A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Su Yun said softly, "Your Majesty, you haven't told us yet what Consort Zhen said. Did the princess do something inappropriate, or something that displeased the Consort...?"

Xiao Weirou was silent for a moment, then frowned slightly. "She said she heard something: yesterday the princess went to Qianqing Palace and said she would never marry, to share His Majesty's burdens."

Su Yun paused for a moment.

Will she remain unmarried for life, to share His Majesty's burdens?

Hearing these two words together, Su Yun couldn't help but feel a jolt in her brow.

She lowered her eyes, softening her voice deliberately, "Does Your Highness find Consort Zhen's explanation believable?"

Xiao Weirou frowned and glanced at her.

"The princess's whereabouts are not a secret. I can inform Your Highness so that you can verify it..."

She paused, then added, "Besides, there's no need for the Noble Consort to lie and deceive me."

"What good does this do her?"

"unless……"

Xiao Weirou slightly opened her almond-shaped eyes, "Unless, Consort Zhen holds a grudge against the calming pills the princess gave her, which caused her to miscarry, and deliberately creates conflict between the princess and His Highness."

"But I always feel that if Chaoyang had no ulterior motives, Consort Zhen really had no reason to frame her."

"What Your Highness means is..." Su Yun lowered her voice, "...Princess, she..."

The Crown Princess raised her eyes and glanced at her.

That one glance said nothing, yet it seemed to say everything.

Su Yun's heart skipped a beat.

She followed Xiao Weirou since childhood and served her in the Eastern Palace for so many years. What storms haven't she seen?

But those words still sent a chill down her spine.

A princess who never married and participated in court politics...

That's obviously what they want...

She dared not think any further.

"Why would Consort Zhen tell you this?"

Su Yun voiced her doubts.

The Crown Princess sneered, "How could she say that?"

"Of course she'll tell you."

"A person who has just miscarried is feeling empty inside. Wouldn't it be better if she just said what was on her mind? Besides, she might still be holding a grudge against the calming pills Princess Chaoyang gave her!"

Su Yun sensed the sarcasm in those words and didn't dare to reply.

The Crown Princess set her teacup aside, her gaze deep and unfathomable: "But what she said was quite clever."

"Just these few sentences, no more, no less."

"I'll stop here after I've said that, and let people think what they want."

Su Yun was taken aback: "Your Highness means... she did it on purpose?"

"Whether it was intentional or not, what does it matter?"

Xiao Weirou's voice was calm, "The important thing is whether what she said is true."

She didn't care whether Zhou was intentionally trying to sow discord between Princess Chaoyang and the Crown Prince.

If Chaoyang truly harbors such thoughts, then for those very thoughts, it would mean becoming an enemy of the Crown Prince!

The hall fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.

After a long while, Su Yun finally spoke again: "Your Highness, then let's..."

Xiao Weirou didn't answer, but just stared out the window in a daze.

The snow fell silently outside the window, and it was already completely dark.

At 3:45 PM, Crown Prince Xie Jing returned to the main hall.

When he entered, he carried a chill with him, and there was a hint of weariness between his brows.

Xiao Weirou went up to him, took off his cloak, and handed him a hand warmer. Her movements were gentle and graceful, just like always.

Xie Jing glanced at her: "You entered the palace today?"

"Yes," Xiao Weirou replied, "I went to sit with Consort Zhen for a while."

"She suffered a miscarriage and is in poor health; I'll go and see her."

Xie Jing hummed in agreement, asked no further questions, and went straight to the washroom.

The Crown Princess stood there, watching his retreating figure, her eyes flickering slightly.

When Xie Jing came out of the bath, most of the candles in the hall had been extinguished, leaving only a few.

Xiao Weirou changed into her nightgown and sat in front of the dressing table, letting Suyun do her hair.

Her long, black hair fell down, making her face appear even whiter.

Xie Jing's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Today she was wearing a light blue nightgown made of soft material, with the neckline slightly open, revealing a section of her collarbone.

In the candlelight, that emerald green looked like a willow leaf just sprouting in spring, so tender that you could almost squeeze water out of it.

Xie Jing's eyes suddenly flickered, and a dark glint appeared in his eyes.

He slowly withdrew his gaze and lay down.

After Xiao Weirou finished her haircut, she dismissed Su Yun and went to bed.

The curtains were drawn, blocking out the outside light.

In the darkness, the two lay side by side, neither of them speaking.

A long time passed, so long that Xiao Weirou thought he had fallen asleep, when Xie Jing suddenly turned over.

His hand landed on her waist.

Xiao Weirou's body stiffened slightly, then went limp.

Xie Jing's hand moved up her waistline, his palm touching her skin, which had thin calluses and was somewhat rough.

He didn't speak, he just moved, with more force than usual, almost to the point of being fierce.

The Crown Princess bit her lip, but couldn't help letting out a soft moan.

In the darkness, she could feel his breathing growing heavier, his fingers tightening more and more, and an indescribable emotion emanating from him.

That emotion felt vaguely unfamiliar to her.

Xiao Weirou closed her eyes, her fingers clenching the mattress beneath her.

Xie Jing's movements became increasingly forceful, so forceful that it caused her some pain.

But she didn't utter a sound, she just bit her lip and let him be.

Finally, he stopped.

The sound of panting was particularly clear in the darkness, one breath after another.

Xiao Weirou lay still, letting her sweat-soaked skin press against hers.

After a long while, Xie Jing's voice rang out, low and somewhat hoarse:

"What was said to Consort Zhen today?"

Xiao Weirou's heart skipped a beat, but her voice involuntarily softened.

"They chatted about some things. I advised her to take good care of herself, and she said... she told me something."

"What is it?"

Xiao Weirou remained silent for a moment.

"It is said that Princess Chaoyang went to Qianqing Palace yesterday and told His Majesty that she would never marry and would share His Majesty's burdens."

Xie Jing's breath hitched for a moment.

In just a moment, everything returned to normal.

But in that instant, the Crown Princess sensed it.

His body pressed against hers, and the stiffness he felt for that instant was unmistakable.

"Anything else?"

"That's all."

The Crown Princess said, "That's all."

"After she finished speaking, I returned."

"Your Highness, do you really think Chaoyang would say something like that?"

Xie Jing was silent for a moment, then said, "Chaoyang is Father Emperor's only son."

He said this calmly, "She was pampered since childhood, and her innocent and adorable nature is something she would say."

"But how can a woman remain unmarried for her entire life?"

"If I need my imperial sister to remain unmarried for life to share my father's burdens, wouldn't that be utterly useless?"

Xie Jing is usually not very talkative, and this is the first time he has talked so much with Xiao Weirou.

Xiao Weirou immediately leaned softly against him, "Yes!"

"That's what I think too."

As husband and wife, Xiao Weirou understood Xie Jing's unspoken meaning and his attitude.

Princess Chaoyang overstepped her bounds, which displeased the Crown Prince.

Xie Jing always kept his thoughts to himself, but after being married for many years, Xiao Weirou had gradually figured him out. In addition, their interests were aligned, so how could she not understand?

However, by telling him this, she had achieved her goal.

The couple talked for a while longer, then Xie Jing suddenly got up, put on his coat, and got out of bed.

"Your Highness?"

Xie Jing patted her hand, as if he had transformed back into the gentle and considerate husband he once was.

"You rest first. I'm going to my study; I still have some matters to attend to."

Xiao Weirou turned her head to the side and watched him push open the door and walk out.

Xie Jing is probably going to have trouble sleeping because of what she said.

Xiao Weirou rubbed her eyes, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.

Xie Jing did not return home all night.

His trusted advisor, surnamed Cheng, was a scholar in his forties who had served in the Eastern Palace for four years and was best able to understand his thoughts.

Xie Jing recounted what the Crown Princess had said last night, and Mr. Cheng stroked his beard, remaining silent for a long while.

"Does Her Highness intend to remain unmarried for life?"

He spoke slowly, "Your Highness, how do you think His Majesty will respond to this?"

Xie Jing's gaze was deep: "My men said he only replied with four words, 'I know.'"

Mr. Cheng nodded.

"Your Majesty is... neither agreeing nor disagreeing."

He said, "But sometimes, remaining silent is the best attitude."

Xie Jing understood, of course.

A noncommittal response meant no refusal.

No rejection means you can think about it. Being able to think about it means...

His fingers tapped on the table, one tap after another.

"I had no idea that my younger sister had such lofty ambitions!"

His voice was low, "These past years, I've been negligent."

"I thought that by keeping an eye on those imperial relatives and those concubines in the harem who might be pregnant..."

He had previously ordered his men to remove the two pieces of flesh from Consort Zhen's abdomen without hesitation.

He wouldn't allow Emperor Qianwu to have any other children, nor would he allow... her to have children with someone else.

However, there were some things Xie Jing couldn't say outright.

Mr. Cheng glanced at him but didn't reply.

Xie Jing added, "I now roughly know what she's planning to do."

"But how she did it, how long she did it, and to what extent she got there... I have no idea."

Mr. Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, this matter requires careful consideration."

"Her Highness is, after all, of noble birth and His Majesty's only child..."

"His only heir?"

Xie Jing suddenly chuckled, a short laugh that was neither sarcastic nor anything else.

"Mr. Cheng, this crown prince of mine was adopted."

"The blood flowing in my veins is not that of my father."

Mr. Cheng's expression changed slightly, and he quickly stood up: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words."

Xie Jing waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Be careful what you say? Can't I speak the truth a few times in my own study?"

His gaze was deep and unfathomable. "Chaoyang is Father's own flesh and blood. If she wants to compete, what am I, the Crown Prince?"

Mr. Cheng fell silent.

There's no way to respond to that.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Your Highness, the best course of action now is to first ascertain two things."

"First, what exactly are the princess's plans, and is she secretly supported by someone in the court?"

"Secondly, His Majesty's true attitude."

"Is it genuine noncommittal, or has a decision already been made in mind?"

Xie Jing nodded.

"Investigate the affairs of the court. Be careful, and don't let anyone notice."

Mr. Cheng agreed.

"As for Father Emperor..."

Xie Jing's eyes flickered. "I will go and investigate myself."

The snow stopped in the afternoon.

Xie Jing changed into casual clothes and headed to the Qianqing Palace.

Halfway there, we encountered a group of people.

The one leading the group was Princess Chaoyang, who wore a dark blue cloak that made her face appear even whiter.

Upon seeing him, she paused slightly, then smiled.

"Brother Crown Prince."

Xie Jing smiled as well, his smile gentle, like that of a kind older brother.

"Where did Chaoyang come from?"

"Go and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."

Chaoyang said, "The Empress Dowager kept saying it was cold and told me to wear more clothes."

"I'm not dressed in thick clothes, all bundled up like a ball."

As she spoke, she gestured to her cloak, looking charmingly naive.

Xie Jing looked at that smiling face, his eyes darkening slightly. He lowered his gaze, pondering and savoring the moment.

He watched Chaoyang grow up.

She is seven years younger than him.

When he first entered the palace as a child, she was not even waist-high to him. She timidly hid behind her mother, not daring to look at him.

As they grew closer, she would tug at his sleeve and call him "brother," give him the candy she had saved, and pester him to tell her about things outside the palace.

At that time, he thought of her as a younger sister.

Whether they're blood relatives or not, they're all my sisters.

But now...

Looking at that smiling face, at that crescent-shaped eyebrow, he suddenly remembered what the Crown Princess had said last night.

She will never marry, so as to share the Emperor's burdens.

His eyes gradually darkened. His younger sister had grown up and developed ambitions, ambitions that she shouldn't have.