Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Sheng Hong looked up coldly at Madam Wang: "No wonder Rulan always talks about legitimate daughters and illegitimate daughters; it's all thanks to your excellent upbringing, Mother!"

Sheng Hong himself was born out of wedlock. When he was young, most of the servants in the Sheng family were brought by the old lady of the Sheng family as part of her dowry.

Old Mrs. Sheng had a strained relationship with her husband, although she disdained having her servants target Sheng Hong.

However, regardless of whether the servants were truly loyal or were just trying to impress Old Madam Sheng, they would intentionally or unintentionally target Sheng Hong and his birth mother.

This is also why, even though Old Madam Sheng registered him under her name and raised him to be successful, he could never become close to her.

"My lord, I..."

Madam Wang finally realized what was happening and tried to explain, but Sheng Hong interrupted her.

"That's enough!"

Sheng Hong said coldly, "From today onwards, without my permission, you will stay in Wei Rui Xuan and reflect on your mistakes. As for Ru Lan, she will be punished by copying the 'Rules for Women' ten times."

Madam Wang wanted to say something more, but seeing Sheng Hong's cold gaze, she ultimately held back.

Lin Xiaoniang chuckled inwardly, but also felt a little regretful.

Because Sheng Hong did not strip Wang Da Niangzi of her power to manage the household.

However, she also knew that this was Bianjing, and Sheng Hong would not allow a concubine to manage the household.

…………

Qi Heng was unaware of what had happened to the Sheng family, but the next day at school, both Mo Lan and Ru Lan were quiet and withdrawn, lacking their usual liveliness.

Seeing this, Qi Heng roughly guessed some of the clues.

As the imperial examinations drew closer, the number of scholars in Bianjing (Kaifeng) increased.

Speech was still very free in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was very common for scholars to discuss the government and criticize its shortcomings.

Even if those high-ranking officials in the court made a mistake, the scholars would all feel compelled to criticize them.

The hottest topic in Bianjing right now is none other than the issue of establishing an heir apparent.

Under the deliberate guidance of those with ulterior motives, the scholars were almost divided into two factions.

On one hand, they supported Prince Yong, believing that he was older and should be made crown prince.

On the other hand, they supported the Prince of Yan, arguing that neither the Prince of Yong nor the Prince of Yan were sons of the emperor, and that discussing seniority was absurd. Since they couldn't discuss seniority, they could only discuss mediocrity and competence.

Although the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan only participated in court affairs, they did not have real power.

However, they were qualified to offer advice on certain matters concerning the court.

The two have been qualified to attend court and participate in government affairs for nearly a year.

During this period, the performance of the Prince of Yan was clearly superior to that of the Prince of Yong.

Those who supported the Prince of Yan had a reasonable argument, but those who supported the Prince of Yong were not losing ground either.

They grasped a core problem of the King of Yan: his lack of offspring.

The Prince of Yan had only one son, but the Prince of Yong had many offspring.

If we choose the Prince of Yan, and the situation with the Emperor arises again, wouldn't that cause further turmoil?

The two sides argued fiercely over this, and even came to blows.

Some ministers in the court keenly sensed the opportunity and submitted memorials, once again requesting the establishment of an heir apparent.

Although they had previously made an agreement with the Emperor that every two years, the Emperor would choose one of the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan to be adopted and made the Crown Prince.

But an agreement is an agreement, and now they have sufficient reasons to petition for the establishment of an heir apparent.

The scholars were all discussing it, and some even got into fights, creating a chaotic scene.

Secondly, the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan have been attending court for nearly a year, which is enough time for the Emperor to assess their abilities and make a choice.

They weren't breaking their promise; they had no choice but to do so for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The emperor was furious and refused to listen to the officials' reasons. He stormed off in anger.

All the writings submitted by the officials were rejected without even being read.

Not only did he cancel court sessions, but he also refused to see any officials who requested an audience.

Faced with this situation, the officials knelt down outside the Dragon Pavilion to plead for mercy.

"Snapped!"

Upon receiving the news, the official angrily threw the white-glazed teacup he was holding away.

"Are they planning a rebellion?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Empress Cao quickly stepped forward to pat the Emperor's back and said softly, "What the officials did was not wrong; it was your concubine who was useless."

The Emperor took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "This is not your fault. I think that old lady He is completely fooling me!"

"I followed her instructions, taking medicine and abstaining from sex for half a year. Why, after so long, has no one in the harem conceived?"

After the old lady He examined the body of Empress Cao, the emperor, upon learning of this, privately asked the old lady He to examine it for him.

Aside from the Emperor and Empress Cao, only Old Madam He knew about this matter.

After taking the official's pulse, Old Madam He discovered that the official was severely depleted.

The emperor has been very diligent in his duties over the years, and has also experienced the pain of losing his sons several times.

In order to continue the bloodline, the emperor would get over the grief of losing his son and spend his days busy with government affairs and his nights tending to the inner palace.

Even someone made of iron couldn't withstand that.

Given the Emperor's current health condition, it is practically impossible for him to have any more children.

The only way to recover is to take medication, get enough rest, and abstain from sex.

After six months of recuperation, Old Madam He took the Emperor's pulse again, and found that his health was much better than before.

Old Mrs. He told the official that although the chances of having offspring were still not high, it was no longer as almost impossible as before.

The officials knew they couldn't blame Old Madam He, but after six months of hard work, they had reaped nothing.

Now, facing pressure from his officials, the emperor also needs to vent his anger.

"Your Majesty, Old Madam He is just a doctor, not... ugh..."

Empress Cao was worried that the Emperor would be angry and blame Old Madam He, so she wanted to defend her.

Grandma He had also treated her, and she had personally experienced the effects, so she highly regarded Grandma He's medical books.

Before I could finish speaking, I suddenly felt nauseous.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

Upon seeing this, the official disregarded his anger and immediately inquired with concern.

"Someone, quickly fetch the imperial physician!"

The old nanny beside her, however, brightened up and exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, the Empress may be pregnant!"

Although the old nanny in the palace had never married, she must have carefully studied the symptoms of pregnancy and the things to pay attention to during pregnancy.

After all, they served noble people, who had no experience with childbirth and could only rely on them for guidance.

When a wealthy family marries off their daughter, they will bring an old maid with them as part of the dowry; that's the purpose.

Those old women who accompanied the bride had children of their own and were very experienced in this area.

Lin Xiaoniang's only trick against Wei Xiaoniang was taking advantage of the fact that Wei Xiaoniang didn't have a maidservant by her side.

Although Wei Xiaoniang had given birth to Minglan before, she didn't understand the importance of not over-nourishing herself during pregnancy without her mother's guidance.

Xiao Die, the maidservant beside him, didn't understand these things, which is why she fell into Lin Xiao Niang's trap.

Therefore, when the old nanny saw Empress Cao vomiting for no reason, and recalled that Empress Cao's menstruation was delayed, she immediately made a guess.

Upon hearing this, the emperor was startled, and a look of wild joy appeared on his face.

"Quickly, summon several more imperial physicians!"