The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Xie Ling took off her clothes because she was hot.

After all, rowing a boat is physically demanding. In the summer, the body is hot, and under the sun, a thin layer of sweat soaks the back.

The fabric sticking to the fabric is never very comfortable.

But seeing Qi Yitang's adorable yet coy expression, a smile crept into his eyes. "Then it depends on whether Tangtang wants to admire the lotus blossoms or see her husband."

While abs are great, the beauty of lotus flowers isn't something you can enjoy every day.

Qi Yitang's gaze darted back and forth between the handsome men and the lotus pond, naturally settling on—

Look at those abs!

She not only looked, she also touched.

Qi Yitang reached out and placed her hand on his waist and abdomen, saying confidently, "Actually, I didn't take advantage of you. This is an ancestral skill of mine; I can read people's breasts for free."

Chest appearance?

Even though Xie Ling was used to her various strange excuses, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

This was the first time he had ever heard someone make taking advantage of another person sound so noble and respectable.

"What are you laughing at?" Caught out, Qi Yitang was both embarrassed and angry. She glared at him, pretending to be angry. "You're my husband, can't I touch you?"

"Of course you can. Not only can you touch, Tangtang can also..." Xie Ling whispered a few words in her ear.

Qi Yitang's ears burned: "..."

I felt as if my ears and soul had been defiled once again.

Xie Ling went into the water first and held out his hand to her, "This water is from a hot spring sourced from the mountain. It's far away, so it's not hot. Want to try it?"

The water temperature was indeed very comfortable. Qi Yitang took off her outer garment, took Xie Ling's hand, and carefully slid into the water while holding onto the pool wall.

The bathtub was cramped, and it was difficult to even turn around after her belly got bigger. But this pool was spacious, and as soon as she entered the water, the warm water flowed and supported her waist and abdomen, instantly easing the heaviness in her abdomen.

"Are you comfortable?" Xie Ling asked.

It felt incredibly comfortable; there was nothing weighing down my waist, and it felt like I was back before I was pregnant. My whole body felt light and refreshed.

Qi Yitang floated relaxed on the water, feeling like a plump lotus leaf supported by the water.

Xie Ling stood close by, gently wiping away the water. "By the way, Tangtang, I've thought of a few names for the children."

The daughters are Zhaojin, Chengbi, and Guanyue.

The boys are Zhaoxuan, Chengqian, and Guanlan.

Qi Yitang thought they were both good, and finally chose Chengbi and Chengqian. Bi means beautiful jade, and Qiankun means vast universe, both of which have very good meanings.

"Qi Chengbi?" Xie Ling read it aloud. "It sounds very nice."

Qi Yitang was stunned for a moment. "You want your daughter to have the Qi surname?"

I no longer want to condemn those who are obsessed with love; I just want to wish Yantang a long and healthy life.

This is so sweet! The villain's level of awareness surpasses that of 99% of modern men.

Be bold, go for 100%; even if there are exceptions, they're just an act.

Qi Yitang didn't join the excited comments; instead, she frowned. "But... I don't think this is a good idea."

Although Xie Ling's thinking was far beyond that of ordinary people, she was very touched that he could consider this point, and her heart softened.

However, Xie is an imperial surname. Even if they are siblings from the same mother, the deep-rooted difference makes "Xie Chengbi" more noble than "Qi Chengbi".

A difference of one surname can make all the difference.

Qi Yitang could guess that the people behind the comments came from a more enlightened country. If the men there were like this, let alone the people of Daqian.

If a princess were to take the surname of a courtier, it would not only create chaos but also lead outsiders to speculate that the daughter was not valued by the emperor.

In the end, it backfired.

"Yanzhi, I know you feel sorry for me, but this will cause unnecessary controversy and make the court officials suspect that my father has ulterior motives."

Xie Ling didn't care about any of that.

Before he became emperor, he watched his father take in concubines one by one to consolidate his power. He wondered if he would be unable to protect his beloved even after he had worked so hard to become emperor, and that she would have to suffer all kinds of grievances.

But once he actually sat in that position, he realized how ridiculous his past thoughts were.

An emperor is an emperor; he has the power of life and death and is not subject to anyone's control.

Xie Ling even maliciously thought that his father's talk of consolidating imperial power was just an excuse for his lustful nature.

"Tangtang, you're carrying twins, it's so hard for you. If the children both have the surname Xie..." Wouldn't that mean you feel like you're not involved at all?

"I'm not tired at all. With such an understanding husband like you, it's not hard at all."

Qi Yitang cupped his face in her hands, rubbing it gently, then pouted, "Forget about the baby, let's kiss."

Amidst the fragrance of lotus blossoms and the rising steam, their lips and tongues slowly met.

……

The young couple stayed at the Haitang Villa for two days, enjoying the lotus blossoms and learning to swim, before returning to the palace contentedly.

After returning to the palace, the two went to Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager, who had been "confined" for more than two months, did not want to see a certain "filial son," but for the sake of Qi Yitang's unborn child, she symbolically allowed them to enter.

Upon learning that the name had been decided, the Empress Dowager frowned, clearly not satisfied.

The Book of Changes (I Ching) takes the Qian hexagram as the first of the sixty-four hexagrams, symbolizing heaven and the monarch.

The country is named Daqian, and the prince is named Chengqian, which is an auspicious sign for the longevity of the nation. The position of crown prince is already clear.

This was originally a good thing, but "璧" refers to jade artifacts, which were ritual objects used by emperors to worship heaven.

Chengqian is enough; why add Chengtian Bi? Isn't that redundant?

Before the Empress Dowager could express her opinion, the two left hand in hand, telling her to focus on her Buddhist practice and to come back to pay her respects after the child was born.

The Empress Dowager was so angry she laughed, and rolled her eyes wide.

Two crazy people, whatever.

Without the Empress Dowager's nagging, Qi Yitang stayed in the palace and worked hard, finally managing to embroider some decent little clothes.

But there was only one.

Qi Yitang gave up immediately. Oh well, let the two kids take turns wearing it.

But this peaceful period didn't last long, as an urgent report came from the northern frontier.

Upon hearing the words "urgent report," Qi Yitang felt a headache coming on.

The more anxious you are, the less likely you are to get anything good.

As expected, it was the Xianjue, a nomadic tribe on the northern border, who had recently been frequently raiding the border, causing continuous fighting and widespread public discontent.

When a sudden war broke out, Xie Ling, as the emperor, had to deal with it.

Qi Yitang felt extremely annoyed. Seriously, when will this ever end?!

Why did you have to cause trouble when she was pregnant? Don't you know that vulnerable pregnant women need their husbands' company? Couldn't you have waited until after the baby was born?

Besides being barbaric and warlike, Qi Yitang had only one impression of the Xianjue—they were despicable.

That's incredibly despicable!

When the late emperor was alive, the Xianjue frequently raided the northern border. The late emperor sent troops to suppress them, but they were short of soldiers and retreated when they saw the large army. They offered cattle and sheep as tribute to the Daqian and submitted to the emperor.

But once the main army withdrew, they returned with renewed force, plundering women and valuables from border villages.

It goes on and on, like a stubborn plaster that you can't get rid of.

It wasn't until Xie Ling ascended the throne that the Xianjue came to plunder as usual. At that time, Qi Yitang had just entered the palace and the two of them happened to be arguing about something insignificant but related to Xie Jingyu.

Xie Ling was unhappy, so he personally led an expedition and utterly defeated the Xianjue.

Unexpectedly, after only two or three years of calm, they have relapsed into their old ways.

I originally thought this time would be similar to the past, just another case of someone being unreasonable, and that sending troops to suppress them would be enough.

However, less than two days later—

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" Yunzhu rushed in in a panic.

Qi Yitang's heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling creeping over her. "What's wrong?"

Upon unfolding the letter and reading its contents, her face turned deathly pale. "How could this be..."