The most dissolute couple in the capital

Li Zhao's heart stirred slightly, and he vaguely sensed something. He bowed deeply and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

Before leaving the palace, she heard the Empress instruct her: "After you return, compile this matter into a plan and submit it to the Emperor."

The palace doors were gently closed from the outside by Grand Eunuch Zhao, leaving only the most honored couple of the Great Ning Dynasty inside the spacious Kunning Palace.

The emperor's previously composed majesty vanished completely. He walked to the bedside and helplessly snatched the silver stick from the empress's hand, which was used to stir incense ash: "Zitong, do you know what you're doing? Did you deliberately leak information about the orphanage to me?"

Without the Empress's tacit approval, how could the Liang King and his wife have found a way to donate to the orphanage?

The Empress let him take the skewer, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, she leaned back on the soft pillows and laughed, "Doesn't Your Majesty know what I'm doing? Besides, with Your Majesty protecting me, who dares to lift a finger against me?"

Seeing his wife like this, the emperor felt both pleased and guilty. He sat down by the couch and sighed dramatically, "If Zhao'er were a prince, I wouldn't be so worried..."

The Empress, too lazy to look at him any longer, said, "Your Majesty, I don't like hearing those words. So what if I'm a woman? Does the Great Ning Dynasty need to gain a few extra pounds to protect its empire?"

The emperor was taken aback, and subconsciously squeezed her hand: "Look at yourself! The mother of the nation, what kind of vulgar language is this!"

"Isn't it the truth?" The Empress grasped his hand in return. "During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Princess Zhenguo was also able to command thousands of troops and made outstanding contributions to the Great Ning! Did Emperor Taizu ever treat her poorly just because she was a woman?"

"Back then, Emperor Taizu broke with tradition by personally issuing an edict to bestow the title of Princess Zhenguo upon her, granting her the privilege of not having to bow before the emperor! Zhao'er carries the blood of both of us. In terms of talent, temperament, and methods, in what way is she inferior to those troublemaking princes?"

The emperor, his thoughts exposed, grabbed his wife's hand and said, "Do you know what you're saying? No matter how noble the Princess Zhenguo is, she's still a queen! Since the founding of the Great Ning Dynasty, there has never been a precedent of a woman inheriting the throne! You're trying to make me bear eternal infamy, and make those officials in the court die by crashing into the pillars of the Taiji Hall!"

"That's because they're useless!" The Empress said, her voice rising with emotion. She abruptly pulled her hand back and slammed it heavily on the rosewood table with a loud "smack," advancing instead of retreating.

"Ouch!" The emperor was startled and instinctively grabbed her hand, tenderly rubbing her slightly reddened palm. "Why are you so angry? Why are you slamming the table! Doesn't your hand hurt?"

The Empress glared at him, but didn't pull her hand away, letting him rub it. She continued to press, "Your Majesty, you don't need to use the censors to pressure me. Let me ask you, Your Majesty, when the princes began their education, why did Your Majesty make an exception and allow Zhao'er to enter the Imperial Study as well? The Four Books and Five Classics, governance, and even military strategy—the tutors Your Majesty assigned to her were all renowned scholars of the time! Your Majesty's princes and princesses have received the same education from the very beginning!"

As the emperor massaged her hands, he guiltily looked away, saying, "I...I did that because I love her and want her to broaden her horizons..."

"Is it truly just to broaden her horizons?" The Empress stared intently into the Emperor's eyes. "If she were merely to be kept as a pampered guest, teaching her music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework would suffice. Your Majesty has several older princes who are well past the age of being granted titles and establishing their own residences, yet Your Majesty has so far refrained from bestowing any titles upon any of them. Is there truly no deeper meaning behind this?"

The emperor's breath hitched, and after a long pause, he said dryly, "I... naturally have my own considerations."

"Your Majesty's plan is to just stand by and watch them kill each other?" Mentioning this, the Empress's eyes reddened slightly. She gripped the Emperor's hand tightly, her voice trembling slightly. "Your Majesty, don't think I don't understand what happened at the autumn hunt, and don't think I'll swallow this insult. The Second Prince's guard formation was deliberately flawed, exposing Zhao'er to that mad boar!"

"In their quest for the throne, and to eliminate a sister who might threaten them, they would unhesitatingly use and sacrifice even their own siblings! I only have one daughter, and the thought of her almost being disemboweled is like having my heart ripped out!"

Sensing his wife's lingering fear and trembling, the emperor felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He stretched out his long arm and pulled the empress into his embrace, gently patting her back to comfort her: "I know, I know everything, how could I not be heartbroken..."

"Does Your Majesty truly intend to entrust this ancestral legacy to a vicious and cruel fool?"

Leaning against him, the Empress gave a petulant snort and glared at him. "If that's really the case, Your Majesty might as well just pass the throne to Prince Liang! At least his wife is a good earner, and the Seventh Prince dotes on Zhao'er. That would leave us, mother and daughter, a way to survive, so we won't be purged by the new emperor in the future!"

Even though they were nearing forty, the Emperor and Empress's affection remained strong. Hearing these treasonous and absurd words, the Emperor was both amused and exasperated, and playfully pinched the Empress's cheek.

"Nonsense! With Li Chengjing's reckless character, if he were emperor, he'd probably use the imperial seal to crack walnuts for that girl from the Cui family! Besides, as long as I'm alive, who would dare lay a finger on you and your daughter?" The emperor sighed, his tone softening completely. "I... will teach them properly and never let Zhao'er suffer any injustice."

"Teaching? A leopard can't change its spots!" The Empress sat up straight from his lap, cupping the Emperor's face in her hands, mercilessly shattering his self-deception. Her tone softened, though, "Zhao'er is compassionate, yet ruthless. Today she plans a way out for a few nameless orphans; tomorrow she will be able to embrace the people of the world and protect the land of Da Ning!"

She gazed at her husband, who had been by her side for many years, her eyes filled with deep trust and expectation: "Why doesn't Your Majesty follow your heart and give our own daughter a chance? The atmosphere in Da Ning is already open enough. Your Majesty is a man of great talent and ambition. Why not simply become an unprecedented emperor for all time? At that time, even if you are truly condemned, I will accompany you in being cursed in history."

The emperor looked into the light in his wife's eyes and his heart trembled. The hesitation and struggle that had been swirling in his chest for years suddenly cleared away at that moment.