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

He remembered the message his men had sent back.

It is said that when Princess Chaoyang went in, her eyebrows were lowered and her eyes were obedient, but when she came out, her back was straighter.

Why did you go in with your eyebrows downcast, but come out with your back straighter?

He thought he had gained some kind of support from his father.

Or did they actually receive some kind of affirmation?

"Brother Crown Prince?"

Chaoyang tilted her head to look at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Xie Jing snapped out of his daze and smiled, "It's nothing."

"It's cold, hurry back home, don't catch a cold."

His eyes flashed, and he acted like an impeccable older brother, showing his sister the same care and concern as always.

Chaoyang didn't suspect anything, he just nodded and led his men past him.

As they passed each other, she suddenly stopped, turned around and glanced at him. Her watery eyes, similar to those of Consort Chen, seemed to hold some profound meaning.

"Brother Crown Prince."

She smiled and said, "I went to the Qianqing Palace yesterday and talked with my father for quite a while."

"My father praised me for growing up and becoming sensible."

His voice carried a hint of superiority and undisguised smugness.

Xie Jing's heart sank slightly.

He turned around and looked into her eyes.

Those eyes were bright, brimming with laughter, and their depths were blatantly defiant.

He knew this was no accident; she was openly declaring war on him, the crown prince.

Xie Jing's eyes darkened. "Is that so?"

He smiled and said, "It's a good thing that Father praised you."

Chaoyang nodded, turned around, and got into the sedan chair.

Xie Jing stood there, watching the sedan chair gradually disappear into the distance, vanishing at the end of the palace road.

The snow started falling again, fine and delicate, landing on his shoulders.

He stood there for a long time before turning around and continuing towards the Qianqing Palace.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, a warm and inviting atmosphere prevailed.

Emperor Qianwu was reviewing memorials when he saw him enter. Without even looking up, he asked, "You've arrived?"

Xie Jing bowed and stood aside, not in a hurry to speak.

After Emperor Qianwu finished reviewing a memorial, he looked up and glanced at him: "Is there something you need?"

Xie Jing glanced at Emperor Qianwu, then quickly lowered his eyes and head, carefully choosing his words: "Your Majesty, I heard that yesterday my younger sister came to pay her respects to you, and we talked for quite a while."

"Your Majesty, I believe that my younger sister is not young anymore, and this is a very important matter... It cannot be taken lightly..."

This was practically a direct challenge to Emperor Qianwu.

Chaoyang advised Emperor Qianwu that she would never marry, and shortly after, her good brother, the Crown Prince, brought up her marriage plans with Emperor Qianwu.

Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Qianwu laughed.

The smile was faint, revealing no emotion.

"A lifelong commitment?"

Emperor Qianwu put down his pen, leaned back, and seemed to have a deep meaning in his eyes, or perhaps Xie Jing had misread it.

His tone was indifferent. "You do seem to care about her."

Xie Jing lowered his eyes: "As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to care for my brothers and sisters."

Emperor Qianwu looked at him, his gaze gradually deepening.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "She said she would never marry, to share my burdens."

What do you think?

Xie Jing's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't expect Emperor Qianwu to ask that question directly.

Her directness and frankness left him momentarily speechless.

He paused for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty is filial, and I admire you greatly."

"But... remaining unmarried for life is, after all, a major decision."

"Your Majesty is young and impulsive, and may regret it later."

Emperor Qianwu nodded without saying a word.

Xie Jing stood there, waiting for him to continue.

But Emperor Qianwu said nothing more, and simply picked up his pen again to continue annotating the memorials.

After a long while, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he said without looking up:

"Go and find out who she has met and what she has done outside the palace all these years."

Xie Jing's heart clenched.

He raised his head and looked at Emperor Qianwu.

But Emperor Qianwu didn't look at him; he just kept his head down, the tip of his pen moving across the folding paper, making a rustling sound.

"Yes," Xie Jing replied.

"Your subject will take care of it immediately."

He bowed and left the Qianqing Palace.

Standing outside the hall, a cold wind rushed towards him, and he suddenly felt a chill on his back.

The Emperor ordered him to investigate Chaoyang.

What does that mean?

Is it because they don't trust him, the crown prince, that they need to use him to investigate?

Or was it because you trusted him that you entrusted this matter to him?

Or is this just a test?

Xie Jing stood under the eaves, gazing at the gray sky, motionless for a long time.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier.

He suddenly remembered what Chaoyang had just said: "Father praised me for growing up and becoming sensible."

He remembered the look in her eyes when she said those words.

Bright and cheerful, brimming with smiles.

That smile, now that I think about it, is almost painful to look at.

……

Weiyang Palace.

During this period, Zhou Mingyi has been "resting her body".

They say it's for health maintenance, but it's all just for show.

Although she actually experienced the entire birthing process, she could feel the two "things" in her abdomen being separated from her body, and she also felt the pain of childbirth.

But the child was fake; her body was almost completely unharmed.

In fact, to deceive the imperial physicians, she even had to take specially made medicine to fake a weak pulse after childbirth.

In reality, she slept until late morning every day, then got up, ate some bird's nest porridge, slowly walked around the palace a few times, and then slumped back onto the couch.

The imperial physicians came to check her pulse every day and said that her health was recovering well, but she still needed to rest and not overexert herself.

Zhou Mingyi then rested quietly with a clear conscience.

The advantage of resting is that everyone now sees her as an outsider.

She is a pitiful woman who has just lost her child, the greatest support she has in the world.

Indeed, everyone knows what it means to have only two princes.

In particular, Emperor Qianwu died without an heir.

And she, Zhou, became pregnant with two princes.

During this period, Emperor Qianwu even bestowed a favor, allowing his elder brother Zhou Mingchong to enter the palace to visit him.

Although they only spoke for a short while through the beaded curtain, Zhou Mingyi felt relieved to know that her brother was well.

Unfortunately, all of that is gone.

What thoughts could she possibly have, this heartbroken, disillusioned, pitiful person who has completely lost her "ladder to heaven"?

Naturally, all I could think about was being heartbroken and taking care of my health.

She always looks the same no matter who comes to visit her.

Her face was slightly pale, her eyes occasionally reddened, and her voice was soft, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

That evening, the snow fell heavily again.

Zhou Mingyi was leaning against the couch, flipping through a book, when Shiliu lifted the curtain and came in, saying softly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived."

She hurriedly put down her book, propped herself up to get off the bed to greet the emperor, but the curtain moved and Emperor Qianwu had already entered.

He had just come in from outside, still carrying the scent of wind and snow.

A fine layer of snow settled on his dark cloak, and the white on his shoulders made him appear even more upright.

Fuquan followed behind him, offering to help him remove his cloak, but he waved his hand, took it off himself, and casually handed it to the person behind him.

He was extremely tall and possessed an imposing presence.

With broad shoulders, a straight back, and a slender waist, the black dragon robe wrapped around his body made his frame appear even more upright.

As he walked inside, his steps were neither hurried nor slow, his long sleeves fluttering slightly, exuding an air of authority.

His face was hidden in the shadows of the candlelight, his features obscured, only his outline visible.

A full forehead, a high nose bridge, and a sharp jawline.

As he took a few steps closer, the candlelight illuminated his face, and she could finally see his expression.

His eyebrows were slightly lowered, and his eyelids were half-closed.

His eyes were very deep, with dark pupils, and his thin lips were slightly pursed, with the corners of his lips turned down, giving him his usual serious expression.

Looking at him, Zhou Mingyi suddenly understood why he had managed to subdue all those old ministers so well.

Yet this same man allowed women to commit murder.

She killed her brother in her past life, and in this life, she "killed" her two children.

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes, her gaze now cold and indifferent.

She seemed to be getting up.

Emperor Qianwu pressed down on her shoulder first.

"Don't move,"

Those hands, like iron clamps, gripped Zhou Mingyi tightly, leaving her unable to move and forced to submit.

"It's cold outside, you lie down."

Zhou Mingyi stopped moving and looked up at him, her eyes slightly red.

"Your Majesty, it's so late, and it's still snowing outside. Why have you come..."

Emperor Qianwu sat down beside the couch, held her hand, and, finding it a little cold, warmed it with his own palm.

"I've come to see you."

"I'm too busy during the day to find the time."

"Thinking of you lying there alone, I felt so empty inside, so I came over."

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

The candlelight inside the hall cast a soft glow, making her face appear even paler, with dark circles under her eyes—the marks of her lack of sleep these past few days.

She was already beautiful, and this illness made her even more delicate and pitiful, like a pear blossom on a branch that, despite being battered by rain and wind, still stubbornly blooms.

Emperor Qianwu looked at her, and felt a slight pang in his heart.

He never imagined that a woman so perfectly suited to his taste would conceive his child, it's just a pity...

In the end, it was all for nothing.

But Emperor Qianwu always felt that he owed her something.

He held her hand tightly, without saying a word.

Zhou Mingyi felt the warmth of his palm, looked up, and forced a smile.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry. The imperial physician said that I have a good constitution and will be fine after some rest."

She paused, then said softly, "Once I've recovered, I'll give birth to Your Majesty's child."

"They gave birth to so many, His Majesty can't even hold them all."

Emperor Qianwu felt a sudden pang of sadness when he saw her earnest expression.

He recalled the screams that came from the delivery room that day, the midwife's deathly pale face, and the silent stillness after the two children were born.

It was tiny and wrinkled, and it hadn't even opened its eyes yet, but it had already stopped crying.

That was his child.

He had been longing for this child for so many years.

After Consort Chen, no one else conceived his child.

The imperial physicians only spouted empty platitudes like "Your Majesty, please take care of your health." He knew in his heart that the problem lay with him.

He was tricked in his early years and took the poison that would kill his offspring. Although he was lucky enough to have a son, he is now getting older and it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to have children. This is the will of Heaven.

Finally, Ah Chang became pregnant. He was so happy that he couldn't sleep for several nights, thinking that he must protect her well this time, protect her until she was full-term, protect her until she was born, and protect her until she could call him "Father".

He even considered that if there were two princes, he would make one the crown prince and the other a king.

If they are twins, then the princess should be cherished and made the most noble girl in the world.

But... they're all gone.

Everything is gone.

Emperor Qianwu looked into her bright eyes and at her expectant expression, and felt as if something was stuck in his throat.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only managed to utter two words in a low voice, tinged with bitterness and sorrow.

"Ah Chang..."

Zhou Mingyi grasped his hand in return; those hands were thin and small, yet she held them very tightly.

"I know Your Majesty is sad,"

She said, her voice choked with emotion, "I am also saddened."

"But I think, what's the use of being sad? Life always goes on."

"Your Majesty is good to me, so I think I must be even better to Your Majesty."

"Once I've recovered, I'll give His Majesty a healthy, chubby prince, so he can call me Father, ride on His Majesty's shoulders, and have His Majesty take him to the Imperial Garden to catch butterflies..."

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

It wasn't a loud wail, just a quiet stream of tears, each drop sliding down from the corner of her eye and disappearing into her hair.

Emperor Qianwu reached out and wiped away her tears.

The tears were scalding hot, so hot that his fingertips trembled.

"Very well," he said in a low voice, "I'll be waiting."