I've announced that I'm destined to have many children, and my father has bestowed upon me

The inner palace, Yonghe Palace.

Inside the luxurious palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The Third Prince Zhao Chenyu knelt on the ground, clutching the hem of a beautiful woman in palace attire. His once handsome face was now a picture of wretchedness and madness.

"Mother! You must help your son! Your son cannot live without Qingluan! He cannot!"

Consort Shu was heartbroken to see her most beloved son in this state.

Zhao Chenyu had been in love with Li Qingluan since childhood, and this was no secret in the upper circles of the capital. How could she, as his mother, not know this?

She reached out to help her son up, but her fingertips trembled slightly.

"Yu'er, get up... What kind of behavior is this!"

"No! If Mother does not agree, I will kneel here forever!"

Zhao Chenyu acted as if he had gone mad, showing none of the demeanor of a prince he usually possessed.

Consort Shu's heart softened completely.

She sighed, took her son's arm, and pulled him up with all her might.

"Alright, go back to your residence now. Don't let your father see you like this again, or it will be a great disrespect."

"Mother..."

A glimmer of hope ignited in Zhao Chenyu's eyes.

"rest assured,"

Consort Shu patted the back of his hand, forcing a calm smile on her face:

"Your mother will go to see your father immediately and plead for you."

Only after receiving the promise did Zhao Chenyu's extremely tense nerves finally relax.

He staggered and was helped away from Yonghe Palace by palace servants.

Seeing her son's dejected figure, Consort Shu's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of solemnity and worry.

She tidied her appearance, took a deep breath, and walked towards the Imperial Study.

……

Even before approaching the Imperial Study, an invisible yet powerful and vast aura swept over them.

The aura was as heavy as a mountain and as majestic as the sky collapsing, making it almost impossible for people to breathe.

The eunuchs and palace maids guarding outside the palace were all pale-faced, kneeling on the ground trembling like leaves.

Consort Shu was shocked and her steps faltered.

This is... His Majesty's aura?

How could it be so terrifying!

As a concubine, she possessed considerable cultivation.

Faced with this aura, I felt as insignificant as an ant, as if I could be crushed into dust at any moment.

She suppressed her horror and moved slowly and laboriously to the front of the hall.

"Your Highness, His Majesty... His Majesty is currently in seclusion and has ordered that no one should disturb him."

The head eunuch, his face pale, stammered.

Consort Shu did not speak, but simply looked up at the tightly closed palace door.

She could sense that the source of the aura that made her tremble was inside the hall.

What kind of divine skill is Your Majesty practicing?

She dared not disturb them and could only wait silently in the corridor outside the palace.

From dusk until late at night.

The moon rose high in the sky and then slowly sank in the west.

The aura within the hall did not weaken; instead, it became more solid and terrifying, with faint echoes of dragon roars reverberating in the void.

Consort Shu's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. She finally understood that His Majesty's cultivation this time was no ordinary matter.

She dared not wait any longer, and with a heart full of doubt and unease, she quietly returned to the inner palace.

She decided to come back tomorrow.

However, the result left her utterly devastated.

The next day, Zhao Daoting did not emerge from seclusion.

On the third day, Zhao Daoting still did not emerge from seclusion, and even his daily morning court sessions were canceled.

For six consecutive days.

For six whole days, the door to the Imperial Study was never opened once.

The emperor's seclusion was extremely rare in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The entire palace was shrouded in a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Consort Shu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

She promised her son, but she couldn't even get an audience with the emperor.

The seven-day period is almost over!

"Your Majesty, perhaps..."

A personal maid cautiously leaned close to her ear and whispered.

"Since things aren't working out on His Majesty's end, why don't we try something else?"

Consort Shu frowned.

"If...if something were to happen to the Sixteenth Prince, wouldn't this marriage naturally fall through?"

The maid's voice was filled with a wicked allure.

boom!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Consort Shu's mind.

A crazy idea started growing uncontrollably.

Get rid of Zhao Chen'an!

Once he's dead, all the problems will be solved!

Her breathing quickened instantly, and an unprecedented impulse seized her mind.

But it only lasted for a moment.

The image of Zhao Daoting's imposing face and his almost indulgent pampering of that good-for-nothing sixteenth son immediately came to mind.

Deeper inside, a blurry yet exquisitely beautiful figure flashed by.

That woman...

Although she had left the palace for many years, Consort Shu knew clearly that the woman had left an indelible mark on His Majesty's heart.

Zhao Chen'an was the only bloodline left behind by that woman.

Should we touch him?

That's tantamount to courting death!

A chilling fear instantly extinguished the flame that had just ignited in her heart.

"Snapped!"

Consort Shu turned around abruptly and delivered a resounding slap to the maid's face.

"You lowly servant! How dare you!"

She shouted harshly, her whole body trembling, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell:

"How dare you speak ill of the prince and plot such a treacherous act! Guards, drag him out and make him kneel outside the hall! He is not to rise without my order!"

The maid was stunned by the blow, covering her face and looking at her mistress in horror, completely bewildered as to what she had said wrong.

Soon, two eunuchs rushed in and dragged her out.

Consort Shu slumped in her chair, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

Almost.

She was so close to being bewitched by this vile maid and falling into an abyss of no return.

……

Meanwhile, at the General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence.

The mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, a festive red hue.

Li Qingcang, dressed in casual clothes, stood outside his daughter's bedroom, his tall figure exuding an indescribable sense of loneliness.

He looked at the elaborate and gorgeous wedding dress for the concubine that had already been prepared in the room and sighed deeply.

Inside the room, Li Qingluan was sitting upright in front of her dressing table.

She wore a plain-colored long dress and no makeup, yet her stunning beauty was still undeniable.

Regarding the upcoming marriage, the fact that she was to marry that notorious playboy in the entire capital, or even just as a concubine, there was not a trace of resistance or resentment on her face.

She calmly wiped an ancient longsword, her movements focused and elegant, as if everything outside was irrelevant to her.

"well……"

Li Qingcang sighed again, and finally couldn't help but step inside.

"Qingluan, it's your father's fault... that you've been wronged."

His voice was hoarse; this iron-blooded general, who had fought countless battles, was now filled with remorse.

Li Qingluan stopped wiping her longsword.

She sheathed her sword, slowly rose, and looked at her father.

"Why do you say that, Father?"