Looking at the military tallies on the table, including Zhao Zhiyan's, there were a total of ten, which together formed a delicately shaped tiger.

It has a beginning and an end.

The Emperor of Northern Chu never dreamed that he would be able to collect all the military tallies of Northern Chu in his lifetime.

“Your Majesty, from this moment on you need not have any reservations.” Princess Jiahua breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had accomplished a mission.

All those days of planning were worthwhile.

After his initial excitement subsided, the Emperor of Northern Chu looked at Princess Jiahua, hesitant to speak, but finally mustered his courage: "Jiahua, I have never doubted you. This military tally has been a source of anxiety for me, but now that it has been resolved, I have one more wish."

"Does His Majesty intend to personally lead an expedition south?" Princess Jiahua asked.

The Emperor of Northern Chu nodded without hesitation: "Yes!"

As a young man, he rode his horse and led more than two hundred men to drive out tens of thousands of Japanese pirates, winning a battle against overwhelming odds and becoming famous overnight.

Never having personally gone to the battlefield was always his regret.

He pulled a letter from a folding book and opened it in front of Princess Jiahua. The letter clearly described the humiliations Princess Jiahua had suffered during her thirteen years in the southern border region.

The emperor of the Southern Frontier repeatedly invaded, demanding that the Northern Chu return Princess Jiahua.

Princess Jia Hua's expression changed slightly.

"Cousin, I will personally seek justice for you." The Emperor of Northern Chu slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his eyes filled with malice: "It is time for me and the Southern Frontier to settle accounts as well."

Looking at the man before her, Princess Jiahua had never seen him so resolute. Knowing that he was determined to leave, Princess Jiahua took a deep breath: "Very well, some things do need to be resolved."

Before leaving, the Emperor of Northern Chu picked up his pen again to establish a crown prince and took out the edict of the Emperor of Northern Qi. Together with the two edicts, he appointed the Prince of Guangjia as crown prince and appointed him to act as regent from that day forward.

Military power was divided in two, with half given to the crown prince.

Princess Jiahua frowned, suddenly remembering her agreement with the Empress Dowager. The Emperor of Northern Chu smiled and said, "Cousin, don't panic. Leave this to me."

"Guards!" the Emperor of Northern Chu announced. "I have reached the age of thirty, and my harem has been empty for many years. Now that I have just recovered from a serious illness, I hereby hold a grand selection of concubines. I hereby appoint the women of the Tang family, the Zhang family, the Li family, and the Yuan family as the four virtuous and capable consorts. The granddaughter of the old prince, Lady Li, will be the Noble Consort. They shall enter the palace to serve me within three days!"

Eunuch Li was suddenly taken aback and looked at the two of them in confusion.

What, why the sudden selection of concubines?

“Cousin, this doesn’t mean you’ve broken your promise,” said the Emperor of Northern Chu.

Princess Jiahua felt a lump in her throat and forced back her tears. A man about to go to war suddenly taking a concubine was just to fill the harem. Once the new emperor ascended the throne, those women could only become concubines and live out their days in peace.

"It is because I was young and unlucky," Princess Jiahua sighed.

The Emperor of Northern Chu disagreed: "My cousin is blessed with great fortune. Without her, I would not be where I am today. Now that I am returning the empire to Yunke, I can say that I have put my mind at ease and will have less infamy from now on."

"Who dares to insult you?" Princess Jiahua asked, hands on her hips.

...

The imperial edict appointing Yunke as Crown Prince spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Following closely behind was the imperial concubine selection, where the emperor bestowed the titles of one Imperial Concubine, four Imperial Concubines, and two Imperial Noble Consorts upon them.

The two pieces of news were more shocking than the last.

"Why would the Emperor suddenly choose a concubine?" Xu Lingqing asked, puzzled. How could a dying man become so philandering? Moreover, the Emperor of Northern Chu had no concubines in his previous life and was infatuated with Princess Jiahua, with only eunuchs serving him.

This is unusual.

Xu Lingqing got up and went to find Zhao Zhiyan.

Halfway there, a maidservant stopped her: "Your Highness, the Prince has ordered you to stay in Tanghua Pavilion and not go anywhere."

Xu Lingqing frowned slightly: "Nonsense, what time is it, and you're still stopping me."

She pushed the maid aside and walked outside. The maid couldn't stop her and could only worry anxiously. When she passed by the garden, she heard two maids talking: "Princess Guangjia is really lucky. She didn't die and was even made Crown Princess."

Xu Lingqing stopped abruptly and shouted, "What are you talking about!"

The two maids were caught gossiping and trembled with fear. Xu Lingqing rushed over and grabbed one of them: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, people outside are saying that the man in black rescued Princess Guangjia. Thanks to the Emperor's divine physician, she has awakened and the Crown Prince and Princess have been appointed..."

"A miracle doctor? He's awake?" Xu Lingqing's breath caught in her throat.

"Xu Lingqing!"

Consort Rou rushed over and began to attack Xu Lingqing: "It's all your fault that my son was ruined, you jinx!"

Xu Lingqing was caught off guard and was hit. She reached out to dodge, but Consort Rou was furious: "If you hadn't encouraged me to write a letter to Prince Guangjia threatening me, how could I have been caught red-handed and now I've even lost my status as Consort Rou! You jinx! I'll beat you to death!"

Xu Lingqing covered her head with her hands and cried out, "Mother, this is most likely a misunderstanding. Please calm down and let me explain."

When Consort Rou was tired of hitting her, she let go, put her hands on her hips, and angrily scolded her: "How dare you be the Eighth Prince's Consort? I'm telling you, from today onwards, the Eighth Prince's Mansion will not have an Eighth Prince's Consort!"

“Mother,” Xu Lingqing said with a wronged expression, “You have misunderstood me. How could I harm you and the Prince? What good would it do me? Isn’t all of this just someone else’s scheme?”

“Scheming?” Consort Rou raised her hand and slapped Xu Lingqing hard across the face, angrily saying, “So what if we found the Sleeping Beauty antidote in your room? How vicious you are! You didn’t hesitate to drug me in order to get rid of Song Yue.”

Thinking of the suffering she had endured, Consort Rou was filled with rage that she had nowhere to vent, wishing she could tear Xu Lingqing into several pieces.

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