Three years later.

"Jingxi, where are we going this time?" Jiang Bai asked gently, looking at the woman who was standing at the crossroads, struggling with her decision.

The beautiful woman, with a hint of heroism in her eyes, bit her lip and murmured, "How about going to the Northwest? No, no, we've already been to the Northwest. How about going to Lingnan to see Shangguan Wei'er? No, no, her and Li Shang's child was just born, it's best not to disturb them. How about going back to the capital to see Wan'er and Xiao Mo? No, no, we've already been back to the capital five times in the past three years. Jiang Bai, tell me, where should we go this time?" Jing Xi turned her head and gently shook Jiang Bai's hand. In the past three years, she and Jiang Bai had traveled to many places, seen many sights, and made many friends. The two of them had become even more inseparable, neither able to leave the other.

Jiang Bai raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs on Jing Xi's forehead, wiping away the beads of sweat, and said softly, "How about we go to the northern frontier to see the snow?"

"No way." Jing Xi immediately rejected the idea. Jiang Bai wasn't in good health, and the weather in the north was bad; he would get cold.

“Jingxi, I’m fine. We’ll go wherever you want to go. You know I’m committed to you for life. Wherever you go, I’ll go.” Jiang Bai said gently.

“The northern frontier won’t work, it just won’t work,” Jing Xi said, sounding somewhat “unreasonable.”

Jiang Bai knew she was doing this for his health, so he smiled and replied, "Okay, whatever you say. Let's go to Jiangnan then, shall we?"

“Jiangnan?” Jing Xi repeated, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Jiang Bai with delight. “Jiangnan is great. I haven’t been to Jiangnan since I met you there that year. Let’s go to Jiangnan then. It’s a good opportunity to visit the old man.”

“Alright, then let’s go to Jiangnan. It has been a long time since I’ve seen my father.” Jiang Bai said with a light laugh. He could still recall the first time he met Jing Xi. At the foot of Wusui Mountain in Jiangnan, he encountered a girl who was unconscious while gathering herbs. He took her back to treat her, but unexpectedly, not only did he not receive any medical fees, but he also ended up getting himself into trouble.

"If I see the old man, I might end up arguing with him. Who will you side with then?" Jing Xi directly presented Jiang Bai with a potentially disastrous question.

"Ahem." Jiang Bai tried to avoid answering the question, but Jing Xi grabbed his waist tightly and threatened him fiercely, "Tell me quickly, whose side are you on?"

"I, of course I'm on your side." Seeing that he couldn't escape, Jiang Bai had no choice but to answer truthfully.

Jiang Yan: My family, you are so filial to me.

"Hmph, you're lucky you reacted quickly, otherwise you'd be in for a surprise tonight." Jing Xi nodded in satisfaction.

"Jing, Jingxi, can I... can I go to bed with you tonight?" Jiang Bai asked.

Jing Xi glanced at Jiang Bai. After he finished speaking, Jiang Bai's ears turned red with embarrassment. Jing Xi's lips curled up. Three years have passed, and he still gets red in the ears when teased. He's so innocent. He can even cry when teased. He's so irresistible.

“Okay, I promise you, but if I get into a fight with the old man, you have to help me,” Jing Xi emphasized.

"Okay, I understand, Jingxi." Jiang Xiaogou Bai looked at Jingxi with bright eyes, wishing he could agree to all her conditions. As for his father, he was getting old, so it wouldn't hurt to give in to the younger generation... right?

“Alright, let’s go. Now that we’re back in Jiangnan, let’s have a child,” Jingxi suggested.

"Really? Jingxi, Coco, I'm not ready yet," Jiang Bai said softly.

Jing Xi rolled her eyes at him and said speechlessly, "What are you going to prepare for when I have a baby? Besides, Wan'er already has a child, we need to hurry up, maybe we can even become in-laws." Jing Xi said excitedly, Wan'er's child, whether boy or girl, will definitely be very beautiful, she thinks this in-law relationship has a chance.

“Jingxi, childbirth is undoubtedly a brush with death for a woman. If I could, I would never want you to go through it,” Jiang Bai said earnestly to Jingxi.

Jing Xi also stopped and looked at Jiang Bai, saying, "Jiang Bai, I know what you mean, but we've been in love, and we should have a child together. Don't be afraid, I'll be fine."

Jiang Bai thought for a moment, since Jing Xi wanted a child, then let's have one. If something happened to her, then he would go with her. "Okay, then let's have a child, a daughter, like you."

“Okay, after the baby is born, we’ll find a quiet place in the mountains, have a small house, grow some beautiful flowers, and oh right, we’ll also get a puppy. The three of us can listen to the wind and watch the rain, observe the clouds and admire the moon, listen to the cicadas in summer, and watch the snow in winter,” Jingxi said longingly.

"Okay, whatever you say. As long as I can be with you, I'll do anything," Jiang Bai said. He was determined to be with Jing Xi for the rest of his life, never to be separated, and that was enough for him.

“Okay, I agree,” Jing Xi said proudly.

"Wow, that's great! I can be with Jingxi forever!" Jiang Bai happily hugged Jingxi and ran forward.

"Jiang Bai, slow down! Be careful not to trip me! Ah, watch out, Jiang Bai!!!"

The two of them, one clueless and the other unhappy, headed towards their happiness.

——

The capital city.

"Your Majesty, I request permission to go to my fiefdom. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission." This was the 605th time Ji Mosheng had uttered these words in the past three years, and each time the reply he received was no.

Sure enough, Ji Mohan's hoarse voice rang out: "No."

Ji Mosheng pleaded with a mournful face, "Brother, please let me go to my fiefdom." For the past three years, although his brother was the emperor, it was he who stayed up late every night reviewing memorials, sleeping later than ghosts and waking up earlier than chickens. He couldn't bear to live like this for even a day longer.

What's even more infuriating is that sometimes the Emperor is too lazy to attend the morning court session. He had never heard of anyone attending the morning court session on his behalf before. His sister-in-law said that this was called "card-in proxy" and that it was outrageous!

This time, Ji Mosheng was determined to reclaim what belonged to him. He had to return to his fiefdom. This time, he was no longer Ji Mosheng; he was Ji Mo Niu Hulu Sheng.

“My dear brother, you’ve been the crown prince since childhood, learning the ways of the emperor every day. Wan’er says this is called specialization. Think about it, if you go back to your fiefdom, wouldn’t that be a waste?” Ji Mo Han patiently advised. He had no choice; sometimes there were just too many memorials to review. Besides, he had to spend time with Wan’er. Ji Mo Sheng was all alone, and this was the age for him to strive; how could he afford to lie down?!

If Ji Mosheng were to lie down and do nothing, wouldn't Ji Mohan have to do all the work? No way, absolutely not!

Ji Mosheng was furious. His elder brother was becoming more and more shameless. He roared, "Since you don't want to be emperor anymore, then let me be the emperor." Anyway, it was no different from him being the emperor himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Mosheng regretted it. Oh no, his brother probably thought he was going to usurp the throne. Goodbye, Mother, I'm setting sail tonight.

After Ji Mosheng finished speaking, the hall fell silent. He glanced cautiously at his elder brother, realizing that his brother's silence meant he was angry.

Upon hearing this, Ji Mohan was overjoyed. "Great! I've finally waited for this!" he thought. "You..."

"Brother, I was wrong, I shouldn't have..."

"You said it yourself, so don't say I'm bullying you." Ji Mohan handed the jade seal to Ji Mosheng, along with the tiger tally and other miscellaneous items.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Ji Mosheng asked in confusion.

Ji Mohan smiled and patted Ji Mosheng on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, to be honest, your sister-in-law had been longing to go to Jiangnan for a trip. I was wondering who to entrust with the affairs of the court. Now, the problem is solved."

"No, Your Majesty, I was just joking," Ji Mosheng said, on the verge of tears. He meant to return to his fiefdom, not to become emperor.

"Oh, what a joke, I took it seriously. Your sister-in-law and I are leaving tonight." After saying that, Ji Mohan hurriedly left. Great, finally, there's a fool to take over the many affairs of the court.

"Brother, brother, brother!" Ji Mosheng hurriedly chased after him, calling out. He wanted to return the tiger tally and other items, but by the time he went out, his brother was already gone.

"It's all over," Ji Mosheng thought, his heart sinking. Suddenly, he remembered that he had several younger brothers. "Great!" Ji Mosheng called to a palace maid beside him and said, "Go and call the Third Prince over."

Just then, Chaoyang entered and said, "Second Brother, Third Brother has gone on a trip to the Northwest. Didn't you know?"

"What about the fourth prince?" Ji Mosheng asked, unwilling to give up.

"My fourth brother went to the northern frontier. He said he wanted to see just how cold the snow there really was, and whether it was as cold as his old leg pain," Chaoyang said speechlessly.

"Oh, by the way, where is the eldest brother? Isn't he here?" Chaoyang asked in confusion.

"My elder brother and sister-in-law are preparing to go to Jiangnan. What do you need him for?" Ji Mosheng asked, his heart filled with despair.

"Huh? He went to Jiangnan with the Empress Dowager? Then he won't be attending court anymore?" Chaoyang asked in confusion.

Suddenly, she saw the jade seal in her second brother's hand and asked cautiously, "Second brother, are you trying to steal the jade seal while the eldest brother is away?"

"This is what he gave me. From today onwards, your second brother has become the emperor. How about it? Surprised? Unexpected? Exciting?" Ji Mosheng asked expressionlessly, without a trace of joy at becoming emperor.

Seeing that her second brother was about to go crazy, Chaoyang quietly left. The resentment of the working class was too heavy, and she dared not provoke him, fearing that her second brother would collapse at any moment.

Oh dear, it's absolutely tragic.

"Wan'er, Wan'er, we can go to Jiangnan now." Ji Mohan happily went over to support Yan Wan. Wan'er was newly pregnant, so he had to be careful.

"Hanhan, what about the affairs of the court?" Yan Wan asked in confusion. At first, she thought that being the emperor was great, as she could arbitrarily control the life and death of others.

But ever since Hanhan became emperor, she realized that being emperor was far too busy. Not to mention having the power of life and death over others, she might even die suddenly if she wasn't careful.

Modern office workers work 996 (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week), but if the emperor worked 996, it would be nothing compared to 007 (24/7). (PS: Referencing the work schedule of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty.)

"Wan'er, if I were no longer the emperor, would you still love me?" Ji Mohan turned to the side and secretly observed Yan Wan's reaction.

Yan Wan and Ji Mohan had been together for three or four years. She knew what he meant with just one look: "You gave the throne to that great injustice... no, that great good person."

Who is so kind yet so vicious as to challenge such a schedule?

"I gave it to Ji Mosheng," Ji Mohan said happily.

"Great! Let's pack up and leave the palace quickly, or it will be too late for my brother to regret it later." Yan Wan was almost crying with joy as she pulled Ji Mohan along. For the past three years, they had wanted to leave this hellish place, the palace, every single day, every single minute. This time, they could finally really leave.

"Okay, Wan'er, don't move, I'll go pack." Ji Mohan reassured Yan Wan and couldn't wait to run off to pack his things.

"Just pack a few clothes, we'll buy the rest outside," Yan Wan instructed. Everything in the palace can be bought outside, except for things you can't buy at your own expense.

In less than fifteen minutes, the couple packed their things and left without stopping, for fear that Ji Mosheng might change his mind.

After all, there aren't many kind-hearted people like this anymore.

Ji Mosheng felt as if he had a lump in his throat. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was losing out. The more he endured it, the angrier he became. He decided he couldn't stand this humiliation and had to return the throne to his elder brother. When his elder brother was the younger brother, although he was supposed to approve the memorials himself, his elder brother would still symbolically approve about ten memorials every day. Now, however, the throne was all his.

When Ji Mosheng arrived, Yan Wan and Ji Mohan had already left the palace. Ji Mosheng was speechless, helpless, and went mad. He was forced to accept it and his heart was broken.

Alright, let it be. Tomorrow he will bring the Fifth Prince from the imperial palace and have him start learning how to review memorials. In less than two years, the Fifth Prince will be a qualified employee, no, a qualified emperor.

Ji Mosheng left happily. Chaoyang ran into his second brother again in the Imperial Garden. This time, the second brother greeted Chaoyang in a good mood.

Chaoyang felt that his second brother had gone a bit crazy from the shock. After all, getting up at four in the morning and going to bed at ten at night, anyone would go crazy in that situation.

Who can actually get up at four o'clock? Who?

The next morning at court, the ministers were not surprised to see that the emperor had been replaced.

In the Meng Kingdom, the throne is fought for, with each change of rulers a life-or-death struggle. In the Yin Kingdom, however, the throne is treated as something filthy, something that brings misfortune if one sits on it, and no one wants to sit on it even if it's offered up.

Judging from His Majesty's long face today, as if someone owed him tens of thousands of taels of silver, one can tell that he must have been tricked to ascend the throne, otherwise he wouldn't have such a long face.

By the way, they heard that yesterday His Majesty ordered the Fifth Prince to be brought to the temporary palace. The guards said that the Fifth Prince and his mother hugged each other and cried bitterly, saying that His Majesty was not human, making such a young child learn the vicious way of reviewing memorials.

Oh, by the way, the Fifth Prince is eight years old this year. It seems that once he learns to review memorials, the throne will fall to him again.

The Fifth Prince said, "Family, don't panic at all, because we still have the Sixth Prince."

The sixth prince declared, "It's all over. The throne is going to be lost to us. My father has no sons younger than me."

But who says the throne has to be passed to the younger brother? He'd heard that his sister-in-law was pregnant.