

Chen Defu immediately understood and accepted the prince's gift on his behalf.

The crown prince sat down with a blank expression.

Where is the Xiaoyao Pill he prepared?

How did it turn into prayer beads?

The only thing that could secretly replace his birthday gift is...

The Crown Prince suddenly looked at the Empress, only to find that she was also looking at him, her eyes filled with reproach and tenderness.

The Crown Prince: "..." It really is the Empress Dowager.

What's wrong?

Is it inappropriate to give Xiaoyao pills as a gift?

The princes understood as well, exchanged glances, and lowered their eyes.

pity…

What a pity...

It was so close!

Oh…

That fool, the Crown Prince, is really lucky to have a mother who worries about everything for him.

The one who was most heartbroken was Situ Che.

They are both sons of the Empress, so why does the Empress only favor the Crown Prince?

If the crown prince were a virtuous person, that would be fine, but he isn't!

If he were made ruler, wouldn't that be a disaster for all the people?

Situ Che didn't necessarily want to be the emperor himself; he simply didn't want the crown prince to ascend the throne.

In his view, all his older brothers could sit in that position, but the Crown Prince was not.

"Your Highness..." Qin Zhiyan noticed his sadness and reached out to hold his hand: "It's alright, you still have us."

"Sister is right, Your Highness, we are all your family." As for a mother like the Empress, it doesn't matter whether you have her or not.

After speaking, Gu Ruoxue narrowed her eyes, gave the Crown Prince a cold look, and quickly looked away.

She would provide the greatest assistance to Situ Che as long as he wanted it.

Your Highness, don't think that having a good mother means you can secure your position.

For the sake of her beloved, she wouldn't mind fighting even if it meant confronting the Empress.

Consort Zhu, being the most naive, scratched the back of her head and chuckled, "You've all said what I wanted to say, I don't know how to comfort the Prince anymore."

The concern shown by the women warmed Situ Che's gradually cooling heart: "I'm fine, don't worry!"

He was long past the age of needing a mother's love; whether he had a mother or not didn't matter to him. He could die as if he were an empress.

The princes sighed, mustered their spirits, and began to present the emperor's birthday gifts in turn.

The Prince of Chen presented the Emperor with a painting depicting the emperor's longevity.

Prince Rui presented him with paintings by renowned artists from his own collection.

The King of Xiang presented them with a pair of chopsticks that could be used to ward off poison!

Although the Ninth Prince Jin did not arrive, he was the most practical, having the steward of his mansion present him with 100,000 taels of silver.

When it was Situ Che's turn, he opened the brocade box, but his expression froze instantly.

A small elixir lay quietly in the box, while the dragon-shaped jade pendant with the character for longevity that he had prepared for the emperor had disappeared.

Tang Rui, with her sharpest eyes, almost gasped when she saw the pill: "The Carefree Pill?"

The three women from the Prince Li's residence were also stunned, looking at Situ Che in bewilderment.

Situ Che reacted immediately and looked up sharply at the Empress.

The empress was also looking at him, a malicious smile playing on her lips.

Situ Che's heart sank to the bottom, and his eyes stung with tears.

Although he had long been mentally prepared for the empress to cease to exist, he was still very sad at this moment.

This is his mother, the very mother who wishes he were dead!

"Your Highness, what should we do?" Qin Zhiyan panicked.

"It's alright!" Situ Che calmly put away the brocade box.

The Empress noticed his movements and asked with a smile, "Che'er, what birthday gift have you prepared for your father?"

Situ Che cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I intend to personally perform a sword dance for Your Majesty, wishing you boundless happiness and longevity."

Uh…

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials remained silent.

The Crown Prince chuckled, "Seventh Brother, are you up to the task of performing a sword dance? It's Father's birthday; don't you dare deceive the Emperor and displease him!"

"Your Highness is too kind! Although I have difficulty walking, I can still perform a sword dance."

After saying this calmly, Situ Che placed his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair and slowly stood up.

Everyone was shocked!

The bustling hall fell completely silent!

The handsome man stood ramrod straight, one hand behind his back.

Seeing him, everyone seemed to see again the Great Xia War God who was once clad in armor and stood tall and upright!

As long as he is there, the Great Xia will not fear the northern barbarians to the east and will be invincible!

"Che...Che'er..." The emperor finally found his voice and stood up excitedly: "You're alright? You can stand up now?"

Only his father truly loved him!

Enveloped in the emperor's deep paternal love, the empress's maternal love seemed less important.

A genuine smile appeared in Situ Che's eyes as he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, although I cannot stand for too long, my legs are gradually recovering. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I wanted to surprise you on this day, so I kept it a secret. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

"Good, good, good!" The emperor laughed loudly, but his eyes were slightly sore. "My son is blessed by his ancestors and by the heavens. He is a truly fortunate person."

Situ Che smiled and said, "The truly blessed one is Zhaohua. My leg has felt much better since she came."

"Zhaohua is indeed a lucky star!" The emperor looked at Tang Rui, making no attempt to hide his affection for her.

If it used to be 50%, now it has risen to 100%.

At the same time, he also believed that Tang Rui was a fairy who had descended to earth to undergo tribulation.

Otherwise, why would someone be unharmed after being poisoned by arsenic?

Otherwise, why would Lao Qi's leg have gotten better?

Not only that, even Situ Tan, who was very close to Tang Rui, has recovered much better.

That's right!

That must be it!

His granddaughter is a fairy descended from heaven, a lucky star!

Those close to her will enjoy peace, health, and continuous good fortune!

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Prince Li!" The courtiers also offered their congratulations in a very respectful manner.

The Empress and the Crown Prince, however, did not look too pleased.

The two stared intently at Situ Che's legs, wondering why he had stood up.

"Hahaha..." The emperor laughed heartily. If he didn't reward the emperor, he would be too happy to sleep tonight.

Then, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Chen Defu, draft an edict: Princess Zhaohua, Situ Rui, is intelligent and quick-witted, with a graceful and pure appearance, gentle and virtuous by nature, and dignified in conduct. She is hereby granted the fief of Shaocheng, a thousand taels of gold, a hot spring villa, a gold token granting immunity from death, and a fief of ten thousand households. When she enters the palace in the future, she will not kneel before me!"

The courtiers were all astonished!

Tang Rui, who was also hit by a windfall, exclaimed: "!!"

The Empress's expression changed drastically, and she abruptly stood up: "Your Majesty, no!"

She was already very dissatisfied with being given the title Zhaohua.

Now they're bestowing upon him fiefdoms, manors, and even a pardon from death, plus a fief of ten thousand households!

This is fucking...

Even a princess of the highest rank who protects the country doesn't receive this kind of treatment!

Tang Rui, an illegitimate child, what right does she have?

The Empress was not satisfied!

The emperor glanced at her indifferently: "Why not? Zhaohua is sensible; what harm is there in me showing her more affection?"