On the ninth day of the ninth month of the eleventh year of Kangping, Lingling turned ten years old.

Tenth birthdays are always celebrated with great fanfare. Today, Lingling’s birthday party invited many relatives and friends from Shengjing City to attend.

Lingling has always liked being in a lively atmosphere. The ten-year-old Lingling was very lively and greeted the guests who came to celebrate her birthday like a little adult.

At dinner time that night, Lingling saw Zhao Jie drinking heavily and advised him, "Uncle, drink less."

Zhao Jie smiled softly while holding the wine glass: "Today is Lingling's birthday, uncle, drink more and it's okay."

"That's right, my brother can drink a lot, so it's okay if he drinks a few more glasses!" Qi Zhiyuan poured Zhao Jie a glass of wine, raised the glass and said, "Come on, my brother, have a drink."

Zhao Jie and Qi Zhiyuan clinked their wine cups lightly.

Lingling pouted and said, "You two are making my birthday unhappy!"

Lu Han, who was standing by, said to Qi Zhiyuan, "Zhiyuan, please stop teasing Lingling. It would be better for His Majesty to drink less."

Qi Zhiyuan said to Lu Han, "I know you're afraid of her. She's the little bully of your Lu family, not our Qi family. I'm not afraid of her..."

Lingling raised her voice and said, "Uncle..."

Before he could utter the word "uncle", Qi Zhiyuan begged for mercy, "Lingling, little bully, please don't complain to my father."

Lingling smiled and snatched the wine cup from Zhao Jie's hand. "Uncle, if you have anything that makes you unhappy, you can tell Lingling. Why drink in silence?"

Zhao Jie glanced at Lingling and sighed, "You're too young."

Lingling said, "I'm already ten years old, how can I still be young? My mother has asked me to start managing the medical clinic business. I'm not young anymore."

Zhao Jie chuckled and said, "You are indeed still too young to understand the worries of adults."

Lu Yiling said, "I understand your worries. Is the Empress Dowager forcing you to find a young aunt again? I heard that the concubines are about to enter the palace, so you don't have to worry about how long it will take to get married.

Uncle, you have to give me a little sister as soon as possible!"

Lu Yiling thought it would be nice to have her uncle's daughter as her sister. She would take good care of her uncle's daughter just as her uncle took care of her.

Zhao Jie smiled dotingly at Lingling and said, "My Queen Mother only forced me to find a queen, but you, on the other hand, simply wanted me to have a child."

"It is your unshirkable mission to bear children for the royal family, little uncle. Just like the boar in the farm, it has to give birth to babies with the sows in the village every day. That is also its mission."

Zhao Jie listened to Lingling's words and felt that something was wrong, but it was also right.

It was Lu Yiling’s tenth birthday, so Ye Li, as her wet nurse, could take a day off.

In the small side courtyard of Prince Qi's Mansion.

Chu Chi gave all the fabrics and jewelry he brought from the palace to Chu Xiaoxiao, "Sister, make a few more clothes with these. When you were little, I was always lazy and dressed you in men's clothes. Now I can finally dress you up properly."

Chu Xiaoxiao took it and said, "Thank you, sister."

Ye Li looked at Chu Chi in front of him and said, "Chi'er, you are already twenty years old. After the Queen enters the palace, it will be time to find a marriage in a year. Do you have anyone you like?"

Chu Chi's eyes darkened, and she whispered, "Mother, I'm doing well in the palace. After the selection, Concubine Wu will retire to her hometown to enjoy her retirement. In the future, I will take over the power of Concubine Wu. I think it's good to be in power in the palace, even if I don't get married."

Ye Li said: "It's not that easy to be treated in the palace. Right now, there is no master in your majesty's harem. When there is a queen and concubines in the harem, the conflicts will inevitably affect you.

You only need to assist the Queen for a year or two, so that the Queen can take over the affairs of the harem, and then you can leave the palace and get married. The princess will definitely not treat you badly and will find a good husband for you."

The corners of Chu Chi's lips trembled slightly, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

She may not be able to leave the palace.

However, Chu Chi didn't dare tell Ye Li this, for fear that his mother would worry. It was not easy for his mother to raise four siblings alone and take care of Lingling.

After Chu Chi and Ye Lichu talked for a long time, she heard the eunuch outside calling her. Chu Chi said goodbye to Ye Li and got on the carriage back to the palace.

As soon as she entered the carriage, she was embraced in his arms, the smell of alcohol spread to her nose. Zhao Jie rested his chin on Chu Chi's shoulder, smelled the peony scent on her body, and kissed her lips.

Chu Chi could only be forced to endure it. She did not dare to resist at all. When Zhao Jie untied the belt in front of her, Chu Chi whispered, "Your Majesty, this is still in the carriage."

Zhao Jie opened his eyes slightly, "It just so happens that I haven't tried it in a carriage..."

Chu Chi looked at Zhao Jie in front of him with pleading eyes and said, "Your Majesty."

Zhao Jie breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Chu Chi tightly, but did not go any further until he returned to the bedroom. After Zhao Jie let all the eunuchs and palace maids leave, he no longer had any patience or pity.

Chu Chi was forced to silently endure the helplessness and joy.

Chu Chi didn't know how she fell asleep. When she woke up, Zhao Jie was no longer by her side. She got up and went back to the clothing bureau.

After Chu Chi changed his clothes, he sighed softly.

Concubine Wu approached Chu Chi and said, "Chi'er, it won't be long before beauties from all over the country enter the palace. This is the first selection since His Majesty ascended the throne, so nothing can go wrong. Take your men and thoroughly inspect the Chuxiu Palace."

"Yes, Wu Shanggong."

Chu Chi looked at the list of beauties and saw the name Chu Liuli at first sight. Liuli is a Buddhist treasure. The person who can name Liuli must be an extremely noble person.

Wu Shang Gong said: "By the way, in this selection, Queen Mother Zhou wants Chu Liuli to be the queen, but the princess means that Chu Liuli must not be the queen. You will have to act accordingly."

"Yes." Chu Chi agreed.

After looking at the list, Chu Chi found a few familiar names. He recognized Zheng Xiuxiu and Zheng Huihui, who were good friends of Lu Yiling. There were also Hua Xiangrong and Wang Huaqing, the eldest daughter of the prince's family. They were all daughters of noble birth in Shengjing City and could become powerful candidates for queen in the future.

Chu Chi didn't know who Zhao Jie would choose as the queen. What she was more worried about now was her future.

She didn't think Zhao Jie would be willing to let her leave the palace to get married, but if she stayed in the palace, she came from the Shanggong Bureau and was not a Shanggong yet, but she was no different from a Shanggong. She had held the power of a Shanggong, so would the Queen Mother trust her completely?

Chu Chi rubbed his temples with a headache, took a deep breath and started working.

The most important thing now is the draft.