With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

Zhou Zheng also pleaded, "Your Majesty, this matter is only Nangong Wu's side of the story, and the truth has not yet been determined. Considering that I and Minister Liu have served the court diligently in the past and have made some contributions, I beg Your Majesty not to detain them for the time being."

Emperor Mingde's eyes were dark. In the end, he did not allow anyone to take Zhou Shaorong and Liu Yue'er away. "I will spare them for now, considering your contributions, but they must not leave the capital."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Zhou family father and son, and Liu Zhizhen and his daughter, breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Emperor Mingde's words came from above: "Runing and Nangong Qi, stay here. You may all kneel and take your leave!"

"Your humble servant takes his leave."

The Zhou family father and son, along with Liu Zhizhen and his daughter, stood up and left.

Nangong Wu felt that this emperor was acceptable. With such a powerful backer, no one in the capital would dare to look down on her and her three children.

Emperor Mingde's gaze fell on Nangong Wu. "Runing, are you really going to abandon Zhou Shaorong and return to the Prince's residence?"

"Yes, I misjudged you before. I want to take the children back to the palace to inherit the throne." Nangong Wu knelt down again, "I beg you, Uncle Emperor, to grant my request."

When her mother was alive, she had already secured the position of heir for the original owner, but the original owner only had eyes for Zhou Shaorong. After her father died, she was defiled and imprisoned by the Zhou family, and could not return to the Prince's Mansion!

Emperor Mingde was taken aback. "The children?"

"Yes, three children." Nangong Wu's heart ached slightly, knowing that this was a trace of resentment left behind by the original owner.

"Your Majesty, you must not!" Nangong Qi exclaimed anxiously. "Nangong Wu is already a married woman and has given birth to three children whose fathers are unknown. How can the throne be inherited by someone whose reputation is ruined?"

"Your Majesty, I am your father's biological son, the legitimate heir of the royal family, and the best candidate for the throne. For the sake of the purity of the royal bloodline, I humbly request Your Majesty to bestow the title of Prince Zhenyuan upon me."

"Pass it on to you?" Emperor Mingde looked at him, the words of his uncle before his death echoing in his ears, "A son born of a concubine is without virtue and will not be granted a title. The title of Prince of Zhenyuan can only be passed on to the legitimate heir..."

He didn't know why Uncle Wang insisted on doing this, but he could only comply.

"The imperial court does not support idlers. Your uncle, Prince Zhenyuan, is brave and skilled in battle, and your sister, Nangong Lan, is also a rare heroine in the world, protecting the peace of the realm. What can you do if the title is passed on to you? Can your body, which has been hollowed out, go to the battlefield?"

Nangong Qi's face turned pale. "Your Majesty, I cannot, but Nangong Wu, a weak woman, is even less likely to comply."

"At least I have five sons, all of whom are skilled in both literature and martial arts. They will surely be able to don armor and serve the court in the future."

"Talented in both literature and martial arts?" Emperor Mingde sneered disdainfully.

"What kind of people are your sons? Do you think I don't know? They spend their days in brothels, cockfighting, and dog racing. They are the most notorious playboys in the entire capital. I am ashamed for you to raise your sons like that."

Nangong Qi was severely reprimanded by the emperor, his face turned ugly, and he couldn't utter a single word.

"Nangong Qi, you can have the title of king if you want it, as long as your sons can defeat me, I will give you the throne," Nangong Wu said.

"You?" Emperor Mingde looked at her.

"Is that really true?" Nangong Qi looked at her slender figure, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Okay." Nangong Wu saw through his thoughts.

Only by beating them into submission will they dare not covet what does not belong to them.

Emperor Mingde's eyes were full of doubt; he had never heard of Nangong Wu being skilled in martial arts.

"Since it was Runing who spoke, then so be it. If your son can defeat her, I will pass the throne to you."

"Great!" Nangong Qi exclaimed excitedly. "Then let's have the competition in the martial arts arena in three days."

Nangong Wu knows a little martial arts, but it's all just fancy footwork. Her son is tall and strong, and he could send her flying with a single punch.

He was somewhat eager to inherit the title of prince.

"One month later," Emperor Mingde made the decision for them.

Knowing that Nangong Wu just gave birth, how can she recover her health in just three days?

"Then let's do it in a month." Nangong Qi dared not object. "Then I shall take my leave!"

He bid farewell to Emperor Mingde and left.

After Nangong Qi disappeared outside the hall, Emperor Mingde asked, "Runing, tell me the truth, who is the biological father of your child?"

"Uncle, I really didn't know. I was drugged and fell into a coma. When I woke up, Zhou Shaorong caught me and took me back to the Duke of Wei's mansion." Nangong Wu didn't mention that the original owner had gone to the hot spring pool in the back mountain.

"But the children are mine, so they are mine. It doesn't matter who their father is."

"I told you then that Zhou Shaorong was not a good match, but you insisted on marrying him and begged me to issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage. Now the father of your three children is unknown..."

Emperor Mingde looked troubled at this point, "If it weren't for the mistake of arresting Zhou Shaorong, even as the emperor, I cannot go back on my word and annul your marriage."

"Uncle, Zhou Shaorong marrying me was a conspiracy. I was just ignorant before."

"The Zhou family withheld my dowry, allowed Liu Yue'er to bully me, ruined my reputation, and demoted me from wife to concubine. They simply don't respect the royal family at all." Nangong Wu's expression was extremely solemn.

"I am willing to offer 300,000 taels of silver as this year's military expenses, just to obtain an imperial decree of divorce."

Only by divorcing Zhou Shaorong can she bring her dowry back to the Prince's mansion.

Emperor Mingde's favoritism towards her today is definitely not out of simple kindness.

The father was extremely wealthy and donated a considerable sum of money to the imperial court every year for military expenses, which was equivalent to buying a protective charm for the Huo family conglomerate.

She was her father's only daughter. After her father's death, the Huo family's assets fell into her hands, and this money still had to be given to the imperial court.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingde's eyes lit up.

"You should go back to the Prince's residence for now. The Zhou family can't do anything to you! As for what Zhou Shaorong did to you, I will have someone investigate it thoroughly, and I will make sure you are not wronged."

"Yes, Runing takes his leave!" Upon hearing this, Nangong Wu knew that the 300,000 taels of silver had served its purpose.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, she found Granny Feng waiting for her at the gate, accompanied by a sedan chair covered with a thick blanket.

"Princess, you must be tired. Please take a sedan chair back."

Nangong Wu didn't stand on ceremony and sat in the sedan chair.

The trip to the palace took a great toll on her physical strength.

"Princess, how did you fare in the palace?" Granny Feng asked with a worried expression.

"It's alright, His Majesty treats me very well," Nangong Wu comforted her.

"That's good." Granny Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When she returned to Zui Mei Courtyard, she found that the interior and exterior had been completely rearranged!

Granny Feng even brought in two wet nurses, who were breastfeeding the two children.

"This old servant has prepared some chicken soup, I'll go and bring it to you now. Please eat and rest well." When Granny Feng went out, she also took the wet nurse and the two children with her.

"Princess, the Xie family is in charge of managing the household affairs in the Prince's residence," Li An said to her.

"Then you go with Granny Feng later and have her hand over the storeroom keys and the tally, as well as the account books from the past year or so. Have a few people come and check them."

"Those stewards, since they can't recognize who the master is, then let them go!" Nangong Wu felt it was time to reorganize the Prince's mansion.

"Yes." Li An turned and left.

Nangong Wu thought of the Huo family's businesses.

My father has been missing for a year, and I don't know how he is now.

Nangong Wu was eating the chicken soup cooked by Granny Feng when several stewards from the Prince's Mansion arrived.

"Princess Runing, this old servant has served the old prince for decades and is considered a veteran of the palace. Even if we haven't made any great contributions, we have certainly worked hard. How can you possibly drive us out of the palace?"

Nangong Wu glanced at them. "I heard you only recognize Nangong Qi as your master, so go find him. My place is too small to accommodate such big shots like you."