Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 519 Your Father Was Cuckolded (4,000 words)
"You don't want people to say you can't have children, do you?"

Emperor Ninghe's voice still echoed in his ears, and Song Yan's face twitched slightly uncontrollably. He really didn't know how Emperor Ninghe had learned such a phrase from certain anime and movies, "You don't want to..."

I never imagined that one day I would be told that I didn't want to do this either.

What's this, some kind of creative way to encourage childbirth?
The emperor personally induced childbirth, which would be the highest level of expedited childbirth in the field.

Song Yan glanced furtively behind Emperor Ninghe. Through a large tree, she could vaguely see the hem of a white skirt. Though there was a breeze, the swaying of the branches and leaves seemed somewhat unnatural. Presumably, Emperor Ninghe's earlier remark, "You need to hurry and have a child with Tianxuan," would have been difficult even for a grandmaster to handle.

Song Yan quickly looked away, her expression revealing a hint of helplessness.

He had considered having a child.

However, although it was perfectly normal for someone to get married at thirteen or fourteen and have a child at sixteen in this era, Song Yan still felt it was a bit strange.

On the other hand, it is also because they feel that the current situation in Ningguo is unstable.

Rebellions are raging all over the country. In just a few years, the entire Ningguo will be in chaos. At that time, war and famine will be rampant, and even if you have children, you won't be able to take good care of them.

Therefore, Song Yan felt that it was acceptable to wait until the world was at peace before considering the issue of having offspring.

However, Emperor Ninghe's words surprised Song Yan, who realized that having a child had become an extremely important condition for peace and stability in the world.

Even Song Yan now has to seriously consider this issue.

On the other hand, could this be considered Emperor Ninghe personally guiding him on how to rebel? There's something strange about this scene.

“However, your eldest son must be born in the next life of Tianxuan.” Emperor Ninghe spoke again as Yu Songyan was thinking.

Song Yan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The branches of a large tree not far away suddenly trembled again.

“Tianxuan is your legal wife. Now that you are the Prince of Yan, Tianxuan is both a princess and the Princess Consort of Yan. If a concubine gives birth to a prince before the Princess Consort, it would be against the rules and would make Tianxuan lose face.”

“I know you value loyalty and righteousness and would not mistreat Tianxuan, but what the people below think is not something you can control.”

Emperor Ninghe continued speaking, his gaze fixed on the distance ahead, as if he could see far beyond the palace walls.

“I will issue a few more imperial decrees. Now that it has been publicly acknowledged in the main hall, Tianxuan, Tianyi, Qingyi, and Caiyi will all have to have a princess status.”

"Tian Shu and Tian Quan are also places where princes are to be granted titles."

"As for Tianyang, well, let him stay with you." Thinking of that burly man, Emperor Ninghe's lips curled into a slight smile. Then he remembered that this was the same son who had made a bet with his brother-in-law, the loser of which was to eat excrement... The slight smile on his face instantly turned into an indescribable eeriness.

In the end, it all turned into a sense of helplessness.

Oh well, oh well, it's his own child after all, what can he do?
"We won't bestow a title upon Tianyang. He already has little presence, and in the eyes of the court officials, he's mostly Tianshu and Tianquan. So let Tianyang continue to be an invisible man, as long as he's comfortable living," Emperor Ninghe said slowly.

Thinking of Luo Tianyang, Song Yan couldn't help but smile: "I dare not speak for others, but I can guarantee Tianyang's future."

"Tianyang is living the life he's always dreamed of."

"As Your Majesty knows, Tianyang is honest and impulsive. He dislikes the pedantry of scholars and prefers to ride horses and fight on the battlefield..." Song Yan's smile deepened. "Your Majesty may not know, but when I led the Black Armored Warriors to Pingyang, I originally did not intend to bring Tianyang along. After all, Pingyang is a place of freezing cold, with snow covering the entire winter, and the Jurchens harass the border, so it is somewhat dangerous. Therefore, my mother... cough cough, I mean my aunt, planned to have Tianyang stay obediently in Ningping."

"But who would have thought that Tianyang would secretly put on armor and cover his face with a mask to blend into the ranks of the black-armored warriors? He probably thought that as long as he covered his face, others would not recognize him."

"But little did they know, his nine-foot-tall stature was far too conspicuous. Although the black-armored soldiers were all selected from among the strong and muscular, Tianyang was still recognized immediately when he blended in."

"My aunt probably felt that Tianyang was getting old and difficult to control. Even if she stopped him this time, he might ride his horse alone to Liaodong at any time, which would be even more dangerous. So she acquiesced and pretended not to know anything. As a result, Tianyang always thought that he was disguising himself very well. Several months have passed and no one has found out. He is often very proud of himself."

Emperor Ninghe had a black line on his forehead.

He subconsciously thought about it and realized that Luo Tianyang was still acting smugly even though the entire military camp already knew his identity, so he couldn't help but cover his face.

Shame on you.

How come he only has one son?
He didn't inherit a single bit of his intelligence.

“Tianyang went to the Haixi Grassland twice.” Song Yan took a sip of tea and continued, “Sometimes he would use a long-handled sword, sometimes an axe. In short, Tianyang was an invincible general on the battlefield.”

"With a single axe stroke and a single blow, men and horses were shattered."

"The number of aliens who died at the hands of Tianyang is probably over a hundred."

Emperor Ninghe finally smiled again, with a hint of smugness and pride in his eyes.

This son may not be very bright, but at least he didn't disgrace the Luo family.

He was also very grateful to Song Yan. He knew that Song Yan had just been granted the title of Prince of Yan and still had many things to do. The reason he stayed here to tell him these things was simply to let him understand his children better.

For Emperor Ninghe now, simply listening to his children's stories is a kind of happiness.

"Tianyang is currently serving as a vanguard under General Mei Wu, resisting the invasion of the Xiongnu, and he is also participating in this effort."

"There's no need to worry about Tianyang's safety. With his brute strength, there are almost no people on the battlefield who can match him. His armor is forged from refined steel and is indestructible. Even his face armor is difficult for crossbows to penetrate."

"Tianyang is my brother-in-law, and we have a very good relationship. No matter what, I will protect Tianyang."

Emperor Ninghe kept smiling and nodding, saying, "That's good, that's good."

He understood that this was Song Yan's way of expressing his opinion.

Not only Luo Tianyang, but also Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan.

At that moment, Emperor Ninghe seemed to have finally let go of something, and the expression on his face was more relaxed than ever before.

After a long while, Emperor Ninghe finally came to his senses, his fingers stroking the teacup on the stone table: "Take good care of Yuheng."

"Although she is not your mother-in-law, she is your sister-in-law. You two have lived in the same mansion for almost a year."

"You can see how good Yuheng is to you."

Song Yan nodded.

“Hey, don’t let Yuheng’s age of thirty-six fool you. In reality, Yuheng’s personality is sometimes like that of a girl who never grows up. Over the years, Yuheng has taken great care of Tianxuan and Tianshu. She has treated them like her own children. Now that her identity has suddenly been revealed, Yuheng will probably be very sad.”

"Go back and comfort them."

"Even if she continues to treat Tianxuan, Tianyi, Qingyi, and Caiyi as her own daughters, I have no objection."

Sad?
Song Yan raised an eyebrow. Recalling the afternoon she spent with Luo Yuheng yesterday, she noticed that Luo Yuheng didn't seem too sad. Instead, Luo Yuheng was the one persuading her to change how she addressed him.

Is this what they call pretending to be strong?

Should we call her "Mother" again?

Would Luo Yuheng be happier if that happened?
With that in mind, Song Yan decided to try it out when she got back.

"Furthermore, now that your identities are fully exposed, Luo Yuheng and you are now two separate families. If you continue to live together, it will inevitably attract criticism," Emperor Ninghe continued.

Song Yan's eyes also flashed suddenly; he had never really considered such a question before.

Previously, the mother lived with her daughter and son-in-law, which was taken for granted, since he was a live-in son-in-law.

But now, the aunt, niece, and niece's husband are living together, and it seems there are some problems.

“It’s not just Yuheng, Tianyi is the same. Tianyi is also an adult princess and should also live in her own residence. Living with her sister and brother-in-law all the time would damage her reputation.”

Song Yan's face darkened, his eyes darting around, thinking to himself, "Your daughter is about to be kidnapped by us too."

"However, you have lived together for so long, and it may be difficult to adjust to being separated all of a sudden. I will not say much about that. Whether you want to separate your residences or when you want to separate them is up to you. In short, even if Yuheng, Tianxuan, Tianyi, and even Qingyi and Caiyi are restored to their princess status, I do not intend to leave them in Dongling."

"If possible, take them to Pingyang."

"There's always a way to get away from this vortex."

Song Yan nodded in agreement.

Emperor Ninghe's voice sounded unhurried, yet it gave the impression that he was giving instructions for his final days.

"That's about all I can think of for you." Emperor Ninghe suddenly stretched his arm out forcefully. For an emperor, such a gesture was somewhat unseemly, but in front of Song Yan, Emperor Ninghe obviously didn't care about such things. "Is there anything else you need me to arrange? Just say the word... By the way, go back and tell Yuheng that from now on, the money you earn from doing business doesn't need to be sent to Dongling. You need a lot of money to support your garrisoning of Pingyang and Anzhou."

Song Yan nodded, then thought about it seriously: "There are indeed some things that require Your Majesty's help."

"Speak, and I will grant your request!"

"Give me two imperial edicts."

"Huh?" Emperor Ninghe was slightly surprised: "What imperial edict?"

“It’s an imperial edict, addressed to Song Hongtao.” Song Yan smiled. “Now that I’ve been granted the title of king, I naturally have to show off to Song Hongtao. Maybe I can even anger him to death.”

Emperor Ninghe chuckled, his gaze towards Song Yan filled with a hint of helplessness.

He's still just a child at heart.

Ordinary people, if they are mistreated by their parents, will take good care of their parents if they become successful and return home in glory, so as not to be remembered as unfilial.

But Song Yan, after my guidance, finally started to value his reputation, and then pushed the responsibility onto me.

If Song Hongtao really died, it was because of his own imperial edict that he was angered to death, and it had nothing to do with Song Yan.

Emperor Ninghe couldn't help but glare at Song Yan. This brat actually dared to scheme against him; he was truly despicable.

"Alright, I approve this one. Tell me how you want it written?" Emperor Ninghe waved his hand and said.

"That's simple. Just say that Song Hongtao mistreated his children, causing them to become estranged from him. Although his son was granted a royal title, he was not on good terms with the Song family. His daughter, who was born a military talent, was forced by him to flee to another place and become a female general of the Chu Kingdom. Just scold him like that, and then directly strip him of his title of Duke of Song and let his youngest son inherit it."

A female general from the State of Chu?

Emperor Ninghe was clearly somewhat puzzled.

Song Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lin Xue, her real name is Song Xue."

Emperor Ninghe immediately understood, and a surge of anger suddenly appeared on his face. Of course, this anger was not directed at Song Yan, but at Song Hongtao.

Damn.

Lin Xue was a general who directly captured two cities in Ningguo. Who would have thought she was actually from Ningguo and Song Yan's sister? If it weren't for Song Hongtao and Yang Miaoqing, Ningguo could have... But as he thought about it, Emperor Ninghe felt somewhat dejected. Given the current situation in Ningguo, Lin Xue, as a woman, would have absolutely no chance of rising to prominence.

Even so, if Song Hongtao and Yang Miaoqing had treated Lin Xue better, Lin Xue could have stayed in Ningguo, and Chuguo would have lost an excellent general.

"Understood, I will use stronger language."

You can't kill him with your words.

"As for the second imperial edict, whether or not to issue it depends on Your Majesty's decision. After all, this is Your Majesty's family matter." Song Yan blinked.

Emperor Ninghe's eyes showed a hint of suspicion, wondering what kind of imperial edict Song Yan wanted him to issue, given the unusual caution.

"What imperial edict?"

“On the grounds that Prince Fu had committed numerous evils, he was stripped of his princely title, demoted to a commoner, and removed from the imperial register.”

Emperor Ninghe's brows furrowed suddenly, his eyes flashing with all sorts of light.

Clearly, this is not a decision that can be made casually.

"Why?"

Song Yan hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

After all, the truth is quite hurtful and even damages the reputation of the royal family.

However, keeping Emperor Ninghe in the dark is obviously not a good thing.

However, Song Yan's brow soon relaxed. After all, he was extremely professional in terms of tact, as confirmed by Song Hongtao and many others.

With that thought, Song Yan felt relieved. She glanced around and then cleared her throat: "Actually..."

"Your father has been cuckolded."

“Prince Fu is very likely not Emperor Yuanjing’s son.”

Sigh, another pitiful Song Hongtao!

(End of this chapter)